OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival Miami, internationally acclaimed as one of the largest LGBTQ+ cultural festivals in the world, will close its 24th edition with the film Cop Secret.
Sunday, May 1; 6pm; Sandrell Rivers Theater (6103 NW 7th Ave, Miami); 98 minutes; In Icelandic with English subtitles; Genre: Action, Comedy, Gay, Romance; East Coast Premiere.
Whereas the opening night film, “B-Boy Blues,” was a powerful film with a serious message, the closing night film, Cop Secret, is a satire of every cop buddy film you have ever seen; however, this one has a homoerotic subplot. Now you can’t go into this movie with a serious mind, you must go in as you would to a Mel Brooks movie. If you do, I promise you will laugh and enjoy just as the actors did. In addition, the leads are very sexy, so keep your eyes peeled!
The closing night film and party is $35 and features an Open Bar by Bacardi, Lite Bites & DJ Hottpants!
Some of the other films showing this weekend are:
Friday, April 29
All Our Fears – 7pm at Regal Cinemas South Beach (1120 Lincoln Rd Mall) – 94 minutes; In Polish with English subtitles; Drama, Lesbian, Slice of Life; U.S. Premiere – Also streaming on Outshine at home April 30-May 2.
Daniel is a very well-respected young artist torn between his small village community, urban art galleries, the Catholic church, and his gay identity. When his lesbian friend commits suicide after suffering from homophobic heckling, Daniel’s life mission becomes to redeem his community with an ultimate work of art — as well as not to lose Olek, a local man he loves despite him not being able to embrace his sexuality. Based on real events, All Our Fears is a moving story of an artist raised in the countryside and very engaged in the activities of the Catholic Church that refuses to accept him and others like him.
The Schoolmaster Games – 9:30pm at Regal Cinemas South Beach – 82 minutes; In Swedish with English subtitles; Drama, Gay, Romance; Southeast Premiere; Also streaming on Outshine at home April 30-May 2.
The school year at St. Sebastian, exclusively populated by queer guys, has just started. The much-desired Charles enters a secret sexual power game orchestrated by the strict schoolmaster, who is tortured by memories from a time long before the erotic acceptance that currently prevails at the boarding school. When the competition for the prestigious singing event tightens, friendships crack and the utopian existence begins to fall apart piece by piece. Based on a novel and inspired by high school films and gay porn, The Schoolmaster Games illustrates a world where sexuality is free, but power games simmer beneath the surface.
Saturday, April 30
Men’s Spotlight Film: Lonesome – 7pm at Regal Cinemas South Beach – 95 minutes; English; from Australia; Genre: Drama, Gay, Romance; East Coast Premiere.
Casey, a hot, hunky young man from the countryside running from a small-town scandal, finds himself down and out in the big city of Sydney. When he meets Tib, a young city lad, struggling with his own scars of isolation, there’s chemistry, not only sexually but also emotionally as both men find something they have been missing. Can they overcome their own insecurities and let the other in or are the walls they have built too strong to knockdown? Lonesome takes audiences on a thrilling, hedonistic, erotic journey, depicting two characters, who not only seek sexual fulfillment but also acceptance and a meaningful bond.
Everything Of Value – (Alles Van Waarde) – 9:15pm at Regal Cinemas South Beach – 92 minutes; In Dutch with English subtitles; Drama, Gay, Romance; North American Premiere; Also streaming on Outshine at home April 30-May 2.
Documentary, fiction and making-of intertwine in this associative tale about a violent incident in a close-knit village, where many things are best left unsaid. Two men are beaten up by a group of youngsters, for their alleged sexual orientation, which later is confirmed to be a gay bashing. But why do the victims refuse to report the crime? When the conservative church community in the village plays a major role the filmmaker, uses interviews and reconstructions, to find out what actually happened. Everything of Value is an insightful film on the role of religion and community and the effect on combating or perpetuating homophobia.
Towards Happiness (Fino Ad Essere Felici) – 9:30pm at Regal Cinemas South Beach – 94 minutes; In Italian with English subtitles; Comedy, Drama, Gay, Romance; North American Premiere; Also streaming on Outshine at home May 1-3.
Andrea is a forty-year-old labor consultant with a nice job, who lives an apparent ordinary life with his wife Lucia and eleven-year-old son Tommaso. Their marriage is winding down, crushed by a suffocating routine. But not everything is as it seems. Andrea has a profound secret; at night he transforms into a fabulous drag queen performing at a Naples bar. While this seems to be the art form of a gay man, Andrea is still dealing with his own sexual identity. Add the presence of the ambiguous figure Ciro, Andrea’s best friend, the question of Andrea’s sexuality is even more complex.
Sunday, May 1
Framing Agnes – 12:45pm at Regal Cinemas South Beach – 75 minutes; English; From Canada; Genre: Documentary, Historical, Trans; Also streaming on Outshine at home May 2-4.
In 1958, a young trans woman named Agnes entered a study about sex disorders at UCLA to get the gender-affirming care she needed, by any means necessary. Her story was long considered to be exceptional until never-before-seen case files of other patients were found in 2017. Directed by Chase Joynt (No Ordinary Man) and featuring an all-star cast of transgender artists and performers, Framing Agnes uses re-enactment and genre-blurring storytelling techniques to breathe new life into previously unknown people who redefined gender in the midcentury.
For a full list of the films showing, more information, or to purchase tickets go to: Outshinefilm.com.
