Every week, The GLAAD Wrap brings you LGBT-related entertainment news highlights, fresh stuff to watch out for, and fun diversions to help you kick off the weekend.
1) Opening this weekend in select theatres, Freeheld is based on the Oscar®-winning short documentary about the true love story of Laurel Hester (Julianne Moore), a decorated New Jersey police detective and her domestic partner, Stacie Andree (out actor Ellen Page). It depicts the struggle that they go through when Laurel is not allowed to transfer her pension benefits to Stacie due to their same sex partnership, after being diagnosed with cancer. The screenplay is adapted by the writer of Philadelphia and also includes a song called Hands Of Love by Miley Cyrus. Watch the film trailer below:
2) Also opening this weekend is the 2015 OutFest comedy Addicted to Fresno, featuring Judy Greer as a recovering sex addict and Natasha Lyonne as her lesbian sister who goes to great lengths to help Shannon (Greer) cover up an accidental crime. This is the second collaboration between Lyonne and out director, Jamie Babbit, after they first worked together on But I'm a Cheerleader. Watch the Addicted to Fresno trailer below:
3) Irish drag queen Panti Bliss (a.k.a. Rory O’Neill) is releasing a documentary film, The Queen of Ireland, following Rory's journey from the small town of Ballinrobe to being an accidental, internationally famous activist. Panti became a prominent symbol of Ireland’s march towards marriage equality after speaking out against homophobia in the Irish press in 2014. The trailer for The Queen of Ireland was released this week and will be in cinemas on October 21st.
4) December 2015 will see the theatrical release of Snervous, a documentary film about award-winning YouTube personality, Tyler Oakley. The film follows the life and career of 26 year-old Oakley through his sold out "Slumber Party" tour across the U.S., UK and Ireland. It has also been slated for a wide digital release shortly after.
5) Thailand has selected the gay-themed How To Win at Checkers (Every Time), from Korean-American director Josh Kim, as its contender for the best foreign-language film Academy Award. Checkers is set in a small Thai town and tells the coming-of-age story of an 11-year-old boy who tries to prevent his gay older brother from being drafted into the military. "It is an honor to have the opportunity to represent Thailand in the Academy Awards race," Kim told The Hollywood Reporter. "I'm very proud of our team and am grateful for the goodwill and support we have received from Thailand throughout this production."
6) In film news, Reed Morano has joined the Lioness-team as director a month after Ellen Page was announced to star as gay marine, Lance Corporal Leslie Martz in a film about her time as leader of the first Female Engagement Team in Afghanistan. You would have seen Reed's cinematography in Kill Your Darlings, The Skeleton Twins and several episodes of Looking. Sarah Chalke has been announced to play Cameron Esposito's partner in Garry Marshall's upcoming film Mother's Day. And Serendipity Point Films just begun shooting its next feature, Below Her Mouth, a love story of two women whose passionate connection changes their lives forever. The all-female project is written by Stephanie Fabrizi, directed by April Mullen, produced by Melissa Coghlan (Say Yes To The Dress Canada) and stars Natalie Krill (Remember, Casino Jack) and Erika Linder (Basketball Diaries).
7) In the current season of The Simpsons, the character of Waylon Smithers will finally come out as gay with two episodes dedicated to his journey of self-acceptance, producers of the long-running cartoon comedy revealed. Although the audience, and some other characters, have known for years, this will definitely be news to his boss, Mr. Burns.
8) Showtime is developing a comedy project starring Alan Cumming as the colorful Gay NYC restaurateur Florent Morellet. Florent takes place during the 1980's AIDS crisis, when Morellet rose to prominence with his restaurant becoming a hub for a broad range of clientele, from cops to foodies to literati. He was famously open about his HIV-positive status, posting his T-cell counts on a board alongside the restaurant’s daily specials. Morellet is on board to help shape the half-hour series, an earlier iteration of which was developed at SundanceTV.
9) Earlier this week Halsey's music video for "New Americana" was released. It features post-apocalyptic rebels, fascists with big guns and is just in time for her North American tour, which kicked off in San Diego, Calif. on Wednesday, September 30th. Check out the video below:
10) Out artist Troye Sivan released the music video for his song "Fools," the second of his three-part music video series Blue Neighbourhood. The three music videos follow the storyline of two male childhood friends involved in a romantic relationship. You can check it out below:
11) This week UK electronica trio Years & Years (featuring out frontman Olly Alexander) released the music video for "Eyes Shut." Olly explains “The song is about self-preservation and wanting to hide from disaster. For the video we created a dystopian world and let ourselves loose in it.” Video below:
12) The organization Big Vision Empty Wallet is launching their new incentive program, Kick-Start Diversity, to support equal representation in the film industry. "[BVEW is] a company that acts as a film and media incubator - designed to support diversity in storytelling and to make it easier for the work of women, people of color and LGBT individuals to get made and be seen." If this applies to your own work, you can learn more about the initiative here.
13) After the successful first season of Brothers earned them a spot on Indiewire's 10 Best Indie TV Series of 2014-list, the series creators are currently seeking funding for the second season. The web series tells the stories of a group of transgender male friends navigating life and love in Brooklyn. Not only does this series feature transgender male storylines, but also a cast of transgender actors in the main roles. You can make donations or check out more information about the project on the Kickstarter page.
