Author Archives: tom.abell

Mark Kermode’s very best of 2014

Did you watch BBC Review 2014: The Year In Film?

We’re very proud that our exceptional film THE GOLDEN DREAM is Mark Kermode’s subtitled film of the year.

He went on to say: “The Golden Dream swept the board at Mexico’s 2014 Ariel Awards and is one of the very best films to be released the UK this year. If you missed it in cinemas make sure you take the time to catch it on DVD, it really is astonishing.“

ON DVD now http://amzn.to/1xlEkie

Diego Quemada-Díez directing the young actors during the making of THE GOLDEN DREAM

Why you should see EASTERN BOYS

At Peccadillo we have literally hundreds of films recommended to us every year and there just isn’t enough time to see them all. EASTERN BOYS was recommended by a sales company that we regularly work with, was premiering at the prestigious Venice Film Festival and the previous work from director Robin Campillo indicated he was definitely someone to watch, but the title of the film and the subject of Eastern European rent boys made it all sound so… 90’s.

It would have been very easy to skip the 9am market screening, but we’re glad we didn’t, because the film was definitely one of the best of the year and in Venice it picked up the Horizon Award for Best film – but that was after we had acquired it.

Eastern Boys Final UK Quad

EASTERN BOYS opens with what can be described as a classic cruising scene. Daniel spots Marek hanging out with friends at the Gare du Nord station in Paris and virtually stalks him until he gets him alone, agrees a price and arranges for the young man to come to his apartment the next day.

When Daniel opens his door it’s to a young boy called Marek, the trap is sprung and then “that scene” happens. It’s the scene that everyone who has seen the film talks about, a celluloid moment that is impossible to erase and is certain will go down in film history as one of the most memorable moments in film – ever.

EASTERN BOYS is both an edge of your seat thriller and an intimate exploration of the evolution and meaning of love, it seamlessly moves between one genre and the other toward an unexpected but ultimately very satisfying ending. The film is one hell of a journey and one that Peccadillo is very proud to bring to you.

So please seek out those few cinemas brave enough to show something different to mainstream holiday fare (there are fewer of them every year) and settle back and enjoy an utterly brilliant cinematic experience.

Director Robin Campillo will be in London to present the film On Friday at The Curzon Soho and on Saturday at The Hackney Picturehouse, click below for details of these and other screenings around the UK

For more and to book tickets: http://bit.ly/EasternBoysCinema

London Film Festival premiere of THE IMITATION GAME starring Benedict Cumberbatch

The Peccadillo gang braved the rain last night and made it to the opening night of the London Film Festival and the premiere of THE IMITATION GAME starring Benedict Cumberbatch!

And we really liked the film, especially it’s anger at the treatment of an unknown national hero simply because of his sexuality. During the evening the actor Charles Dance made a very good point when he said that rather than The Crown granting Alan Turning a “pardon”, our government should have asked Turing’s family for a pardon.

But let’s not forget the 48,999 other men who also faced the charge of “gross indecency”, when do they get their “pardon”?

Get the book that inspired the film here: http://amzn.to/1u69ys0

The Guardian has more on the film and the LFF here: http://bit.ly/1ybGiUv

Following The Golden Dream

The talented young cast from The Golden Dream

A note from Saffron Hill Films Chairman, Tom Abell, on The Golden Dream.

“Every so often a film comes along that we know we just have to bring it to your attention.

We saw THE GOLDEN DREAM by first time director Diego Quemada-Díez during the Cannes film festival last year and were profoundly moved by this exquisite, masterful piece of filmmaking. It immediately became a “must have” and securing it for UK and Irish distribution was one of our highlights of the festival.

The film follows four Guatemalan teenagers as they attempt to escape from the slums of Guatemala City to the bright lights of Los Angeles, a dangerous journey undertaken by thousands every year. Six hundred of these actual migrants became extras in THE GOLDEN DREAM as they undertook this almost impossible journey and each of them receive a named credit in the closing titles of the film. No one knows how many of them managed to cross that final border into California.

Many of the non-LGBT films that Peccadillo distributes deal with basic human rights, very often championing those who are normally classified as “outsiders”. Each year the desire to find a “better life” drives hundreds of thousands of would be immigrants across the world to leave their homes and take perilous journeys to find their own golden dream, but more often than not the “dream” bears no resemblance to the brutal truth. Immigration is a subject so often abused by politicians as they use it for political points scoring where “being tough” is incorrectly seen as a solution to a problem that no one really wants to address.

THE GOLDEN DREAM tackles this in a non-sensational, compassionate way that never once becomes sentimental, yet never flinches from honestly showing the plight of those who strive to achieve more than they have. The film challenges the world to face up to that terrible reality and that is why we have to bring you the film”

Diego with Ken Loach at the London Film Festival

Diego with Alfonso Cuarón for opening night of THE GOLDEN DREAM at London’s Curzon Soho

Peccadillo at LLGFF 2014 (We’re all FLARED UP)

It’s a given that Peccadillo will have great films to watch out for at the BFI Flare (London LGBT Film Festival, formally LLGFF). Taking place between the Thursday 20th March and Sunday 30th March, and eagerly anticipated in the LGBT community, the festival will include a glorious eleven days of the best queer cinema from around the globe. Full details of the programme are available here: http://www.bfi.org.uk/flare

The 2013 edition of the LLGFF was extremely popular – more than 22,000 people witnessed over 130 programes of screenings and events, an increase of 1,000 on the 2012 festival. We were proud that a bunch of Peccadillo films were shown. Our Interior. Leather Bar – Travis Matthews’ and James Franco’s sex and arthouse tour de force, inspired by the ’80s gay classic Cruising – had its premiere. Our heart-warming Margarita, a Canadian drama about an attractive young Mexican and lesbian nanny who faces dilemmas in love and life, held the closing gala spot. Additionally, on the documentary front, the revealing Les Invisibles gave older LGBT people the chance to tell their stories of prejudice and sexual exploration. There was also the award-winning Beyond The Walls – an intimate drama charting a one-night stand between two men that develops into something more – and I Do, an uplifting romantic drama about an English ex-pat living in New York who faces deportation, faced with some important choices to make in life and love.

But take a further look at what Peccadillo has in store for the Flare this year.

G.B.F

OFFICIAL SELECTION: Tribeca Film Festival 2013

Friday 21st March NFT 2 (16:00) | Friday 21st March NFT 1 (20:45)

Meet Tanner and Brent. They are two gay best friends. Brent longs for the spotlight and believes that coming out will make him instantly popular as North Gateway High’s very first G.B.F. (or Gay Best Friend). Tanner on the other hand, would rather fly under the radar and finish high school without ever being noticed.

When things don’t go according to plan and Tanner is outed instead of Brent, the two boys go from B.F.Fs to instant frenemies. Enter the three most popular girls in school — queen-of-mean bombshell Fawcett, drama club diva Caprice, and sweet, Mormon good-girl ‘Shley, who launch an all-out social war to win Tanner’s friendship.

Featuring an all-star cast including Desperate Housewives’ Andrea Bowen, Will & Grace’s Megan Mullally, Orange Is The New Black’s Natasha Lyonne and Harry Potter’s Evanna Lynch.

From the director of cult 90s teen movie JAWBREAKER comes this comic satire of American high school clique culture in the vein of MEAN GIRLS and AMERICAN PIE.

G.B.F is available on Blu-ray.

Play | Amazon

Or alternatively on DVD

Amazon | Play

TEST

WINNER: Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Screenwriting & Grand Jury Award for Outstanding U.S. Dramatic Feature Film, Outfest 2013

Thursday 27th March NFT 1 (18:30)| Friday 28th March NFT 3 (16:00)

Frankie is the newest, skinniest and most mocked member of an up-and-coming modern dance company in San Francisco. The year is 1985. As six muscular male dancers tumble their way through athletic choreography, the choreographer stops the music and yells at Frankie to “dance like a man!” On the sidelines, Todd watches. Todd is an established dancer in the same company and the bad boy to Frankie’s innocent. They quickly become friends – opposites attract.

For Frankie, the city offers no relief from the bullying at work: a newspaper headline asks “Should Gays Be Quarantined?” while fresh graffiti screams “AIDS Faggot Die!” Frankie turns away and, with his bright yellow Walkman clipped to his belt, retreats into a music-filled trance.

When one of the male dancers is injured Frankie must perform in his place. It’s the classic test of skill and character, and Todd helps Frankie prepare. Outside of work, as Frankie and Todd’s friendship deepens, they each face a different kind of test: the newly-named disease is spreading fast and no one seems to know anything about it, except who it targets. Together the friends navigate a world full of risk that is also, now and then, full of hope.

Get the film on DVD: Amazon

REACHING FOR THE MOON

WINNER: Audience Award, Outfest 2013

Friday 28th March NFT 1 (21:00) | Saturday 29th March NFT 3 (11:20) | Sunday 30th March Studio (16:10)

Set at the height of 1950s glamour, this audience award winning drama recounts the extraordinary relationship between Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Elizabeth Bishop (played by Miranda Otto, Lord of the Rings) and Brazilian architect Lota de Macedo Soares (the beautifully handsome Gloria Pires). In search of inspiration, Bishop leaves America having accepted the invitation of an old college friend to stay with her on her sprawling country estate in Brazil. But she never counted on meeting the love of her life – her friend’s partner.

At first, the fiery personalities of the two women collide and lead to passion-fuelled debates, but animosity quickly turns to attraction, then desire. From Oscar© nominated director Bruno Barreto, REACHING FOR THE MOON is an intimate portrait of two remarkable artists as they discover the most incredible love.

You buy REACHING FOR THE MOON on DVD

Amazon | Play

WHO’S AFRAID OF VAGINA WOLF?

WINNER: Best Female Performance, Outfest 2013 & Best Feature Comedy, QFest 2013Saturday 29th March NFT 1 (21:00) | Sunday 30th March NFT 2 (13:50)The day after her 40th birthday, Anna comes to the conclusion that it’s time for the madness to stop. She lives in her friend’s garage; her career as a filmmaker isn’t paying the bills and worst of all it’s been ten years since she’s had a girlfriend. A hardscrabble life that seemed charming and adventurous in her twenties seems desperate and dire in middle age. Most move on from such a lifestyle before they hit 40. But not Anna. That’s why something has to change.Anna devises a plan to make all her dreams finally come true: make a film and win over her leading actress and art school wunderkind; Katia. Borrowing a storyline from her most beloved film ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ she recruits her friend Penelope (Guinevere Turner) and Chloe (Carrie Preston) to start production of her feature film debut ‘Who’s Afraid of Vagina Wolf?’

As with all great feats, there were several obstacles standing in her way, first, there’s no money. Second, she will have to give up her role opposite Katia if she wants the much-desired Penelope to even consider taking the roll. Third, her Cuban mother has never been thrilled about her making lesbian films, let alone, her being lesbian. She’d much prefer Anna pack up her shed and move home to Miami.

Get the film on DVD: Amazon

Feburary’s Must See: Stranger By the Lake

Peccadillo Pictures are thrilled to be behind the critically acclaimed and widely admired gay cinema sensation of 2014; Alain Guiraudie‘s intoxicating blend of bold homosexual erotica and compelling psychological thriller, Stranger By The Lake (L’inconnu Du Lac).

Stranger By The Lake has been praised in countless publications and chosen as a highlight of many must-see lists of the year – Time Out and French film journal Cahier du Cinema, Little White Lies, to name but a few – and it was awarded a five star rating by Empire. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where it went on to win the award for Best Director, and the Queer Palm award. It also currently holds an 100% score on go-to film rater Rotten Tomatoes. Guiraudie – one of France’s most accomplished auteurs- is now on his tenth feature and finally earning his place in the art-house limelight. So what, you may ask, is this fuss about? The reasons are multiple.

There’s the atmospheric setting; a picturesque, serene lake in France during a balmy summer, which also happens to be a cruising spot for gay men. A setting that is at once erotically exposed and secretive. When the film gives way to mystery and suspense, the sense of place transforms from a place of natural, pastoral beauty to something more eery and sinister. Of the cruisers, the film focuses on Franck (Pierre Deladonchamps), a highly sought after cruiser in the spot. After several mindless encounters, Frank swims past Michel (Christophe Paou) and rapidly falls into love – or lust – with him, despite warnings from middle-aged Henri, a fat and disillusioned loner he has befriended by the lake. After seeing Michael commit a terrible act of violence, Franck’s unflinching passion threatens to disrupt his moral integrity.

There’s also how celebratory it all is of homosexuality and the male form. It would be a trying effort to find a more sexually explicit art-house film than this, (yes, even Blue Is The Warmest Colour) and a franker portrayal of gay sex so utterly devoid of any inhibition or apology. Likewise, the voyeuristic quality of the sex scenes, plus the treatment of the suspense, expertly echoes Hitchcock; a similarity many viewers are enjoying. The film also moves effortlessly from a sensual art-house film into a murder thriller. Not to mention, there is somehow humour in there too, in the form of an overweight and overtly optimistic cruiser named Eric, always hopefully trying it on with his superior looking fellow naturists. The comedy somehow blends in expertly well, in a film which you wouldn’t expect it to at all; leading this film to become a wonderful and unique hybrid of comedy, romance, erotica and murder thriller.

We could go on, but it would be wiser to believe the hype and experience this absorbing sexual thriller for yourself, in cinemas from 21st February.

A deeper look into ANY DAY NOW

January looks forward to Peccadillo bringing two very different yet, of course, high calibre gay films to ensure 2014 starts as it means to go on. Bring on another year packed with releases of the great LGBT cinema that we so love.

Before the forbidden romance film FREE FALL is released, we will be celebrating the release of ANY DAY NOW on the thirteenth, a thought-provoking drama starring Scotland’s ever watchable and charismatic Alan Cumming. It’s inspired by the real case of a gay couple’s discriminatory struggles when they tried to adopt a disabled child and is set in ‘70s West Hollywood, when passionate homophobia was commonplace.

Cumming gives a powerful performance as talented singer Ruby Donatello, who is barely making ends meet with a drag act in a seedy club. Although confident within his sexuality, he lives on the fringes of society, unlike the successful yet closeted district attorney Paul Fleiger (Garret Dillahunt) he begins a relationship with. When Rudy’s drug-addicted neighbour is arrested and abandons her 14-year-old son Marco, who has Down Syndrome, Rudy and Paul feel compelled to take him into their care, and create a loving home for him whilst they pretend to be cousins.

Perhaps shockingly, same-sex couples have only been able to adopt in the UK since 2002. The status of adoption for LGBT couples in the US varies between states and is forbidden in some areas. This touching film covers a range of prevalent human rights issues that remain as pertinent today as they were decades ago. On a general scale the film explores gay equality, homophobia in the workplace, a flawed family justice system, and universal assumptions of gender roles. It provides a stark reminder of how far we’ve come for gay rights in the past four decades.

More specifically, ANY DAY NOW tackles the notion that same-sex couples cannot provide as stable a home as heterosexual couples, and further, that the mother should always take first priority when it comes to custody. We might be making great progress when it comes to gay marital bills, but the mind-set of many still holds the assumption that a married heterosexual couple provides the most stable home for children. It is assumed that children need both genders to care for them, and ideally, there will always be a nurturing female figure in the picture.

The classic marital drama KRAMER VS KRAMER famously challenged this ideal back in the ‘80s. In large part, it consists of a courtroom scene that held killer speeches from both Meryl Streep and Dustin Hoffman as they battle for custody of their son. Hoffman’s Ted movingly argues that gender does not equal great parenting, but Streep’s Joanna only has to state that her boy needs his mother, and she is granted custody. Similarly, in ANY DAY NOW, both protagonists have to argue during a gruelling case that their gender and sexuality is irrelevant when it comes to providing a loving home, exasperated that it’s such an important factor, and when Marco’s incapable mother enters the picture again their custody battle challenge intensifies.

Buy this stirring and poignant drama for yourself, HERE.

Peccadillo’s BOYS ON FILM actor Elliott Tittensor stars in LFF film SPIKE ISLAND

Mat Whitecross’ new coming-of-age film follows an aspiring indie band as they journey to see their heroes, The Stone Roses, play what was to become a legendary gig at Spike Island in 1990. Elliott Tittensor (Shameless), who featured in our collection BOYS ON FILM 4, takes the lead cast-wise, starring alongside other talent-off-our-tellies Matthew McNulty (Misfits and The Syndicate)and Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones).

If you’re a Tittensor fan, you can pick up the special edition Elliott Tittensor cover of Peccadillo’s BOYS ON FILM 4: PROTECT ME FROM WHAT I WANT on amazon http://amzn.to/QG6Hz7

Buy Spike Island here: http://amzn.to/1v6ivoI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joVUppKfCdc

Oxford University changes rules to embrace transgender students

It has been something of contention for a while now, but finally one of England’s oldest surviving universities, The University of Oxford has been brought into the 21st century and will allow transgender students to wear formal dress, appropriate to their sex.

The university, commonly grouped together with The University of Cambridge, termed Oxbridge, has changed its strict dress code for students taking exams or attending formal events within the university calender.

The campus’ LGBT group recently intervened and call for progress and change.

: Check out our transgender drama, Romeos

The changes, which come into force this week, mean that trans women will be permitted to wear skirts and trans men will be permitted to wear suits, jackets and ties.

Jess Pumphrey, the LGBTQ Soc’s executive officer, said the change will make exam time and formal events significantly less stressful for trans students.

She told the Oxford student newspaper: “In futuire there will be no need for transgender students to cross-dress to avoid being confronted by invigilators or disciplined during their exam.”

An Oxford University spokesperson said: “The regulations have been amended to remove any reference to gender, in response to concerns raised by Oxford University Student Union that the existing regulations did not serve the interests of transgender students.

If you are interested in films surrounding transgender, check out recent Peccadillo release, Romeos, which follows 20-year-old Lukas as he arrives in Cologne for a summer of late nights and self-discovery. Lukas has a heavy secret that he has chosen to leave behind, and best friend Ine knows this too well. Like most young adults their age, the pair indulge in parties and alcohol with abandon, helping Lukas to overcome what makes him different from everyone else.

Sally Ride, first American woman in Space dies

Selected as an astronaut in 1978, Ride blasted off with four male colleagues on June 18, 1983, on space shuttle Challenger, the seventh flight of the program.

Sally K. Ride, the first American woman to orbit Earth, died Monday after a 17-month bout with pancreatic cancer. She was 61.

Ride’s death was announced on the website of Sally Ride Science, an educational organization that Ride founded in 2001. Her aim was to draw young people, particularly girls, into the world of math, science, engineering and technology.
“Sally’s historic flight into space captured the nation’s imagination and made her a household name. She became a symbol of the ability of women to break barriers and a hero to generations of adventurous young girls.”

Ride, who held a doctorate in physics, authored seven children’s science books and spearheaded a campaign to let schoolkids operate a camera on GRAIL, a NASA moon-orbiting science probe.
Former husband Steve Hawley, a fellow former astronaut, said in a statement that Ride was a very private person who never became fully comfortable with her celebrity.
“She recognized that it gave her the opportunity to encourage children, particularly young girls, to reach their full potential,” said Hawley, who now teaches astronomy at the University of Kansas.

“Sally Ride, the astronaut and the person, allowed many young girls across the world to believe they could achieve anything if they studied and worked hard. I think she would be pleased with that legacy,” he said.
It was not widely known till after Ride’s death, but she was a lesbian and leaves behind her partner of 27 years, Tam O’Shaughnessy, her mother, Joyce, a sister, a niece and a nephew.

There has since been discussion online about whether it was right for Sally to have not officially “come out” whilst she was still alive. Ellen Seidler, writer of And Then Came Lola, wrote, “Sally Ride left this earth knowing full well that she did want to go down in history as being an ‘out’ lesbian… Now tell me, how she could promote that [supporting interests in science, math and technology] vision in places where it, ironically is most need, were she to have come out as a lesbian? Sadly, creationism and science deniers are often the same folks who are proudly homophobic.”

What does everyone else think? At the end of the day, Sally was a great woman who opened up many doors for a new generation of females throughout the world.

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