TV & Film | Exclusive
The 2023 Sundance Film Festival is currently underway, this year Gaye Magazine will be on the grounds covering several highly anticipated LGBTQ+ films. Here is a list of films we are most excited to see at this year's festival.
Kokomo City
From the mind of Grammy-nominated producer and director-producer D. Smith comes “Kokomo City”. The black-and-white-styled documentary follows the lives of four Black, trans sex workers who live in New York and Georgia.
It’s Only Life After All
Alexandria Bombach’s music-filled documentary follows the three-decade-long career of the Indigo Girls. The film uses archival footage and interviews as band members Amy Ray and Emily Sailers reflect on their career highs and lows.
Mutt
Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s directorial debut “Mutt” follows the story of Feña, a young trans-Latinx navigating life and relationships from his past after transitioning.
Passages
“Passages” is a modern-day story set in Paris. It follows a German filmmaker Tomas (Franz Rogowski) who is embroiled in a secret love affair with a young woman named Agathe (Adèle Exarchopoulos). Tomas' affair causes a ripple effect in his marriage with his husband Martin (Ben Whishaw) who eventually begins to have an affair on his own. The film was directed by Ira Sachs.
Rotting In The Sun
In “Rotting In The Sun '' director Sebastián Silva plays a fictionalized version of himself. In the film he plays a depressed, drug-addicted film director, in an attempt to bring him out of a depressive state, his manager sends him on vacation to a nude gay beach where he builds an unlikely friendship with a social media influencer.
The Stroll
In her co-directorial debut “The Stroll” Kristen Lovell documents the world of transgender sex workers in New York City’s Meatpacking District. The story closely follows the worker's journey where they often faced discrimination, poverty, and the gentrification of their neighborhoods.
Joining Lovell as a director is Zackary Drucker. The film was produced by Kingdom Reign Entertainment and Polari Pictures.
The Persian Version
Maryam Keshavarz's comedy-drama “The Persian Version '' audiences are introduced to Leila (Layla Mohammadi) an Iranian-American woman who is navigating both of her cultures. After reuniting with her estranged Mother in New York City Leila and her mother, a secret is revealed that changes their family dynamic and helps Leila see parallels between her Mother’s past.
Eileen
Based on Otessa Moshfeg’s award-winning novel Eileen. The film - which is set in the 1960s follows the story of a young prison secretary Eileen (Thomasin McKenzie )who becomes infatuated with a female co-worker (Anne Hathaway). As Eileen’s relationship with her co-worker blossoms she is entangled in a life-changing crime that throws her life into a dark path. The film was directed by William Oldroyd.
Little Richard: I Am Everything
Lisa Cortes' documentary film “Little Richard: I Am Everything '' uses archival footage of the late singer's life to showcase the singer's meteoric rise to fame and his influence on white rock & roll artists during the genre’s early years.
The film was produced by Bungalow Media + Entertainment in association with Rolling Stone and features appearances of Little Richard’s family and close friends.
Drift
Academy Award-winning actress Cynthia Erivo stars in “Drift” a drama film about a young refugee who lands on a Greek island where she is forced to put together resources to survive. The film is based on Alexander Maksik’s 2013 novel “A Marker To Measure Drift”. Joining Maksik in writing the film's screenplay is Susanne Farrel with Anthony Chen directing.
Fairyland
Andrew Durham’s Fairyland is a coming of age drama set in San Francisco during the 1970s and 1980s. The story follows the life of the poet and gay activist Steve Abbott.
The Sofia Coppola produced film stars Emilia Jones, Scoot McNairy, Geena Davis, Cody Fern, Adam Lambert, and Maria Bakalova.
Shortcoming’s
In his directorial debut Asian American actor and comedian Randall Park’s “Shortcoming’s” three young Asian-Americans from the Bay travel across the country as they make their way to New City.
Cassandro
Academy Award-winning director Roger Ross Williams brings the story of Mexican wrestler Saúl Armendáriz to screen in “Cassandro”. The film stars Gael García Bernal as the titular character and features Roberta Colindrez, Perla De La Rosa, Joaquín Cosío, Raúl Castillo, El Hijo del Santo, and Latin pop superstar Bad Bunny.
Fancy Dance
Erica Tremblay's directorial debut “Fancy Dance” is set in Oklahoma and follows the story of an indigenous woman Jax (Lily Gladstone) who kidnaps her niece Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson) from her white paternal grandparents.
Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Story
Legendary poet Nikki Giovanni is the subject of “Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Story”, an intimate look at her life and career. The film was Directed and Produced by Michèle Stephenson and Joe Brewster
Theater Camp
The staff of a run-down theater camp in upstate New York must band together after the theater founder Joan (Amy Sedaris) falls into a coma. With financial troubles on the horizon, the staff works with her “crypto-bro” son Troy (Jimmy Tatro) in hopes to raise funds to keep the theater camp running. The film was directed by Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman.
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