A showcase of the best LGBTQ+ films from around the world today.
AUDIENCE AWARDS:
Best Feature Film: SUGAR BEACH
Best Short Film: STEALING ASH
Best Direction: AT ARM’S LENGTH
Best Student Film: SILENT PULL
Best Documentary: CLOSE TO HOME
Best Story: HOUSEHOLD
Best Performances: REVENGE
Best Micro-Short: JIMBO: BIG TOP
SUGAR BEACH, 90min., USA
Directed by Noely Mendoza
Rosalyn, a wealthy and talented high school senior, grapples with immense grief after the loss of her brother in a surfing accident. The void left behind by his absence consumes her, and she begins a descent into addiction—alcohol becoming her solace as she numbs the pain and confusion. Amidst her downward spiral, she finds herself in a complex relationship with two other people, Isaac, and Emma. Drawn to the comfort and sweetness of their affection, the throuple provides a fleeting sense of escape, but Rosalyn’s internal struggle with grief and substance abuse complicates her search for self-love, growth, healing and identity.
https://www.instagram.com/NONE
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-sugar-beach
SILENT PULL, 11min., USA
Directed by Lamont Nathaniel Gibson
A Black queer man navigates unreciprocated intimacy and the emotional cost of longing, as systemic pressures push his vulnerabilities into transactional spaces.
https://www.instagram.com/direct_lng/
https://www.instagram.com/silent_pull
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-silent-pull
Close to Home, 32min., USA
Directed by Whitney Skauge
Through the exploration of their personal and shared experiences, four young advocates imagine a world where access to safe, affordable, and reliable housing is not a privilege but an undeniable human right.
https://www.instagram.com/whitneyskauge/
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-close-to-home
Household, 10min., Canada
Directed by Robbie Lemieux
A lonely young man struggles with his unusual living situation.
https://www.instagram.com/robbielemieux/
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-household
Revenge, 19min., Brazil
Directed by Mari Penteado, Eduardo Campos
Virginia is a 43-year-old transgender woman who works as a community health agent in Guarulhos, Brazil. The film follows a day in her life, marked by the exhaustion of work, but also by meaningful encounters, dreams, and, above all, the need to live – and resist.
https://www.instagram.com/vinganca_curta
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-revenge
JIMBO: BIG TOP, 3min., USA
Directed by Brad Hammer
https://www.instagram.com/jimbothedragclown
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-jimbo-big-top
AT ARM’S LENGTH, 5min. USA
Directed by August Broussard
When a neurotic teen asks his best friend to break his arm for prescription meds, what starts as a twisted favor spirals into an absurd test of loyalty — with consequences neither of them is quite prepared for.
https://instagram.com/augustvbroussard
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-at-arm-s-length
STEALING ASH, 13min., USA
Directed by Frances Capel
After their best friend dies, four best friends plan a heist to steal their ashes and take them on a final joyride for the send off they deserve.
https://instagram.com/campyatc
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feeedback-stealing-ash
LGBTQ+ Toronto Film Festival 