Sheldon Larry’s audacious, raunchy and big-hearted musical—with songs by Beyonce’s music director Kim Burse and choreography by Beyonce’s dance master Frank Gatson Jr.—takes us into the fabulously funky world of voguing. (Remember the documentary Paris is Burning?) Here the setting is contemporary downtown L.A. Our hunky, homeless hero Brad , discarded by his homophobic mom, falls in with the members of the House of Eminence, ruled by the stern aging diva Queef Latina, who keeps a careful, loving watch over her makeshift family of runaways and throwaways. When two of her crew fall for Brad, the Queef is royally unamused. High flying and low down, Leave it on the Floor is a one of a kind celebration—a gay African-American musical about f inding your true family. (Description courtesy of the LA Film Festival.)

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J.J. is an aspiring M.C. who’s taken London’s outlaw urban music scene by storm. He’s got the skills, the rhymes, and the drive. But he may run into a few hurdles on his reach for greatness; he’s white, he’s from the sticks, and he’s gay. J.J.’s resolved to come out onstage at the Urban Slam Finals, bringing his boyfriend Orlando along as moral support. While J.J. is onstage, the frustrated competing band, Illmanics, take out their rage on Orlando, beating him so badly that he suffers permanent brain damage. A victim reconciliation program brings J.J. face to face with Orlando’s attackers. (Description courtesy of Trista Kendall, Frameline International LGBT Film Festival.)

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Festival favourite Ferzan Ozpetek (Ignorant Fairies; Saturn in Opposition) returns to with a light-hearted tale of family obligation and repressed desire that is as playful and sunny as a weekend on the Italian Riviera. Tommaso is the youngest son of the well-to-do and ultra-conservative Cantone family, who own a pasta factory in Puglia. He returns home for an important family dinner at which his father plans to hand over the business to Tommaso and his brother Antonio. But Tommaso has a comfortable life in Rome as an aspiring writer and a steady relationship with his boyfriend Marcoa life he has kept secret from his family. He has no desire to move back to his hometown or to give up his writing career, so he plans to announce to his family at the dinner that he is gay. That evening, however, just as Tomasso begins his speech, he is upstaged by his brother, who, to everyones surprise, reveals his own secret! Antonio is promptly disowned and their father Vincenzo collapses from a heart attack. With the family in a state of turmoil, Tommaso reluctantly steps in to run the factory with Alba, the daughter of their new business partner. The comedy follows Tommaso as he balances running the firm, consoling his outraged family and keeping his homosexuality a secret in case the news altogether kills his stricken father. A surprise visit from some of Tomassos friends, including boyfriend Marco, uncovers some well-hidden family secrets and helps to change some long-held beliefs among the family. Loose Cannons is a witty, penetrating drama, beautifully acted by its ensemble cast. The film takes a lighthearted approach, revealing each family member’s quirks in a story that meanders through an emotional terrain of unspoken feelings that are played out against a backdrop of sumptuous beauty. (Description courtesy of Inside Out: The Toronto LGBT Film Festival.)

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