Take Bad News Bears and set it on Bend it Like Beckham’s playing field, and you’ve got Guys and Balls, a light-hearted send-up of all the macho sports movies your straight friends forced you to see. Ecki is a sweet, closeted gay man who works in his family’s bakery and plays goalie in his small town’s soccer team. When he both loses the big game, and is caught flirting with another player, his homophobic teammates throw him out. He vows to return one day with an all-gay team that will grind the heteros into the dust, so he sets off to find his “dream team.” The final game is a delicious clash of straight machismo and gay fabulousness that will have you both laughing and cheering down to the ultimate showdown. In German with English subtitles. Description adapted from the Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.

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She’s outspoken, subversive, and she offers no apologies. Northampton-based, lesbian spoken-word artist and activist, Alix Olson takes her one-woman tour-de-force to the screen in this revealing documentary. Director Samantha Farinella offers an extended glimpse into the mind and motivations of this thought-provoking artist, whose feminist poetry issues a slap in the face to the patriarchy. Behind the scenes during Alix’s cross-country tour, Left Lane follows her through college campuses, women’s festivals, and high schools, inspiring young poets and provoking audiences with her incisive wit. Description adapted from the New Festival.

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Winner of best queer feature film at the 2005 Berlin Film Festival, A Year Without Love is a densely layered, eloquent portrayal of Pablo, a hunky young writer and poet who is struggling to come to terms with his HIV-positive status. Desperate for affection, he cruises the gay bars of Buenos Aires, places personal ads, and haunts porn cinemas, each time documenting his search. He meets up with a tough S&M; crowd, and while tenderness may be lacking, he at least finds pleasure, proof that he’s still alive. A thoughtful, poignant, yet challenging look at one man’s approach to loneliness and HIV.

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