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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Uproarious comic genius Margaret Cho invests everything that makes her great in this madcap road movie. The film features all of her favorite targets: freaky sex, growing up a loser, TV in every form and, of course, her glorious mother, full of kooky wisdom and breathtaking malapropisms that will leave you laughing for days. Cho is Celeste, an overweight, Korean, former goth punk, while her longtime friend and collaborator Bruce Daniels plays Bam Bam, a hyper-queeny, African American stylist. They are both stuck in a dreary midwestern city until a shot at a reality-TV makeover show puts them on the road to New York City. The film also stars Jane Lynch and Wilson Cruz. Description adapted from Noah Cowen, Toronto International Film Festival.

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Set in the slums of Manila, the purity of first love is pitted against squalor and corruption. Gay pre-teen Maxi is deeply committed to his family of petty thieves. His world revolves around his father and his two brothers, until he meets Victor, an honest, principled, and handsome policeman. The two become friends, and Victor inspires Maxi to hope for a better life, but their relationship draws the ire of Maxi’s family.

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