Freeheld (2007)
official website     IMDb info
Documentary 40 min.
The documentary film "Freeheld" chronicles Lieutenant Laurel Hester's struggle to transfer her earned pension to her domestic partner, Stacie Andree. With less than six months to live, Laurel refuses to back down when her elected officials - the Ocean County Freeholders -deny her request to leave her pension to Stacie, an automatic option for heterosexual married couples. The film is structured chronologically, following both the escalation of Laurel's battle with the Freeholders and the decline of her health as cancer spreads to her brain.

Through Thick & Thin (2007)
official website     IMDb info     7th Art
Documentary 77 min.
Immigration is a hot topic in this country, but the dire pleas of equality from many LGBT couples of mixed nationalities are falling on deaf ears. This is their riveting story.

Red without Blue (2007)
official website     IMDb info
Documentary 74 min.
Identical twins Mark and Alex were born in Montana in 1983. Twenty-three years later, Mark is a gay art school student in San Francisco, while Alex has become a woman, Clair, living in New York City. Following the twins over a period of three years, Red Without Blue explores the journey each has taken - one marked by an initially idyllic all-American family that was rocked by divorce, drugs, and a joint suicide attempt, followed by forced separation and new beginnings. As Mark and Clair become adults, they reach new understandings about family, gender, identity, and the bond between identical twins who are no longer identical.

Camp Out (2006)
official website     IMDb info
Documentary 78 min.
A feature documentary film that follows ten Midwestern teenagers as they attend the first overnight Bible Camp for gay Christian youths. For these six boys and four girls, it's just as hard to come out as Christian as it is to come out as gay. They're caught in the battle between religion, politics and sexuality that's raging in the United States today. These kids are outsiders – their straight classmates ostracize them and their churches reject them. But like all teens, they yearn to feel at home, somewhere. Struggling to find a way to be true to both their spirituality and their sexual identity, these teens come to camp hoping to finally find a place of acceptance.

A Jihad for Love / In the Name of Allah (2007)
official website     IMDb info
Documentary 81 min.
The first-ever feature-length documentary to explore the complex global intersections of Islam and homosexuality. With unprecedented access and depth, Sharma brings to light the hidden lives of gay and lesbian Muslims from countries like Iran, Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey, France, India, and South Africa. The majority of gay and lesbian Muslims must travel a lonely and often dangerous road. In many nations with a Muslim majority, laws based on Quranic interpretations are enforced by authorities to monitor, entrap, imprison, torture and even execute homosexuals. Even for those who migrate to Europe or North America and adopt Western personae of "gay," the relative freedoms of new homelands are mitigated by persistent racial profiling and intensified state surveillance after the terrorist attacks in New York, London and Madrid. As a result, many gay and lesbian Muslims end up renouncing their religion. But the real-life characters of A Jihad for Love aren't willing to abandon a faith they cherish despite its flaws. Instead, they struggle to reconcile their ardent belief with the innate reality of their being. The international chorus of gay and lesbian Muslims brought together by A Jihad for Love doesn't seek to vilify or reject Islam, but rather negotiate a new relationship to it. In doing so, the film's extraordinary characters point the way for all Muslims to move beyond the hostile, war-torn present, toward a more hopeful future.

She Stole my Voice: A documentary about lesbian rape (2007)
official website     Film Baby
Documentary 88 min.
In She Stole My Voice, filmmakers Justine Chang and Armand Kaye examine lesbian rape from a holistic and multifaceted perspective; expert responses, community views, graphic depictions, and feminist analyses work together to create an unforgettable film that is simultaneously jarring and enlightening, horrific and hopeful. By unflinchingly and honestly examining a crime that has been ignored and denied for too long, She Stole My Voice finally gives voice to those that have been silenced by ignorance and prejudice.

Brother Outsider: The life of Bayard Rustin (2002)
official website     IMDb info
Historical reconstruction 84 min.
Bayard Rustin was a prominent leader of the US Civil Rights movement of the 1950s-60s and was a close friend of Martin Luther King, Jr. The role of this out gay man in history — including organizing the 1963 March on Washington at which Dr. King gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech — has been largely ignored.

A Four-Letter Word (USA, 2007)
official website     IMDb info
Drama and Comedy 87 min.
Casper Andreas' debut feature, Slutty Summer, had its world premiere at NewFest 2004, so we are excited to welcome him back to the festival with his sexy, appealing new romantic comedy, A Four Letter Word, as one of our Centerpiece screenings. A Four Letter Word follows an ensemble of characters in their daily lives in New York City, navigating sex, love and relationships. At the center of it all is Luke (Jesse Archer), an attractive and witty Chelsea boy who works at a sex shop with the cute gay activist, Zeke (Cory Grant). Zeke (who, incidentally, swears by hot, naked yoga) believes there's more to Luke than he lets on, masking it through one-night stands and a party lifestyle. Luke meets Stephen ( Charlie David, Dante's Cove) at a bar, but the hunky self-proclaimed artist initially dismisses Luke as a "gay cliché." When they later inadvertently hook up in a backroom, they figure, what the hell?, and embark on a new relationship. Luke even takes Zeke's advice to heart and attends a sex compulsives meeting to try to get a handle on monogamy. But Stephen's keeping a few secrets – he doesn't seem to be enrolled in the New School, as he's indicated, and more importantly, though Stephen claims to be able to afford his amazing apartment because of a trust fund, Zeke finds his profile on callboy.com! As Luke tries to get the truth out of Stephen, he realizes that some four letter words, like love, are a lot more complicated than he thought.

Nina's Heavenly Delights (UK, 2006)
official website     IMDb info
Drama and Comedy 92 min.
Acclaimed filmmaker Pratibha Parmar returns to NewFest with this delectable romantic comedy. Nina left home to escape her impending arranged marriage and returns years later for her beloved father's funeral only to discover he has wagered the family restaurant as part of his extensive gambling debts. Her only hope to save the restaurant is the "Best of the West" curry competition. But she needs help if she has a chance of winning – enter the gorgeous Lisa, and cue the sparks… Can Nina save the restaurant? Will she get the girl?

Black and White (2006)
official website
Short documentary 17 min.
Details the personal history of Mani Bruce Mitchell, an intersexed photography model and activist, and her collaborations with photographer Rebecca Swan.

Eddie (Latina, 2007)
official website     IMDb info
Drama, 10 min.
It's tough growing up, particularly one summer afternoon for Latina tomboy Eddie, when she is forced to deal with her sexuality as a result of an embarrassing mishap during a kickball game.

Float (Bahamas, 2007)
official website     IMDb info
Drama, 34 min
Probably the first gay film to emerge from the Bahamas, Float is a sweet story of love between a closeted black man and a white artist. Johnny (Rukenka Demeritte) has been painting the same self-portrait in class for months by the time his teacher suggests a getaway and hands him the keys to her remote artist's retreat for a refreshing vacation. Upon his arrival, Johnny finds himself struggling to operate a manual transmission, and Romeo (Stephen Tyrone Williams) saves the day. The proverbial sparks fly as the two men form a tentative friendship. There's just one problem: Romeo's girlfriend. With its gorgeous acoustic guitar score, spectacular beach scenery and naturalistic acting, Float is a true festival find.

Legacy (Afro-Carribean women in UK, 2007)
official website
Documentary, 17 min
A spoken word film that tells of race, religion and sexuality through the eyes and experiences of several generations of Afro-Caribbean women.

The Manual (2006, Australia)
official website
Drama, 15 min
In the 1970s, a young boy is sent away to treat his latent homosexuality.

Castrato Di Matteo's Audition (Italian, 2006)
watch online
Comedy, 6 min
A queer take on an Italian family seen through the audition tape of young Castrato Di Matteo, aspiring opera star.

Family Reunion (Iceland, 2006)
official website     IMDb info
Drama, 19 min
A hipster lesbian returns home to Iceland for her grandfather's 70th birthday party hell-bent on coming out ... until a family secret ruins her surprise!