From the cliffs of the Isle of Wight to an abandoned swimming pool in Lambeth, Boys On Film 8: Cruel Britannia presents an eclectic mix of ten UK-set short films including: Harry Wootliff's "I Don't Care" starring Iwan Rheon; Ben Peters's "Downing" starring Jamie Brotherston and Ross William Wild; David Andrew Ward's "All Over Brazil" starring Iain De Caestecker, Frank Gallagher, and Gemma Morrison; David Leon and Marcus McSweeney's "Man and Boy" starring Eddie Marsan, Geoff Bell, and Eddie Webber; Aleem Khan's "Diana" starring Neeraj Singh; Jason Bradbury's "We Once Were Tide" starring Alexander Scott, Tristan Bernays, and Mandy Aldridge; Hong Khaou's "Spring" starring Chris O'Donnell and Jonathan Keane; Sybil H. Mair's "The Chef's Letter" starring Jonathan Firth, Ray Fearon, and Layke Anderson; Faryal's "What You Looking At?!" starring Rez Kabir, Michael Twaits, and Hussina Raja; and Dominic Leclerc's "Nightswimming" starring Harry Eden, Linzey Cocker, and Tim Dantay.
Fleur (segment "I Don't Care")
Daniel (segment "Downing")
Chloe (segment "Downing")
Lauren (segment "Downing")
Tom, 16, lives in a small town in Bavaria and is about to admit his homosexuality to society. Being mobbed and threatened in school and after some exiting experiences he overcomes his own barriers and makes his dream come true: getting into contact with others.
One day in 1984, Todd Bowden, a brilliant high school boy fascinated by the history of Nazism, stumbles across an old man whose appearance resembles that of Kurt Dussander, a wanted Nazi war criminal. A month later, Todd decides to knock on his door.
At the age of 14 the world around you changes at a dizzying speed. But what if actually it's you that changing? What if these changes take you away from what up until now, has been your world? Ibrahim and Rafa are going to suffer these changes for themselves, experiencing first love in a way they never could have imagined. And having to keep it Hidden away.
A teenager tries to track down a man he met at an anonymous sex party, trawling through hook-up apps to find him.
Deep in the lush river jungles of Argentina, Alvaro lives a solitary existence fishing and harvesting reeds. What sets him apart from the rest of his village is that he is gay. There are no other gay men in his world, his only means of expression is with the occasional outsider who passes through. Most of these men come via the river taxi El León, whose captain El Turu is a mean man with a homophobic streak and a secret. When illegal loggers appear in the jungle El Turu accuses Alvaro of aiding them, a dispute which leads both men towards confrontation.
A knight framed for a tragic crime teams with a scrappy, shape-shifting teen to prove his innocence.
Musician Oliver Sim is the main guest of a talk-show that soon slides into a surreal journey of love, shame, and blood.
Arnold is a gay man working as a drag queen in 1971 NYC. He meets a handsome bisexual man.
The story of an unruly class of bright, funny history students at a Yorkshire grammar school in pursuit of an undergraduate place at Oxford or Cambridge. Bounced between their maverick English master, a young and shrewd teacher hired to up their test scores, a grossly out-numbered history teacher, and a headmaster obsessed with results, the boys attempt to pass.
Henri and Thom live together in Brussels and have been in perfect love for 35 years, or so it seems. Since Henri retired as a policeman, nothing has gone right. His days are dull and endless, his feelings are fading and their home has become a battlefield. Still in love, Thom is ready to do anything to rekindle the flame and save their relationship, even if it means asking for a divorce himself.
1984, Sandusky, Ohio. A naive 17-year-old navigates heartbreak and self-expression as he explores his sexuality.
Friendship between two old men becomes love. Slightly-unkempt, tired, and frail, Philippe Lanctot moves into a rest home. The administrator says she wants him to be happy, but that seems far from his mind: he's waiting to die. Then, into his room, unannounced, rolls the voluble Victor Laprade, who draws out Philippe over the next few months. Victor gives Philippe the gift of experiencing the moment. In return, the well-heeled Philippe organises field trips to dinner and to a botanical garden, and, unknown to Victor, becomes the man's benefactor when Victor's children get stingy. The openly-gay Victor also pushes Philippe to acknowledge feelings he's always kept suppressed.
As a patriarchal family yearns for the birth of a son to continue their family line, their youngest son secretly joins an erotic dance theatre and falls for its transgender starlet.
Philip and Bastian are lovers. Philip has taken the responsibility to help his older brother’s family in the slums. However, when Bastian pursues painting and can no longer provide for Philip, Philip resorts to hustling in order to help his brother’s family. When Bastian catches Philip being picked up by a gay man in a car, he decides to keep everything inside. Can Philip and Bastian’s love prevail despite the odds?
A surprise reunion in southern France reignites passions and jealousies between two women who were formerly polyamorous lovers.
Three stories of immigrants trying to start new lives in Poland: an Afghan traumatised by the war, a Ukrainian lost in her own body, and a Belarusian running away from painful love. The Afghan, Azzam, works as a translator for the Polish army. In his homeland he is treated like a traitor. Having been evacuated to Poland, he is unable to shake off the war experiences. The Ukrainian, Wiera, escapes to Poland to undergo sex reassignment surgery in secret from her family. An unexpected visit from her father and little son will make her face the question of her own identity once more. Żanna, the Belarusian, leaves her husband, a dissident, and lives together with her daughter at her sister’s in Warsaw. She wants to move out as soon as possible and make a normal home. Things get complicated when her husband gets arrested again.
In the burning heat of July, Thomas and Victor, two 14 years old teenagers, are bored to death and want to escape. Victor decides to take Thomas to an abandoned bridge. He will have to confront his fears and desires.