Open Bodies

Peter von Kant(fr)

Peter von Kant, a successful, famous director, lives with his assistant Karl, whom he likes to mistreat and humiliate. Through the great actress Sidonie, he meets and falls in love with Amir, a handsome young man of modest means. He offers to share his apartment and help Amir break into the world of cinema. Several months later, Amir becomes a star. But as soon as he acquires fame, he breaks up with Peter, leaving him alone to face himself.

The Male Gaze: Nocturnal Instincts(en)

Strap yourself in for an exhilarating journey into darkness with these five award-winning short films from across the globe that delve into heart-pumping escapades varying from the intensely erotic to the ultra-violent to the warm-inside feels. The night has never looked so inviting. Segments: After Dawn [Passée l'aube] (2017), Poof (2018), Spiral (2018), Night of Love (2018), Floating Melon [浮果] (2015).

The Best Bride(el)

A man loses his wife. A woman finds her husband. A mother sees her children.

Ανατολικά της Εδέν(el)

Toto Forever(en)

A wide-eyed young postman and a gangster in trouble with the mafia find their lives become inexplicably intertwined when a heady affair attracts danger at every turn.

Have We Met Before?(en)

Short docudrama exploring the history of sex in the homosexual community from the 1970s to the present day, and how the internet has changed the way gay men meet forever.

My Sweet Prince(en)

Alcopops, VHS tapes, cigarettes, boys, MSN Messenger, Placebo - this is 2003. Set on the Isle of Wight, fragments of the director's own teenage video diaries collide with the fictional story of 15-year-old Tommy in this short film about a boy's search for connection in the advent of the internet age. Infatuated with his best friend's boyfriend and unable to truly reveal himself to anyone, Tommy feels an overwhelming sense of isolation on the small chalk island he calls home. Desperate to be seen, he logs on to family computer, clicks connect and opens MSN.

Hey You(en)

When two men arrange a hook-up, is who's top or bottom all they should be worried about? Hey You exposes how, with the convenience of social media and dating apps, our hard-fought rights and freedoms can be taken for granted and how, for many others, that fight isn't over.

All Good Things(en)

Road trips usually signify a beginning but for Isaac and his partner Levi, this is their last chance to spend time together before they part ways. As they drive closer to their destination, Isaac finds that maybe he isn't as prepared for his first breakup as he had thought.

Amare Affondo(it)

Giacomo and Samuele, two young boys, were born and grew up in a small town in south Italy. Although it overlooks the open sea, it is a close-minded town. In this ancient town, the two boys quickly develop a strong bond, which goes beyond friendship. They secretly commit themselves to escaping to a place where they can freely express their feelings.

The Art of Being Normal(en)

David Piper has always been an outsider. His parents think he's gay. The school bully thinks he's a freak. Only his two best friends know the real truth: David wants to be a girl. On the first day at his new school, Leo Denton has one goal: to be invisible. Attracting the attention of the most beautiful girl in his class is definitely not part of that plan. When Leo stands up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship forms. But things are about to get messy. Because at Eden Park School secrets have a funny habit of not staying secret for long, and soon everyone knows that Leo used to be a girl. As David prepares to come out to his family and transition into life as a girl and Leo wrestles with figuring out how to deal with people who try to define him through his history, they find in each other the friendship and support they need to navigate life as transgender teens as well as the courage to decide for themselves what normal really means.

Come Around(en)

Bela, a first-generation Filipina immigrant, must face her parents' prejudice regarding her sexual orientation.

Dominant Chord(en)

Country music star Adam has to choose between damaging his career by coming out in the closed-minded world of country music or losing his long-time partner Brian.

First Position.(en)

When a young dancer moves to San Francisco in the early 1980s, signs of a sickness test his relationships, as well as his lifelong dream in this strikingly photographed and stirring portrait.

Billy Boy(es)

In an era marked by the reign of fluid relationships, through apps and blind dates, Alejo seeks to fill his sentimental void by constantly changing sex partners.

I Was Max(lt)

Max goes on a date with another guy, Tadas, whom he met online. Max feels uncomfortable and timid so Tadas decides to act on his own initiative. He tries to get to know Max as they embark on a night ride around the city but Max is evasive to talk about himself. Max feels torn between his feelings and Tadas' pressure. Eventually he breaks down and reveals his true identity.

UNLOCKED(en)

Filmed by Joss Whedon in support of Planned Parenthood. UNLOCKED highlights the vital role Planned Parenthood health centers play in the lives of millions of women in communities nationwide. The video follows three different women through critical moments in their lives—and brings to the forefront what the world would look like if attempts to shut down Planned Parenthood succeed.

Guilty(en)

A man walks up in the bed of a woman.

Dir muss er ja nicht gefallen(de)

Love and jealousy within a group of teenage friends.

When Love Comes(en)

Between getting trashed, tripping, blowing guys off and writing songs, Mark falls for Stephen. Fig and Sally put perform Marks songs between casual sex with anyone and everyone. Katie is a few-hit wonder who hit rock-bottom in L.A and returns to New Zealand to patch her life back together. Stephen, Mark and Katie branch out for a slumber party at a beach house of their better days. Fig and Sally arrive, and not long after Eddie arrives also (Katies American guy). Mark stops running away from Stephens love, Katie and Eddie get engaged and Fig and Sally ... have sex?

Cold Lands(fr)

A young Frenchman of Arab descent, Djamel, becomes convinced that his long-lost father is a rich factory owner in Grenoble. When the man coldly rejects him, Djamel plots a revenge that will implicate the man's closeted gay son.

Six Weeks to Twelve Years(en)

After the death of their abusive father, two estranged twin brothers must reunite and sell off his property.

Sex Files: Portrait of the Soul(en)

When a beautiful woman meets a photographer, she doesn't realize the danger in which she will place herself. She poses for him and makes a Dorian Gray-type pact where she will remain eternally youthful while the picture shows her true age.

Timro Chanchale Chulbule Yoban(en)

The music video Timro Chanchale Chulbule Yoban weaves a story of longing, fleeting connections, and unfulfilled desires. Aanchal and Udip, a married couple from Nepal, are struggling with an unhappy relationship. Seeking a break, Aanchal travels to the UK for a holiday. Meanwhile, Paul, a handsome and strong man living in London, dreams of finding the perfect woman to marry. Their paths cross at Tower Bridge, where Paul is instantly captivated by Aanchal's beauty. Mesmerized, he begins to follow her through the city-Tower Bridge to Waterloo Station, and finally to London Bridge-imagining a future together filled with love and happiness. But when Paul turns to approach her, Aanchal suddenly disappears. Reality strikes, and Paul learns she is already married, her sadness hidden behind her beauty. This realization brings Paul back to reality, leaving him to reflect on the bittersweet nature of love and missed chances.

World’s First Battlefield(en)

Ke Baba Hahalaba(bn)

Sri Nrisingha Roychowdhury is the scion of an erstwhile Zamindar house of Bengal, currently settled in San Francisco. On the midnight of December 31, 2019, he consults a vagabond shaman and turns to the supernatural for get-rich-quick schemes. Come laugh with us as we conjure magic on screen, invite beings from other worlds, and peek into the future of the world with the short film, “Ke Baba, Hahalaba?”. As the famous saying goes, “Be careful what you wish for, because it might just come true”.

Staatsgeheimnis Bankenrettung(de)

Bill the Galactic Hero(en)

Bill is a reluctant astronaut in a fascist society.

Telling Secrets(en)

Through a series of elaborate schemes, a wealthy woman arranges for the murder of her husband's mistress and then takes steps so that the crime won't be traced back to her. The detective investigating the murder soon realizes her role in it, and sets out to find a way to pin the murder on her.

The Notorious Concubines(ja)

Dark, cynical Japanese epic brought to U.S. in a dubbed version by shlockmeister Harry Novak. Still, this gory, sexy epic is made with style and interesting for to compare to "Yojimbo" and other masterworks of the form.

Haiti(en)

A travelogue of Port-au-Prince, Haiti concentrating on the daily life and rhythm of tropical island life.

Winner Takes All!(cn)

Winner Takes All! is a Hong Kong Action-Comedy starring Sammo Hung and Richard Ng.

Rat(en)

A rat navigates New York City in 2020

The Tragedy of Silence(es)

Due to an unfortunate mistake with laboratory samples, a young husband is diagnosed as suffering from the terrible disease of leprosy. In his distress he decides to leave home.

Hunter(en)

It is nightfall. A hunter lurks in the darkness, wandering further towards the impenetrable. Do the meanings lie in the stream, in the mountains, the stars, or in the death of things?

Obsession(en)

When Igrid finds her high school sweetheart happy without her, she decides to take matters into her own hands and do anything to reclaim her spot.

Visual Text: Finger Poem(xx)

Second version of the video-poem "Visual Text: Finger Poem" (1968), by Valie Export, conceived after the eponymous photo poem from 1968: "I say what is shown in showing what is said" (freely adapted from Martin Heidegger).

The Art of Murder(en)

Elizabeth Sheridan is a painter, living in a beautiful home on the coast near Seattle, where her wealthy husband Cole runs a yacht-building company. Elizabeth and the firm's top designer, Tony Blanchard, are having an affair. A particularly nasty blackmailer confronts her with pictures, threatening to give them to Cole; she and Tony agree to pay, but after two deaths and a torched house, things have gotten complicated: infidelity pales next to a murder charge. A high-school yearbook photo takes her further into danger. What motive might explain and connect the twists? Is she ensnared beyond hope?