We all had different approaches/ideas of how to survive The Covid Lockdown and in the case of queer Brit actor/performer/musician DECLAN BENNETT he left the bright lights of the big city and move to the smallest village he could find in the English countryside. Once there in his isolation, Bennett was forced to face the demons of his past on a messy journey through the turbulent world of toxic masculinity, homophobia, and men’s mental health.
From the lonely aisles of Hobbycraft to the bright lights of New York City, this is the story of a man in desperate search of identity when confronted with sudden unexpected solitude. The charismatic Bennett put pen to paper sharing all these Introspective experiences with such passion, optimism, and a re-found sense of self-love into a compelling one-man play. It makes the audience both laugh and cry but most of all, shows how something so positive can come out of the wretched pandemic. With the play just about to open at the prestigious Edinburgh Festival Fringe, he talked with Queerguru about sharing his journey in this way.
For over two decades, EDISON FARROW has been a major moving force in creating exceptional nightlife for the LGBTQ community in Miami’s South Beach. From his Martini Tuesday get-togethers in some of SOBE’s fabulous Hotels to opening a Cabaret Club in the style of a New York Piano Bar where all the wait staff sang and performed too. Now after a stint living in Atlanta, he is back in South Beach and almost immediately he has plans to bring a slice of HEAVEN to SoBe. Literally, as with his partner.s, Edison is about to open HEAVEN a new fabulous gay nightclub on Ocean Drive right next door ti the famous Versace Mansion. He took time out to talk with Queerguru and we will warn you, it’s impossible not to be swept away by all his energy and positivity, and sheer charm …. we cannot wait to go to the Club’s opening this week.
Heaven South Beach1060 Ocean DriveStarting February 3rd.
On the eve of the US Premiere of BIG BOYS at Wicked Queer, Boston’s LGBTQ Film Festival, we catch up with the film’s writer/director Corey Sherman. This feature film debut of his is a heart-string-pulling coming-of-age about unrequited love with a difference. Jamie, the protagonist ( a breakthrough performance from 14-year-old Isaac Krasner) is not the conventional well-turned-out teen which not only gives the story a real edge but makes it undeniably compelling and a sheer joy to watch
Australian/Macedonian queer filmmaker Goran Stolevski ‘s sophomore movie OF AN AGE is being hailed as an ‘achingly beautiful coming out/coming of age story that compares with Francis Lee’s God’s Own Country and will become a queer classic ” This heart-string-pulling tale initially takes place over 24 hours in a beach town in Australia in 1999 and which makes for a life-changing experience for Kol and Adam. Ten years later when they meet again we discover if this was more than just a passing moment.
Bafta Nominated American filmmaker Stephen Kijak has carved out quite a niche making some critically acclaimed documentaries about musicians such as Scott Walker, The Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Backstreet Boys, and more recently The Smiths. For his latest film, however, he has captured the narrative of the life of one of Hollywood’s golden matinee idols ROCK HUDSON. The star of such great movies as Giant, Hudson enjoyed a career that lasted more than three decades.
Although discreet regarding his sexual orientation, it was known among Hudson’s colleagues in the film industry that he was gay. This didn’t become public knowledge until 1984 when Hudson was diagnosed with AIDS. The following year, he became one of the first celebrities to disclose his AIDS diagnosis. Hudson was the first major celebrity to die from an AIDS-related illness, on October 2, 1985, at age 59
Hijak’s film is a wonderful celebration of a great actor who even in the closet enjoyed a rather fabulous life, and how his death unwittingly propelled the AIDS Pandemic finally into public conversations that were so long overdue.
This affectionate profile of a real star will be unmissable to those of us who remember him BUT it should also be compulsory viewing for young gay men who haven’t, so they can appreciate such an important era in our community’s history