GAZE: Small Town Boys

CLUB 18+90 min

Inspired by this year’s musical slant, Smalltown Boys riffs on the Bronski Beat classic to present a series of accomplished short films that consider what happens when gay and trans men leave town, come home, head for the hills, or eek out their past. Five films from five different countries tackle tall tales that span continents and decades in a rollercoaster of thrilling new shorts. Expect sexy, sad and sensational cinema.

Golden Voice Dir. Mars Verrone / Cambodia & USA / 2022 / 18m

Forty years after the Khmer Rouge regime, a transgender man returns to the village where he survived genocide and miraculously found queer and trans community, including the love of his life.

What Happened To David Burkett? Dir. Duane Michals / USA / 2023 / 3m

Memories of an old friend are filled with questions and longing.

A Particular Friend Dir. Eileen Tracey / Ireland / 2022 / 15m

When Father Matthew discovers an intimacy between two of the other priests at a remote conversion-therapy centre in Northern Ireland, his attempt to do the right thing leads to a crisis of faith and feeling.

Will You Look At Me Dir. Shuli Huang / China / 2022 / 20m

As a young Chinese filmmaker returns to his hometown in search of himself, a long overdue conversation with his mother places the two of them in a quest for acceptance and love.

5pm Seaside Dir. Valentin Stejskal / Greece / 2022 / 25m

On his 40th birthday, Nikos, a solitary truck driver, arrives on a remote beach to meet his former military buddy Christos, whom he hasn't seen for many years, with intense results.