By Rachel Galvin

Lourenço (Marco Pigossi) finds himself swimming against the tide. Escaping his home of Brazil and hiding who he truly is, he finds himself in the United States adrift in the queer mecca of Provincetown. His boyfriend left him. His visa is expiring. He finds himself doing menial work for a cruel boss. He is shiftless. And spending time picking up strangers in bars is leaving him feeling more hollow. But a chance encounter on the beach may prove to be his salvation. But even that comes with complications. Still reeling over his ex, he is not the most stable of partners. Is he ready to start again? Even his friendship with a friend who has taken him becomes unsteady. Can he find anything to hold onto? He flounders and tries to keep his head above water. There has to be a way.

This film, directed by Marco Calvani, is a very slow burn focused on Lourenço’s angst and the slowly developing unexpected romance between he and Maurice (James Blunt), and what happens next when Maurice has to leave town to his next planned adventure. 

Pigossi and Blunt are both very easy on the eyes, and Maurice’s friends act as the comic relief. The film is produced by Marisa Tomei, who also acts in it as a woman who leaves her husband for a woman, a different role for the actress. Scott, Lourenço ’s landlord of sorts, is played by Bill Irwin.

The movie touches on the themes of racism and gay issues primarily and is going to be appreciated most by a gay audience, but is relatable to anyone who has found themselves adrift in life. Note: The film does include nudity and plenty of gay sex scenes, as well as drug usage. 

Heartbreaking and tender, the film, which received 100% fresh from Rotten Tomatoes, will be shown on Friday, November 15 and Saturday, November 16 at 7:15 p.m. at Regal South Beach 18, 1120 Lincoln Road Mall, in Miami Beach. Pigossi, who is a very popular Brazilian actor, and the director, Calvani, will be in attendance at the Q&A during those showtimes. For additional showtimes, visit regmovies.com/theatres/regal-south-beach-0482?date=11-15-2024 .

OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival, internationally acclaimed as one of the largest LGBTQ+ cultural festivals in the world, will open its Fall Edition with a screening of Young Hearts (Belgium/Netherlands, 2023), a profound story exploring first love on Thursday, October 17 at 7 p.m. at Regal Dania Pointe, at 125 Sunset Drive in Dania Beach.

This year’s newly revised festival celebrating queer culture runs through November 3 and will offer 62 acclaimed features and shorts including premieres and documentaries from 25 countries that inspire, entertain and educate to cinema enthusiasts in both Broward and Miami-Dade counties during one run.

Fourteen-year-old Elias (Lou Goossens, in a breakthrough performance) lives a carefree life in his charming Belgian town until the arrival of Alex, a cool new neighbor. As Elias’s feelings for Alex deepen, he embarks on a journey of self-acceptance and emotional discovery, making for a touching and rewarding experience. Filmed beautifully in the Belgian countryside, Young Hearts is a refreshing exploration of first love. Writer/director Anthony Schatteman’s feature debut delivers a unique story that resonates on multiple levels: a balm for those    whose initial queer experiences were traumatic, a mirror for today’s LGBTQ+ youth, and a hopeful message for parents of future generations.

In Dutch and French with English subtitles, the film runs 97 minutes.

An afterparty at the Dania Improv will take place immediately following the screening.

Tickets for the Opening Night Film + Afterparty are $75 (plus service fee). Ticket subscription packages and individual tickets are on sale now for the OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival Fall Edition. For a full schedule of films, parties and special events or for more information, visit outshinefilm.com.

This year’s OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival fall edition is sponsored, in part, by Twist Night Club, Lexi Goza State Farm, Funding Arts Broward, Broward County Cultural Division, The Our Fund Foundation, OutClique, HotSpots and It’s Happening Out, OUTSFL, Skirt Magazine, Miami-Dade County, the City of Miami Beach, Prevention 305 and Gilead.

By Rachel Galvin

Trudging through snowy hills, traversing through the rainforest, walking through the sifting sand of the desert… the Montreal-based Pelletier family took the type of worldwide trip that many would dream about. But the reason for this sojourn was bittersweet. The idea for the trip came about when the parents discovered that three out of their four young children had a rare genetic disease called retinitis pigmentosa. This incurable malady would lead the children to become blind. Feeling hopeless since there was no cure available, parents Edith Lemay and Sébastien Pelletier decided the best course of action was to take the kids on a bucket list trip around the world to fill their minds with visual memories they could look back on when seeing was no longer possible, to capture the moments before the light fades.

Mia, who was then 11, wanted to go horseback riding in Mongolia. Six-year-old Colin wanted to sleep on a train, Leo, 9, wanted to see elephants. Laurent, 4, wanted to drink juice on a camel … The list of things to do was long and varied, and it took them all over the globe to achieve — to Indonesia, Namibia, Nepal, the Amazon Basin, and beyond. For 76 days, a film crew followed them along their journey, filming footage of beautiful landscapes and precious moments. The children embraced nature, from hiking in the mountains, to letting sand sift through their fingers, to playing with stray pets along the way. All the while, they were being homeschooled, chiming in with their times tables as they walked along the path.

The memories were preserved in a beautifully-made National Geographic documentary called “Blink,” directed by Edmund Stenson and Academy Award-winner Daniel Roher. This was Roher’s first film since his Academy Award and BAFTA-winning movie “Navalny,” for which Stenson was an associate editor. That film, produced by CNN Films and HBO Max, was about the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and events related to his poisoning, long before his suspicious death earlier this year.

“Blink” was an equally poignant and heartfelt film, telling the story of one family on the journey of their life in more ways than one.

For their global trip, the Pelletier family had a budget of $200 a day and stayed in homestays and hostels to really get to know the culture. It wasn’t an easy journey, there were plenty of challenges along the way, but they persevered and made friends from around the world, which was another item on the bucket list.

In quiet moments, when life was not so chaotic, the children had private epiphanies, realizations of what this disease means for their future. Those moments were hard for their mother, especially, to bear. 

From the very beginning, the premise of this film makes it a tear-jerker. How could something so damaging happen to innocent children? The way the story is told, through voice-over and interviews, as well as footage all along the journey, makes this a beautiful film to watch. The reality of the moment, however, is what grips you. Overall, the film makes you want to watch it again, to have a part in the wanderlust and perhaps hold on to hope for a better inevitable future.

“Blink,” which is told in French with English subtitles, will be launched theatrically in the U.S. and Canada October 4. For more information on the film, visit https://films.nationalgeographic.com/blink.

By Rachel Galvin

This week is your last chance to check out the Take Pride! 100-year retrospective of LGBTQ+ milestones. The exhibit consists of photos and videos showcasing important moments in history within the community. The exhibition opened May 30 with a kickoff celebration honoring local leaders:

• Robert Boo, CEO, The Pride Center at Equality Park
• Steven Evans, Ph.D., Owner & Publisher, OutClique magazine
• Misty Eyez, Transgender Advocate & Director, SunServe
• Mark Gilbert, Board Chair, OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival
• David Jobin, President & CEO, The Our Fund Foundation
• Jacqueline Lorber, President & CEO, South Florida Symphony Orchestra
• Erika Norell, Renowned Entertainer
• Shawn Palacious (Kitty Meow), Celebrity Host and Entertainer
• Andy Rogow, Artistic Director, Island City Stage
• Josie Smith Malave, Former “Top Chef” Contestant & Owner, Bubbles + Pearls

The event was emceed by FayWhat?! of the “FayWhat?! Show” and included performances by Velvet Lenore and Vauz Allen with music by DJ Jay McCracken of Spiked Entertainmment. Mayor Dean Trantalis issued a proclamation as well.

The event was presented by History Fort Lauderdale and sponsored by Galleria Fort Lauderdale, Kimpton Shorebreak Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort, The Westin Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort, OutClique, HotSpots Media Group/Happening Out Television Network, Holy Cross Health, JM Family Enterprises, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood and GPR | Goodman Public Relations. Additional funding was provided in part by Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward County Cultural Council, Visit Lauderdale – Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, Institute of Museum and Library Services and The Our Fund Foundation.

All photos by Rachel Galvin

By Rachel Galvin

When an unsuspecting 93-year-old Thelma Post (played by June Squibb) gets scammed over the phone, she takes justice into her own hands and tracks down the perpetrator herself. She ends up setting off on a dangerous epic adventure that leaves her family unawares and worried, bringing her very hesitant friend Ben (the late Richard Roundtree) along for the ride.

This lighthearted film, directed by Josh Margolin, has plenty of laughs as well as tender moments. The audience is left cheering on the fiesty grandma and laughing at many funny moments along the way. It really is a fun film that can be enjoyed by all.

The film also includes well-known actors such as Clark Gregg and Parker Posey, as well as Malcolm McDowell, and others. Fred Hechinger plays Thelma’s grandson.

The movie was actually based on a true story. Margolin’s own grandma, also named Thelma Post, found herself in a similar situation. She has the same fiesty spirit, although she did not really go after the scammer in real life. The family was able to intervene before she took action. But Margolin imaginatively took the next step. What would his grandma have done if they had not intervened?

Asked how he got into the art of filmmaking, Margolin said, “You know, I think from an early age, I just always loved making things. Secondly, I could kind of get my hands on a video camera, I was making shorts with my friends and editing them and putting them together.” He said through his life, it has been a passion. “You know, my background is in performing, but it’s also writing and editing, and kind of, you know, wearing a lot of those different hats.”

The apple does not fall far from the tree. Margolin’s grandfather, named Ted Post, was also in the business. He directed such classics as “Gunsmoke,” “Hang Em High, ” “Rawhide” and “Beneath the Planet of the Apes,” and many others. Unfortunately, Margolin said he did not get a chance to really see his grandfather work. By the time he was into filmmaking, his grandfather was in his 80s and 90s. He added, “Watching movies at my grandparents house is a really important memory for me of just a place and an activity that just made me feel at home and creatively excited. So, I think I associated still conversations with him, and them, as a part of my introduction to loving what I love, but I also think somehow it was maybe just in our DNA, something that we were drawn to for one reason or another. But I’ve always loved it.”

Margolin did study theater in college and worked on acting here and there and film projects. “I was always also writing and making web series or short films, or editing somebody else’s, or writing with a group of pals,” he said. He came from an Improv background and he utilized some of those principals when making the film. “I love seeing a joke or an idea planted earlier in order to pay off later … you know, reemerge as a call back. I got that really drilled into me doing Improv. I was trying to find ways to sort of carry those threads through and have them pay off in fun or unexpected ways. And so, I think that that mindset or that way of thinking about story and character in just sort of joke structure was definitely something that guided me. I always love when it feels kind of off the cuff and naturalistic, and sounds like people talking, but is able to be sort of punctuated and heightened a little bit too,” he said. “Thelma” was the first film he wrote on his own and he felt he rea

 “Thelma” was the first film he wrote on his own and he felt he really needed to direct it because it was a story he felt passionately about and he knew how he wanted to tell it. “I’m glad I had worn so many different hats throughout my 20s because being able to be a performer and an editor and a writer, I think probably helped prepare me for being able to be in the director’s role and to do so with some confidence,” said Margolin.

One of the challenges he has faced is the audience being dubious of the main character, an action hero, being a senior citizen. But with June, he really hit the jackpot. “We got really lucky with June,” he said. “She is such a consummate pro and set the bar so high for everyone else. She was the sharpest and had the best energy. And so was Richard … really, really lovely, warm guy, and kind of lit up the set every time he was there.” Squibb actually did her own stunts in the movie, although they had a double on stand-by. She loved being on the scooter. “I think anytime June was on the scooter was always just a wild time. I think honestly anytime June was on that thing was a little bit nerve wracking, if I’m being honest, but also kind of really fun to see her have as much fun on it as she did. I think she just she really came alive on that scooter,” he said.

Before Thelma goes on her adventure, she happens to watch some scenes of Tom Cruise in “Mission Impossible.” Asked if he needed permission for that footage, he said, “We did have to get permission. And we were we were really lucky. Actually, we basically got Tom’s permission, which was very, very cool of him to to let us use it. We went to him actually first and then we went to Paramount once we’d gotten his okay.” His process may have been unorthodox, but it worked. He sent Cruise the scene and some footage and a Zoom table read so he was able to get a sense of it. “Lucky for us,” he said. “he gave us the okay, which was very cool.”

Because he was dealing with such professionals on set, Margolin said he felt more at ease with the process. Another challenge he faced was very strict COVID protocols, even though this was filmed in 2022. And they wanted to make sure everyone had the energy to continue. He said, the actors “met us more than halfway and and brought just everything that we’d hoped they would bring.” Still, they made sure the shooting schedule was not too long for June, for example, trying to wrap her scenes as quickly as possible.

The movie was shot in Los Angeles, largely in the valley, in North Hollywood, Burbank and Sherman Oaks. “We actually ended up also filming a little bit on the west side of town and in my grandma’s real condo. She was living with my parents at the time,” he said. He felt shooting there really tied the character into his grandmother, being that it was so full of elements of her life. “That, to me, felt very evocative of her and her spirit and character.” He called it “weird, but cool.”

Asked what he would do differently if he had to do it over again, he said, “It depends on the day. Some days, I’m like, ‘Oh, my God, I would do everything differently.’ And other days, I’m like, ‘Oh, I feel pretty happy with how we got this, this and this.’ At the end of the day, the thing I would do differently would be going into the process with the knowledge that there are going to be things you can control and things you can’t, and being sort of at peace with navigating that really early.”

When it came to working with actors, he sometimes was able to be more hands off and other times work more with the actor. “I think it was really both honestly; it was a mix. And I think it very dependent on the actor, depending on the scene. I definitely had a very specific tone I wanted the movie to hit in terms of making sure we didn’t tip too broad, and you’re really playing things honestly and playing them straight, and trying to keep the stakes alive and carry the authenticity of it even amidst some of the drama stuff. For me, often it was just about making sure people felt in the same universe, and we felt like we were playing it with that level of honesty and that pitch. It is about trusting the people you’ve hired, and also not being afraid to guide to be helpful…”

“Thelma” premiered at Sundance, but it has screened elsewhere, such as Cleveland, Sarasota and Philadelphia, as well as the Miami Film Festival and Savor Cinema, and will have other upcoming screenings. But it will be showing theatrically June 21. For more information, visit www.magpictures.com/thelma.

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Stepping into DAER Nightclub at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL on May 18 was like stepping back in time… A multi-colored haze hung over the partygoers decked out in their retro fashions. This night was a chance to go back to the 1970s for a special Studio 54 party put on by the FLITE Center once again. And this evening, somehow, was even better than the year before. Dance lovers showed off their best disco moves in every free space available and swarmed the stage. Others grabbed a drink at the open bar, mingled and engaged in some heavy people-watching. There were plenty of ways to capture the moment, including numerous photo opps. And there was swag aplenty. Not only did people leave with swag bags, but there were also a ton of toiletries that they could take home from toothbrushes to bandaids, and candy too.

But the highlight of the evening was the entertainment, as “Donna Summer,” aka Velvet Lenore, took the stage and “Cher,” aka Michael Dean, rocked the house, even walking through the crowd of fans.

Although the event was plenty of fun, it also benefited a serious cause. The FLITE Center is a one-stop resource center offering supportive services to youth aging out of foster care, chronically homeless youth, human trafficking survivors and LGBTQ+ youth. The event raised more than $101,500. One of the women who once benefited from the program now works for the organization and she had a chance to talk with the crowd about the importance of the FLITE Center.

People could participate in several ways to benefit the cause, including through the raffle, which had excellent prizes, from packages to trips. Luxury Raffle Item Winners: Private Flight to Key West & Lunch for 2 (Donated by Premier Aircraft — $3,000 value): Winner: Silvia Isaacs; Lifestyle Mag. Full-page Ad (Donated by Lifestyle Media Group — $7,500 value): Winner: Travis Pfeffer; The Suite Life Experience (Donated by DEX Imaging — $2,000 value): Winner: Leonard Piojda Jr.; South Florida Business & Wealth 2-page Spread (Donated by Lifestyle Media Group — $11,940 value): Winner: Richard Hopper; Donated by Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino — Midweek Bora Bora Cabana Experience @ Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Guitar Hotel Pool ($2,550 value): Winner: Tiffani Dhooge; Weekend Bora Bora Experience @ Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Guitar Hotel Pool ($5,220 value): Winner: Dionne Absheer; “Party Like A Rock Star” Guitar Basket ($950 value): Winner: Linda Parker; Winterfest Boat Parade Grand Marshal Experience ($1000 value): Winner: David Griffiths; Rock Spa Basket: Winner: Travis Pfeffer

“STUDIO 54 Rewind” was presented by Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood and sponsored by Memorial Healthcare System, Bank of America, Broward Health, Waterfall Bank, Walgreens, SouthState Bank, Synovus, GPR | Goodman Public Relations, “OUTClique,” Coldwell Banker Realty Cares Foundation, Dex Imaging, GrayRobinson, Premiere Aircraft Sales, Strategic Benefits and Tower Club. Media sponsors are Lifestyle Media Group and “South Florida Business & Wealth.” In-kind sponsors include Muscle Vodka, Funky Buddha Brewery, Lyres Prosecco, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Papa’s Pilar Rum Ernest Hemingway, Southern Glazer Wine & Spirits, Todd’s Catering and Covar Global Marketing.

The event was so amazing that people did not want it to end so they headed downstairs to PLA Sports Bar for the after party. They also could partake in all the fun that the Hard Rock provides.

Missed this year? There is always next year, so get your disco outfit ready. For more information on the FLITE Center, visit flitecenter.org.