BLUE SUNSHINE is a remarkable film . The debut film from Indian filmmaker Samyuktha Vijayan who wrote, directed and starred in this captivating new drama, that lays out a story of transitioning that is refreshingly unsensationalized. Based on her own journey Vijayan’s tale is powerfully uplifting and although it doesn’t beg us for support, it reminds one that they so deserve it. This is a story that need be shared as widely as possible to help us understand our trans brothers and sisters, better and I so hope it reaches the widest possible audience. On the eve of the film premiering at Wicked Queer, Boston’s LGBTQ Film Fest , she talked Queerguru about the journey of the film to date and where she hopes it will lead to in the future.
P.S. You can read Queerguru's full review of the film HERE
Like Queerguru’s own Editor, CARL HOPGOOD, is a dispaced Brit. He studied at the (legendary) Goldsmiths College in London, and after two solo shows in Mayfair, he ended up in LA inspired by David Hockney’s and his (very homoerotic) A Bigger Splash. It’s a long way from his birthplace in Wales but it gave Hopgood a sense of freedom in both his art and life. He used his experiences and his politics as a queer man to influence his art and highlight social issues through his sculptural pieces that incorporate found objects and neon, all inspired by memories and everyday life.
One piece demonstrating this is “Just Say Gay,” which grabbed our attention and we knew we needed to know more. Just back from Art Basel Miami Beach where he showed “Ban Guns Not Books,” a sculpture made from school desks, a neon gun, and neon books, and he is now working on a series of empty chair paintings (“Old empty chairs are not empty in reality, memories always sit there,” he explains).
Plus filmmaker Kate Rees Davies is finishing a FRAGILE WORLD documentary about his life that releases in 2024. Some of Hopgood’s art can be seen at The Bunker Art Space in LA as part of the prestigious private collection of Beth Rudin Woody and we got to know more of (the charming) Hopgood when we talked to him on Zoom.
This new UK drama is based on a remarkable true story that we first found very hard to believe It is the tale of Jay and Paul who are both serving life sentences for homophobic murders. Incredibly, they fall in love and seek permission to marry.
Kiss Marry Kill is an electrifying and intimate story of love and redemption. and this dramatic recreation from award-winning site-specific specialists Dante or Die, reimagines the first same-sex marriage that took place in a UK prison.
Queerguru talks with two of the three writers, James Baldwin and Terry O’Donovan on the eve of a National Tour around the UK performing in chapels
Queerguru’s newest Contributor is Steven Bitkower a (newish) South Florida resident who is a New York transplant. He tells us he is a man of few words (!) so his first two features for us are videos ….. the first was the recent Miami Winter Party and now this new one, A Glimpse of Lauderdale Tropical Week. And yes if you are wondering who the singer is that he filmed, it is Crystal Waters the dance queen singer of the 1990s whose big hit was Gypsy Woman
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STEVEN BITKOWER - Contributor
Steven Bitkower was born in New Jersey and spent 20+ years living in NYC. He now resides in Fort Lauderdale.
He has a love of dance music and has a history of being a mobile/Club D
We knew with such an ambitious and very distinctive theme every body would get very creative with their costumes, but the results even exceeded our high expectations.
Of course there were the usual (more muscular) men that interpret the theme in a way so they can once again be scantily dressed …… but we never complain…….. well would you?