Sometimes cliches can come true (and NO this nothing to with that Orange Man  who is biggest cliche of all time who has never told the truth in his whole life!!!!). This is about the best of things are free and thanks to those nice peeps at HONOLULU RAINBOW FILM FESTIVAL , there is a whole week of streaming short queer films for FREE.

Called SMALL PACKAGES this  program of short queer films of diverse genres, cultures and stories, includes DEATH IN VENICE CA an award winning film by P. David Ebersole.  Shot in 1994, the film has been lovingly restored, it was the very first gay-themed short EVER produced at the American Film Institute

DEATH IN VENICE, CA is a tragic parable about repression, obsession, and the perils of romantic love. Inspired by Thomas Mann’s novella “Death in Venice,” the film tells of a despondent middle-aged writer who, while on doctor’s orders to avoid stress, is lured from his books by his sister-in-law’s seductive stepson. It  stars Nick Rafter as Mason Carver, Robert Glen Keith as Sebastian Dickens and two-time Academy Award nominee and Venice Film Festival Best Actress winner Shirley Knight as Mona Dickens (Sweet Bird of Youth)

The 2024 restoration was produced with the permission of the American Film Institute by The Ebersole Hughes Company’s Ebersole with partner Todd Hughes both of whom began in narrative film (THE NEW WOMEN, STRAIGHT RIGHT, STRANGER INSIDE) and who together have directed and produced several top-tier documentaries (HOUSE OF CARDIN, ROOM 237, HIT SO HARD).

Immediately following the HRFF premiere week, the restored DEATH IN VENICE, CA will be available worldwide on EbHuCo.com via Vimeo on Demand, and the original elements continue to be housed at The Outfest UCLA Legacy Project which works to preserve and provide access to LGBTQIA+ films at risk of being lost due to deterioration and neglect.