Gay / Queer Themed Movie / TV Series / Short Film / Music Video MTV / Commercials (Non-Pxxn) (Compiled)

[Guest Lee Chan]

It hasnt even hit the local cinemas yet, so I think we will have to wait for some time.

[Guest 29Mark]

I just found out that the director of this movie is gay =)

[Guest Impaire]

The version that is going to be screened in the local cinemas will be shorter since most of hot scenes will be deleted. I'm going to buy DVD to watch. Fortissimo Films has acquired international distribution rights to Lost in Paradise.

[Guest Nadal]

I'm planning to go there next November, any vietnamesein in this forum can accompany me?

[Foreign Talent]

Hey i found out that they do have English subtiltles for every Vietnamese films that are screened in the cinemas. You can go to any local cinema there during your visit.

Xin chao em Nicky va cam on rat nhieu!

Let's see, I have a few evenings free in Hanoi and let's see what my hubby wants to do. I'll be in Vietnam for 8 days with my hubby in late Oct and am really looking forward to it and have been studying Tieng Viet every day!

[Guest nickyno81]

Xin chao em Nicky va cam on rat nhieu!

That's really very sweet!

Ok have a nice trip there! later when you come back tell me about your experience Foreign Talent.

[vampire01]

Xin chao em Nicky va cam on rat nhieu!

LOL, r you sure he is younger than you r? I think "bạn / cậu" would be more appropriate for 1st time

Edited October 11, 2011 by vampire01

[Guest alfred]

Eh from google translate the above sentence is just Hi Nicky and thank you very much what. How come have to differentiate?

[Foreign Talent]

LOL, r you sure he is younger than you r? I think "bạn / cậu" would be more appropriate for 1st time

Simple. He has the numbers 81 in his name here, I am guessing that it relates to the year of his birth. And if he is born in 1981, then that makes him slightly younger than me, hence I would use 'em' rather than ban or anh or ong etc. I'm just getting to grips with the different words for 'you' in Vietnamese .. and that makes it a different and fascinating language. In English there's just one word: YOU. In Vietnamese there are like 10 different words depending on the age and gender of the person you're addressing.

[vampire01]

Hehe, guess u would say sth like that based on the number 81. Just asking .

Just wanna clarify what I meant. Ya what you said is abs correct but language is not like math, 1+1 must be 2, it does not mean when you know (however not abs sure) you must 100% address the other as "em". There is also a "humble" context. So "bạn" as I suggested can always be applied even when you are older for 1st time, except you want immediately to show your power and seniority . Likewise, "em" can be used by older ones to address the younger depending on context hehe.

Anw, good luck for the trip and enjoy the movie if u r watching. Hopefully u can get more VNese with the aid of sub.

@ alfred: it is somewhat like Japanese, they use suffix like san, chan, kun, dono, sama etc with name to address other parties depending on context.

Edited October 12, 2011 by vampire01

[Jaded]

I just found out that the director of this movie is gay =)

That's why it is one of the rare pro-gay movies in Vietnam .

[Guest jem]

I just found out that the director of this movie is gay =)

May I have a source or is it just rumor? There are plenty rumors circulating whenever s/o making gay-theme movie, director/actor must be gay, funny

[Guest khach]

Hehe, guess u would say sth like that based on the number 81. Just asking .

Just wanna clarify what I meant. Ya what you said is abs correct but language is not like math, 1+1 must be 2, it does not mean when you know (however not abs sure) you must 100% address the other as "em". There is also a "humble" context. So "bạn" as I suggested can always be applied even when you are older for 1st time, except you want immediately to show your power and seniority . Likewise, "em" can be used by older ones to address the younger depending on context hehe.

Anw, good luck for the trip and enjoy the movie if u r watching. Hopefully u can get more VNese with the aid of sub.

@ alfred: it is somewhat like Japanese, they use suffix like san, chan, kun, dono, sama etc with name to address other parties depending on context.

oh gosh you even know how to put on the tone marks in the word "bạn"... you know lots of vietnamese guys? or you must be one I guess...

[Foreign Talent]

oh gosh you even know how to put on the tone marks in the word "bạn"... you know lots of vietnamese guys? or you must be one I guess...

I simply have made an effort to learn Vietnamese, heck it's just a language, anyone can make some effort and learn it.

I have just returned from a business trip to KL where all the Malaysians are like so totally shocked that I speak some Malay and I always, always make an effort to speak Malay first in Malaysia before switching to English when I simply cannot express myself in Malay. I'm British-Chinese and born Singapore, so why should it be so surprising that I speak Malay? I'm like, geez, my Malay is rusty, I should be apologizing for not speaking it well enough, rather than being praised for being able to communicate in Malay. And then I think, no wonder Singaporeans who go to Malaysia and refuse to even speak a word of Malay kena attitude in places like JB - and they never think, "maybe I should make an effort to learn to speak some Malay rather than use English", but no, they play the victim's card and then kao beh kao bu about the attitude of Malaysians towards Singaporeans.

Sorry if this is going way off topic but for a country that claims to be bilingual, I think Singaporeans have a pretty crap attitude towards learning foreign languages - like how many Chinese Singaporeans know more than a few words of Malay?

Edited October 13, 2011 by Foreign Talent

[chrisgomez]

Hey guys,

Was wondering if anyone's watched this movie before. How are the reviews like?

[descca]

Personally i like the movie though the ending is sad but i like the love etc before it ended badly...

[willo]

yep effects on drugs on human sad show

[Guest khach]

I simply have made an effort to learn Vietnamese, heck it's just a language, anyone can make some effort and learn it.

I have just returned from a business trip to KL where all the Malaysians are like so totally shocked that I speak some Malay and I always, always make an effort to speak Malay first in Malaysia before switching to English when I simply cannot express myself in Malay. I'm British-Chinese and born Singapore, so why should it be so surprising that I speak Malay? I'm like, geez, my Malay is rusty, I should be apologizing for not speaking it well enough, rather than being praised for being able to communicate in Malay. And then I think, no wonder Singaporeans who go to Malaysia and refuse to even speak a word of Malay kena attitude in places like JB - and they never think, "maybe I should make an effort to learn to speak some Malay rather than use English", but no, they play the victim's card and then kao beh kao bu about the attitude of Malaysians towards Singaporeans.

Sorry if this is going way off topic but for a country that claims to be bilingual, I think Singaporeans have a pretty crap attitude towards learning foreign languages - like how many Chinese Singaporeans know more than a few words of Malay?

being a vietnamese myself staying here for almost 5 years but I haven't encountered any singaporeans speaking my language, let alone putting efforts to type it in a proper manner....and his understanding of how to address people, which is a common headache for most of foreigners, well i must say, is very comprehensive... that's why i guess vampire01 is a vnese too...

i remember one of a few tactics to win someone's heart in a foreign country is to speak the local language... especially when the language is not a popular one... and at least i find that it works in vietnam.... and the more slang you know the better people like you... this is what google translate is unable to help, but making friends with some local guys will definitely do...

[Guest tintin]

Relationships in this movie is to complicated so do real life. Watch for yourself. At times, life will make fun of us by show-hand the cards at the least expected situation to end it like a grand finale.

http://www.drei.x-verleih.de/en

[Guest BigDick gUy]

He is openly gay and he dares to show. What do you think?

[Officeboy]

Nice, would sure support him, hope he makes full length aj movies

[mcbealz]

looks like a good movie to watch... 3... anywhere we can download it?

[Guest dark_jedi]

watched amphetamine yesterday with a fren at GV... yes i know this is an old film, but i nvr watched it before... quite all right... a lot of "hallucination" scenes due to kafka taking 'ice'... ... and that incomplete bridge, which of coz has been completed down... i loved the bungee jumping scenes, shiok to be able to do that!

[qedcwc]

I simply have made an effort to learn Vietnamese, heck it's just a language, anyone can make some effort and learn it. I have just returned from a business trip to KL where all the Malaysians are like so totally shocked that I speak some Malay and I always, always make an effort to speak Malay first in Malaysia before switching to English when I simply cannot express myself in Malay. I'm British-Chinese and born Singapore, so why should it be so surprising that I speak Malay? I'm like, geez, my Malay is rusty, I should be apologizing for not speaking it well enough, rather than being praised for being able to communicate in Malay. And then I think, no wonder Singaporeans who go to Malaysia and refuse to even speak a word of Malay kena attitude in places like JB - and they never think, "maybe I should make an effort to learn to speak some Malay rather than use English", but no, they play the victim's card and then kao beh kao bu about the attitude of Malaysians towards Singaporeans. Sorry if this is going way off topic but for a country that claims to be bilingual, I think Singaporeans have a pretty crap attitude towards learning foreign languages - like how many Chinese Singaporeans know more than a few words of Malay?

ForeignTalent, the question should be: How many Singaporeans (except the Malays) really know their national language (i.e. Malay)?

Singing Majulah Singapura certainly does not count, for sure....

[GachiMuchi]

Please get back to the topic of Gay Theme Movies and not diverge from it.

[qedcwc]

Please get back to the topic of Gay Theme Movies and not diverge from it.

Yes Gachi

[Guest Guest]

Anyone watched Dostana? This 2008 Hindi film is so funny and the guy is so handsome and hunky. The OST are great too.

The opening songs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Hu67wOykWE

[RyanX]

Anyone watched Dostana? This 2008 Hindi film is so funny and the guy is so handsome and hunky. The OST are great too.

The opening songs:

This movie is hilarious, although many scenes seems quite stereotyped. Heard it is one of the rare Hindi gay-themed movie in recent years. I like the songs too.

Edited October 22, 2011 by RyanX

[Guest BWer]

I got a little depressed after watching the movie last Fri at GV Grand - don't gay characters ever live happily ever after in movies (One of the main leads Byron jump off the bridge while on a high)? What do you all think? Did anyone of my fellow BWers here also catch the movie? What do you like or dislike about the characters, storyline, plot...? Or is there anything you are not clear about or wish to discuss about the movie (before it fades away from our memory)? Is the movie a follow-up (same characters or actors) to the movie "Permanent Residence" because Bryon did mention that he was involved in Permanent Residence? Any queries/thoughts/answers? Thankx :-)

[GachiMuchi]

The movie have been discussed. Scroll back to read.

[Guest Guests]

Nepalese film director Subarna Thapa speaks during an interview with AFP about his new film "Snow Flowers" in Kathmandu on October 31, 2011.

KATHMANDU - The tears and bloodshot eyes of a beautiful leading lady who has lost her lover are familiar to all Nepalese cinema-goers, but this time the object of her desire is another woman.

In a poignant vignette on a Kathmandu film set, Kiran wanders aimlessly through traffic struggling to take in the devastating news that the love of her life is about to marry someone else.

The affair plays out in "Snow Flowers", a lesbian love story being dubbed "Brokeback Everest" and set to be the first gay feature film in the 60-year history of Nepalese cinema.

With filming just completed and a general release due in the spring, the only question is whether the public in the deeply-religious nation will accept the project.

The movie, directed by Paris-based film-maker Subarna Thapa, stars Nepal's leading actresses, Dia Maskey and Nisha Adhikari, in a story of two women tormented by their feelings for one another.

"It's two individuals falling in love and facing all the controversy and restrictions, and mental, emotional and physical traumas of being a lesbian in Nepal," Adhikari, who cut her hair short for the film, told AFP.

"It's a simple love story with a lot of complications."

Local media have dubbed the film "Brokeback Everest" in a reference to Ang Lee's gay cowboy love story "Brokeback Mountain", which won three Oscars and grossed more than $178 million worldwide after its release in 2005.

Industry observers are awaiting the reaction of audiences in Nepal, a conservative, mainly Hindu country that nonetheless has some of the most progressive policies on homosexuality in Asia.

Adhikari, 25, says the film is a first as it deals with the turmoil experienced by same-sex couples in Nepal, whereas previously gay people have always been depicted as figures of fun.

"The entire movie is based on the trauma - what it is like not being able to come out and live your life because there are so many restrictions," she said.

"There is no liberty in not living your life the way you want, irrespective of who you are attracted to sexually. This movie will be an eye-opener for a lot of people who have just viewed these issues very superficially."

Three years ago, Nepal's Supreme Court ordered the government to enact laws to guarantee the rights of gays and lesbians after a pressure group filed a petition.

The country's new constitution, currently being drafted by lawmakers, is also expected to define marriage as a union between two adults, regardless of gender, and to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation.

For Sunil Pant, the country's only openly gay parliamentarian, the film could be a breakthrough for society as well as the small local cinema industry.

"Nepal has always been tolerant and we are now really ready to treat each other equally," he said.

"It's also about freedom of expression and our right to be able to watch films about our lives and issues. I am excited and can't wait to see the film released in Nepal."

But Chaitanya Mishra, a sociology professor at Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu, is not optimistic about the mainstream reaction to "Snow Flowers", which was shot in Kathmandu and Pokhara city.

"I think that news, films and other media on same-sex relationships will not be accepted or find many supporters," she told AFP.

She added though that the film could be a comfort to people struggling with gay relationships, demonstrating "there may be others like them out there".

"That is bound to give them immense relief and unburden them of a huge 'dirty secret', she said.

"Snow Flowers" director Suwarna Thapa says he was not interested in just showing Nepal "what lesbians do", but rather in telling a simple love story from a new angle.

"It's not a shocking film, like war movies or propaganda films, but there will be some impact in Nepali society," he told AFP.

"Nepal is changing but it cannot be changed by the day after tomorrow. It's a long journey.

"Our Maoist revolution took 10 years to bring about change. Society and culture takes its time."

Indeed, "Snow Flowers" is likely to disappoint audiences expecting to see bare flesh as the relationship plays out through longing glances rather than explicit depictions of sex.

"Maybe people will go and see it just to see two women romancing - who knows?" said Adhikari.

http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Showbiz/Story/A1Story20111116-310918.html

[doncoin]

Just came across this while taking a lunch break. Thought it may interest some of you who always wonder about gay relationships and its longevity:

"THE DEVOTION PROJECT is a series of short documentary films celebrating LGBT couples of all stripes.

The first film, MORE THAN EVER, chronicles a New York couple who've lived an incredible 54-year love story. This film premiered at Newfest: The New York Gay & Lesbian Film Festival in July 2011 and won the Audience Award for Best Short.

More films will appear on this site over the coming months."

Here's a clip:

Edited November 18, 2011 by chelseasian

[exec_fetish]

Just re-watched this 1998 film after so many years, and I can now better understand the circumstances surrounding the main character - Sam.

When I first watched this show back in 1998, I didn't realise that Sam committed suicide. But now, I do. The director seems to suggest that his love, Jet felt blissful for he has been loved before. But I beg to differ. The feeling of being loved and yet not being able to enjoy each other's companionship is a misery.

For those of you interested to know about this movie, the link is here:

http://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/bishonen.htm

I caught the re-run on iPad pps

[Guest Guest]

Up-and-coming American-based Singaporean director Joshua Lim has directed a very provocative feature film, The Seminarian, which deals with the interplay of sexuality and religion.

His film has received publicity on America's most influential gay news website, Advocate.com.

The Flesh and the Spirit

Actor Mark Cirillo discusses playing a closeted gay evangelical in the provocative new film The Seminarian.

By Christopher Donaldson

If you might think actor Mark Cirillo looks familiar, there’s a reason. For years, he’s toiled in small parts in sitcoms such asWill & Grace and How I Met Your Mother as well as popular gay-themed films such as Girls Will Be Girls. And he boasts an impressive pedigree — he’s the great-great-great maternal grandson of President Ulysses S. Grant. Now Cirillo gets his most challenging role yet and delivers a finely tuned performance as Ryan, a closeted gay man studying theology in Joshua Lim’s new film, The Seminarian (in select theaters November 25). Here, examining his instincts for complicated characters, he talks openly about baring all for his art and whether certain actors should open the closet door.

The Advocate: You play a closeted theology student caught between an unfinished thesis and unrequited love. What attracted you to the role?

Mark Cirillo: I wanted to play a character that stands at the opposite end of the spectrum from my personality. And I liked that Ryan had to struggle deeply in profound ways to rectify who he is with what he was taught. That resonated with me on so many levels, from the sexual to the religious.

Do you know any gay seminarians?

Actually yes, a few. Aside from the film’s writer and director, Joshua Lim, several gay seminary students assisted in the making of the film. I’m grateful that there was always someone on set to answer my questions about God and sexuality. Luckily, I also had two weeks of intense, daylong crash courses in evangelical Protestant Christianity before we shot even one day of footage. By the end, I could believably say certain lines and really know what I was talking about.

Did you do anything special to prepare for the film's pivotal nude scene?

Three words: Start-scene-diet. Once I booked the role, I spent a considerable amount of time at the gym and even more time controlling what went into my mouth. Let’s face it, film is unforgiving and it will exist for an eternity, hopefully. As an actor, I understand that nudity is a part of life, part of my job, and part of the art of performance. Besides, when I’m on set, it ‘s about practicality: Is it too cold? Is it believable that I walk around with no clothes on?

How have audiences reacted to the film?

More positively, for the most part, than I ever could have imagined. People really seem to get drawn in, no matter if they’re gay, bi or straight. We’ve had the best response from a huge spectrum of people.

But what about certain audiences who believe in a God that looks down, unfavorably, on homosexuality?

In all honesty, I have not been made aware of any negative reactions from religious groups. Gay clergy have been tremendously supportive and have come to every screening. Surprisingly, the most resistance to seeing and supporting the film comes from liberal and gay communities that have negative associations with anything religious, which once upon a time was my reaction.

Over the years, you’ve played gay characters on Will & Grace, Quintuplets, andCook-Off! But Hollywood is still a tough place for openly gay actors.

It’s really unfair that straight actors can play gay as long as they are adamant about how straight they are in the press. Surprisingly, openly gay actors like Rupert Everett and my friend Craig Chester both recommend staying in the closet until it really does get better. They both have very specific examples of how coming out hurt their careers. According to them, the majority of the homophobia they faced came from the gay community. On the other side of the argument stand Neil Patrick Harris and my friend Chad Allen — both of whom were pushed out of the closet against their will —who say it was the best thing that has ever happened to them. In fact, they’ve never been happier. Granted, at the time, they had hit series where they both played straight.

But things really are getting better. You tweeted that you recently attended your first gay wedding.

Yes, in New York. It was beautiful and emotional in all of the right ways. It was also the first Buddhist wedding I’ve ever attended. I should start a checklist: Buddhist, done. Gay, done. Catholic, done. Jewish, done. I really look forward to being invited to a celebrity Wiccan wedding. That would almost complete the list.

[Guest Guest]

[doncoin]

This video on marriage equality from Australia is getting viral here in the US.

Edited November 26, 2011 by chelseasian

[benice]

More than ever is beautiful and touching. Thanks for sharing! bf and I love it!

[deceptiveeyes.deceivingminds]

Honest, Real and Endearing.

[Guest Ironrod]

Thanks for sharing - my eyes well up with water for a while.

That is TRUE LOVE.

[doncoin]

Here's something positive to share. Testimonial from a kid who grew up with 2 lesbian moms, and turns out to be pretty normal.

Edited December 1, 2011 by chelseasian

[Guest Kevin]

Just watched it and it was amazing.. Criedd in this show

Trailer:

What is your review for it?

[Retadin]

I caught it a few months back. Its a very beautiful movie. Really thugs at the heart strings of it's viewers.

[meatybear]

I caught it a few months back. Its a very beautiful movie. Really thugs at the heart strings of it's viewers.

May I know where can i view this movie in full. I don't think they are showing in the cinema , right ? can someone enlighten ? Thanks

[Queerlish]

May I know where can i view this movie in full. I don't think they are showing in the cinema , right ? can someone enlighten ? Thanks

You can catch it here- http://www.movie2k.to/Prayers-for-Bobby-watch-movie-115481.html

[Guest Kevin]

Or you can download " Funshion " and search for the movie.

[starbright]

Vietnam's first film to openly feature love and intimacy between gay men is helping to change attitudes in a country where homosexuality is often seen either as a disease or a source of ridicule.

Curious filmgoers have streamed into cinemas to catch "Lost in Paradise", which chronicles the doomed love affair between a gay prostitute and a book seller and provides a rare glimpse into a usually hidden side of Vietnam.

For some, the movie was eye-opening, with one Vietnamese woman saying the bittersweet love story had changed her views about homosexuality.

"Now I think they are just like us," said the 50-year-old state employee, who did not want to give her name, after watching the film in the capital.

Others, though, seemed uncomfortable, with a group of youths at a recent screening at Hanoi's Platinum Cinema laughing and a teenage girl covering her eyes during a scene in which the two lead actors kiss tenderly.

Homosexuality remains largely taboo in communist Vietnam, where Confucian social mores, with their emphasis on tradition and family, still dominate.

Gays are routinely portrayed as comical figures or as people suffering from a condition that can be treated -- something the makers of "Lost in Paradise" hope to help change.

"We just want to contribute so that gays are better accepted in our society. They don't need sympathy or understanding. They need equality", said Luong Manh Hai, who stars in the movie and co-wrote the script.

The film, directed by Vu Ngoc Dang, has been well received by critics at home and abroad, and will be screened at the Berlin International Film Festival in February before a general DVD release in October.

Hai calls the film "a slice of life", though he admits it was toned down for Vietnam's audiences when censors removed the more sexually explicit scenes.

In the raciest sequence to survive the cutting room, Hai caresses and kisses his partner's naked body, filmed from an angle that only reveals bare buttocks and leaves the rest of the couple's bedroom antics up to the imagination.

The film has so far grossed roughly 20 billion dong ($900,000), "a successful amount for a film of this kind", a staffer at the film's BHD Media production company said, asking not to be named.

The film has been warmly received by the small gay community of Ho Chi Minh City, where homosexuals feel life is easier than in other parts of the country, said openly gay student Nguyen Quoc Duy.

"I don't know if the movie succeeded in telling people that being gay is normal, but for sure it helped them understand who we really are and how wrong the prejudice they have against us is," the 21-year-old said.

Sociologist Le Quang Binh, who has headed several research projects on lesbian and gay issues, said films like "Lost in Paradise", as well as a recent photo exhibition about Hanoi's gay community, were paving the way for more openness about homosexuality.

"The press has become less discriminatory and more objective when covering gay topics," he said, while social networking sites were also helping to change the perception of homosexuality.

He noted some local media had covered what was billed as Vietnam's first lesbian wedding in 2010 and the union of two gay men last June, even though the celebrations were only symbolic, with same-sex marriage not legal in Vietnam.

"The younger generation now is also more open," added Binh, all of which could help make it easier for people to come out of the closet.

But the country still has some way to go. Khoa, a 34-year-old businessman in the Vietnamese capital, said he has yet to reveal his sexuality to his parents who live in the countryside, fearing "unimaginable damage" to his family.

"I'm doubtful that my parents would change their thinking that gays are sick even if they were to watch 'Lost in Paradise'," he said.

Still, Khoa said he was encouraged by the slowly changing attitudes around him.

"It's a long road, but there is light at the end of the tunnel."

Edited January 15, 2012 by starbright

[HendryTan]

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/13/world/europe/turkey-gay-killing/index.html?hpt=ieu_t3

Istanbul, Turkey (CNN) -- In colloquial Turkish, the word zenne means male belly dancer. It is also the title of a new film that explores sexual identity while also highlighting a deadly case of homophobia in modern-day Turkey.

"The starting point was a dear friend of ours who was murdered in 2008 for being gay by his own father," said Mehmet Binay, producer and co-director of "Zenne," which opens in theaters across Turkey on Friday.

Binay was referring to the 2008 killing of Ahmet Yildiz, a 26-year old physics student who was gunned down in Istanbul.

Court records identify Yildiz's father, Yahya, as the primary suspect in the killing. The father's motive, according to a copy of the indictment, was that he "did not accept the victim to be in a gay relationship."

More than three years after the slaying, Yildiz's father is a fugitive, still wanted by Turkish police.

The death has since been widely referred to as Turkey's first gay honor killing.

One of the main characters in "Zenne" is based on Ahmet Yildiz and his tragic story.

Caner Alper, the writer and other co-director of "Zenne," was also a friend of Yildiz's. Alper said before he died, Yildiz often spoke about receiving death threats from his family, who were trying to "cure" him of his homosexuality.

Court documents show Yildiz reported these death threats to the Turkish authorities.

In an interview with CNN this week, the filmmakers said they hoped their film would force Turkish society to debate hate crimes that target victims based on gender, religion, ethnicity or sexual identity.

"Death and murder is still on the agenda of our country. We can't get rid of this mentality," said Binay. "People need to tolerate each other. They need to understand that different identities can live next to each other without disturbing each other."

Binay and Alper are not only creative partners. Shortly before the debut of their debut film at the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, Turkey's most prestigious film festival, the two men announced they had been a couple for 14 years. Alper said their families advised against coming out publicly.

"They thought it would be career suicide," he said. "Until we won five awards from the first festival that we attended."

Despite recent critical acclaim, the filmmakers agreed Turkey still has a long way to go before it overcomes deeply entrenched institutional homophobia.

According to Article 17 of the health regulations of the Turkish Armed Forces, homosexuality is considered a "psychosexual deviance."

All Turkish men are required to perform military service. But gay men can be exempted from conscript duty provided they first prove their homosexuality.

"Zenne" depicts the degrading process its main characters endure at an army recruiting center.

In the film, military doctors perform anal examinations and hurl homophobic insults at conscripts. They also demand photos of the characters having sex with other men.

Gay rights activists say the military has long demanded graphic photo and/or video evidence from men asking to be released from military duty.

"In the photograph and the video you have to show your form and your face. Your face has to be clearly identified and another man has to be penetrating," said Kursad Kahramanoglu, who teaches international law and human sexuality at Istanbul's Bilgi University.

CNN asked Turkey's defense ministry to comment on what gay rights groups claim has long been an unwritten military policy.

"The practice of asking for video and photographic evidence is out of question," a defense ministry spokesman responded, speaking on condition of anonymity, a common practice in Turkish government bureaucracy. "I cannot confirm that it definitely did not happen, but we do not have any information that such a thing happened," he added.

The spokesman said the current policy is for conscripts to prove their homosexuality with a doctor's report from a private or military hospital. "The evaluation is made based on the medical report," he said.

Less than two years ago, a senior Turkish government minister was quoted in an interview calling homosexuality "an illness ... that should be treated."

These types of statements have not stopped members of Turkey's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community from demanding equal rights.

Thousands marched in a rainbow-hued gay pride parade through downtown Istanbul last July.

Some of the activists carried large posters of Ahmet Yildiz with the slogan "get the murderer." Among those marching was Yildiz's former boyfriend, Ibrahim Can.

"I am fighting for the rights of my lover and for all the gays and lesbians and transsexuals in the world and in Turkey. And I want the Turkish government to change the homophobic attitude in Turkey," Can said in an interview with CNN.

LGBT activists are lobbying the Turkish government to have the constitution amended to protect the rights of Turks on the grounds of gender and sexual identity. The Turkish Constitution is currently in the lengthy process of being re-written.

Binay, meanwhile, points to what he calls remarkable progress for minority rights in Turkey over the last decade. He said: "All sorts of minorities including gays and lesbians are demanding their rights. They want recognition, they want protection by the state. They want to be able to live, first of all, and not be murdered."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiFA4G7VqVU

[Guest anon]

Hi any one here knows what is the this film whereby a young student studying arts/drama falls in love with the professor and seduces him?

[IanTL]

Got such a film meh?

[abang]

Isnt it 'Solos' by Loo Zihan and Lim Yu-beng?