Alternative Film Guide

In Christophe Honoré’s Chansons d’Amour / Love Songs "a young threesome pace the streets of Paris, collars upturned, singing of love in this Umbrellas of Cherbourg-inspired musical-comedy-drama." In the cast: Louis Garrel, Ludivine Sagnier, and Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet.

"When Scot’s mother dies her brother, one half of a straight-laced gay couple, takes him in but no-one is quite prepared for taking care of a sissy boy. Heart-warming drama." That’s Laurie Lynd’s Canadian drama Breakfast with Scot. In the cast: Cameron Ansell, Thomas Cavanagh, and Noah Bernett.

The "Tearoom" series is comprised of four sex-related shorts: William E. Jones‘ Tearoom (above), which uses "found footage [apparently from 1961] of police surveillance at a cottage" (screened silent), and Film Montages (for Peter Roehr), described as "formal repetitions of extracts from 70s porn, homage to a gay experimental filmmaker"; Damien Manivel’s Viril ("avant-garde choreographed pieces of great physical virtuosity about masculinity, gesture, vulnerability"); and Charles Lum’s Sex Manic ("the law and a blowjob").

"In the still moments between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, three women from different generations search for each other in Rotterdam’s empty streets." That’s Angelina Maccarone’s Vivere, which stars Hannelore Elsner, Esther Zimmering, and Kim Schnitzer. As per Anna Dunwoodie’s commentary, Vivere "combines a cleverly constructed plot with the honest depiction of female sexuality and relationships."

More details/schedules at the festival’s website