Under the blazing sun

A shortfilm by Julian Hernandez

Two men on the ground separate, we lose sight of them, the camera turns on its axis in a desert landscape; we see the dust, the mountains. We listen to a piano, the murmur of male voices, the characters move in and out of the frame while the camera rotates, in one of the already well-known film choreographies of the staging characteristic of the Mexican director.

Who’s up for a sensual, seductive trip with some of the hottest Latin men that have ever graced the Silver Screen? ‘Mexican Men’ collects five of the most accomplished gay shorts from one of the homes of groundbreaking queer cinema. From short encounters, emerging love stories and deeply touching connections, these short films are sure to stir the heart... and body. Includes: Atmosphere [Atmósfera] (2010); To Live [Vivir] (2003); Tremulous [Trémulo] (2015); Wandering Clouds [Nubes flotantes] (2014); Young Man on the Bar Masturbating with Rage and Nerve [Muchacho en la barra se masturba con rabia y osadía] (2015).

Max returns to her slum turned into the vocalist of a rock band. There, the memories await, the latest news and the truths that were silent for years: Sonia is a voice that speaks from the death.

Orlando and Saul meet by accident. The first one is a self-confident young man, university gymnast who avoids that his HIV-positive status defines him; while Saul, on the opposite, is insecure and barely understands what having an active sexual life means. The meeting will result in a new way of seeing life, one without fear where sex is an encounter and not a way of getting away from others.

A story of love, sex and destiny. Youthful Kieri and Ryo share a deep and passionate love for each other. Kieri sets off in search of his soul mate after Ryo is kidnapped. A female spirit is with Kieri as he searches for Ryo. Ryo escapes and the pair will have to work hard to prove their love for each other as obstacles are placed in their path along the way.

Oscar works in a public bath, where he murders several people.

Gerardo is deeply in love with longtime lover Jonas. When Jonas falls for a stranger he met at a local nightclub, heartbroken Gerardo soon seeks solace in the arms of Sergio. Despite other interests, Gerardo and Jonas can't bring themselves to end it.

María rehearses Antigone the same way as she criticizes the government's actions; Ismene listens fearfully just as Irving reluctantly accepts the official version of a lie. Love only has consciousness in its disappearance; in the end the causes will be known, and only the memory of those who refuse to forget will be left with no consequence.

After suffering a violent incident, a woman decides to become a vigilante, defending every woman who has suffered from physical or psychological abuse.

The beautiful and erotic Bramadero finds Hassen and Jonás on the outskirts of Mexico City. Away from it all, they’ve found a spot where they can seduce one another and merge into one; where sex becomes desire, desire becomes love, and only death will separate them.

Emiliano looks at his life with the eyes of a film director, mixing the objective reality with the processes of the artistic creation. The story he is filming flounders with his daily life, until his world is trapped in the lens of his camera. Confused, always alone and in front of a screen, now become a transfigured reality, but at the same time a measurable, controllable and manipulable one, he listens in loop to a song: one of those songs you sing or repeat as a prayer and forcing you to remember, believe and convince yourself.

Román is an actor who works in B-movies and who’s isolated in his apartment as a pandemic keeps the world on edge. Aldo, an indigenous young man, is an essential worker who’s allowed by the authorities to come and go. They live across from each other in an apartment complex. They meet online, and they can talk and even see each other in videocalls, but they can’t meet in person. Eventually, the temptation to break out of their lockdown comes up.

An outbreak has Esteban confined at home and separated from Alan. From his rooftop bedroom, he tries to maintain their relationship through video calls, but the isolation seems endless and reality catches up with them.

Boys On Film 5: Candy Boy features nine award-winning short films. Boys will be boys in Pascal-Alex Vincent's FAR WEST and CANDY BOY, where a farmyard and an orphanage get a gay makeover. GO-GO REJECT sees Flashdance obsessive Daniel aim for the stars, as SWEAT has Holby City's David Paisley infiltrating a bath house with unexpected results. Meanwhile, love proves to be timeless when LAST CALL unites past and present, but TWOYOUNGMEN, UT. hints at an uncertain future. Looking back on the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, BLOCKS focuses on the sexual awakening of a peeping Tom. Two more young boys, a confused JAMES and mute DAVID, both reach out for an experienced hand, but will they find what they are looking for?

18 sexy, funny, dramatic, erotic, perverse, irresistible, kitschy films. A selection of confirmed directors and future revelations of gay cinema.