East/West: Sex & Politics

Paragraph 175, which made homosexual behavior punishable by law, was abolished in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in 1968. At that time, heterosexual nuclear families constituted the center of socialist society, and homosexuality was considered a peripheral issue in the GDR. Out in East Berlin —Lesbians & Gays in the GDR tells the impressive-to-absurd personal histories of gay men and lesbians in the GDR, from the post WWII years until the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The history of lesbians and gays in the former GDR (German Democratic Republic) explored through the lives of five people.

Jochen Hick talks about an aging gay masseur and the times before AIDS.

MY WONDERFUL WEST BERLIN recounts the lives and struggles of gay men in West-Berlin. Through present-day scenes and never before seen archival footage, a fascinating picture emerges of a city, that today characterizes itself as a dream destination and place of refuge for gays.

Queer people from all over the world have made Berlin what it is today. Many leave their home because they want to, others because they have to. This film follows a few of them. The queer universe of Berlin mirrors the movements of the world and is constantly evolving. In recent decades, a multitude of identities have made themselves heard. Today, gay and lesbian are only two terms among many.

A look at the sex lives of the guys who make L.A. adult movies.

Two gay leather beauty pageants form the core of this German documentary. The events, the International Mr. Leather Pageant and the Mr. Drummer Pageant held in San Francisco and Chicago respectively, are filled with scads of strangely dressed leather aficionados. These leather men are seen sauntering down streets, and hotel corridors; some of them are interviewed. Also interviewed are former Mr. Leathers who discuss the inherent responsibilities of their titles and the groupies they attract.

A controversial documentary about four gay men, who are living on the countryside of Swabia (a rural area in the south west of Germany) far off big cities. Being alone as Gays among a entirely heterosexual environment, they still try to live a rich and happy life.

Stefan, a young gay East German medical student, arrives in San Francisco for a medical congress and is following the trail of his dead father, a once high ranking AIDS researcher in the East. Stefan is investigating whether the HIV virus was an incremental result of secret human experiments that were conducted in US prisons in the seventies - a thesis of the Berlin professor, Jakob Segal, which was spread by state agents of former East Germany. At the same time, a serial killer is haunting the gay bars of the city and is killing HIV positive long-term survivors.

Frank, a HIV infected former Lufthansa steward, goes back to Rio from Germany with a film crew to look for Mario, a young man with whom he had a one night stand. Before Mario departed the morning after, he left a message scrawled in soap on the bathroom mirror: 'Welcome to the AIDS club'. Frank and his director hire a fast talking hustler named José (Guilherme di Padua) to help them to find Mario who seems alway to have just left whenever they arrive. Via Appia is the nickname of a Rio district where male prostitutes hang out...

One of the most spectacular protest actions took place during the final prayer of the German Catholic Bishops' Conference in 1991. After the arch-conservative Bishop Dyba wanted to have the registered demonstration of the ACT-UP movement ("AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power") in front of the cathedral banned, the activists decided to take the protest into the cathedral.

With the advent of same sex marriage, homosexuals have achieved near-equality in much of Europe. Everything seems rosy, so why should the keep on fighting? RAINBOW'S END is a revealing and entertaining multinational journey from the center to the borders of Europe. It also shows exciting footage of the gay and lesbian manifestations in Warsaw and Cracow (Poland). Touching personal stories and social, religious and political insights. From street activism to the highest political scene at the United Nations in Geneva (Switzerland). A must see and a starting point for the most relevant discussions about the future of lesbian, gay and transgender people within Europe and throughout the world.

Jochen Hick's film portrays Tom Weise, the producer of the HustlaBall, ­an event originally created in order to encourage the acceptance of male prostitutes, but also to launch a rent boy website. After his parents split and, having lost all contact with them, this slightly-built former student of politics decides to go to New York at the beginning of the 1990s. Being virus-positive, he is obliged to live in the USA illegally. In fact, according to the law, he cannot even pay a visit to this country. At first Tom has a hard time eking out a living as an escort. Unable to earn enough money, he winds up on the streets without a roof over his head. In the end, he succeeds in helping Jeffrey Davis set up an internet page, rentboy.com, which, ten years later, becomes the largest website for escorts. Increasingly beset by health issues, loneliness and drug abuse, in 2006 Tom eventually finds someone with whom he can share his life. He and his African-American partner decide to go to Berlin.

This short film documents the frenetically awaited Pope's visit in Cologne from an interesting perspective. Long before the Papamobil arrives, Christian youth and homosexual counter demonstrators collide.