Cruising Elsewhere

Cult filmmaker Tom DeSimone (Reform School Girls; Erotikus: A History of the Gay Movie) revisits the production of a lost gay film and resurrects youthful adventures on the California coast. From the creators of Raw! Uncut! Video!.

In the 1970s, five men struggling with being gay in their Evangelical church started a bible study to help each other leave the "homosexual lifestyle." They quickly received over 25,000 letters from people asking for help and formalized as Exodus International, the largest and most controversial conversion therapy organization in the world. But leaders struggled with a secret: their own “same-sex attractions” never went away. After years as Christian superstars in the religious right, many of these men and women have come out as LGBTQ, disavowing the very movement they helped start. Focusing on the dramatic journeys of former conversion therapy leaders, current members, and a survivor, PRAY AWAY chronicles the “ex gay" movement’s rise to power, persistent influence, and the profound harm it causes.

A pretentious underground filmmaker struggles with his masterpiece while a scuzzy punkoid chick tries to keep her band from fading into obscurity.

The rise and fall of homegrown gay porn studio Palm Drive Video. An exploration of how a devoted couple helped battle a devastating health crisis by promoting kinky sex.

Deep in the forests of Sumatra, a Finnish sea captain seeks an elusive banana. In a Kolkata kitchen, Bengali chefs prepare scrumptious banana stalk curries. As the sun blazes in Kuala Lumpur, a Chinese exorcist calls forth an evil banana spirit… Embarking on an international journey through the vibrant world of human-banana relationships, MONDO BANANA explores the personal, cultural, and environmental importance of one of the world’s favorite fruits. A delicious blend of video art and ethnographic film, MONDO BANANA turns educational filmmaking upside down with a wild medley of shadow puppetry, culinary demonstrations, exorcisms, scientific research, performance art, anthropology, underground film, and dragon-dancing that peels away the secrets of human-banana relations and celebrates the age-old connection between people and plants.

A portrait of 80s gay porn icon Mickey Squires and the man who performed him, Richard Bernstein, which turns from a fringe-film historical documentary into an essay on the mysteries and unpredictabilities of acting as a key activity in all our lives.