Calling all queer cinephiles; NQV Media is releasing Heavenly Creatures, a collection of international gay short films, on November 24!
In a press release, NQV Media says that this piece is the latest addition to their The Male Gaze collection. It is a “queer quartet” of films exploring faith, passion, sexual tension, and, obviously, being gay. Following how “God works in mysterious ways,” the short stories move from medieval French castles, to Spanish mountains, to Abidjan West African streets.
It shares a a positive outlook on the relationship between religion and gay identity, a perspective fairly uncommon in our community considering how many of our harbor religious trauma.
The first short film, entitled The Vice of Buggery, is a feature coming from France with the director Rēmi Giordano. It follows Henri de Valois or Henri III, the newly-crowned king who travels to the French provinces to find a man whom he was once in love with. But there is lingering complexity with their history, “But can he claim the kiss the young man once refused him?”
The second film comes from the Ivory Coast and France and is directed by Stéphane Olijnyk, titled Chameleon. It follows a young gay Muslim man, Ali, who reluctantly attends his lover Saint’s Catholic wedding. He tries to keep their relationship discreet, but another guest begins to catch on to the connection between the two men, wanting to exploit it for personal gain.
The Martyr is the third in the collection, coming from Spain and directed by Alejandro Mathé. It centers a young man who becomes obsessed with the half-naked body of Jesus Christ, which leads him towards a questionable exploration of his sexuality through self-harm and masochism.
The last film in the “queer quartet” is The Passion According to Karim from France, directed by Axel Würsten, which has been shortlisted for Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival 2025. It’s about a scout troop who arrive at a quiet village to perform the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Karim, a 17-year-old, is cast as the lead and is determined to create an authentic performance with help from his fellow scout.
Male Gaze: Heavenly Creatures will be available to stream November 24 on Vimeo (Worldwide), PeccadilloPOD (worldwide), Payhip (worldwide), and Amazon.
