2015 is almost here and there is plenty for LGBT audiences to look forward to in the new year. Here are just a few of the exciting projects and releases to look for in 2015.
The Australian film 52 Tuesdays, which won the World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award after its US premiere at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, will be released in early 2015. The film follows 16-year-old Billie as her mother announces plans for transition and their relationship becomes limited to Tuesday afternoons spent together. 52 Tuesdays was shot every Tuesday for one year with the actors given scripts one week at a time and only including the scenes they were in to create an authentic experience of the narrative unfolding. For those outside of the US, check the 52 Tuesdays website for release information. You can also download the companion My 52 Tuesdays app for iOS and Android which will pose a question each Tuesday. Answer by writing down your response and taking a photo with it to create a unique portrait of your year.
Another Sundance 2014 premiere, Appropriate Behavior, will be out in theaters and digital demand on January 16. The film tells the story of Shirin who is struggling to reconcile her identities as a bisexual woman, the ideal Persian daughter to her strict parents, and a hip Brooklynite. After she's dumped by her girlfriend Maxine and forced to move from Park Slope to a shared space in Bushwick, Shirin can't forget their highs and lows and plots to win her ex back however she can. Appropriate Behavior's out director, screenwriter, and star Desiree Akhavan was recently nominated for an Independent Spirit Award in Best First Screenplay for the film.
Carol, the film adaptation of the 1952 novel The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith (under the pseudonym Claire Morgan), will hit theaters this fall finally after filming wrapped in April 2014. Carol stars Rooney Mara as shop girl Therese who finds herself enchanted with Carol (Cate Blanchett), an older elegant woman Therese serves at work. Out director Todd Haynes previous works include the cult classic 1999 film Velvet Goldmine which he directed and co-wrote.
FOX's new music drama Empirefrom out writer/director Lee Daniels premieres January 7. The series follows Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard), the CEO of a successful record label who is diagnosed with ALS and starts looking for a successor in one of his three sons. His son Jamal (Jussie Smollett) is a talented musician and gay, which infuriates his father, though he has the support of his mom and Lucious' ex-wife, Cookie (Taraji P. Henson). Cookie was just released from prison after nearly two decades on drug charges, taking the fall for her ex-husband. Empire will feature original music, the first track "No Apologies" featuring Smollett is on iTunes now.
The highly anticipated sophomore album from out musician Frank Ocean looks likely to come out sometime in 2015. His 2012 debut album Channel Orange, which featured the hit song "Thinkin' Bout You" about his previous relationship with a man, won Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 55th Grammy Awards. Ocean last month posted a new song "Memrise" to his Tumblr page after an extended absence of new solo work, in March he took part in Converse's Three Artists. One Song. series which released his free track "Hero" with Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, and Diplo. In June, Ocean fired his longtime publicist and management team and signed with Three Six Zero Management in September.
The Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin-starring Netflix original comedy series Grace and Frankie will premiere in 2015. The 13-episode half hour series focuses on archenemies Frankie (Tomlin) and Grace (Fonda) who find their lives changed completely and permanently entangled after their husbands Sol and Robert (Sam Waterston, Martin Sheen) announce they are in love with each other and plan to marry. Netflix has shown a commitment to LGBT-inclusivity since it began premiering original programming in 2012 with inclusive series like Orange is the New Black, House of Cards, and Hemlock Grove.
ABC Family this month announced a new reality series My Transparent Life from Ryan Seacrest Productions. My Transparent Life centers on Ben, a teenager who learns that his parents are getting divorced at the same time he learns that his father will be transitioning. The show is described as "a generational story of a loving family and circle of friends supporting one another through this unfamiliar and unexpected situation." While no premiere date has yet been set for My Transparent Life, you can keep up to date with the series on their official Facebook page and on Twitter @TransparentLife.
The half hour sitcom One Big Happy, executive produced by Ellen DeGeneres, will premiere March 17 on NBC. The series stars Elisha Cuthbert as Lizzy, a lesbian who agrees to get pregnant and start a family with her straight male best friend Luke (Nick Zano), right before he falls in love with and marries a British girl named Prudence (Kelly Brook).
Sense8, a new Netflix original sci-fi drama from trans creator Lana Wachowski and her brother Andy, is set to premiere in the new year. The series will focus on eight strangers around the world who find themselves suddenly mentally and emotionally connected following a violent death. Each of the season's 10 episodes will focus on one character's story as one entity tries to bring the eight together and another tries to kill them. The cast of characters will include Lito (Miguel Ángel Silvestre), a closeted Mexican telenovela leading man, his boyfriend Hernando (Alfonso Herrera), and a transgender American blogger, Nomi, played by trans actress Jamie Clayton.
The new channel Discovery Life will launch in January and in March premiere the new reality series Those Girls (working title) about the real lives of trans friends and couples in Kansas City. The series focuses on four pairs of friends and couples: Macy and Sharon, a married couple continuing to grow together during Macy's transition; Kassidy and Chloe who are sharing the experience of transitioning together; Robyn and Andrew, longtime best friends who started dating following Robyn's transition; and couple Tanya and Jaime who are struggling with child-related issues with Tanya’s ex-wife.
Several LGBT-inclusive shows are returning for new seasons in 2015. Some highlights include the HBO series Looking which has added Daniel Franzese (who came out earlier this year) to the cast, the series is also rumored to be adding a trans character to the cast. Glee's final season will premiere in January with several LGBT characters, including new gay football player Spencer. Original streaming series Transparent will return to Amazon for a second season and the Netflix hit Orange is the New Black will air a third season. Keep up to date with LGBT-inclusive programming with GLAAD's weekly Must-See LGBT TV column.
These are just a few of the exciting new LGBT-inclusive projects and releases set for 2015. Let us know what you're most looking forward to below!