Every week, The GLAAD Wrap brings you LGBT-related entertainment news highlights, fresh stuff to watch out for, and fun diversions to help you kick off the weekend.
1) Director Marialy Rivas’ film Young and Wild (Joven y Alocada) was released through Video on Demand and at the IFC Center in New York City today. The story is loosely based on the true account of a seventeen year old bisexual girl in Chile who hides her true self from her evangelical family. She takes to her blog to express her sexual desires while simultaneously trying to reconcile her own beliefs and juggle two possible romances. Watch the trailer below, and if you are in New York, check out the showtimes here.
2) The group Trans Comedy is partnering with BBC writersroom to find a new sitcom, comedy-drama, or sketch show that portrays transgender people and the transgender experience in an affirming manner. The opportunity is called the Trans Comedy Award, and is open to any writer. Submissions will be accepted starting January 14th with a deadline of February 28th. Click here for more details.
3) Fans of the X-Men films will be excited to hear that Patrick Stewart and out actor Ian McKellen will reprise their roles in X-Men: Days of Future Past. Partially based on a classic X-Men comics storyline involving time travel, the new film will be helmed by out director Bryan Singer, who also directed the first two films of the original triology.
4) Neil Patrick Harris will serve as the master of ceremonies for the 90th annual lighting of the National Christmas Tree on December 6th. Jason Mraz, a strong ally of the LGBT community, will also be at the ceremony to perform holiday music. The event will take place just south of the White House on the Ellipse, and will air on broadcast television. There will also be a live stream of the ceremony starting at 4:30 pm on December 6th.
5) The debut novel of GLAAD’s very own Director of Spanish-language Media, Monica Trasandes, was released this week. Published by Thomas Dunne Books, Broken Like This follows Kate Harrington, who lies comatose in Spain at the beginning of the book and is two months pregnant, unbeknownst to anyone. Kate has been an extraordinary presence to Angela Agnelli and Louis Ross, who both fly to Spain to be by her side. Publishers Weekly called it “[A] transcendent debut… It’s rare to root for all sides of a love triangle, but the author’s depth of insight into her characters makes this a wonderfully accomplished first novel.” You can get your own hardback or Kindle copy on Amazon here.
6) Producer/Editor Elizabeth Stonecipher-Cox is developing a documentary about the difficulties transgender people face coming out to their parents. Though it’s not always the case, it is true that a large number of transgender teens face prejudice from family members and may even be kicked out of their homes. Titled Transgendervention, the project is still in the development process. Check out their Indiegogo campaign here.