Each 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) The documentary 108 (Cuchillo de Palo) opens in New York this Friday. The film follows Renata Costa as she tries to learn more about her uncle Rodolfo Costa who passed when she was a child in Paraguay. Through interviews and found documents, she comes to find that Rodolfo had been living under a secret identity after being included in one of the "108 lists of homosexuals" released under the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner between 1954 and 1989. Watch the trailer below.
2) Hunky Dory, the new 1970s British musical from the producer of Billy Elliot, opens in limited release this Friday. Viv (Minnie Driver) is a high school drama teacher determined to get her students engaged with the arts by hosting the best year-end show ever: Shakespeare's The Tempest mashed up with glam rock and pop. Evan (Tom Harries) is a gay student who struggles with coming out to his drama class friends. Watch the trailer below.
3) Also opening this Friday in limited release is the comedy Starbuck. The film follows a man named David Wozniak who learns that he is the biological father of 533 children; 142 of those are trying to compel the clinic to reveal the identity of the donor who was code named Starbuck. David begins researching the profiles of the children he fathered and decides to meet them without disclosing who he is, including one gay son and his boyfriend. Watch the trailer below.
4) A hardcover collection of the Dark Horse digital comic Husbands, based on the popular web series of the same name, will be released this Friday, March 22. To celebrate the occasion, Husbands creators Brad Bell and Jane Espenson will embark on a tour in conjunction with the book's publication. The tour will include special Q&As and signing opportunities. Tour dates and ticket information are available here. The Husbands comics tell the story of newlyweds Brady and Cheeks as they venture through time and space.
5) This weekend, MTV will host a marathon featuring three old seasons of its hit show, The Real World. On Sunday, the network will re-air episodes of The Real World: San Francisco. This particular season was notable for the inclusion of Pedro Zamora, a young Cuban American, who told his story of being affected by HIV/AIDS and who was a strong advocate for HIV prevention. Zamora died shortly after the season finale aired.
6) Out actor Stephen Fry has landed his first U.S. pilot on CBS' comedy, Super Clyde. The show tells the story of a fast food worker (Harry Potter's Rupert Grint) who decides to quit his job and become a superhero. Fry will star as Randolph, the sidekick and butler to Grint's character.
7) The Weinstein Co. has acquired the U.S. rights to Jalil Lespert's biopic of gay fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent. Laurent, named one of the "greatest fashion designers in the world," is most notably known for introducing the tuxedo suit for women. Actor Pierre Niney stars as Laurent in the film, with Guillaume Gallienne portraying his longtime business and life partner. A release date has not been set.
8) Maven Pictures has acquired the rights to Tyler Ruggeri's The Making of Rock Hudson, a script based on the life of Rock Hudson and his rise to fame. The script is told from the point of view of Hudson's agent, Henry Wilson, and chronicles Hudson's struggles with being a closeted gay actor in Hollywood, and ultimately, the actor's battle with HIV/AIDS.
9) Famed commercial director Michael Gracey has been tapped to direct Rocketman, a biographical musical based on the life of Sir Elton John. "Everyone knows and loves Elton John’s music, but the true story of his life is so incredible that it can only be described as a fantasy,” Gracey said. “His journey from impossible dreamer to stardom and uncontrollable excess is something only a musical film can capture, and I’m so excited to be the one to tell his story.”
10) Screening dates for Friends of Essex, a new documentary by Amir Dixon, were recently released. The film explores the lives of black gay men, and grapples with issues such as masculinity, identity and race. Dixon made the film in the hopes of helping others. He hopes to screen Friends of Essex in Uganda in April, where legislation for the country's "Kill the Gays" bill is currently pending. Watch the trailer below.
11) A new documentary film project about the award-winning True Colors: OUT Youth Theater troupe is seeking funding help. True Colors was formed in 1994 and is made up of LGBTQ youth and allies who are committed to sharing stories written and performed by LGBTQ youth. The group tours to schools in and around Boston. This film will allow their stories to be heard by a wider audience. Learn more at the project's Kickstarter page and watch the trailer below.