Films

“Four Moons” sensitively depicts the phases of life through four stories, taking us on four journeys, from childhood to old age. A fragile boy develops a crush on his homophobic cousin. A college student falls in love with his former childhood friend, and their first attempt at male-on-male sex is pure comical awkwardness. Two longtime lovers enjoy their seemingly perfect gay life with financial security and enviable dinner parties, only if one of them can quit his sexual addiction for good. Finally, the story turns to a retired college professor who contemplates the elusive lifetime desire of a relationship with a hunky hustler he meets at a sauna.

Desperate to prove that he isn’t an alcoholic, a homosexual, or a loser, David gets a job as a high school guidance counselor by faking his resume and lying about his past. During his counseling sessions with the students, he smokes with them and even offers them vodka. Everything he says to the students is obviously inappropriate yet also oddly appropriate. Quickly his approach spirals out of control, and long-hidden wounds surface, demanding everyone to take a closer look in the mirror.

After the loss of both parents, 11-year-old Oat faces an uncertain future when his older brother must submit to Thailand's annual military draft lottery. Unable to convince his brother to do whatever he can to change his fate, Oat takes matters into his own hands, resulting in unexpected consequences. Based on stories from the bestselling book "Sightseeing" by Rattawut Lapcharoensap, the film is set in the economic fringes of Bangkok and examines the joys and challenges of growing up in contemporary Thailand. "How to Win at Checkers" is director Josh Kim's debut feature film.

In Hawaiian there is a word called Mahu, which means the middle. It is the middle between a man a woman. Not neither man nor woman, but both man and woman. That is Kumu Hina, or Teacher Hina. During a momentous year in her life in Honolulu, Hina Wong-Kalu, a native Hawaiian Mahu, uses traditional culture to inspire a student to claim her place as leader of the school’s all-male hula troupe. But despite her success as a teacher, Hina longs for love and a committed relationship. Will her marriage to a headstrong (and jealous) Tongan man fulfill her dreams? Kumu Hina reveals a side of Hawaii rarely seen.

Laila is an exceptional student at Delhi University: she is an aspiring writer, she crafts lyrics and music for a college band, and she has cerebral palsy. However, there is one area where Laila lacks experience – romance. After she gathers enough courage to confess her love to the lead singer of her band but is rejected, she immediately drops out of school, not wanting to face the source of her embarrassment. But it is only when Laila meets Khanum, an assertive blind woman of Indian/Pakistani ethnicity, that she embarks on a journey of personal discovery to figure out her place in the world.

Naz and Maalik have decided to take their friendship to the next level. But sharing their love for each other with the rest of the world isn’t going to be easy, for they are young, gay, black, and Muslim, living in New York. One day, they are approached by someone trying to sell them an illegal gun, and that sets off a cascade of events as they try to hide their sexual orientation. Over the course of one afternoon, their love for each other is tested in the face of racism and religious profiling.