News

The following contains spoilers from The Rookie Season 6, Episode 10, "Escape Plan."

After the historic strikes forced by studios, series like The Rookie returned later in the year than usual. This means their seasons were truncated more than they would've been otherwise. In The Rookie Season 6, Episode, 10, "Escape Plan," the overall story for the season wraps up, but many loose threads are still left dangling. With two operations, one in Los Angeles and the other in Argentina, The Rookie's season finale provides the action fans expected from the "grounded" police series.

When it first aired in 2018, The Rookie was meant to be different from typical network police procedurals. By focusing on beat cops in the Mid-Wilshire Division of the Los Angeles Police Department, the show told street-level stories. However, it's also the sixth season finale of a hit network show. Thus, John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) and Nyla Harper (Mekia Cox...

Berlin-based sales agency Films Boutique has closed key territories on its bittersweet portrayal of the end of a relationship “Are We Lost Forever.”

The Swedish LGBT drama, the feature debut of director David Färdmar, has been picked up by Outplay in France, Salzgeber in Germany, Peccadillo Pictures (U.K./Ireland), Arti Films in Benelux and Surtsey Fim in Spain. Films Boutique is in advanced negotiations for a sale to North America.

The film starts with the ending of a relationship. For Hampus it is a relief to close the door on his destructive relationship with Adrian, but the latter is devastated and heartbroken. Will he be able to survive without the love of his life, or is there a possible way of somehow getting him back?

The film, which had its world premiere at Göteborg Film Festival, was screened at the Cannes virtual market.

It stars Björn Elgerd, Jonathan Andersson,...

The 2020 Film Independent Spirit Awards were handed out Saturday in recognition of the best in indie films from 2019.

Willem Dafoe won the first award, Best Supporting Male, for his role in “The Lighthouse.” “Uncut Gems” won Best Editing, while the Best Documentary award went to “American Factory.” Best Cinematography went to Jarin Blaschke for “The Lighthouse.”

Kelly Reichardt was awarded The Bonnie Award, which recognizes a mid-career female director with a $50,000 unrestricted grant. The John Cassavetes Award, given to the best feature made for under $500,000, was given to “Give Me Liberty.”

Also Read: Independent Spirit Awards 2020: Aubrey Plaza's Best Jokes (So Far)

“Parasite” won Best International Film. Zhao Shuzhen won Best Supporting Female for her role in “The Farewell.” “Marriage Story” won Best Screenplay. Adam Sandler won Best Male Lead for his performance in “Uncut Gems” and Renée Zellweger received the Best Female Lead for her role in “Judy.

Two dark and unruly films released by A24, Robert Eggers’ “The Lighthouse” and the Safdie brothers’ “Uncut Gems,” led all films in nominations for the 2020 Film Independent Spirit Awards, Film Independent announced on Thursday.

In the Best Feature category, “Uncut Gems” was joined by Lulu Wang’s “The Farewell,” Terrence Malick’s “A Hidden Life,” Chinonye Chukwu’s “Clemency” and Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story.”

“Uncut Gems” was the only film nominated in both the Best Feature and Best Director categories, though “Marriage Story” was nominated in the former category and was also voted the special John Cassavetes Award, which goes to a film’s director, cast and casting director.

Also Read: 'Marriage Story,' 'The Farewell,' 'Uncut Gems' Top Gotham Award Nominations

“Honey Boy” and “Give Me Liberty” received four nominations each, while “Hustlers,” “Clemency” and “Luce” received three.

As usual, the Spirit Awards’ system of...

In today’s film news roundup, Molly Shannon’s “Wild Nights with Emily” and Motke Dapp’s “Other Versions of You” get distribution, Robert Patrick is up for a role as an FBI agent and “Nutcracker” writer Ashleigh Powell signs with CAA.

Acquisitions

Greenwich Entertainment has bought “Wild Nights with Emily,’ a dramatic comedy about Emily Dickinson starring Molly Shannon.

The film, which had its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival, was written and directed by Madeleine Olnek. Greenwich will release the film theatrically early next year.

Shannon’s role captures the vivacious, irreverent side of the poet that was covered up for years — most notably Emily’s lifelong romantic relationship with another woman, using Dickinson’s own words.

“Madeleine’s witty, madcap yet poignant and absolutely necessary version of Emily’s life is an Emily we’ve never seen before, but one that has been hiding in plain sight all along,...

Greenwich Entertainment has acquired distribution rights to Wild Nights With Emily, the dramatic comedy about Emily Dickinson that premiered at SXSW this year. Directed and penned by Madeleine Olnek, the pic stars SNL alum Molly Shannon and will be released in theaters in early 2019.

Shannon portrays the vivacious, irreverent side of the poet that was covered up for years — most notably Emily’s lifelong romantic relationship with another woman. The pic, supported by Harvard University Press and the Guggenheim Foundation, uses Dickinson’s own words to shed new light on the celebrated poet. Amy Seimetz (Alien: Covenant), Susan Ziegler (The Foxy Merkins) and Brett Gelman (Twin Peaks: The Return) co-star.

Olnek produced the film with Casper Andreas, Max Rifkind-Barron and Anna Margarita Albelo.

Cinetic Media’s Eric Sloss, on behalf of the filmmaker, negotiated the deal with Greenwich’s Ed Arentz.

Distributor plans early 2019 theatrical release.

Greenwich Entertainment has acquired Us rights to the Emily Dickinson drama and SXSW selection Wild Nights With Emily starring Molly Shannon.

Madeleine Olnek wrote and directed the feature about the life and love of the celebrated 19th century American poet and depicts her lesser-known vivaciousness and irreverence, including her lifelong romance with another woman.

The filmmakers secured permission from Harvard University Press to use Dickisnon’s own words in the film, and received research support from the Guggenheim foundation.

“Madeleine’s witty, madcap yet poignant and absolutely necessary version of Emily’s life is an...

The heart of Paris beats for film industry in June. Industry Week is the professional part of the Champs-Elysées Film Festival.

The submissions for Us in Progress are now open till August 15th here.

This label includes the Us in Progress (USiP) and Les Arc Film Fesstival’s team presenting the Paris Coproduction Village and La Residence de la Cinefondation which welcomes a dozen young directors who come to Paris to work on their first or second fiction feature project for 4 and 1/2 months. All together, they offer 24 film projects at different stages, from development to post production. More than 200 professionals from the industry, producers, international sellers, distributors, etc. are welcomed.

This year Us in Progress broke out. It has become a top event for discovering American independent cinema not only for the Europeans invited to attend, but for Americans who find themselves in Paris for the event or who even...

Works-in-progress event will run June 20-22 in Paris.

Us indie directors Charlie Birns and Madeline Olnek will present features at the sixth edition of Us in Progress in Paris.

Due to take place June 20-22, the event is a joint initiative between the American Film Festival in Wroclaw, the Champs-Elysées Film Festival in Paris and Black Rabbit in New York.

A total of five feature-length fiction works and documentaries will be presented at the event including Birns’s surrogate mother drama Family Affairs, his debut feature after a trio of shorts.

Respected New York playwright and film-maker Madeleine Olnek will present her Emily Dickinson-inspired third feature Wild Nights With Emily.

Rough-cuts of the participating films will be presented to 40 European sales agents, distributors, festival programmers and producers.

The winning film will get post-production, acquisition and promotion services offered by a number of sponsors from the independent cinema scene in Paris.

Us in Progress...

Strange things are afoot in West Hollywood, or at least that’s the case in the new thriller “Kiss Me, Kill Me,” about a grisly murder and a search for justice. After Dusty (Van Hansis) confronts his boyfriend Stephen (Gale Harold) about his frequent infidelity, he blacks out, only to wake up and discover that Stephen has been murdered. Now, everyone’s looking to Dusty as the prime suspect. The film also stars Brianna Brown (“Devious Maids”), Yolonda Ross (“The Get Down”), Jai Rodriguez (“Queer Eye”), Matthew Ludwinski (“Going Down in La-la Land”), Craig Robert Young (“The Last Ship”), Kit Williamson (“Mad Men”), Jonathan Lisecki (“Gayby”) and more. Watch an exclusive trailer for the film below.

Read More: Kickstarting a New Golden Age of Lgbt Film: Kit Williamson Interviews Casper Andreas

“I have always enjoyed a good who-done-it,” says director Casper Andreas. “Growing up, I was a huge fan of...

Come get your Q on starting this Friday! The Ninth Annual QFest St. Louis, presented by Cinema St. Louis, runs April 24-28 at the Hi-Pointe Backlot Theatre. The St. Louis-based Lgbtq film festival, QFest will present an eclectic slate of 28 films – 13 features (seven narratives and six documentaries) and 15 short subjects. The participating filmmakers represent a wide variety of voices in contemporary queer world cinema. The mission of the film festival is to use the art of contemporary gay cinema to spotlight the lives of Lgbtq people and to celebrate queer culture.

The 2016 QFest St. Louis begins on Sunday, April 24, and runs through Thursday, April 28. Tickets are on sale now for all shows. Cost is $12 each or $10 for students and Cinema St. Louis members with valid and current IDs. All screenings will be held at the Hi-Pointe Backlot Theatre, located at 1002 Hi Pointe Place, directly behind the Hi-Pointe Theatre. Advance sales...

It’s almost time to get your Q on, St. Louis!! The Ninth Annual QFest St. Louis, presented byCinema St. Louis, runs April 24-28th at The Hi-Pointe Backlot (1002 Hi Pointe Place)

The St. Louis-based Lgbtq film festival, QFest will present an eclectic slate of films from filmmakers that represent a wide variety of voices in contemporary queer world cinema. The mission of the film festival is to use the art of contemporary gay cinema to illustrate the diversity of the Lgbtq community and to explore the complexities of living an alternative lifestyle.

All screenings at the Hi-Pointe Backlot, 1002 Hi Pointe Place, St. Louis, Mo 63117. Individual tickets are $12 for general admission, $10 for students and Cinema St. Louis members with valid and current photo IDs.

Advance tickets may be purchased at the Hi-Pointe Backlot box office or website. For more info, visit the Cinema St. Louis site Here

http://www.cinemastlouis.

Stars: Amber Heard, James Franco, Christian Slater, Ed Harris, Wilmer Valderrama, Cynthia Nixon, Jim Parrack, Timothée Chalamet, Danny Flaherty, Michael Cristofer, Tonya Glanz, Jessica Leccia, Gabriela Fresquez, Casper Andreas, Jimmy Gary Jr. | Written by Stephen Elliott, Pamela Romanowsky | Directed by Pamela Romanowsky

Adderall: now coming to a college campus near you. Well besides its intended usage for concentration in individuals who have Add, Adderall plays a part in the aptly titled The Adderall Diaries, a film, starring Amber Heard, Christian Slater, Ed Harris and James Franco, that follows a writer who is emotionally and creatively depressed, all the while dealing with a terrible childhood and contemplating his relationships with the people who have entered and left from his life.

The Adderall Diaries is adapted from Stephen Elliott’s book of the same name, which is about the author writing about the Hans Reiser murder trial all the while coming to...

Chicago – The Red Carpet was rolled out at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago on September 17th, 2015, as the 33rd “Reeling” Film Festival – the second oldest Lgbtq celebration in cinema history – had its Opening Night. The film that kicked off the fest was “Fourth Man Out,” beginning a week long showcase of Lgbtq films.

The film is a hilarious and sensitive comedy about modern attitudes and relationships, as a small town man reveals to his friends and family that he is gay on his 24th birthday. Walking the Red Carpet were featured performers Kate Flannery (“The Office”), Parker Young (TV’s “Arrow”) and Evan Todd. Also lending support was Van Hansis (“As the World Turns”), who is featured in the festival entry, “Kiss Me, Kill Me.”

‘Fourth Man Out’ Opened the ‘Reeling33’ Film Festival, September 17th, 2015

Photo credit: Jed Entertainment

The 2015 Chicago Lgbtq International Film Festival is in its 33rd year,...

Recently, CBS released the new,official synopsis/spoilers for their upcoming "Hawaii Five O" episode 11 of season 5. The episode is entitled, "Ua 'aihue," and it turns out that we'll be seeing some very intense and dramatic stuff go down as Chin and Kono work an undercover art black market event and get taken hostage, and more! The episode is titled, “Ua ‘aihue.” In the new, 11th episode press release: Kono and Chin are going to go undercover in the world of black market priceless art and get taken hostage. Press release number 2: When a tourist is killed after unknowingly transporting a stolen Van Gogh, an undercover Kono and Chin are going to enter the world of black market priceless art and are taken hostage. Also, McGarrett will ask Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto to help train Kamekona to beat Chef Sam Choy in a shrimp cook-off. Guest stars feature: Masaharu Morimoto...

Interview with the Vampire star Christian Slater, who was last seen in Lars von Trier’s Nymphomaniac, has signed on to join James Franco and Amber Heard in Pamela Romanowsky’s adaptation of The Adderall Diaries, a memoir by Stephen Elliot. Franco plays Elliot, a writer who becomes obsessed with a sensational murder case and decides to write a book about it.

Publishers Weekly described Elliot’s memoir as follows:

As a writer stymied by past success, writers block, substance abuse, relationship problems and a serious set of father issues, Elliott’s cracked-out chronicle of a bizarre murder trial amounts to less than the sum of its parts. Not long into the 2007 trial of programmer Hans Reiser, accused of murdering his wife, the defendant’s friend Sean Sturgeon obliquely confessed to several murders (though not the murder of Reiser’s wife). Elliott, caught up in the film-ready twist and his...

QFest continues today in St. Louis. QFest, the annual Gay and Lesbian Film Festival is celebrating it’s fifth year with a terrific line-up of films spotlighting Gay and Lesbian filmmakers and themes. QFest is a Cinema St. Louis event and this year is presented by Tla Releasing, a Us film distribution company whose primary output is Lgbt-related films from all over the world. All films will be shown at the Tivoli Theatre (6350 Delmar Blvd. in the University City Loop district). Individual tickets are $12 general admission or $10 for students and Cinema St. Louis members with valid and current photo IDs. Advance tickets are available through the Tivoli Theatre box office or online at Landmark Theatres’ web site

Here’s the line-up for the QFest films playing today and tonight:

Monday, April 23rd at 5:00pm:

Mary Marie – (U.S., 2010, 80 min.) Directed by Alexandra Roxo

In the wake of their mother.s death,...

I'll get this out of the way up front: I'm not much of a fan of romances of any sexual orientation. But I am a fan of cultural curiosities, so sitting through two new polar-opposite romances in a single week provided its own brand of overwrought appeal. While the diverting (though a bit overearnest) Zac Efron vehicle/longform Hgh infomercial The Lucky One is poised to invade the hearts of millions this weekend, another romance of a very different breed opens in limited release in New York City (with a run in La to follow in May).

Going Down in La-la Land tells the story of Adam (Matthew Ludwinski), an aspiring actor who relocates from NYC to Los Angeles to live with his longtime friend and fellow fame-seeker, Candy (Allison Lane). Once on the sun-soaked streets of Hollywood, Adam finds that getting auditions for film and television is tough -...

QFest, the annual Gay and Lesbian Film Festival is celebrating it’s fifth year with a terrific line-up of films spotlighting Gay and Lesbian filmmakers and themes. QFest is a Cinema St. Louis event and this year is presented by Tla Releasing, a Us film distribution company whose primary output is Lgbt-related films from all over the world.

QFest begins this Sunday, April 22nd and runs through Thursday, April 26, 2012, at the Tivoli Theatre (6350 Delmar Blvd. in the University City Loop district). QFest uses the art of contemporary gay cinema to spotlight the diversity and inherent complexities of living an alternative lifestyle in today’s society. This year’s event features an eclectic slate of contemporary Lgbtq-themed feature films, documentaries, and shorts.

Here’s the line-up for this year’s QFest:

Sunday, April 22nd at 1:30pm.

Cloudburst- (Canada, 2011, 93 min.) Directed Thom Fitzgerald

In this moving comedy, Oscar®-winning actresses...

Birthday shoutouts go to the adorable Nathan Fillion (above), who turns 41, and out jazzman Dave Koz is 49. Hello! Hello! Hello! It's time for Xuxa , who's 49, faboo ally Pauley Perrette is 43, and Fergie is 37. Do a Fergie/Black Eyed Peas list if you must, but I'm doing Mariah Carey, who's 42 today. Here are my top five, but I'm all about vintage Mariah, when she was actually singing, and not doing that breathless-whisper thing that she does now.: 5. "Always Be My Baby" 4. "Dreamlover," 3. "Make It Happen," 2. "Vision Of Love," 1. "Can't Let Go"The big news today was the Hrc releasing the previously sealed documents from Nom's adventures in Maine, revealing that Nom is just as sleazy as everyone already knew. As always, Thomas Roberts is the first on-air anchor to expose their B.S.

Yesterday I mentioned the names being bandied about to play Carrie's mother in the unnecessary remake, and...

image+nation, the oldest Lgbt film festival in Canada, will close its 24th edition in dance and music with Leave It On The Floor, an outstanding musical film by filmmaker Sheldon Larry, presented on Sunday November 6 at 8:30 p.m. at the Theatre Hall Concordia, right after the unveiling of the winners of this year’s competition. However, before bowing out, image+nation will offer to cinephiles a last weekend of unforgettable films and meetings with filmmakers, plus a conference by film critic Matthew Hays.

Screening The Epidemic: 30 Years of Vih/Sida

Recognizing the 30th anniversary of HIV/AIDS, film critic, author and lecturer Matthew Hays will deliver a talk chronicling the onscreen history of an epidemic. From Hollywood’s reluctance to touch AIDS to the brilliant treatment afforded it by documentary filmmakers, Hays will touch on selective moments in the evolution of the epidemic’s big and small-screen representations,...

There's a new gay film from Casper Andreas (Violet Tendencies, Slutty Summer) making the festival rounds. In fact, it's currently playing at Outfest in Los Angeles. The film is an adaptation of the comic memoir novel Going Down in La La Land which chronicles the adventures of a naive young actor who gets mixed up in porn/hustling when he tries to make it in Hollywood. As one does. Model/actor Matthew Ludwinski has the lead role.

Matthew Ludwinski photographed by David Waage for Mate Magazine

I recently interviewed him for global queer culture magazine mate (previously known as "winq") and that's the splash page for the start of the article above. Interviews can be tricky -- especially if the interviewee doesn't have a big resume to talk about -- but Ludwinski and his photographer David Waage for this profile were very friendly and fun. [Clicking on the image will take you to the magazine where you can sample bits or purchase.]

an Oscar Party scene from...

Mindy Cohn in Violet Tendencies

Why does it go without saying that former The Facts of Life star Mindy Cohn, who played Natalie, was born to play the self-described "oldest living fag hag" at the center of the new romantic comedy Violet Tendencies, out this month on DVD?

Maybe it's the fact that she got all the good jokes on that old sitcom, but fewer storylines than the other cast members. Or maybe it was her impish, irreverent air.

I'm not sure why, but you know it's true, don't you?

And sure enough, Cohn is terrific in the role of Violet, an aging New York fruit fly whose gay friends are all settling down, even as she struggles to find a single straight man who (a) isn't a total freak and (b) is interested in her.

After a while, she even starts to wonder if maybe her gay friends are...

Casper Andreas' fifth feature, the comedy "Violet Tendencies," has played at a slew of festivals since opening the Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Film Festival back in May. Notable festival bows that followed include a 'Gayla' Screening at the Seattle International Film Festival, and a slot as NewFest's Closing Night Film this year. In anticipation of the film's New York opening at the Quad Cinema this Friday, November 5, Andreas told ...

Casper Andreas' fifth feature, the comedy "Violet Tendencies," has played at a slew of festivals since opening the Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Film Festival back in May. Notable festival bows that followed include a 'Gayla' Screening at the Seattle International Film Festival, and a slot as NewFest's Closing Night Film this year. In anticipation of the film's New York opening at the Quad Cinema this Friday, November 5, Andreas told ...

Casper Andreas' fifth feature, the comedy "Violet Tendencies," has played at a slew of festivals since opening the Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Film Festival back in May. Notable festival bows that followed include a 'Gayla' Screening at the Seattle International Film Festival, and a slot as NewFest's Closing Night Film this year. In anticipation of the film's New York opening at the Quad Cinema this Friday, November 5, Andreas told ...

By Greg Hernandez

HollywoodNews.com: I’m starting to watch some of the Outfest movies that will be screening at this year’s festival which kicks off July 8.

Last night, after watching back-to-back episodes of Hell’s Kitchen (I just can’t quit that damned show!), I slipped Violet Tendencies into the DVD player and hoped the for the best.

The movie is directed by Casper Andreas from a screenplay by Jesse Archer in what is their third film together. Both have roles in the film but the star, thankfully, is the marvelous Mindy Cohn who shines in just about any scene she’s in.

Mindy is Violet, the self-described “fag hag” who is loved by her circle of gay friends in New York City but lonely for a man of her own.

“I turn 40 this year. 40! I’m the oldest living fag hag,” she says at one point. “All my life...

You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both, and there you have .... Violet Tendencies, the greatest movie about the "oldest living fag hag" starring "The Facts of Life's" Mindy Cohn ever created (at least until the sequel).

Below, we have the trailer for Violet Tendencies (compliments of Craig), which is a ... I think we're going to call it an independent romantic comedy. It was directed by Casper Andreas, who you may know from his last film, Big Gay Musical or his debut film, Slutty Summer. In Violent Tendencies, Mindy Cohn is "the oldest living fag hag," who can't seem to find a man because, well, she's surrounded by gay men (ummmm ... you gotta play that Natalie Green card).

But then, she finds the male version of herself: A "fag stag." (Does putting "fag" in quotes absolve me of political incorrectness, or am I allowed to...

Baby Jane by Billy Clift (top); Shirley Knight, Liz Jahren in Not Fade Away (middle); Homewrecker by Paul Hart (bottom) Reeling 2009, this year’s edition of the Chicago Lesbian & Gay International Film Festival, kicked off on Thu., Nov. 5, with a screening of Casper Andreas‘ The Big Gay Musical. Upcoming feature films include: Billy Clift’s Baby Jane, a recreation of What Ever Happened with Baby Jane? starring real drag queens playing the two female leads — as opposed to Joan Crawford and Bette Davis playing drag queens playing the two female leads. Florencia Manovil’s romantic drama Fiona’s Script, about an insecure bisexual woman who reluctantly enters into a relationship with a ladies’ tomboy. Rob Williams‘ Make the Yuletide Gay, a family Christmas [...]...

At the beginning of the new movie The Big Gay Musical, the film critic Michael Musto, playing himself, is watching a terrible play. He grows increasingly agitated by the slow pace until someone finally asks him if he needs something.

“Yes!” he declares. “I need a musical! A big gay musical!”

In this movie, now playing in limited release, that’s exactly what he gets.

The structure of the movie is a little unusual. After the prologue, we open, without explanation, on a rather extended musical and dance number from a preview performance of a stage play, Adam & Steve Just the Way God Made Em, which tells the story of the Bible from a decidedly “gay” perspective.

Afterwards, we meet the two gay leads of the play, Paul (Daniel Robinson), who wants nothing more than to settle down (but who is soon dumped by his jerk of a boyfriend), and...

Have a question about gay male entertainment? Send it to aftereltonflyingmonkey@yahoo.com! (Please include your city and state and/or country.)

Q: There are so many songs on each episode of Glee! How in the world do they record it all? And how do they pick the songs? – Velma, New Orleans, La

A: It’s a hell of a lot of work! For the first thirteen episodes, they recorded well over 60 songs.

“On the first episodes, we were preparing weeks in advance,” says Kevin McHale, who plays Artie (the guy in the wheelchair). “But as we got down to doing episodes twelve and thirteen, we’d record it Monday, rehearse on Tuesday, and shoot it on Wednesday. It just got crazy. We’re recording for an episode before while shooting the current episode and rehearsing another episode. It can be anywhere from ten to 16 hours on the set.”

The...

QFest is tickled pink to announce the smash hit films scheduled for Opening and Closing Nights, July 9 and 20, at the Prince Music Theater. QFest alum (director of last year's Serene Hunter) Jason Bushman's feature debut, Hollywood je t'aime, will kick off this year's cinematic extravaganza, and the world premiere of Casper Andreas and Fred M. Caruso's The Big Gay Musical is set to be the grand finale. Sandwiched in between, the 12 day festival will show 140 of the best Lgbtq films of the year.

Embrem Entertainment will produce the comedy "Bye Bye, Fruit Fly," spinning off several of the characters from the company's gay-themed movies "Slutty Summer" and "A Four Letter Word."

The film will be the third collaboration between writer Jesse Archer and director Casper Andreas, who collaborated on the two previous films.

Andreas also will reprise the role of Luke, whom he played in the first two films. The story centers on a female character named Audrey, who attempts to leave her gay friends behind as she seeks a man of her own.

Having raised half of the project's $200,000 budget, the filmmakers are eying a production start in May.

Embrem is also producing the dramedy "Going Down in La-la Land," based on the book by Andy Zeffere, which Andreas also will direct.

The company also has picked up worldwide distribution rights to "The Big Gay Musical," which it will play at film festivals in the summer.

Embrem Entertainment has acquired worldwide rights to "The Big Gay Musical," a musical comedy film directed by Casper Andreas and Fred M. Caruso starring an ensemble of Broadway actors. It plans to premiere the film, currently in postproduction, at film festivals this summer.

The cast includes Liz McCartney ("South Pacific"), Jim Newman ("Minnelli on Minnelli"), Joey Dudding ("A Chorus Line"), Marty Thomas ("Xanadu"), Andre Ward ("Xanadu"), Daniel Robinson ("Hairspray"), Jeff Metzler ("Mary Poppins"), Brian Spitulnik ("Chicago"), Josh Cruz ("Wig Out"), Celina Carvajal ("Tarzan") and Steve Hayes, one of the stars of the film "Trick."

"Though I initially was hired just to co-direct 'The Big Gay Musical,' I am thrilled to be taking on a producing role and assist in getting the film completed and distributed worldwide," said Embrem president and CEO Andreas, who is producing with Caruso, who also wrote the project.

Caruso will release the soundtrack for...