James Franco in the Gay Spotlight, Again
In 2011, filmmaker Travis Matthews came to NakedSword with an idea for
an unconventional film that would blend real people with real sex. That
film, I Want Your Love, has now toured festivals, been written up in the
New York Times, and been praised by filmmakers and audiences alike as a
landmark in gay cinema. In March 2013, it finally comes home – and to you. I Want Your Love will make its online debut exclusively at NakedSword!
man prepares to move back to his roots in the Midwest. During his last
weekend in town his friends, roommates and ex-lovers throw him a party
that brings his already bittersweet feelings about leaving into sharper
focus. Torn between his creative dreams and the reality of earning a
living, he’s forced to take responsibility by redefining what it means
to be an artist, a gay man, and an adult.
from an award-winning 2010 short film of the same name, I Want Your Love
dares to capture the uncensored zeitgeist of modern-day San Francisco
unlike any film before it.
Franco calls the Australian Classification Board’s decision to yank the film
from planned screenings at gay film festivals in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane “really silly” and “very short-sighted.”
Noting that “sex in films hasn’t had a chance to grow and become a sophisticated storytelling device,” Franco adds, “Frankly,
adults should be able to choose … I don’t know why in this day and age,
something like this…is being banned. It’s just embarrassing.”
Franco also collaborated with Travis Mathews on “Interior. Leather Bar,”In order to avoid an X rating, 40 minutes of gay S&M footage was
rumored to be cut and destroyed from the 1980 film, “Cruising.” Inspired
by the mythology of this controversial film, filmmakers James Franco
and Travis Mathews collaborate to imagine their own lost footage.
Amid the backdrop of a frenzied film set, actor Val Lauren
reluctantly agrees to take the lead in the film. Val is repeatedly
forced to negotiate his boundaries during scenes on and “off camera,” as
unsimulated gay sex happens around him. The film itself is constructed
as a play with boundaries remaining queer in subject and form. As much a
film about film-making as it is about an exploration of sexual and
creative freedom, “Interior. Leather Bar.” defies easy categorization.
