Altered Innocence is releasing a collection of work from visionary director Yann Gonzalez

Horny monsters, erotic dancers, lonely youths, mourning lovers and people who just wanna party. The short cinema of Yann Gonzalez is full of unique islands with exciting characters, gorgeous cinematography and sonic arenas.

Before he made the acclaimed queer giallo homage Knife+Heart, these short films would go on to win Yann a devoted cult following and awards at festivals. Working closely with the director, the cult video label Altered Innocence has compiled seven of his short works here as a main program (many newly restored in HD) and an appendix of music videos and other works.

Also included in this amazing new collector’s set is the English-language Blu-ray premiere of Gonzalez’s first feature film You and the Night. Featuring characters like The Stud, The Teen, The Slut and The Star as guests at a pansexual orgy, You and the Night is an erotic and wild take on The Breakfast Club with each character baring their inner souls to the group to find acceptance and love. An original score by M83 sets the dreamy and transcendent tone for the eternal night.

 

Watch a new trailer for The Islands of Yann Gonzalez below and click here to pre-order your copy. The collection will be available on Blu-ray beginning May 31st.

 

Coming Soon: Equation to an Unknown

A handsome young stud rides his motorcycle through a myriad of sexual fantasies, from a soccer game’s locker room to a dreamy and unsettling orgy where the film reaches its melancholic peak.

This undiscovered erotic film is a labyrinth of all-male fantasies whose outstanding beauties always end up fading away while leaving their sensual protagonist dealing with his own loneliness.

The film is directed with absolute grace by the mysterious Dietrich de Velsa (also know as Francis Savel and Frantz Salieri), a former painter who was also the owner and artistic director of one of the first transvestites’ cabaret of Paris, La Grande Eugène. Years later, he collaborated with Joseph Losey on Mr. Klein and Don Giovanni. Equation to an Unknown is Velsa/Savel/Salieri’s only film and stands without a doubt as a masterpiece… maybe the best French gay arthouse porn ever made.

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Now Available On-Demand: Knife+Heart

As we’re all spending a lot of time indoors, we’re going to take the next few weeks to highlight some of our favorite films available RIGHT NOW, on-demand at TLAgay.com! Stay in, sit back, relax and make it a movie night.

A delightfully strange and stylish throwback to the era of giallo thrillers (with a decidedly homoerotic twist), Knife+Heart is the gay cinema crown jewel of 2019 so far. The film has earned numerous raves from critics, our favorite of which comes from Katie Walsh in the Los Angeles Times who said “This magical, erotic, disco-tinged horror-thriller is like cinematic candy.”

Set in Paris during the summer of 1979, the film is focused around Anne (French pop star Vanessa Paradis), a somewhat rough-hewn woman who produces third-rate gay porn. After her editor and lover Lois (Kate Moran) leaves her, she tries to win her back by shooting her most ambitious film yet with her trusted, flaming sidekick Archibald (Nicolas Maury). But when one of her actors is brutally murdered, Anne gets caught up in a strange investigation that turns her life upside-down.

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Director Yann Golzalez talks about his sensational new thriller Knife+Heart

French writer-director Yann Gonzalez is well studied in the art of cinema. A connoisseur of art films both high and low-brow, his influences show in his work, but he manages to take what he likes and give it his own spin.

A former member of the esteemed electronic group M83 with his brother Anthony, Gonzalez moved into the world of film in the mid-2000s (while still collaborating with the group on projects). Between 2006 and 2012, he directed six short films before turning to full-length features with You and the Night, which was presented during the Critics’ Week at the Cannes Festival and was released in theaters internationally in November 2013. His second full-length feature film, the critically-acclaimed gay porn industry-centered period piece/thriller Knife+Heart (frequently referred to by the French title Un Couteau dans le cœur), will be released on DVD and Blu-ray June.

Enjoy this interview with Yann Gonzalez below (taken from the film’s official press package) and click here to pre-order your copy. Knife+Heart is an exceptional flick and an absolute must-see for gay cinema lovers.

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The brand-new trailer for Knife+Heart will either get your pulse racing… or stop it cold

Paris, Summer 1979. Anne (French pop star Vanessa Paradis) produces third-rate gay porn. After her editor and lover Lois (Kate Moran) leaves her, she tries to win her back by shooting her most ambitious film yet with her trusted, flaming sidekick Archibald (Nicolas Maury). But one of her actors is brutally murdered and Anne gets caught up in a strange investigation that turns her life upside-down.

Shot on 35mm and featuring a killer retro score from M83, Yann Gonzalez’s Knife+Heart is an ultra-stylish and blood-soaked ode to ’70s-era Brian De Palma, Dario Argento, and William Friedkin. The trailer alone is a subversive visual treat for the eyes.

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