Mattioli Productions is a trans-owned full service production company that serves the LGBTQ community by telling their stories through groundbreaking, globally distributed work. Their creative and ambitious works span several genres including comedy, drama, horror, documentary, music videos and reality TV audition reels. Their goal is “to produce content that genuinely represents the LGBTQ community while keeping our stories our own, and increasing our visibility in mainstream media.”
The company is headed by namesake AJ Mattioli, a Queens-born, NYC based, trans producer/director with 16+ years in the entertainment industry. His work has been celebrated at the Queens Museum, The United Nations, The NY Times, The Advocate, Huffington Post, Gay Star News and many others! As a go-to trans producer for queer filmmaking, he’s worked with some of the hottest LGBTQ+ celebs, including Sasha Velour, Shakina Nayfack, Bob The Drag Queen, Cory Wade, Rain Dove, Vincent DePaul, Carmen Carerra, Miss Fame and many more.
We’re thrilled to announce that three exceptional works from Mattioli Productions – the short film Neon Boys, the feature film Your Eyes on Me and the episodic series Bombshell – will be available on DVD and Blu-ray, exclusively at TLAgay, starting this week. Check out the selections below and make sure to order your copies.
Neon Boys To be a father, you have to make difficult choices. Having a hard time landing a job after spending time in prison, Shawn (Matty Gliteratti) decides to try his hand at making ends meet by working as an erotic dancer. It’s all in an effort, ultimately, to support his daughter. While he’s there, though, stripping down to make some cash, he finds that he’s beginning to fall in love with a man… for the first time in his life. A stylish, candy-colored and deeply heartfelt short film from prolific indie director AJ Mattioli and co-director/star Jonathan Salazar, Neon Boys has charm and sex appeal to spare. This thirty-minute short also co-stars accomplished character actor and multiple award-winner Vincent De Paul.
Your Eyes on Me Your Eyes on Me tells the story of a romantic encounter that changes the life of a drag artist forever. The film follows Gloria (Paul Stone), an accomplished drag queen whose life changes in a variety of unexpected ways when she meets Kandi (Jean-Philippe Boriau), a drag virgin auditioning for her next show. As the bond develops between the two, their relationship takes an unexpected turn. Suddenly the past – and the choices that Gloria made as a young man – come into stark reality. A touching drama from writer-director Sergei Alexander, Your Eyes on Me has earned rave reviews from critics. Film & TV Now called it “compactly structured with an effectively shocking revelation which confounds the very core of emotions.”
Bombshell Bombshell is a short web comedy about Jay (Ellis David Perry), a queer transman navigating the shark-infested waters of LA’s gay dating scene. He’s young, he’s single, and he’s really just looking for fun and sex, meeting guys mostly on hookup apps. But, when the bedroom door closes, his private world becomes an arena for cis men and the questions they only feel safe to ask in private. Jay’s chosen family is with him on his journey: Selena (Jessica Rosas), Darlene (Cheril Vendetti) and Penis Mascot (Charles Johnson), the cartoon caped penis who personifies his id. When he meets Joe (Havon Baraka), a kind guy who’s really into him, he must learn self respect to save any hope for his new relationship.
Bombshell is a short, seven-episode comedy series about Jay (played by Ellis David Perry), a queer transman navigating the shark-infested waters of LA’s gay dating scene. He’s young, single, looking for fun, but when the bedroom door closes his private world becomes an arena for cis men and the questions they have. Jay is joined by his chosen family, Selena (Jessica Rosas), his Angeleno best friend, Darlene (Cheril Vendetti), the Bostonian Hairdresser, and Penis Mascot (Charles Johnson), the cartoon caped penis personifying his id. When he meets Joe (Havon Baraka), a kind, deeply genuine guy who’s really into him, he doesn’t exactly know how to act and must learn self-respect to save any hope for his new relationship.
Watch the trailer for Bombshell below and click here to pre-order your copy. The series is available now on-demand and will be coming to DVD and Blu-ray on March 30th.
The Gay Cinema Video On Demand experience at TLAgay.comhas your entertainment needs covered! We’re always working to expand selection of new and old gay-themed movies available for your viewing pleasure. Here’s just five of our current favorites that you may have missed – ALL available to watch INSTANTLY! Stay home, stay safe and enjoy a movie!
A Skeleton in the Closet
When Manuel (Facundo Gambande) returns to his hometown on the occasion of his parents’ wedding anniversary, he has a bit of an ulterior motive. He’s planning to ask for money so that he can move to Denmark with his boyfriend. The last time he saw his family, he came out of the closet – and things have been tense ever since. When his boyfriend suddenly dumps him, Manuel finds himself diving head-first into an existential crisis. Now more in need of his family’s love and support than ever, an unexpected opportunity to reconnect presents itself. Featuring a terrifically endearing lead performance, A Skeleton in the Closet is a tender and heartfelt Argentinian family comedy-drama that you don’t want to miss.
Benjamin
British comedian Simon Amstell wrote and directed this charmingly offbeat gay romantic comedy about a filmmaker juggling the excitement of his upcoming film premiere with the fear and awkwardness of a burgeoning romance. Always ready with a self-defensive quip, indie film director Benjamin (Colin Morgan) nervously prepares for the premiere of his sophomore feature when he meets and falls for hard for Noah (Phenix Brossard), a young French musician. Will Benjamin’s insecurities and anxieties get in the way of success and happiness? Will his film be a critics-savaging disaster and he, a one-hit wonder? Benjamin is a charming, laugh-out-loud look at one man’s land mined road to success and love.
Bombshell Bombshell is a short web comedy about Jay (Ellis David Perry), a queer transman navigating the shark-infested waters of LA’s gay dating scene. He’s young, he’s single, and he’s really just looking for fun and sex, meeting guys mostly on hookup apps. But, when the bedroom door closes, his private world becomes an arena for cis men and the questions they only feel safe to ask in private. Jay’s chosen family is with him on his journey, starting with his primary relationships with cis women: Selena (Jessica Rosas), his gluten-intolerant Angeleno best friend and Darlene (Cheril Vendetti), the Bostonian hairdresser/problematic fave who practically raised him and Penis Mascot (Charles Johnson), the cartoon caped penis who personifies his id. When he meets Joe (Havon Baraka), a kind genuine guy who’s really into him, he doesn’t exactly know how to act and must learn self respect to save any hope for his new relationship.
French Kisses
Get seduced by some of the best gay short films from France in one exquisite collection! In Apollo, we follow a modern teenager, riddled with insecurities who keeps fantasizing about an ever more muscular body – and an even bigger banana. Herculaneumconcerns three “appointments,” two men and a volcano that growls. In The Body of Angels, Remi listens to the birds and falls in the hedges while, Gabriel does something far more sinister. In En Retour, Jean-Marc meets Simon, a younger man, for dinner. After a promising start, the evening plunges into extreme drama. Rupturesfollows Gabriel and Andre, ex-boyfriends who cross paths for the first time in ten years. Finally, in Juliet Electrique, 14-year-olds Thomas and Victor visit an abandoned bridge and soon face their most secret fears and desires.
Squirrels
Three young artists – a trans opera singer and disc jockey, a Middle Eastern American performance artist and a gay film maker (played by Dino Petrera, Catiriana Reyes and Robbie Gottlieb) – share a tiny studio apartment while they look for love and fame in New York City. It’s not an easy day-to-day life. They scrimp and save and scam and steal their way from month to month. Somehow they survive… but in the new world shared economy they are always just one click away from losing everything. Squirrels is a thoughtful indie about modern bohemia from prolific filmmaker Todd Verow.
The Gay Cinema Video On Demand experience at TLAgay.comhas your entertainment needs covered! We’re always working to expand selection of new and old gay-themed movies available for your viewing pleasure. Here’s just five of our current favorites that you may have missed – ALL available to watch INSTANTLY! Stay home, stay safe and enjoy a movie!
Musical Comedy Whore!
He’s selling it… both onstage and off. In his charming and sexually-frank one-man-show, Musical Comedy Whore!, actor David Pevsner (Old Dogs, New Tricks, Waiting in the Wings, Coffee House Chronicles) opens up about intimate sexual milestones and choices on a difficult, emotional and hilarious road to ultimate acceptance. With great honesty, surprising introspection and a lot of droll and daring ditties, David shares an unforgettable journey based on his true story. It’s David’s story, but in a way it is your story too. Filmed live at the famed Colony Theatre in Burbank, CA before the pandemic, this mix of drama, humor, and musicality is an evening of great theatre. Though it’s a one-man musical stage performance, be warned that this film is still for mature audiences only.
Bombshell Bombshell is a short web comedy about Jay (Ellis David Perry), a queer transman navigating the shark-infested waters of LA’s gay dating scene. He’s young, he’s single, and he’s really just looking for fun and sex, meeting guys mostly on hookup apps. But, when the bedroom door closes, his private world becomes an arena for cis men and the questions they only feel safe to ask in private. Jay’s chosen family is with him on his journey, starting with his primary relationships with cis women: Selena (Jessica Rosas), his gluten-intolerant Angeleno best friend and Darlene (Cheril Vendetti), the Bostonian hairdresser/problematic fave who practically raised him and Penis Mascot (Charles Johnson), the cartoon caped penis who personifies his id. When he meets Joe (Havon Baraka), a kind genuine guy who’s really into him, he doesn’t exactly know how to act and must learn self respect to save any hope for his new relationship.
Longhorns
The setting is a Texas college circa 1982. Here, men are men, women are just future wives (or current “sluts”), and there is nothing gay about helping a buddy get off! Good ol’ fratboy Kevin (Jacob Newton) is straight as an arrow (if you don’t count his gay fantasies – or the fact that he loves jerking off his fellow frat brothers) but he begins to see things a little differently when he meets the sexy, openly gay César (Derek Villanueva). Can a straight guy fall for another dude? And can Kevin continue going down on his pals under the belief that it’s just frat boy hijinks? And will kissing César change him forever? Never has a film featured so many straight men doing so many gay things! Beer is guzzled, pants are dropped and playful bed-hopping ensues. Fast, funny and sexy – what more could you want from a film?
Dudes
Spend some time with a group of raunchy young straight boys (with the exception of one) in the new twelve-minute short film Dudes from writer-director Noan Ribeiro. While a bunch of buddies (Michael Gmur, Jakeem Hawkins, Anthon Meyer and Alexander Volpi) hang out together in the living room playing video games, a homophobic comment is casually uttered. This prompts one brave, young jock to muscle up some courage and finally come out to his (sometimes inconsiderate) frat bro besties. When the news is unleashed, each of the boys has a different reaction. Will friendship win over discrimination?
About Us
Diego (co-writer/director Thiago Cazado) is leaving his hometown in Brazil to attend a film school in California for four years. He will have to leave behind everything he has ever loved… including Matheus (Rodrigo Bittes), a handsome young man with whom he fell madly in love and shared a brief passionate affair. Ten years later, back in Brazil, Diego decides to write a novel about their relationship using his camera instead of his pen. This heartfelt biopic shows how passion can increase our motivation in life, but also how making tough choices can affect that passion. Romantic and intimate, filmed with a handheld, fly-on-the-wall intimacy, About Us brings us right into the middle of a tricky relationship – portrayed with aplomb by the two lead actors, both relative unknowns with talent to spare.
