WATCH: Zachary Quinto leads this seductive collection of shorts about, ahem, alluring encounters

10 queer short films from around the world, each about meeting the perfect stranger.

Jul 25, 2023 - 20:01
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WATCH: Zachary Quinto leads this seductive collection of shorts about, ahem, alluring encounters
Zachary Quinto sits on a couch and look at a man dancing in white underwear
Image Credit: ‘Boys On Film 23: Dangerous TO Know,’ Peccadillo Pictures

Since 2009, U.K.-based LGBTQ+ film distributor Peccadillo Pictures has been dutifully assembling the sexiest and most thought-provoking gay short films from all over the world in its Boys On Film series.

Beyond introducing us to our favorite future filmmakers, short films often provide space for some of the most boundary-breaking storytelling, especially queer stories—but they can be hard to come by if you’re not frequenting film festivals, making the work of the Boys On Film all the more essential in getting these stories in front of audiences.

So we’re sad to report that this year’s Boys On Film 23: Dangerous To Know has been announced as the “penultimate edition” of the series.

In a note on their YouTube channel, Peccadillo Pictures shares, “Our revenues from Boys On Film have been decreasing considerably over the years. It takes a lot of time, effort and expense to pay the relevant licenses, design and marketing to put these compilations together. Rampant piracy has not helped.”

Yeah, it’s a bummer. But it’s all the more reason to check out their newest collection of shorts—which is now available—as well as their deep library of LGBTQ+ features over the years.

The latest, Dangerous To Know, assembles 10 stories—from the U.S., Brazil, Hungary, Georgia, and beyond—all with the common thread of an alluring encounter, one that can lead to risky situations, life-changing relationships, and some steamy one-on-ones: “A perfect stranger. The boy next door. A sparring partner. A friend from abroad.”

This collection also boasts quite a famous face: Zachary Quinto, starring in the short “Chaperone” as an anonymous man who picks up a younger fling and takes him to his secluded home, where their dalliance takes some shocking turns.

You can watch the trailer here, and then check out a brief synopsis for each short below:

My Uncle’s Friend

A man reflects on his childhood through old recordings from his father’s camcorder. He fondly remembers one person in particular. Director: Renato Turnes

Budapest, Closed City

Hungarian teenager Péter takes his British friend, Adam, on a personal but political tour around his hometown of Budapest. Director: Máté Konkol

Eden

A restless young man in search of a connection roams the pulsating gay hotspots of a metropolis brimming with shadows and bodies. Director: Sven Spur

Chaperone

An unnamed figure picks up a young man in his car. Driving to a secluded house, the details of their arrangement become frighteningly apparent. Director: Sam Max

Break Me

A young Muslim cage fighter must choose between his head and his heart after his father discovers the truth about him. Director Israsj Asanti

By His WIll

Young teen Elisha, dealing with his attraction to men, is torn between two worlds: the religious, from which he comes, and the secular. Director Uriel Torten

Red Ants Bite

Two men navigate the city of Tbilisi after a long night out. As day breaks, the true colors of their ambiguous relationship begin to show. Director: Elene Naveriani

Hornbeam

Under cover of darkness, two strangers form an intimate bond over a shared secret. But how well do they really know each other? Director: Mark Pluck

Jim

London, 1982. Father Jim Fitzsimmons waits nervously in the dark across the street from a line of rent boys. Among them, Simon stands out. Director: Tom Young

Too Rough

After a night of intoxication, Nick wakes up next to his boyfriend Charlie and must conceal him from his dysfunctional family. Director Sean Lìonadh

Boys On Film 23: Dangerous To Know is available now via Amazon Prime Video, Vimeo on Demand, and the Pecadillo Pictures On Demand site.

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