In their element - "Submerge" dir. Sophie O'Connor

One of Australia's first commercially released lesbian feature film moves from Festival release to DVD and digital release (release date 1 March 2014).

After making a splash on the international film festival circuit, Australian film SUBMERGE is finally set for its general release, joining Emma-Kate Croghan’s 1996 Love and Other Catastrophes as only the second Australian lesbian feature film to attain commercial release. 

The film has already drawn praise around the globe, having screened at 27 film festivals in 18 countries across four continents, with lead actress Lily Hall securing awards from both FilmOut San Diego and Downtown Film Festival L.A. for Best Actress in a Feature Film. 

The feature film debut of both producer Kat Holmes and director Sophie O’Connor (MIFF 2008 Award Winner), SUBMERGE is grounded in the story of protagonist Jordan (Lily Hall, Neighbours), a 20 year old honours student and elite swimmer. Jordan is caught up in building her own success story, carefully negotiating the rigors of study and the expectations of her ambitious mother (Kath Gordon The Playbook, Prisoner); all while maintaining an active social life, flanked by her best friend Lucas (Kevin Dee Underbelly, Strange Bedfellows). 

SUBMERGE delivers an unflinching exploration of the desire for instant gratification in a consumerist world full of choice. When Jordan finds herself falling for her tutor Angie (Christina Hallett Burlesque) – who just so happens to be the partner of her history lecturer, Cameron (Andrew Curry Conspiracy 365, The Cup) – she is unable to stop herself from pursuing a liaison. A narrative of experimentation and the search for the self, the story follows the dizzying highs and heart-wrenching lows as Jordan attempts to reconcile the chaos of youth with her ambition to succeed. As the attraction between her and Angie becomes ever more intense, failure is not an option, but how far is Jordan willing to go to get what she wants?

 

SUBMERGE’s soundtrack is naturally as diverse and evocative in tone and emotion as the film. Each track painstakingly handpicked by director Sophie O’Connor and music supervisor Andrew Penhallow, the soundtrack boasts a spectrum of some of Australia’s best and brightest independent musicians (Falling Joys, Asian Envy, Tokyo Denmark Sweden), a fitting underscoring of the many moods and tones of the film. SUBMERGE has also been drawing attention for its depiction of alternative representations of sexuality in a positive light, blurring the rigidity of labels and stereotypes and distilling this into something realistic and raw, offering a wide-eyed depiction of the fluidity and unpredictability of human sexuality. It’s a bold, challenging representation that strives to challenge perceptions and dominant stereotypes – SUBMERGE pulls no punches about pushing boundaries.

“[SUBMERGE is] a postmodern story, told through different lenses, reflections and refractions. Self-awareness and self-judgment is a key theme - the modern human condition - as is the exploration of what it takes to break through the surface and SUBMERGE into emotional depth.”
Planet London

SUBMERGE will be available on DVD and iTunes/Google Play in the UK from 1 March, 2014.

Read the full Planet London review: http://planetlondononfilm.blogspot.com/2013/03/llgff-submerge.html 

http://www.submergethemovie.com/submergethemovie.html 

Kiss Her I'm Famous... again? The web series returns for season 2...

SEASON 2 OF HIT WEB SERIES "KISS HER I'M FAMOUS" PREMIERES MONDAY JANUARY 27 WITH FIRST 5 EPISODES AIRING AT THE SAME TIME

 

Season 2 of the web sensation Kiss Her I'm Famous, created by Rolla Selbak, is set to premiere on Monday, January 27, 2014 on www.onemorelesbian.com/tello

Watch Season 1 of Kiss Her I’m Famous free on tello now!

Read our review of Season 1 here. Listen to our interview with Tracey Ryerson and partner Stamie here.

Kiss Her I'm Famous is the new comedy that has made a name for itself on cyberspace during its initial season 1.

The first season of the show premiered last year to great success, with the trailer alone reaching 1 MILLION+ combined views on YouTube in less than a week.

All regular episodes (5 in total) will be airing at the same time so fans can enjoy a binge-watching marathon of "KHIF". 

 
The two-part season finale will then stream online on February 14 (Valentine's day).

Created and directed by San Francisco based award-winning filmmaker Rolla Selbak, the show is based on two hilarious and clueless characters played by The Real L-Word’s Tracy Ryerson (Mandy) and Ilea Matthews (The Violent Kind) (Jen), who aim to create a celebrity sex tape to launch them into fame.  
 

In Season 2, this sex tape is…"leaked". So, what comes next for Jen and Mandy? The hint of sexual tension between the two BFFs lingers, leading to a cliff hanger before the season finale. The reaction of the media to the tape explores exactly what the friends are aiming to exploit, as well as confronting the lack of understanding of lesbians in the population generally. Good humour and character development through their individual responses to the instant fame, and conflict as they bury their emotional response to what's happened to their relationship, keeps season 2 gripping all the way through. The show satirises the booming business of the sex tape madness, and how celebrity wannabes use their home "movies" as a ticket to fame and fortune. 
 

The new season, which comprises a total 7 episodes, will feature many surprises including the addition of actress Noureen DeWulf who is best known for her role as sexy therapy patient Lacey in Charlie Sheen’s hit TV comedy "Anger Management" - she makes an appearance in the finale and is set to meddle in affairs"!    

We spoke to Rolla Selbak about what season 2 has in store. Positive feedback for the first season demonstrated that audiences really valued the high quality production and that the storyline wasn't sensationalising the sensationalism within the series. It covered the story and characters with a sense of realism (which carries right on through season 2).  For Selbak, the "direct-to-audience" nature of web series is a key draw to the platform, there aren't layers of producers controlling content and distribution, which gives a "tremendous amount of freedom" she says with glee. And the "immediate feedback from audiences" is also an advantage Selbak relishes - finding out straight away through the social media channels what viewers think and what their responses are.  The control over content also makes it easier for cross over from other web series characters and we know Fawzia Mirza from Kam Kardashian makes a special appearance. Selbak has chosen the staged release, dropping the first five episodes at launch, leaving a cliffhanger to deal with before releasing the final two part finale on Valentines day (sweet!) - a perfect blend of satisfying the box set fanatics and those who like a bit of suspense - ideal for the short episode format of a web series.  Production is a fun process for all, and the "fantastic" on set experience was a clear draw for the cast from season 1 to return in a flash, and happily schedules aligned for all. Filming took place over 7 days, in September.   Selbak is really sold on the web series format. They are made by people "trying to fill gaps that are not filled in traditional media" - which is why they make a great platform for authentic lesbian content - we get to "represent characters, stories and ideas you don't usually get to see on TV". The ability to access and stream short episodes also means there are more opportunities to watch - viewing isn't confined to a regular TV slot with a 9 month commitment.  Selbak promises some sense of finality in the finale but there's always a sense of more to tell if we get the chance. 

 Rolla Selbak is an award winning filmmaker who is part of the San Francisco Women's Film Institute Leadership council, and is responsible for creating and producing the S.F International Women's On-line Film Festival - slated to launch at the end of the year/early next year.

Selbak's most recent credits include writing and directing the internationally acclaimed feature films "Three Veils” and “Making Maya”, as well as her documentary “Green Blue Sea”, profiling a young, Palestinian scuba diver, and his profound respect for the ocean.

By Katie

Perfect Endings: The Nicole Conn DVD Collection

For the first time ever, get the complete lesbian works for Nicole Conn including Claire of the Moon, Cynara, Elena Undone and A Perfect Ending (starring Jessica Clark from HBO’s TRUE BLOOD). Also includes Moments: The Making of Claire of the Moon.

Following the runaway success of A PERFECT ENDING, “the sexiest lesbian film of the year,” Peccadillo Pictures presents the definitive Nicole Conn collection, celebrating the most successful lesbian film director in the world. Over the past twenty years, Conn has created some of the most powerful films on female sexuality and empowerment. A PERFECT ENDING stars Jessica Clark from HBO’s TRUE BLOOD and Barbara Niven in a bold and beautiful film.

This collection includes the highly praised and captivating CLAIRE OF THE MOON, a defining chapter in modern lesbian cinema and the first time that an out lesbian director and cast made a film for a lesbian audience. Remastered with exceptional sound and vision, this is your chance to own this exquisite four disc set, also featuring her blockbuster, ELENA UNDONE, which broke the world record for the longest on-screen kiss, MOMENTS: The Making of Claire of the Moon and the first lesbian period bodice-ripper, the scorching CYNARA.

Special edition box set on sale: 10th March 2014
Cert: 18 | Country: USA | Runtime: 445 minutes | Language: English | RRP: £29.99

This collection also includes never before seen postcards from each of the films and musings from director, Nicole Conn, as she looks back on over two decades of lesbian cinema.