Article 18 of the Polish Constitution talks about the protection of marriage as a union between a man and a woman. This fact has been used as a weapon by those in Poland who are opposed to formalizing same-sex unions. After a quarter century of freedom, not only are same-sex marriages still prohibited, but there hasn’t been any sort of regulation of civil unions whatsoever. In his film, Bartosz Staszewski tries to find out why this is the case. In addition to giving a voice to activists and experts, he creates a portrait of gay and lesbian couples and raises awareness among the wider public about the kind of problems that this sort of systemic discrimination creates for them. How it fundamentally negates their right to a decent and safe life. And how much it says about contemporary Poland. This first film chronicle about the debate on same-sex relationships in Poland was financed by individual contributions. While it is entirely apolitical, it painfully exposes the lack of substance in Polish politics.

Sophia Pinsky is doing just fine: she has a job, an apartment, and a girlfriend. That is, until her girlfriend breaks up with her and her grandfather dies on the same day. As her life starts to unravel, Sophia moves back in with her overbearing Russian-Jewish grandmother in the Boston suburbs. When her grandmother reveals that not only is she dating again but she's in love with the family's rabbi, Sophia is pitted grandmother in a struggle to define loyalty and love, all while trying to become a "real adult," once and for all.

Wayward Canadian, Matthew, crushed by the isolation of being new to Berlin, turns his sexual desires toward Matthias that spiral into a dark fixation of assumed identity. Soon, this obsessive power struggle between the two, careens toward brutal passion and violence in a bid for dominance. M/M is a film of unique contrasts. Hot queer bodies entangled together, but against the drab, heavy grey sky of Berlin. Extreme explorations of identity and desire, but with an underlying familiarity. Surreal, but completely grounded in truth and naturalistic vibes. Pulsing techno that draws you in and washes over you. Director Drew Lint and his team have created something unbelievably fresh here - a film that must be experienced to be understood. Description courtesy Slamdance Film Festival