REVIEW: Lesbian Web Series "Dagger Kiss"

by Lauren W

When the star of Dagger Kiss, Tucky Williams, approached me to write a little something on her new lesbian web series (which she wrote herself) I'm not gonna lie, my first thought was "ugh, not another lesbian web series".

As the creator of this blog, I am constantly sent web series to view and after a while it became apparent that the majority of them were samey: cliche story lines and the odd love scene.

This is where Dagger Kiss (nicely) surprised me.

Not only was I surprised that there was something that actually resembled a plot, Dagger's main three stars can actually act.

Because of their talent (amongst other things) I found myself quickly falling in love with all three of them. And I'm not exaggerating. They all gave me major heart eyes at one point or another.

One of the most refreshing things about this web series was that they didn't shy away from the gay. I guess that's what you get when an actual lesbian writes the series; they know what their audience wants to see.

Right from the first episode, they dive in (pun intended) with sweet lady kisses in an enchanted forest. Sorry, did I spring the enchanted forest thing on you a little there? That's right, this series is also fantasy themed - another thing I found particularly original about Dagger Kiss. Every other lesbian-themed web series I've seen has focused on real life situations. Why not give us something out of the ordinary? I mean, a vast array of genres are what the Straights™ have been enjoying since time began.

I can't lie to you here either: I binge-watched the entire series in one go.

Because the episodes are all around 10 minutes or less, it makes for premium quality binge-watching. Viewing them all at once made the whole thing seem like a cute indie film rather than a TV show and that's not a bad thing.

When it comes down to it, Dagger Kiss is one of the best lesbian web series I've seen thus far. If you hadn't heard of Williams before now, this will certainly leave you wanting more.

You can watch Dagger Kiss for free through the links on their official website HERE.

REVIEW: Maybelle S01E01 - The Death Card

by Lauren W

*obvious spoiler alert*

It's been a while since I delved into a new lesbian web series, so where better to start than at tello Films; the home of online lesbian content?

As a long-term fan of Bridget McManus, I decided to give her new series a go.

The plot of Maybelle (from what I've gathered from the first episode alone) revolves around a young woman, somewhere in the deep south of America, who is suddenly reunited with a past love.

Episode 1 doesn't give too much away in terms of the exact history of these two women, but it tells you just enough: they were in high school together, and things were a little more than friendly.

The chemistry between Bridget and her co-star, Fran Nichols (starring as Della), is evident almost immediately. Neither of them say a word about their past relationship, but anyone with two eyes and a brain can tell something romantic is - or was - going on there.

As I previously mentioned, it has been a long time since I ventured into new web series waters, and the first thing that pleasantly surprised me about Maybelle was the stunning cinematography.

Gone are the low budget days of the shaky, handheld, low quality cameras that haunted lesbian content for years. Maybelle almost has an air of Amazon Prime's series Transparent about it. I'm not sure whether its the filters used or the way things are framed - or a little of both - but something about this web series seems hyper-realistic; as if you're right in there with the characters. 

Of course, the first episode is more of a set-up to the series, so there isn't much in the way of plot (Maybelle's mother passes away, and one thing leads to another until she ends up on Della's front porch - no pun intended), but it is a lovely start.

Lastly, I must mention the calibre of McManus' acting thus far. As someone who is mostly used to seeing Bridget performing stand-up, this was a different side of her that I wasn't expecting. She plays Maybelle with the right amount of grace and excited whimsy: my favourite moment was the micro-expressions on her face when she was having her first conversation with Della in 15 years, followed by a subtle sniff of her shoulder when they first embraced. Little details like this are a testament to McManus' nuanced acting.

If the rest of the series continues to impress me like this first episode did, I'd definitely recommend it.

Stay tuned for my review of episode 2!

Maybelle is available at https://www.tellofilms.com/

View the trailer here:

tello Films Review: Brunch with Bridget

by Lauren W

When a member of the tello Films team offered me a year's free subscription on their site, I couldn't have been happier. tello is one of those companies I'd known the name of for years, but, like a magical, otherworldly unicorn, I never quite saw it with my own two eyes.

Am I being too cryptic? Probably.

So... What is tello?

tello, in it's own words, is "a subscription web-series site dedicated to producing quality lesbian series. Every series on our site is made by, for, and about lesbians and lesbian-friendly allies."

If that description alone isn't enough to tempt you, I don't know what will.

Naturally - being a lesbian of habit - I jumped right to a web series I'd already seen seven years ago. That web series was Brunch With Bridget.

I wonder if Cersei Lannister can wield a banana gun as well as this?

Yup, hold on to your panties, that is lesbian favourite Queen Bitch Cersei herself, Lena Headey.

Of course, I had to (re)watch this episode first, because BwB was filmed before Game of Thrones even started, so I thought it would be interesting to take a look at a humble Lena before she was too big of a superstar. (Granted, she'd already been in blockbuster hit 300 at this point, but the majority of heterosexuals were talking about Gerard Butler after that movie, and not our gay little florist from Imagine Me & You, which is a cardinal sin in itself, if you ask me.)

Turns out, Lena seems 100% the same today as she did back then; down-to-earth, slightly mean, and very hot.

Anyway, more to do with the web series itself.

Brunch With Bridget is hosted every week by lesbian comedian, Bridget McManus. (She may look familiar because she was a regular on The Queen Latifah Show up until recently.)

Every week, Bridget invites someone gay - or someone who's played gay - into her bed for a candid interview which ends in a pillow fight to the death. (And if that hasn't enticed you into subscribing to tello, I'm pretty sure you've stumbled across this website by accident).

tello brought back so much nostalgia by giving back this web series that I was transported way back to 2008 when I was a teeny, tiny, 16 year old baby dyke, who was still crying because The L Word was almost over.

Bridget (left) with regular SNL cast member, Kate McKinnon.

Just as I remembered, Bridget was a crazy yet hilarious host, and never seemed to be intimidated by the guests she was speaking to. Why is this a good thing? Well, it meant she could ask them the most embarrassing questions that no one else would dare to. And let's face it: those are the type of questions we really want answered.

If I were you I'd seek Brunch with Bridget out right this second; there are over 60 episodes for you to catch up on! Plus, it's really fun to see all of these lesbians and allies from before they became household names.

Anyway, I'm off to watch Nikki & Nora for the first time.

Subscribe to tello at http://www.onemorelesbian.com/tello/.

INDIEGOGO CAMPAIGN: Nikki & Nora Season 2!

tello Films Launches Indiegogo Fundraising Campaign to Produce Season 2 of Nikki & Nora

As fans clearly don’t want to let go of the hugely popular crime fighting lesbian couple in America’s oldest party town, tello films, Nancylee Myatt and the cast of NIKKI & NORA have launched a fundraising campaign to bring Season 2 to computer screens around the world.

Fans can give their pledge at: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/nikki-nora-season-2/x/2497042#pledges

The campaign will be running until mid-March and is expected to break its previous record.

The fundraising campaign for Nikki & Nora Season One was indeed the largest funded campaign for a series with lesbian lead characters, raising $65,000, surpassing their goal by 30%.

Nikki & Nora follows New Orleans locals Nikki Beaumont (Liz Vassey) and Nora Delaney (Christina Cox), former NOPD cops turned private investigators in the Big Easy post Katrina.  They navigate the channels of their personal life together alongside their dedication to uncovering the truth in the one city that really likes to keep its secrets. The original lead actresses are joined by a super cast of other familiar faces including Janina Gavankar (best known as “Papi” on Showtime’s The L Word) and Aasha Davis (Pariah, South of Nowhere), among others. 

Originally created in 2004 for the now defunct UPN network, the series would revolve around two professional and romantic female partners who worked for the Special Crimes Unit of the New Orleans Police Department. UPN passed on the show, but the unaired episode didn’t die and instead made its way to YouTube.

The show became a critical online smash and somewhat of an internet phenomenon - a juggernaut of watercooler talk that ran rampant over social media and some of today’s major online trendspotters. While the pilot accumulated dust on a shelf for 9 years, with loyal fans keeping their love thriving through fan-fiction sites, Nikki & Nora was at last reborn as a web series.

Now, in the Netflix and overall online tradition, fans can boot up their computers, grab a bowl of popcorn, laissez les bon temps rouler (let the good times roll) and enjoy a binge-watching marathon of “ N&N” indulging in seven glorious episodes all at once on tellofilms.com

NEW ONLINE WEB SERIES “GRRL’S GUIDE TO FILMMAKING”

AWARD-WINNING FILMMAKER ROLLA SELBAK 

DEBUTS BRAND NEW ONLINE WEB SERIES “GRRL’S GUIDE TO FILMMAKING”. 

LOS ANGELES, CA - Award-winning out filmmaker Rolla Selbak is releasing a new online “interview” series called "Grrl's Guide To Filmmaking”, in which she shares her personal Hollywood vlogs as she visits some of the most prominent lesbian filmmakers making it happen today. 

Grrl's Guide To Filmmaking offers an exclusive glimpse behind the scenes, showing the magic, behind the magic. 

Selbak sneaks us into the Paramount writers room with Faith Soloway, writer on the breakthrough Amazon series Transparent; stumbles into Cathy DeBuono's backyard; gets the juicy details from Guinevere Turner and how she came up with the title "The L Word", and much....much more.

Season One kicks off on August 10th with episode one featuring an up close and personal interview with Faith Soloway, which will stream on  www.tellofilms.com

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. She's queer, an Arab-American and a woman.

But that hasn’t stopped the self-taught auteur from writing, directing and producing films that matter to her. 

We all know her as the mastermind behind the web series sensation “Kiss Her I’m Famous” starring Tracy Ryerson and Ilea Matthews which satirizes the booming business of the sex tape madness, and how celebrity wannabes utilizes their home movies as a ticket to greater stardom and a major payday. But Selbak carries a filmmaking dossier that may very well rival some of the most prominent out female filmmakers in the industry.

Selbak's impressive credits include writing and directing the internationally acclaimed feature film "Three Veils”, starring Sheetal Sheth (Looking for Comedy in a Muslim World, I Can’t Think Straight), Mercedes Masohn (666 Park Ave), and featuring Eric Avari (Heros, The Mummy).  The film confronts delicate subject matters such as arranged marriage, homosexuality, and love within the Muslim-American subculture, and portrays the leading female characters as human beings first, women second, and their cultural surroundings as veils that dictate how much of their inner-selves are revealed. 

With "Three Veils", Rolla Selbak,  who grew up in the Middle East and chafed under the strict social structure of a Muslim family, delivered a snapshot of her feelings about how women's rights are trampled under in her otherwise rich and vibrant culture. The feature film won Best Screenplay at San Diego LGBT International 2012; Best LGBT Film at the New York City International Film Festival 2011; Jury Award Best Film at S.F Women's International 2011; Jury Award Best Female Feature at the Long Island LGBT Film Fest 2011; and the Rainbow Award at the Honolulu LGBT Film Fest 2011, among other.

Her previous feature, “Making Maya”, has found a successful niche within the independent film world, and has been screened at film festivals and universities nation-wide.  She was announced a Winner of the LinkTV’s One Nation Many Voices film competition in 2008 for her documentary “Green Blue Sea”, profiling a young, Palestinian scuba diver, and his profound respect for the ocean.

She is known to delve into subject matters that bear distinctively bold, thought-provoking and compelling qualities. It’s no surprise this established filmmaker/Palestinian native has been invited to speak at multiple panels on independent filmmaking and women in the arts, and was a grant panelist for the 2008 Regional Arts & Culture Council of Oregon.  Her other notable achievements include scoring and writing music for her films, and being a recipient of the inaugural Women’s Vision Film grant for her screenwriting, awarded by the Faerie Godmother Fund.

EPISODE GUIDE

EP1 - Faith Soloway - 8/10

EP2 - Cathy DeBuono - 8/17

EP3 - Cathryn Hayes - 8/24

EP4 - Heather de Michele & Gretchen Michelfeld - 8/31 

EP5 - Guinevere Turner - 9/7 

ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK'S BIG BOO In New Web Series!

Lea DeLaria of “Orange is the New Black” is the first guest on BK Beats!

Dedalus Moving Pictures (www.DedalusMP.com) premiered its newest web series Brooklyn Beats & Eats on Wednesday August 6th, 2014! In true BK fashion, Brooklyn Beats & Eats is an irreverent and hilarious take on art, food, talk shows and music.  

Deep in the heart of Bushwick, host Sheena Alexis Suarez invites fellow creatives to put on an apron and exchange recipes, stories and perhaps a few too many drinks in her kitchen. Local bars, restaurants and venues are also featured, introducing the faces behind some of Brooklyn’s most creative and successful concepts. Each episode features some of Sheena’s favorite musical acts taking a seat on her couch for a live performance in The Green Room. 

The premiere episode features Lea DeLaria (Orange Is The New Black’s “Big Boo”) and Brooklyn-based band Darling Din. Brooklyn Beats & Eats is our love letter to the crazy, complicated and creative borough we call our home. By sharing these ideas and stories we hope to inspire people to make their own crazy passions a reality no matter where they live. Stay tuned for our next episode featuring the one, the only, Yo! MTV Raps legend Ed Lover.

Email: bkbeatsandeats@gmail.com

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0ppIcTuAfU7m-sAlRKJmlg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrooklynBeatsAndEats

The Dinah Shore Weekend Announces Its SECOND FILM FESTIVAL

CLUB SKIRTS DINAH SHORE WEEKEND  & O.M.L

ANNOUNCE OFFICIAL SELECTIONS FOR ITS SECOND ANNUAL 

“DINAH FILM FESTIVAL”

Palm Springs, CA – Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend, in association with One More Lesbian (OML), have announced the official selection of lesbian-themed projects that will be screened at this year’s “Dinah Film Festival.”

The Fest, which debuted last year to immense success, is set to return this year again at the Palm Springs Hilton Hotel on Friday, April 4 at 8:00pm offering attendees the chance to preview a slew of unique and original programs.

The 2014 Dinah Film Festival will showcase five web series, and present three exclusive world-premieres featuring a short film, a documentary and an exclusive advanced trailer.

The categories are as follow:

WEB SERIES

Dyke Central is an Oakland-based dramedy that centers around 30-something butch roommates Alex and Gin. Surrounded by a diverse group of friends who guide, challenge and support them, Alex and Gin struggle to adapt to change and create balance in their lives without losing themselves.

#Hashtag: friend Me. Follow Me. Like Me. Fall for Me. #Hashtag follows the love lives of two technology-obsessed friends in Chicago. From Instagram seduction to inappropriate selfies, Twitter over sharing to OKCupid dating, Liv and Skylar are about to learn the real-life consequences of over-indulgence in the virtual world.  The show stars Marnie Alton (Exs & Ohs, Cowgirl Up), stand up comedian Caitlin Berg and actress/writer Laura Zak.

Kiss Her I’m Famous (Season 2) is an intelligent satire created by Filmmaker Rolla Selbak (Three Veils), starring Tracy Ryerson (The Real L-Word) and Ilea Matthews, and featuring Noureen DeWulf (Anger Management). The show follows two hilarious and clueless characters Jen and Mandy who aim to create a celebrity sex tape to launch them into fame.  In Season 2, this sex tape is…leaked!

Little Horribles is a new web series that follows a single lesbian (Amy Rubin) as she navigates her thirties in Los Angeles. The show, created by Amy Rubin recently made Variety’s list of “Top Ten Best Web Series of 2013” impressively ranking at # 4. 

Nikki & Nora: follows New Orleans locals Nikki Beaumont (Liz Vassey) and Nora Delany (Christina Cox) as they juggle the inner-workings of their personal lives with their roles as private investigators in America's oldest party town.

SHORT FILM

Secrets and Toys is a delightful short film where a surprise visit, a bumbling bestie, and many years of tight-lipped deception cause EVERYONE'S ish to hit the fan. The chaos caused in this comedy of errors is full of sexy moments and tons of laughter. Secrets and Toys will warm your heart as you root for the lovers to make it through the storm. 

Starring Dalila Ali Rajah (Cherry Bomb, Grey's Anatomy, New Girl), Shelli Boone (Saints and Sinners, Entourage), Diane Sellers (Rules of Engagement, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Darryl Stephens (Noah's Arc, Hot Guys with Guns), Doug Spearman (Noah's Arc, Old Dogs & New Tricks), Jill Bennett (Second Shot, Dante's Cove), among others.

DOCUMENTARY

God-Des and She Documentary follows the music duo God-Des and She as they return to their mid-west roots to attend a family function and to perform at a pride concert.  The duo talk about how they came to collaborate, their family and what their 2006 performance on The L Word has meant to their career.  A hip-hop/pop/soul duo bred in the Midwest, God Des & She now play to packed venues all over the world from New York to Sweden.

TRAILER (Exclusive premiere)

Girl Gets Girl is a feature film from the creators of the popular Chica Busca Chica (Girl Seeks Girl) series. A romantic comedy that tells the story of Nines, the restless lady-killer, coming back home from the States. Nines has tried to reinvent herself in Miami but it hasn´t worked as she expected. Nine years after leaving Spain she decides to go back home and win Carmen´s heart. The only problem? Carmen is straight and lives with Mónica the woman Nines left their wedding day. The film is directed by Sonia Sebastian.  Stars include Celia Freijeiro, María Botto and Adriana Torrebejano

The Dinah Shore Film Festival was launched last year as a way to promote the work of talented independent filmmakers and to show a glimpse of lesbian culture. Supporting filmmakers and film is important for Club Skirts’ founder and producer Mariah Hanson. 

“I was thrilled with the success of last year's film festival. We've expanded the format to include a wider variety of all types of films and are donating 100% of the proceeds to our filmmakers,” says Hanson. “I know this will eventually become one of the more popular events at The Dinah. We plan to continue to offer more wide ranged programming so that women from all backgrounds and interests can experience the lesbian pride and visibility of The Dinah.”

The Dinah Film Festival is a two-hour event. A special Q&A with the filmmakers will follow the screening. 

100% of the proceeds from the event will be donated to all participating independent filmmakers. 

For more information go to: www.TheDinah.com

Tickets $15 in advance. $20 at the door. 

New and Sexy Queer Web Series, "Love Bytes"

PRESS RELEASE: Award-winning writer/director, Tonnette Stanford and her sister, Victoria Stanford, are the lesbian filmmakers behind an exciting new LGBT web series on YouTube now.

Love Bytes – the web series is an six-part sitcom centred around three housemates and their adventurous love lives. They are the Neapolitan ice cream of sexuality. Young, sexy and single, they search for love and happiness in Sydney’s modern hetero-flexible dating scene, but instead they often find humiliation and hilarious misadventure. But no matter what happens, they always have each other.

With assistance from Metro Screen’s Breaks program Tonnette and Victoria were able to shoot the two pilots for Love Bytes, with another four episodes coming soon. Keep an eye out for the crowd funding campaign that will be launched in the next couple of months to help fund the rest of the series.

"Herpes of the Lips," the first pilot, tackles what's become a digital and universal dilemma: fake profile pictures. Michael thinks he's meeting a sexy Bollywood model for a drink, but is unpleasantly surprised. Lucky for him, his cold sore-cursed roommate comes to save the day….and leaves a lasting (and contagious) impression.

The second pilot, "Justin Beaver" explores what happens when a precious family heirloom gets lost in the most unusual (and intimate) of places. Yes, it's exactly what you think, and the consequences are uproarious.

Tonnette and Victoria have a very distinct style in the queer filmmaking space and their previous films have screened at over 180 festivals around the world and received international acclaim. To make Love Bytes a reality they have gathered together a talented team of AFTRS graduates and NIDA trained actors, including gay actors, Adriano Cappelletta, Billie Rose Prichard, Bec Irwin and Dave Halalilo. 

"I have wanted to make a queer web series for a long time and there are so many fantastic queer dating stories out there that I felt compelled to write a show that features dating from a lesbian and gay perspective," Tonnette explains.  

"The show is fun, sexy and hilarious," Victoria adds. "There’s a lot of situations in there that will be very familiar to audiences and we hope that they can have a good laugh at the absurdity of the queer dating world that we’ve all been through!"

Check out Love Bytes on YouTube and, if you want to see what the remaining four episodes have in store, make sure to subscribe, follow, like, share.

WHAT: Love Bytes – the web series

WEBSITE: www.lovebytes-theseries.com

LGBT-Web Series "The 3 Bits" Gets a Kickstart

Now we have been supportive of this web series since it started. Because it's awesome. (Click HERE and HERE and HERE. Proof!)

Now they already made 9 episodes, and that was great. But they gotta make 9 more to finish the season AND THEY NEED YOUR HELP!

They are just over half way to getting to their $50,000 goal, but don't worry, you can donate as little as $1. That's right.

TimeOut NY gave the series an awesome review just last week.

Need more persuading? Click HERE and see a video pledge from one of the main characters from the series and, we're assuming, the director/producer.

You can also click HERE to donate to the project and HERE to see the episodes that have already aired!

What are you waiting for?!

"D.E.B.S." Director Angela Robinson Releases Official Statement Relinquishing Association with "GIRLTRASH!: All Night Long"

Los Angeles, CA - Award-winning out writer/director, Angela Robinson, who’s written and produced the upcoming “Girltrash: All Night Long” as presented by POWER UP is severing all formal ties with the non-profit film company over creative differences and professional, moral and ethical issues.

Robinson, one of the executive producers of HBO’s “True Blood” and a co-executive producer of HBO’s “Hung” and Showtime’s “The L Word” – also known for directing the films “D.E.B.S.” & “Herbie: Fully Loaded,” has released an official statement today withdrawing any and all endorsements, affiliations and support of “Girltrash: All Night Long” as presented by POWER UP.

Robinson’s refusal to have her name associated with the POWER UP version of the film publicly casts light on a behind-the-scenes dispute between the acclaimed filmmaker and Stacy Codikow (founder & Executive director), which has been smoldering in recent months.

Since its inception in 2000, POWER UP, a Non-Profit Film Production Company & Educational Organization for Women and the GLBTQ Community, has over the years earned praise and name recognition for producing & financing LGBT films and conducting educational programs through its filmmaking mentorships, and seminars.

Adhering to its ethos and professional endeavors, Robinson initially partnered with the non-profit company to produce the prequel to her hugely popular web-series “Girltrash”, which she originally created & produced.  Girltrash: All Night Long stars Gabrielle Christian (South of Nowhere), Michelle Lombardo (Quarterlife), Mandy Musgrave (South of Nowhere), Lisa Rieffel (lead singer of Killola), Rose Rollins (L word), Kate French (One Tree Hill) and Clementine Ford (L word).  However, Robinson’s partnership with POWER UP and overall experience in the course of making and producing the film did not live up to the filmmaker’s understanding of POWER UP’s advertised standards.

Robinson's decision to speak out on the issue comes on the heels of POWER UP’s current announcement of the (unauthorized) private screening in Palm Springs scheduled for Thursday, October 24, and the press release publicizing the upcoming December 15^th DVD release of the film through Power Up.

Angela Robinson released the following official statement:

“Girltrash!” is a project close to my heart.

I was trying to find a way to make affordable, quality lesbian entertainment and develop a brand that would encompass web series, movies, television, graphic novels and stage musicals.  To this end, after first making a web series and a penning a graphic novel, I produced “Girltrash: All Night Long” with Stacy Codikow.

I love the movie and each and every person that tirelessly worked on this project – the crew and mentees that donated their time and energy for free or for cut rates, the incredible musicians, Lisa Rieffel and Johnny Dunn, who wrote fantastic songs, the awesome actors who worked all night long for months on end, Luke Tierney, the composer and Chris Hill, the editor, and of course, Alex Kondracke, the amazing director. I am extremely proud of the work that was done. 

But POWER UP is presenting a version of the film that I have not seen, that is unfinished and that has not been creatively approved by me and as a result, I do not support nor validate any screenings or commercial sales of “Girltrash: All Night Long” at this time.

Working with Stacy Codikow and POWER UP has been, without a doubt, the worst experience of my career. Because Stacy has been so horrible I will never again be involved in any project in which Stacy Codikow or POWER UP is involved.