Strand Releasing Acquires Bruce LaBruce’s Venice and TIFF Entry, ‘Gerontophilia’
Bruce LaBruce (“The Raspberry Reich,” “Otto, Or Up With Dead People” and “L.A. Zombie”) is about to be back where he belongs: shocking/ educating cinema audiences. Strand Releasing has just nabbed all US rights to his new film “Gerontophillia” and is planning an early 2015 release.
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The film tells the story of 18-year-old Luke who one day discovers an attraction for the elderly within himself. Fate then helps his newfound desire take hold, presenting him a job at a nursing home (which he obviously takes) where he develops a tender relationship with well-named senior Mr. Peabody. The two then tackle the dictatorship of the home (who overmedicate the patients) before hitting the road, taking a trip to revel in their fancies and strengthen their bond.
“Gerontophilia” premiered to a standing ovation at the Venice International Film Festival last year and subsequently had its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival before playing at numerous international and LGBT film festivals, including the Rekjavik, Stockholm, Rio de Janeiro, Palm Springs, Oslo, Guadalajara, Istanbul, and Moscow International Film Festivals. It has also been selected as the closing night film for this year’s Newfest Festival in New York in late July.
“I wanted to shock people by making a film that isn’t shocking,” LaBruce said. “It has what some people may think is a shocking premise, but it’s presented in a more romantic style. It’s a kinder, gentler subversion that I’m after.”
