The story is about a young American academic, Omar Razaghi (Metwally), who attempts to persuade the reluctant heirs of a celebrated Uruguayan novelist, Jules Gund, to allow him to write an authorized biography of the writer, who has recently died. Undeterred by the executors' adamant refusal, and urged on by his vehemently ambitious girlfriend (Lara), another academic, Razaghi turns up uninvited on the family's doorstep in a remote corner of Uruguay, hoping to change their minds. Before long, he is joined there by his super-efficient girlfriend, Deirdre. The Gund family, living in two big rundown houses on an overgrown, steamy estancia named "Ocho Rios," reacts to the intrusion in different ways. The writer's widow Caroline Gund (an unusually acerbic Laura Linney) stubbornly states with every breath that she will never, never give her permission. The writer's brother Adam Gund (Hopkins) has a contrary opinion: a biography can only help to keep the writer's name before a book-buying public. The writer's young mistress Arden Langdon (Gainsbourg) at sides with Caroline. Then, as she begins to fall for Omar -- or is she succumbing only to the charm of someone, anyone, new? -- she changes her mind. Two further supporters of Omar are Gund's ten-year-old daughter Portia, and Pete, Adam's practical-minded companion (Sanada). How Omar comes in time to have his wish granted, and the effect of that on his future, makes up the plot of this film about the random nature of love and the ways in which we avoid or confront life's choices. (Movie description courtesy of Merchant Ivory Films.)

Forced to relocate from Brooklyn to rural Alabama, sensitive gay teen Sequan faces harassment and abuse both at school and at home. Hope arrives in the form of Lori, a perceptive but troubled girl who introduces Sequan to her gay brother. As the new friends plan an escape from their small-town existence, a brush with violence threatens to derail everything. Rivers Wash Over Me is a beautifully lensed and emotionally affecting drama with devastating performances.

Johnny, a white Bahamian artist from Nassau, is depressed and creatively uninspired. Under instructions from his teacher, he relocates to the rural island of Eleuthera, where he meets the confident Romeo, a local boy who inspires a new creative drive in him. Johnny and Romeo embark on a passionate love affair, but when Romeo's fiancée and overbearing mother arrive at his home unannounced, he is asked to make some important decisions about his life and his relationship with Johnny. Meanwhile, Lena, the wife of an ultra-conservative pastor, also arrives on the island. With her marriage on the rocks, and a growing realisation that her husband is not who he appears to be, Lena sets out on a campaign to spread her anti-gay policies among the quiet community. As Lena's crusade gathers momentum, she is challenged by her friend Reverend Ritchie, a liberal clergyman who forces her to question her beliefs and to re-evaluate her rigid political stance. Sweepingly romantic and gorgeously photographed, the film's aesthetic and emotional pleasures are undeniable. In positioning this classic tale of young love against a backdrop of violent homophobia and social unease, director Kareem Mortimer has also crafted a striking examination of identity and gay politics in the Bahamas, tackling these weighty issues with a confidence and sincerity that makes the film universal in its themes. Emerging from a region not known for the production of gay film, Children of God is an important and bold piece of work, signalling Mortimer as a hugely promising talent in the future of world cinema. (Description courtesy of London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival).