A.J. Mattioli

Featuring three stellar short documentary films from three different directors, Queer Knowledge is a collection of important and eye-opening work from Mattioli Productions. Covering topics and often-overlooked communities of great interest to LGBTQ+ viewers, these three shorts will inform, entertain and move you.

Would you have an affair with your boss? When a young real estate agent, Marc, celebrates his big sale over a nightcap with his married boss, Tom, he soon finds himself in dangerous waters. Leading them to question and push the boundaries of trust, monogamy, and open relationships. Can two men be faithful to each other? Can two men be honest with each other? Some say, No risk, no gain - both in real estate and relationships.

This anthology film portrays love beyond the status quo. Five stories about self-love, same-sex relationships, new-found love and polyamory starring a fully, sexually diverse ensemble. From Mattioli Productions, a trans-owned production company, these stories explore what it means to love without boundaries.

Amber, an eccentric child-turned-adult star, and her lover Liz are moving slow after a romantic evening celebrating Amber’s recent Oscar Nomination. Liz awakens to a strange and invasive postal worker who seems fascinated with Hollywood stars, secretly enters the apartment. The film continues to be filled with secrets of longing, love, and the pain of rejection.

Off a lonely Texas highway, a group of hustlers prey on the desperados who have come for sex, drugs and Mommas special milk. When a murderous cowboy rolls into town, a young trans boy quickly sees an opportunity to feed the physical and emotional hunger that has long been ignored by the neglectful Momma. As the boys begin to fall one by one, Penny is caught between the Cowboys lustful rage, and the greed and corruption that Momma represents.

A queer comedy about bureaucracy, broken hearts, and bed sheets.

After capturing an illegal act of police violence on his cellphone, a Brooklyn street hustler sets off a series of events that alter the lives of a local police officer and a star high-school athlete.

Unable to find a job after spending time in prison, Shawn takes work as an erotic dancer to support his daughter and falls in love with a man for the first time.

Unable to find a job after spending time in prison, Shawn takes work as an erotic dancer to support his daughter and falls in love with a man for the first time.

Darren is determined to find a connection, no matter how many people he has to go through. Explore a day in the life of a polyamory relationship, in all its awkward beauty.

"I know nothing in the world that has as much power as a word." - Emily Dickinson In a generation built on texts, tweets, memes, and irony, what has become of the weight of our words? In what way does communication serve as a form of self-expression, and self-expression a form of communication? Mattioli Production's upcoming documentary "Words" will explore how people navigate gender and identity in the open and evolving landscape of New York City. Using some if NYC's most fluid scenes as a backdrop, Mattioli Productions will investigate how masculinity, femininity, and everything in between are contextualized in a range of environments, from the theatre world to early childhood education. Featuring exclusive interviews from a variety of artists, activists, icons, and innovators to be announced, "Words" promises to be a poignant and powerful tribute to the language we use to shape our identities.

Gay Positive is the story of one man trying to bring to attention the outdated ban on gay men donating blood in the United States of America. This documentary is meant to inform and educate people on this controversial issue. A woman who recently received her nursing degree presents facts that could suggest that in order to keep our blood supply clean and abundant, we must update our current screening process for potential donors. By taking the camera to the streets, Gay Positive captures the opinions of people from many walks of life regarding how they feel about the ban today. One of the questions posed was, "If you were in need of a blood transfusion and the donor was healthy, would it concern you if this generous individual was a gay male?" Recent history proves that when tragedy strikes, donor centers are often in short supply and struggle to meet demand. The ban forces organizations such as The Red Cross to reject willing, disease-free, healthy individuals.

Gay Positive is the story of one man trying to bring to attention the outdated ban on gay men donating blood in the United States of America. This documentary is meant to inform and educate people on this controversial issue. A woman who recently received her nursing degree presents facts that could suggest that in order to keep our blood supply clean and abundant, we must update our current screening process for potential donors. By taking the camera to the streets, Gay Positive captures the opinions of people from many walks of life regarding how they feel about the ban today. One of the questions posed was, "If you were in need of a blood transfusion and the donor was healthy, would it concern you if this generous individual was a gay male?" Recent history proves that when tragedy strikes, donor centers are often in short supply and struggle to meet demand. The ban forces organizations such as The Red Cross to reject willing, disease-free, healthy individuals.

Let the drag-off begin! When Conner first meets Devin, he feels an instant attraction to him. However, soon Conner's nemesis, the Puerto Rican drag queen Adora wants Devin all to herself. Conner soon realizes the only way to compete with a drag queen is to become a drag queen. With the help of his club friends, Conner must make it his mission to destroy Adora if he wants to win back Devin.

The Coffee Shop takes place in a gay owned, rainbow-friendly New York restaurant and coffee house where love is constantly tossed into the blender.

Without notice, Clara quits her position as The Cup's manager. This causes Jamie, an employee, and Bea Reasonable, The Cup's drag queen owner, to search for her replacement. Bea soon discovers over a series of interviews that The Cup's regulars aren't exactly manager material. When all hope appears to be lost, Josh enters the shop to apply for the position. The interview goes incredibly well, and Bea believes she's found her replacement for Clara... but in a day where nothing has gone Bea's way, can it really be that simple?

The last time Helen entered The Cup Coffeehouse, she broke up with her bi-sexual boyfriend whose gay side was suddenly overshadowing his straight side as he flirted with Jamie, the flamboyant male waiter, right in front of her. She is now entering the Cup enticed by her own sexual curiosity.

Stephanie's mother, Gayle, is anything but laid-back. Though she loves her daughter, she often expresses it the only way she knows how: by completely micromanaging her life. Which is why this particular afternoon at the coffee shop might be tricky. After all, Stephanie has brought her mother here to not only tell her she's a lesbian, but to introduce Gayle to her new girlfriend, Mary Ann. Gayle's reaction to her daughter's news isn't exactly a surprise, nor is what her daughter expected. Enlisting the advice of the coffee shop staff, Gayle must come to terms with the afternoon's events, and try to set aside her judgments...sort of.

Jonathan, Lydia, and Vlad aren't typical guests of The Cup. They have been living as "vampires," even stalking their own victims. When Jonathan approaches a man Lydia is warming up to, Vlad is appalled not only that Jonathan would steal Lydia's "food," but that he would pursue another man!

Alexa and Suzie are old college roommates. Alexa comes from the Midwest where there is no "gay community". Suzie has given up on men and embraced her love for women. But how can she come out to her sweet but naive friend? They meet at "The Cup", a local gay hot spot where her flamboyant brother Jamie works as a waiter. The LGBT coffee shop sets the scenery for an interesting and hilarious dialogue between the two girls and we soon discover there's more to this outsider than we could've guessed.

Phil says he is bisexual but his girlfriend Helen and the flamboyant waiter think otherwise.

"An Affirmative Act" is pro-gay marriage film, starring Charles Durning, Eric Etebari, Costas Mandylor, Rachael Robbins, and Blanche Baker, about a lesbian couple where one pretends to be a man in order for the two to get married and equal benefits. A slice of life of a young, professional married couple with their darling baby turns a sharp, dark corner when the pair are arrested and charged with several counts of fraud. The reason: Terry and Samantha Succi aren't the man and woman that they purported to be... Terry and Samantha married under false pretenses, ignoring state law that discriminates against homosexual partners and prohibits them from receiving the same rights and benefits as their straight counterparts.

Patients of sexy psychiatrist Dr. Jill Kessey and eccentric attorney Alexander Hathaway are being murdered in bloody, satanic rituals. Law enforcement investigations reveal that sex and mutilation are the signatures of a serial killer, who likes to tattoo each of the victims after they are murdered. Lead detective Barry Harper discovers that some beautiful professional women are the prey...or are they doing the preying?