“One of the biggest lesbian films of the year.” — Queerty.com’s “Movies You Shouldn’t Miss”

This sumptuous English-language 1950s period piece recounts the mid-life years of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Elizabeth Bishop (played by Miranda Otto of “Lord of the Rings”) when she left America to live and write in Rio de Janiero. It was there that she fell in love with well-off architect Lota de Macedo Soares (butched to the hilt by beautifully handsome Brazilian TV star Gloria Pires).

Initial hostilities between the pair make way for a complicated yet long-lasting love affair that dramatically alters Bishop’s relationship to the world around her.

From renowned Brazilian director Bruno Barreto (“Dona Flor” and “Her Two Husbands”), “Reaching for the Moon” is an intimate snapshot of the search for inspiration, wherever and however you find it.

“Imagines Elizabeth Bishop’s extraordinary relationship with the Brazilian architect Lota de Macedo Soares … a battle of creative and romantic egos.” — New York Times

“The film benefits from a pair of nicely nuanced performances and the simmering intensity it unearths in detailing the lives of these two women.” – TimeOut NY

“An exotic love story becomes an empowering portrait of two highly gifted women who defy social convention.” – Film Journal International

DELUXE EDITION
This special Deluxe Edition comes with a Bonus Extra 30-minute “Making Of” featurette!

AWARDS
Audience Award for Best Feature: Frameline
Audience Award for Best Feature: Outfest
Audience Award for Best Feature Film: Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival
Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature: Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival
Audience Award for Favorite Narrative: Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival
Audience Award for Best Feature: Southwest Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
Audience Award for Best Women’s Feature: Atlanta Out On Film
Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature: Atlanta Out On Film
Audience Award for Best Feature: Tampa Int’l Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
Best Feature: Fort Lauderdale Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
Best Women’s Feature Film: Pittsburgh Gay and Lesbian Film Fest
Best Feature! Long Beach Q Festival
Best Director, Bruno Barretto, Long Beach Q Festival
Audience Award: Long Island Gay and Lesbian Film Festival

The post Reaching for the Moon first appeared on Lesbian.com.

It’s a banner year for lesbian cinema.

Now that festival season is over, it’s time to name the best lesbian films released for home consumption this year.

Who’s Afraid of Vagina Wolf?
This twisted lesbian homage to the classic “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe?” stars lesbian legend Guinevere Turner, who won a fistful of awards for her role in this feature. Written by the wacky and wonderful Anna Margarita Albelo, it also stars Carrie Preston from “True Blood,” Janina Gavankar aka Papi from “The L Word” and the super hot Agnes Olech.

The film explores the love life of 40-year-old brilliant and introvert filmmaker Anna against the backdrop of her “Who’s Afraid of Vagina Wolf?” production. Plus there’s a giant vagina costume, so you really can’t lose.

A Map for Love
Hmm, a GPS for love might be more helpful, but a map would be great, too. This film explores the tangled relationship between a woman, her mother and her lover. It’s intense, honest, funny and gorgeous.

Set in bustling Santiago, Chile, and on a sailboat trip in the bay, “A Map for Love” sails into deep emotional water as the triad confronts each other and themselves.

Woman’s Lake
A long weekend, a beautiful chain of lakes and two very different couples explore the wilderness and their shifting passions.

Reaching for the Moon
Passion and poetry preside in this film based on the true love story of American poet Elizabeth Bishop and Brazilian architect Lota de Macedo Soares. Two remarkable actresses — Miranda Otto (“Lord of the Rings”) and Brazilian TV star Gloria Pires — embody these historic characters as they embark on a passionate love affair.

Margarita
On screen chemistry sizzles as Margarita, an undocumented nanny with a precarious job, tries to get her girlfriend Jane to commit.

Concussion
Lesbian writer-director Stacie Passon’s debut film tackles attraction, midlife crisis and turning tricks.

The winner of the Berlin Film Festival’s Teddy Jury Award, “Concussion” earns rave reviews for its frankiness, eroticism and vulnerability.

Blue is the Warmest Color
Nope, it’s not yellow. Winner of Cannes top prize and nominated for a Golden Globe, this foreign feature explores the relationship between Adele and beguiling, young, blue-haired Emma. It’s a coming of age story that explores desire, love and loss.

The post Best lesbian movies of 2014 first appeared on Lesbian.com.