Duino

Executive produced by the late Norman Lear, this debut feature by Juan Pablo Di Pace and Andres Pepe Estrada follows filmmaker Matias as he struggles to finish editing a movie that was inspired by his elusive first love—a Swedish boy name Alexander—whom he met at a boarding school in 1997. Tenderness and fascination define their strong friendship, which is short-lived when Alexander is suddenly expelled, leaving young Matias with a story of undeclared emotions…even 25 years later. Matias, played by co-director Di Pace (The Mattachine Family, Mama Mia, TV’s “Fuller House”), decides to reopen Pandora’s box by coming face-to-face with Alexander, discovering life imitating art and confronting the sneaky power of memory. Di Pace draws on his own life for this film about the universal aching nostalgia of first love. Through flashback and meta-narrative, DUINO breathes fresh life into a classic gay coming-of-age tale by exploring the passionate memories of a just-out-of-reach lover that audiences will find both tender and crowd pleasing.