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Michael Akers and “Snot Deals” (lol) on the set of his film MORGAN

From his personal facebook page, and reposted here with his permission. :-)

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A brief history of #UnitedGayNetwork

Michael Akers and Sandon Berg have consistently pushed the boundaries for the gay genre of independent films. GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN explored the age old question of homosexuality as a biological vs. environmental phenomenon. Would a gay man who forgets his past still be gay–and, in this case, would a closeted gay man who lost the shackles of the past find his way, at last, to the truth? Having made their feature-film debut and met with resounding success in the film-festival circuit, the filmmaker duo crossed over into spoof territory, for MATRIMONIUM, about a “reality” show based on lies and stereotypes in a mass-media world willing to turn the serious matter of same-sex marriage into a money-making hoax. The 2006 movie PHOENIX was inspired by Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1961 classic L'Avventura. It naturally alters the story into a modern ‘gay twist’. Dylan is a young nurse, with a good job and a nice apartment near the beach, where he surfs everyday, and he thinks he has found true love in Ken, a mysterious real-estate agent who is sweet and passionate with Dylan, but always has an out-of-town business meeting whenever it’s time to get serious. When Ken jets off, ostensibly to Phoenix, Dylan is left feeling hurt and disappointed, again, but this time he decides to 'surprise’ Ken by meeting him in Phoenix. Instead of surprising Ken, however, he ends up being shocked to find Ken’s longtime partner, Demetrius, and the two of them pair up to learn the truth about their mutual lover. UGN’s latest film, MORGAN, shakes things up yet again. Morgan Oliver is an athletic, outgoing, fun-spirited young man. A bartender by profession, he’s also a bicycle racer, until an accident on a tricky turn in Central Park renders him paralyzed. Now the gregarious, ambitious young man has to learn to live in a wheelchair. His life as he knew it being over, he sinks into an abyss of depression. A sliver of sunshine comes in the form of Dean Kagen, a handsome basketball player with a tantalizing grin. When Morgan was a “legger” he’d have, no doubt, been all eagerness and confidence on his first dates with Dean. But now things are totally different. He’s in a wheelchair, and being a paraplegic, he can’t even have an erection. Morgan’s story explores truths about society’s prejudices, particularly strong in the very image-conscious lgbt community. Akers and Berg have addressed in their films several prevalent issues that face the lives of gay men, and amazingly, have done so without succumbing to stereotypes and cliches. They have woven their gay characters into classic storylines, thus giving an element of normalcy to homosexuality seldom seen in mainstream cinema.

–Ashley Rovira

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PHOENIX ________________195 by TEMATICA 41 on Flickr.

Via Flickr: ____SINOPSIS dar click a la imagen___ Dirección: Michael D. Akers. Pais: USA. Idioma: Inglés con subtítulos en español. Año: 2007. Duración: 90 min. Género: Drama. Interpretación: Chad Bartley, Jeff Castle, Gaetano Jones, Conrad Angel Corral, Bruce Cronander, Deven Green, Joel Bryant, A.J. Sullivan. Guión: Michael D. Akers, Sandon Berg. SINOPSIS: Dylan Wells, tiene un buen trabajo, un gran apartamento y una relación excitante con Ken Sparks, su novio sexy, que viaja por su trabajo. Una gran vida, o es lo que él cree, hasta que en la visita de Ken para la celebración de su 23 del cumpleaños deja la relación inesperadamente cortada cuando Ken es llamado de repente lejos para atender a un trato y entonces desaparece. Contra los deseos de Ken, Dylan sigue el camino de Ken impetuosamente a Fénix dónde él descubre la doble vida de Ken con Demetrius Stone, igualmente sexy que no tenía ninguna idea de que Dylan existiese. Se sientes obligados, Dylan y Demetrius a descubrir lo que le pasó a Ken y lo que le pasó a sus relaciones con él. El descubrimiento de cada uno los reúne en el presente para un romance caliente y redentor. (jzzalf y subtítulos Mebbekew para avenidalibertad.es)

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UGN films from wayback! PHOENIX!

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Morgan Director: Michael Akers Cast: Leo Minaya (Morgan Oliver), Jack Kesy (Dean Kagen) USA | 2011 | 90 min A poignant and candid drama about perseverance centered on Morgan, a young man who ends up in a wheelchair after a bicycling accident. Driven and competitive, Morgan has a tough time accepting his new life as a paraplegic, a life that’s often frustrating and lonely. When he meets Dean, who strikes up a friendship with him on the basketball court, Morgan’s zest for life is rekindled, but soon he finds himself reverting to the reckless ways that lead to his debilitating accident in the first place. When Morgan decides to face his demons in the location where his accident took place, he risks not only a broken body, but also a broken heart.

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Carl Siciliano tells the story of #transgender #AliForney that inspired @AliForneyCenter in a documentary edited by UGN’s Michael Akers

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MORGAN_Angel Raudales Photography_14.jpg by outfest on Flickr.

Chris, Michael, and Ryan!

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Sandon and Michael on set of MORGAN

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Cast & Crew of MORGAN – Jack Kesy (Dean Kagan), director/co-producer/writer/editor Michael Akers, soundman Chris Fox, co-producer/writer Sandon Berg, actor Leo Minaya (Morgan) and Ben “All Hands" Budd

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United Gay Network turned 3 today!

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Jared Leto’s speech on winning the best supporting actor for his transgender role on Dallas Buyers Club

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Maurice (James Ivory) at 26, 1987 – 2013 [x]

*****

Favourite Maurice things, 5/26: 

Maurice Hall/Alec Scudder

Original set photography by Jon Garvey, from Robert Emmet Long (1991) The Films of Merchant Ivory, 1st Edition.

Brand new scan, clean-up and slight colour manip work by me.

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Wow fell in love with the movie Morgan 💜

Thank you so much! We are so happy you enjoyed it. 

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It’s national Coming Out month!

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My "Morgan" DVD was in the mail yesterday