Examining Tortu: A Look At This Breakout LGBTQ+ Film

Have you heard of the film Tortu? This heartfelt gay romance has struck a chord with audiences. Not only does it have a heartfelt love story, but it’s also very relatable. We chatted with Gary Lee Vincent, the film’s distributor, to see what exactly made him fall in love with the film Tortu.

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1. In your own words, what is Tortu about?

Gary Lee Vincent: Tortu follows a gentleman named Alan Allard, who his friends call Tortu. The film starts with Alan and his buddy getting laid off from their job. Then we follow him through the struggles of what happens afterward. Eventually, Tortu finds himself homeless and he has to humble himself and live with his uncle in France. It’s during this time that he meets someone new and special, who recently lost his father. He also is from the United Kingdom where Tortu is from. So both meet each other in France and begin a relationship.

2. What drew you to the story of Tortu?

Gary Lee Vincent: At Burning Bulb Publishing, we always look for stories that are interesting, and that tell the human condition. They’re not overly done. Overly Hollywood. They’re really the independent voice, which is what we represent.

3. What makes releasing a film centered around a gay love story meaningful or valuable during 2024?

Gary Lee Vincent: What I feel is relevant about Tortu is that this film depicts a real-life type of scenario. It shows the world this isn’t something to be afraid of. We all go through job layoffs, get into different relationships, and have struggles. We all want to feel love and be loved.

4. What potential impact do you hope can come from bringing an authentic LGBTQ+ romantic narrative like this to wider audiences?

Gary Lee Vincent: What I see is movies like Tortu can show that we’re all in this together. Whether you’re heterosexual or homosexual, we all have stories like this. We all have had jobs that we’ve liked or left or sometimes get laid off from. We all have struggles with relationships. Sometimes life gives us a break in the most unlikely ways. So, the story of Tortu is relevant because it depicts humanity.

5. In celebrating PRIDE, what does meaningful LGBTQ+ representation look like to you?

Gary Lee Vincent: As I mentioned before, we support a wide variety of viewpoints from an independent perspective. What we like to do is simply tell good stories. We feel that an independent voice matters regardless of what they want to talk about. We also feel that movies like Tortu fairly represent the human condition in a way that is more real and one that I think shows that we’re all human and that we all can get along.

ABOUT TORTU

A man who loses everything relocates to France, where he finds love with a farmer, but their romance is tested when immigration forces them apart.

Watch Tortu on Reveel