First LGBTQ streaming platform in Asia

GagaOOLala, Asia’s first streaming platform to serve the LGBTQ + community, is now available worldwide. Originally established in 2016, the service has expanded from Taiwan to other Asian regions in the past years. It now offers a rare catalog of Asian LGBTQ + content from countries such as Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and local Taiwan.

Portico Media, the company behind GagaOOLala, was once one of the founders of the Taiwan International Queer Film Festival, the largest queer film festival in Asia, but after three prints they realized that was not enough: “There was a lack of LGBTQ + content all year round in Taiwan. A physical film festival that lasted for a few days was not the solution, we needed something 24/7. The situation in many Asian countries is still dire, in some, homosexuality is still considered a crime. “We needed to get easier access to LGBTQ + stories to let them know that they are not alone,” said Jay Lin.

GLAAD, Portico Media and Taiwan International Queer Film Festival have partnered several times over the years. The organizations presented the Queermosa Awards in Taiwan based on the GLAAD Media Awards in 2016. The two groups met at GLAAD’s New York office during World Pride in 2019.

Most of GagaOOLala’s catalog will consist of feature films, short films, series and original productions from key Asian regions such as Taiwan (Bao Bao, The Story of the Stone, The Substitute), South Korea (Fantasy of the Girls, Spa Night, Method). , Thailand (Fathers, Love Next Door, Driver) and Japan (West North West, Athlete, Beginning Over), among others. In addition to a special focus on these areas, GagaOOLala will also host the most popular Boy’s Love series such as Dark Blue and Moonlight or 2020 Thanks. Boys’ Love is now a global trend with thousands of followers all over the world of this unique Asian genre and GagaOOLala wants to be the de facto home of this genre.

Key titles the service will include in the coming months include the Thai / Japanese phenomenon Present Perfect, the sequel to Present Still Perfect, the online world premiere of the gay French thriller 7 Minutes, the supernatural trilogy Ghost Boyfriend, and Korean. military themed Black Stone.

In addition to a comprehensive catalog, GagaOOLala has also compiled a list of groundbreaking originals since its inception in 2016. The list includes controversial Sodom’s Cat, one of the first Asian queer movies to depict queer sex, the first series Handsome Stewardess. Starring a lesbian couple, The Teacher is a feature film about a Taiwanese ethics teacher who falls in love with a married man who won the Best Supporting Actress (Winnie Chang) award and was nominated for various Golden Horse Awards (Taiwanese Oscars). More original productions will be released in 2020.

The launch date is no accident: May 2020 marks the first anniversary of Taiwan becoming the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. As part of the Marriage Equality Coalition, GagaOOLala was one of the main institutions pushing for the passage of the law. To commemorate this milestone, the service will also broadcast original Taiwan Equals Love documentary, which traces the island’s path to marriage equality.