CIFF

All Man: The International Male Story

CIFF Streams

April 2, 2023 - April 9, 2023

directed by
Bryan Darling
directed by
Jesse Finley Reed
year
2022
country
USA
runtime
83
closed captions
No
audio description
No
english subtitles
No
film contact
The Film Collaborative

Narrator Matt Bomer (“Magic Mike”) uncovers the story behind International Male, the late-20th-century mail-order catalog that specialized in men’s underwear, helped promote heightened masculinity in modern fashion after decades of glum conformity, and reshaped the popular image of queer male American life. —M.G.


International Male was a mail-order men’s catalog notorious for its male vibrant and boundary-pushing fashion—and the indelible impression it left upon a generation of gay men. At the catalog’s inception, mainstream men’s fashion was firmly confined to traditional masculinity, but International Male changed the game with audacious clothing and eroticized male imagery. Narrated by Matt Bomer, this upbeat and celebratory documentary follows the rise of International Male with commentary from the unlikely batch of creatives and business people who launched it. With the added observations of noted fashion personalities and queer comedians, including Carson Kressley and Drew Droege, ALL MAN: THE INTERNATIONAL MALE STORY shows how International Male caught a wave of gay awakening that led to the modern reaction of gender stereotypes in men’s fashion. —C.F.

Queer Cinema
CIFF47 Streams
Ad Hoc Docs Competition