GagaOOLala

Portico Media is one of the co-founders of the Taiwan International Queer Film Festival and was in charge of the organization of the festival during its first three editions (2014, 2015, 2016). However, Jay Lin still found the film festival experience limiting regarding the availability of LGBT content for Asian audiences and decided to establish Asia's first LGBT-streaming platform, GagaOOLala. GagaOOLala was first launched in Taiwan on November 11, 2016.{{cite web |title=酷兒線上影音平台 11/11開台營運 |url=https://tw.news.yahoo.com/%E9%85%B7%E5%85%92%E7%B7%9A%E4%B8%8A%E5%BD%B1%E9%9F%B3%E5%B9%B3%E5%8F%B0-11-11%E9%96%8B%E5%8F%B0%E7%87%9F%E9%81%8B-125604462.html |website=Yahoo News |date=November 10, 2016 |accessdate=1 August 2019}} Its first expansion into the Asian market took place with the launch in the 10 countries that conform ASEAN in Southeast Asia on April 28, 2017.{{cite web |last1=Power |first1=Shannon |title=Forget Netflix, there's a new Asian streaming service that's 100% LGBTI |url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/forget-netflix-theres-new-streaming-service-100-lgbti/#gs.ux6qbi |website=Gay Star News |date=July 21, 2017 |accessdate=8 August 2019}} On May 13, 2018, GagaOOLala was launched in Hong Kong and Macau.{{cite web |title=GagaOOLala LGBTI Film Platform launches in Hong Kong |url=http://www.dimsum-hk.com/gagaoolala-lgbt-film-platform-launches-in-hong-kong/ |website=Dim Sum |accessdate=8 August 2019}} On June 14, 2019, the streaming service started operations in all of South Asia. The company made the announcement together with a distribution tie-in with KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival.{{cite web |title=LGBT film streaming platform GagaOOLala launched in India |url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/lgbt-film-streaming-platform-gagaoolala-launched-india-103613 |website=The NEWS Minute |date=June 14, 2019 |accessdate=12 August 2019}} On May 15, 2020, GagaOOLala became available globally.

On October 28, 2016, GagaOOLala celebrated the first ever Queermosa Gala, an award ceremony "to bring broad media visibility to the people and companies working hard to have LGBT voices heard in Taiwan." The ceremony was supported by GLAAD.{{cite web |last1=Wang |first1=Holly |title=Queermosa just celebrated Taiwan's first-ever LGBTQ awards ceremon |url=https://www.glaad.org/blog/photos-queermosa-just-celebrated-taiwans-first-ever-lgbtq-awards-ceremony |website=GLAAD |date=October 28, 2016 |accessdate=12 August 2019}} Among the first year winner's were television host Dee Hsu, singer A-Mei and rights activist Chi Chia-wei.{{cite web |last1=van Aswegen |first1=Albertus |title=Taiwan holds first ever LGBTI awards |url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/taiwan-holds-first-ever-lgbti-awards/#gs.vvypxi |website=Gay Star News |date=October 30, 2016 |accessdate=12 August 2019}}

During the Taipei Pride celebrations of 2018, GagaOOLala, GagaTai and LalaTai organized together with the Singaporean fashion photographer Leslie Kee the photography exhibition Out in Taiwan. The project was composed of black-and-white portraits of LGBTQ people living in Taiwan in order to humanize the LGBT community.{{cite web |last1=Thomas |first1=Cat |title=Out in Taiwan: Standing for Equality with Fashion Photographer Leslie Kee |url=https://international.thenewslens.com/article/106835 |website=The NewsLens |date=October 25, 2018 |accessdate=12 August 2019}}

GagaOOLala is also one of the five founding members of the Marriage Equality Coalition Taiwan, one of the main LGBT rights group in Taiwan.{{cite web |title=婚姻平權大平台的出生與成長 |url=http://equallove.tw/about |website=Marriage Equality Coalition Taiwan |accessdate=12 August 2019}} The organization was one of the main driving forces behind the passing of the same-sex marriage law in Taiwan on May 17, 2019, making it the first country in Asia.{{cite news |last1=Aspinwall |first1=Nick |title=Taiwan becomes first in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/taiwan-becomes-first-country-in-asia-to-legalize-same-sex-marriage/2019/05/17/d60e511e-7893-11e9-bd25-c989555e7766_story.html?noredirect=on |newspaper=The Washington Post |accessdate=12 August 2019}}

In a 2019 interview, Jay Lin, CEO of GagaOOLala, revealed the story behind the name: "Lala' and 'gaga' are slang terms for lesbian and gay in Chinese. The 'oo' comes from the French 'ou' which means 'or'".{{cite web |last1=Tegdes |first1=Péter |title='Our goal with the films is to raise awareness to our community – Interview with Jay Lin, founder of 'gay Netflix' |url=https://humenonline.hu/our-goal-with-the-films-is-to-raise-awareness-to-our-community-interview-with-jay-lin-founder-of-gay-netflix/ |website=Humen |date=July 29, 2019 |accessdate=8 August 2019}}

The platform currently hosts more than 1,000 LGBT titles including feature films, shorts, documentaries, and series worldwide but with a focus on Asian queer cinema.{{cite web |last1=Lang |first1=Nico |title=Taiwan's First LGBTQ Streaming Service Is Preparing to Take Over Asia. Is Asia Ready? |url=https://www.intomore.com/culture/taiwans-first-lgbtq-streaming-service-is-preparing-to-take-over-asia-is-asia-ready |website=Into |date=November 22, 2018 |accessdate=1 August 2019}} It is the home for the films of international queer directors like Zero Chou, Simon Chung, Kit Hung, Stanley Kwan, Scud, Cui Zi'en, Loo Zihan, Yonfan, Marco Berger, Antony Hickling{{cite web | url=https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4061/down-in-paris-2021 | title=Down in Paris - Watch Online | GagaOOLala - Find Your Story }} or Joselito Altarejos, and the distributor in Asia of international hit titles like Blue is the Warmest Color, Moonlight, Front Cover or Weekend.

GagaOOLala has produced original content since its launch date. In 2016, they produced Ting-Chun Huang short film Sodom's Cat, one of the first R-rated queer stories from the island's filmography.{{cite web |last1=Villareal |first1=Daniel |title=This Explicit Film About a Group Hookup Marks a Major Shift in Taiwanese Gay Film |url=https://hornet.com/stories/sodoms-cat/ |website=Hornet |date=April 12, 2018 |accessdate=1 August 2019}} The film was selected at that year's Outfest, Frameline and nominated to the Iris Prize.{{cite web |title=Sodom's Cat |url=https://www.irisprize.org/film/sodoms-cat/ |website=Iris Prize}}

The next year, 2017, GagaOOLala produced its first feature film, Tale of the Lost Boys, by Filipino director Joselito Altarejos. The film, a Taiwanese-Filipino cross-cultural story that tackles issues of sexuality and self-identity, was awarded Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Office Award at Sinag Maynila Film Festival.{{cite web |title='Tale of the Lost Boys,' Allen Dizon lead all winners in Sinag Maynila festival awards |url=http://www.interaksyon.com/entertainment/2018/03/12/122325/tale-of-the-lost-boys-allen-dizon-lead-all-winners-in-sinag-maynila-festival-awards/ |website=Interakyson |date=March 12, 2018 |accessdate=1 August 2019}} That same year, the platform also commissioned its first original series Queer Taiwan, an episodic documentary about the circumstances that have made of Taiwan a beacon for LGBT rights in Asia and, eventually, the first country in the continent to legalize same-sex marriage.{{cite web |last1=Hollingsworth |first1=Julia |title=Taiwan legalizes same-sex marriage in historic first for Asia |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2019/05/17/asia/taiwan-same-sex-marriage-intl/index.html |website=CNN |date=May 17, 2019 |accessdate=1 August 2019}} The first season focused on four main topics in Taiwan: religion and the marriage equality movement, the drag culture, sex and disability, and surrogacy.{{cite web |last1=Yang |first1=William |title=Queer Taiwan: Facilitate Mutual Understanding through a Queer Lens |url=https://www.ketagalanmedia.com/2018/01/21/queer-taiwan-fostering-deeper-understanding-lgbtq-issues-queer-lens/ |website=Ketagalan Media |date=January 22, 2018 |accessdate=1 August 2019}}

In 2018, Queer Taiwan was renewed for a second season and re-branded as Queer Asia. The move to four new different territories (Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan and Vietnam), "to highlight the steep cultural differences in Asia within the LGBT community".{{cite web |last1=Lin |first1=Jay |title=The Origins of 'Queer Asia': The First International LGBTQ Docuseries in Asia |url=https://international.thenewslens.com/article/107631 |website=International News Lens |date=November 6, 2018 |accessdate=2 August 2019}}

In 2024, GagaOOLala unveiled their first co-production with Japanese broadcaster TV Tokyo on yaoi manga adaptation "At 25:00, in Akasaka;" the series will be premiere simultaneously with the Japanese broadcast.{{cite press release |title=GagaOOLala, TV Tokyo Launch "At 25:00, in Akasaka", Fusing Gay/BL Drama and Taiwan-Japan Friendship |url= https://www.porticomediacenter.com/press-releases/en/o98vtke3p37os2nehxnn0dk6ml9o7k-yxfry-xg2xk-8wljh-pzk98-njbxg |website=Portico Media Center |date=March 13, 2024 |access-date=March 28, 2024}}

In March 2019, GagaOOLala launched GOL STUDIOS, a crowd-sourcing platform to assist in the production and distribution of LGBT content around the world. GOL STUDIOS is open to all filmmakers, where they can upload any projects they are working on, request resources, and connect with other film professionals. The platform will bring more original content into GagaOOLala. In its first year, GOL STUDIOS commissioned 11 projects that will be released in 2020. Among the selected projects are Hong Kong independent film director Kit Hung's latest project Forever 17, a Zero Chou's new film and series, and the surrogacy-themed documentary Made in Boise, that will premiere in the second half of 2019 at Independent Lens on PBS.{{cite web |last1=Shackleton |first1=Liz |title=Filmart: Asian LGBTQ platform launches production initiative |url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/filmart-asian-lgbtq-platform-launches-production-initiative/5137709.article |website=Screen Daily |accessdate=5 August 2019}}{{cite web |title=MADE IN BOISE |url=http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/films/made-in-boise/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190628072333/http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/films/made-in-boise/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 28, 2019 |website=PBS |accessdate=5 August 2019}}

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/home GagaOOLala official site]
• [https://gol-studios.com/en GOL STUDIOS official site]

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Category:Internet properties established in 2016

Category:Mass media companies established in 2016

Category:Entertainment companies established in 2016

Category:Taiwanese companies established in 2016

Category:Awards established in 2016

Category:Companies based in Taipei

Category:Video on demand

Category:LGBTQ film awards

Category:LGBTQ-related mass media in Asia