What do you do when your girlfriend tells you your best friend kisses better than you? That's the premise of the new 35mm short film "41 Sekunden" now showing in festivals all over the world. It's a problem that boys and men throughout the centuries have had to face and it's one that the two friends in the film manage to solve in their own way.

"41 Sekunden"

was written, produced and co-directed by Rodney Sewell in co-operation with Sebastian Keerl Film Production and stars Amir Arul and Alexander Kaffl.

Shot on Super16 by Ralf Schweinböck in the Panther studios in Munich, the actors were directed by Tobias Martin. Compositing in high definition was done by Thomas Waldinger at d-facto motion, the opening titles were designed by award-winning graphic designer Thomas Lippl. Sound design and mix is by Stefan Zaradic of Munich's Zara Productions. ARRI handled the scanning for the Digital Intermediate and the production of the 35mm laser copy.

Thanks to all who gave their time and their talent to the production! You can read the full crew list here.

Rodney’s short film “41 Sekunden”, starring Alexander Kaffl and Amir Arul, finished its run in Germany's Verzaubert Film festival in the 600 seat Kino International Cinema in Berlin on Saturday, December 9th.

The film was selected to open the festival's short film programme and played in Munich, Frankfurt, Cologne and Berlin to more than 2500 festival visitors. Rudi Fürstberger, Director of the Verzaubert Festival

A distribution deal for German-speaking territoriies has been struck with Edition Salzgeber. Distributors in France and the US are showing strong interest in the film.

a packed house in Berlin's Kino International shortly before the final showing of "41 Sekunden" at the Verzaubert Festival

Alexander Kaffl (l) and Amir Arul (r)

described "41 Sekunden" as one of the audience favourites at the festival. "41 Sekunden" has now been officially invited to festivals in Switzerland, the UK, the US and New Zealand.

Alexander Kaffl and Amir Arul shared top billing with Fanny Ardant, Nick Nolte, and Bob Hoskins on March 11th when "41

Meanwhile in Europe, "41 Sekunden" was nominated for the Best Short Film Award at the Pink Apple Film Festival, Switzerland. I was congratulated after the showing by a woman filmmaker who praised the film, saying she really appreciated my "relentless attack on heterosexual male power structures". At last, someone recognised the film's true message! Sadly the thoroughly bourgeois jury decided against "41 Sekunden" and awarded the prize to the US American film "Airplanes". A worthy winner.

"41 Sekunden" will be showing at a second Swiss festival, Festival de la Cité in Lausanne in July.

The southern hemisphere won't be left out - New Zealand's Out Takes Festival screens "41 Sekunden" in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington this southern winter.

Meanwhile across the border, the Canadian Film Centre's Worldwide Short Film Festival in Toronto has chosen "41 Sekunden" for inclusion in its Special Programmes category. The festival is Academy Award® accredited! Is there perhaps a slim chance that actors Alexander Kaffl (above) and Amir Arul will be able to walk out onto the stage of Hollywood's Kodak Theater and thank everyone for everything, especially their mothers?

The Seattle International Film Festival has invited "41 Sekunden" to its prestigious and popular festival in May/June, one of the top five US film festivals. "41 Sekunden" has been nominated in Seattle for both the Jury prize and the Golden Space Needle Audience Award. Programming manager Beth Barrett described "41 Sekunden" as a "perfect film for the festival: funny, glossy and short".

Two of the United States' most important LGBT film festivals, New Fest New York and Frameline San Francisco, have both invited "41 Sekunden"! The New York festival runs from May 31st to June 10th, "41 Sekunden" will be running in a short film programme on June 3rd and June 9th. In San Francisco the film will run on June 23rd at the famous Castro Theatre. Although screening time is 11am, all showings at Castro are sell-outs. Thanks to Michael Lumpkin for booking the film as soon as he saw it!

Sekunden" broke the ice ahead of the omnibus homage to Paris film "Paris je t'aime". Festivalgoers came for Wes Craven, Gus van Sant and Tom Tykwer and got Rodney Sewell and Tobias Martin... Lucky them! The next British outing for "41 Sekunden" is May 31st at the Swansea Bay Film Festival in Wales.

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At the Reggio Film Festival, "41 Sekunden" was a finalist in the Popular Jury Award of the Reggio Film Festival.

The finalists were selected by popular vote from around 70 short films in the open section of the festival.

Reggio is primarily a women's film festival, so it's a great honour to get a new audience for the boys. And one that appreciated Alex and Amir's "alternative machismo".

November 2007 sees "41 Sekunden" screen on three continents. It will even tour four cities in Brazil, but since we don't have enough 35mm prints to fulfill demand, AG Kurzfilm and German Films are helping out by paying for another 35mm print.

Screenings are at the Olympia Film Festival in Washington State, US, the Cucalorus Film Festival in Wilmington, North Carolina, Reeling Chicago Lesbian & Gay International Film Festival, the Long Island Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, US, the Mix Brasil Film Festival of Sexual Diversity, Sao Paolo, Brasilia, Rio de Janiero and Porto Alegre, Brazil and at the 23rd Lesbian and Gay Film Festival Ljubljana, Slovenia

As of April 2009, "41 Seconds", internet viewers had voted "41 Seconds" to the top of the Season 5 Click List of favourite films.

Leading US LGBT distributor Wolfe Video has licensed"41 Sekunden" for DVD distribution in North America. In 2008 more than 4,000 copies of the stunning DVD  compilation "S is for Sexy" were sold. You can buy by clicking on the photo of Alex.

German distributor Edition Salzgeber will re-release "41 Seconds" at the end of May on a compilation DVD of (so-called) "Gay Fun Shorts". It's a pleasure observing different types of audiences

watch "41 Seconds". Str8/mixed audiences laugh.

Lesbians guffaw at the übermacho characters.

Gay male audiences laugh, then get very quiet...

But Amir and Alex do get to headline the cover art.