Film festivals in focus

5 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS AT 

MERLINKA FILM FESTIVAL

12-16 DEC, BELGRADE & NOVI SAD, SERBIA

Serbia｜WARM FILM (2024) dir. Dragan Jovičević

A cinematic investigation into queer traits in Serbian film heritage. Gay men used to be called “warm brothers’ in Serbia, hence the warm title. 

Spain / Bulgaria｜LIUBEN (2023) 

dir. Venci D. Kostov

Victor returns to his conservative Bulgarian mountain village for his grandfather’s funeral and falls for Liuben, the local Roma boy who changes everything.

Iran｜THE ELLIPSIS FIGURE (2024) 

dir. Saeed Heshmati

A religious woman shelters a young girl as a favor to a friend, but soon learns that the girl is secretly undergoing hormone therapy and her family has threatened to kill her.

Portugal｜ CHERRY, PASSION FRUIT (2024) 

dir. Renato José Duque

Deep in a mysterious rainforest, lust tempts a man with love and pain. Will he embrace his haunting desire?

Cuba｜ CALLS FROM MOSCOW (2023) 

dir. Luis Alejandro Yero

Four young queer Cuban exiles talk on their phone in the safety of their Moscow apartment: conversations with loved ones back home, immigrant help line, chats with the filmmaker, lip-sync and everything else. Queer spaces in Russia today. 

MORE HERE

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5 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS AT FESTIVAL MIXBRASIL

13-24 NOV São Paulo, Brazil

📸© Seaside Avenue (2024)

Brazil ｜SEASIDE AVENUE (2024) 

dir. Bernardo Florim, Maju de Paiva

13-year-old Rebeca has just moved to a new town where she finds herself grounded due to neighborhood safety issues. Until one day she spots Mika, a trans girl, and her world cracks open.

Colombia ｜UNLESS WE DANCE (2023)

 dir. Hanz Rippe Gabriele, Fernanda Palencia

The youth of Black Boys Chocó dance to escape a life of crime in Quibdó, the most violent city in Colombia.

Chile ｜CHI(LE)NA (2023) dir. Yoksan Xu

The child of a Chinese immigrant in Chile revisits their relationship with their absent father and reflects on their own identity and relationship with masculinity.

Brazil ｜UNBOWED

dir. Carol Benjamin, Ana do Carmo, Julia

Katharine, Luh Maza, Tais Amordivino

An anthology of four shorts adapted from stories written by Brazilian women at the end of the 20th century. 

The Philippines / Singapore｜SOME NIGHTS I FEEL LIKE WALKING (2024) 

dir. Petersen Vargas

A band of street hustlers brave the dark corners of the Manila outskirts to fulfill their friend’s dying wish: to take his body home.

MORE HERE

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5 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS 

at the 15th DOC NYC ｜NY, USA 

13-21 NOV in-person / 13 NOV-1 DEC online

📸© almadeldesierto_film

Colombia / Brazil｜SOUL OF THE DESERT  (2024) dir. Mónica Taboada-Tapia

Georgina, a transgender Indigenous Wayúu woman in her early seventies on a journey across the desert to find the family and tribe that rejected her. 

Uruguay / Argentina｜BAD REPUTATION 

dir. Marta García & Sol Infante

A candid portrait of Karina, a charismatic sex worker, a feminist, and activist who works to establish a union for sex workers in Uruguay. 

South Korea / USA｜BETWEEN GOODBYES (2024) dir. Jota Mun

Mieke, a queer Korean adoptee raised in the Netherlands, reunites with her birth mother in Seoul. Regrets and ambiguous feelings rise - and a glimpse of a life lived elsewhere. 

Canada｜ANY OTHER WAY: THE JACKIE SHANE STORY 

dir. Michael Mabbott & Lucah Rosenberg-Lee

The untold story of groundbreaking trans soul singer Jackie Shane - the struggles, the talent, and unmistakable voice. 

France｜ LOOKING FOR SIMONE (2024) 

dir. Nathalie Masduraud, Valérie Urréa

The portrait of the brilliance and limitations of Simone de Beauvoir’s groundbreaking work The Second Sex (1949), the “bible of feminism” about women’s oppression and second-class citizenship. 

MORE HERE

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5 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS 

at the 21st Verzió Human Rights 

Documentary Film Festival

6-16 NOV BUDAPEST, HUNGARY 

📸© Libuše Jarcovjáková

Czech Republic｜I'M NOT EVERYTHING I WANT TO BE (2024)

 dir. Klára Tasovská

Photo and video archives chart the cathartic artistic and personal journey of brilliant queer Czech photographer Libuše Jarcovjáková in Cold War Europe. 

Germany, Cameroon｜CODE OF FEAR (2023) 

dir. Appolain Siewe

Following the gruesome murder of Cameroonian queer rights activist Eric Lembembe in 2013, the director sets out to understand the root causes of homophobia in his home country. 

Italy｜FRAGMENTS OF A LIFE LOVED (2023) 

dir. Chloé Barreau

Thirty years in the life of the filmmaker as told via interviews she made with her former lovers. A video diary about memory and love. 

Poland ｜SUCH FEELING (2024) 

dir. Alex Baczyński-Jenkins

A film about five queer friends making it in queer-unfriendly Poland. Performances, protests, mundane moments intertwine with conversations about life, happiness, and dreams. 

USA, France｜QUEENDOM (2023) 

dir. Agniia Galdanova 

An arresting portrait of queer Russian artist and activist Gena Marvin who stages provocative drag performances in public assuming an ethereal persona complete with surreal outfits and wild courage. 

MORE HERE

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5 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS 

at the 17th Beijing Queer Film Festival

1-11 NOVEMBER, BEIJING, CHINA

📸© FLYING FISH, Mengmeng Ming

UK｜LOVE BOUND: A CHINESE QUEER STORY (2024) dir. Shanshan Chen

This powerful documentary follows the journey of Chinese LGBTQ+ activist Qiuyan Chen who called out homophobic university textbooks, was subjected to conversion therapy, and  eventually forced to flee. QUEER NEW VOICES｜NOV 9

China / UK｜FLYING FISH (2024) 

dir. Mengmeng Ming

Photo archives and fictional narratives reveal a complex journey of self-discovery and gender identity in this contemplative short. Program: BEAUTY IN TRANS｜NOV 10

Taiwan｜FIRST CRUSH (2024)

dir. Yu-Hsuan Liu

Taiwan's first BL (boy love) musical, this nostalgic musical gem is a melodic journey down memory lane resplendent with school crushes, doubts and lots of singing. Program: LOVE IN LOVE｜NOV 2

Greece｜AVANT-DRAG! (2024) 

dir. Fil Ieropoulos

An electrifying portrait of ten drag artists in Athens who problematise issues of gender, identity, nationalism, transphobia, and so much more. Heels and glamour guaranteed! Program: QUEER NEW VOICES｜NOV 10

China｜LOVE IS A BOOK (2024) 

dir. Yuqing Lai

This dreamy queer short follows two love stories about lovers connecting - body and soul and clashing with urgent realities. 

Program: A BIT ABSTRACT｜ NOV 2

Image © FLYING FISH, dir. Mengmeng Ming

MORE HERE

   5 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS 

at the Taiwan Queer Film Festival

17-27 OCTOBER, TAIPEI, TAIWAN

📸©  AMPHIBIAN, Jie Zhang

Indonesia SARA (2023) dir. Ismail Basbeth 

A trans woman returns to her village after 20 years and must do the unthinkable to console her mother after the passing of her husband. 

Taiwan UNOFFICIAL HISTORY OF TIME (2023) 

dir. Teng Kun Hou

A young woman’s teen love resurfaces every time she passes by Wufu Road, the place of her childhood, her nickname, and her secret love.

China AMPHIBIAN (2023) dir. Jie Zhang

Four Chinese trans queens navigate a transient life of resilience, shifting identities, and tough realities.

Australia SATRANIC PANIC (2023) 

dir. Alice Maio Mackay

After the brutal murder of his lover, a young man embarks on a blood-soaked journey of vengeance with the help of trans queen Aria.

Hong Kong ALL SHALL BE WELL (2024) 

dir. Ray Yeung

A sensitive yet sobering look at LGBTQ+ realities without legal protections, and the cultural and family dynamics that often fail the test of being truly queer-inclusive. 

Image © AMPHIBIAN  dir. Jie Zhang

FULL LINEUP HERE

10-22 OCT NEW YORK, USA

Founded in 1988, NewFest is New York’s largest presenter of LGBTQ+ film & media and convener of LGBTQ+ audiences in NYC.

5 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS AT NEWFEST

Georgia | Germany GONDOLA (2023) 

dir. Veit Helmer

Two gondola (cable car) attendants pass one another every day until they fall wordlessly in love

Morocco | France CABO NEGRO (2024) 

dir. Abdellah Taïa

Two gay youths from Casablanca spend the summer in the chill beach town Cabo Negro at the villa rented by an American lover who does not show up. An ambiguous and sexy thriller from Morocco.  

Greece LESVIA dir. Tzeli Hadjidimitriou

This expansive documentary chronicles 40 years of lesbian identity and conflict between visitors and locals in a small village on the Greek island of Lesvos.

China | USA MANTING (2024) dir. Shuyao Chen 

Manting, a Chinese woman in her 60s, reconnects with the lesbian lover from her adolescence, and they spend a night roaming in the city. Part of SHORTS: Love Is Stronger Than Shame

UK LAYLA (2024) dir. Amrou Al-Kadhi This Sundance sensation follows a British-Palestinian drag performer whose new beau causes them to face pivotal decisions about their identity and how to best honor their true self in front of their friends and family.

FULL LINEUP HERE

GlobalQueerCinema is proud to be the COMMUNITY PARTNER of 

NewFest36!

10-22 October, 2024, New York, US

FOR DISCOUNT CODES

DM us on Instagram  or email us at info@globalqueercinema.com

THIS IS BALLROOM / Salão De Baile (2024) 

dir. Juru and Vitã 

Submerge into the pulsating heart of the vibrant ballroom scene in the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. This electric documentary captures the unique energy of the ballroom scene in the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro  which bursts with the same explosive energy that propelled the ballroom scene during its early days in New York City. Directed by locally immersed artists Juru and Vitã, this stimulating experience will have you “holding that pose” throughout a euphoric musical and cinematic journey. (NewFest)

FULL LINEUP 

🌎🏳️‍🌈🎥

GlobalQueerCinema is proud to be the COMMUNITY PARTNER of 

NewFest36!

10-22 October, 2024, New York, USA

FOR DISCOUNT CODES

DM us on Instagram  or email us at info@globalqueercinema.com

LESVIA (2024)

dir. Tzeli Hadjidimitriou

This expansive documentary chronicles 40 years of lesbian identity and conflict between visitors and locals in a small village on the Greek island of Lesvos. Since the 1970s, lesbians from around the world have been drawn to the Greek island of Lesvos, birthplace of the ancient Greek poet Sappho. Chronicling 40-plus years of lesbian communion, this documentary reveals that what once seemed like paradise is actually simmering with tensions between the visitors and the local residents. (NewFest)

FULL LINEUP 

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10-13 OCT  BERLIN, GERMANY

Soura Film Festival is a queer film festival that showcases films and talents from the SWANA region (Southwest Asia and North Africa).

Palestine BLOOD LIKE WATER (2023) 

dir. Dima Hamdan

A young Palestinian man's secret affair drags his family into a trap of impossible moral and ethical dilemma. Part of SHORTS 3: Displaced Bodies - Focus on Palestine

Turkey BLUE ID (2022) 

dir. Burcu Melekoğlu, Vuslat Karan

This documentary follows the transition of Rüzgar Erkoçlar, a transgender man, as he navigates  the private and public challenges of his gender affirmation.

Iran | Canada SUMMER WITH HOPE (2022) 

dir. Sadaf Foroughi

Forbidden emotions and cultural taboos as a young swimmer and his coach tackle their complex relationship. A summer of passion and repression in Iran. 

Tunisia CONDITIONAL DESIRE (2023) 

dir. Houcem Slouli

Ahmed and Salma marry for convenience to pursue their passions with secret lovers. A poignant study of identity, love, and authenticity amid societal constraints. / Part of SHORTS 5: Desire Will Set You Free

Palestine | Lebanon MEA CULPA (2024) 

dir. Patrick Tass

A moving exploration of national and sexual identity as the filmmaker explores his complex relationship with his mother, his Palestinian-Belgian identity and his sexuality.

FULL LINEUP HERE