There’s a delightfully wide range of queer films available this October at the international Iris Prize Film Festival and the BFI London Film Festival (LFF) too.
If you can‘t attend at either Cardiff or London’s Southbank, theres a lot being offered by both festivals online.
Here are my highlights: first at the LFF, which runs October 4-15.
Housekeeping For Beginners tells the story of a queer Macedonian woman who goes to drastic means to hold her makeshift family together following a tragedy. The Queen Of My Dreams is set against the backdrop of grief and obsession with Bollywood fantasy films. A queer Canadian/Pakistani and her mother experience their coming of age across two eras.
Set in the wake of a destructive typhoon, Asog is a witty combination of road movie and documentary-drama that’s a marvel of trans cinema. All Of Us Strangers has star actors Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal in a story that focuses on screenwriter Adam, who strikes up an intimate relationship with mysterious neighbour Harry.
I Am Sirat follows a trans woman living a double life as a man in New Delhi. Queer sisterhood and collective power lie at the heart of Power Alley, in which a promising volleyball player faces an unwanted pregnancy in Brazil. Two young men find love in a hopeless place – a youth correction facility – in Zeno Graton’s powerful directorial debut in The Lost Boys.
More details and tickets HERE
The 17th Iris Prize International Film Festival is held in Cardiff from October 10-15. It’s the biggest and best LGBTQ+ festival that always delivers the goods. This year it has 50 short films, 12 features and talks, including from It’s A Sin and Doctor Who creator Russell T Davies.
Some 35 international short films are competing for the £30,000 Iris Prize, supported by the Michael Bishop Foundation. Festival Director Berwyn Rowlands said: “One of the USPs of Iris is that 30% of our audience identify as straight. We hope however you identify, if you love films and love a good story, you’ll join us.”
From October 11-31 some elements of the festival are online. In the UK all 35 international shorts are available plus the 15 Best British Shorts. A full online pass for £45 gets you all those plus some extras, including the wonderful comedy Cardiff, starring the late Ruth Madoc.
If you missed The Queen Of My Dreams at LFF, it’s screened here too. Femme is a hard-hitting feature, telling the harrowing tale of Jules, who is violently attacked by a gang of young men, whose ringleader is Preston. The homophobic attack causes Jules to retreat into himself until a chance encounter with Preston points him in the direction of revenge.
Captain Faggotron Saves The Universe features a young priest intent on denying his homosexuality, but he’s not doing a very good job. Meanwhile, his alien ex-lover plots to turn the Earth into a homosexual planet. Sounds whackily hilarious. Norwegian Dream is about Queer love in a fish factory, and finally Eismayer deals with a strict disciplinarian vice-lieutenant training army recruits in Austria, who falls in love with one of his recruits.
Tickets including online passes HERE. Look out for reviews in Scene.