Queer Resilience (shorts)
LOVESTORY (John Mark Fitzpatrick, 2022, 3’32”)
A gay fairy tale that defies the supposedly dark perception of male sexuality. A dreamy fetish romance that includes shame, love at first sight, confrontation with authority and plenty of colourful socks.
AFTERIMAGES (Karol Radziszewski, 2018, 15’)
A short story about a photographic film from the archive of Ryszard Kisiel that both tells Kisiel's personal story and paints a portrait of the gay scene in late-Communist Poland.
A short story about a photographic film from the archive of Ryszard Kisiel that both tells Kisiel's personal story and paints a portrait of the gay scene in late-Communist Poland.
WHAT IS A WOMAN? (Marin Håskjol, 2020, 14’12”)
When a trans woman enters a female locker room, a heated discussion erupts with different women defending their visions of womanhood. Håskjol’s film is based on (vehement) social media posts that address the position of trans and non-binary people.
When a trans woman enters a female locker room, a heated discussion erupts with different women defending their visions of womanhood. Håskjol’s film is based on (vehement) social media posts that address the position of trans and non-binary people.
TERROR SISTERS! (Alexis Langlois, 2019, 28’)
Trans people become terrorists in Alexis Langlois’ comic, over-the-top story about violence as a necessary evil in the struggle for rights. Not for the faint-hearted or the politically correct: Langlois’ pulp characters are not at all cuddly – it’s a hell of a trip.
Trans people become terrorists in Alexis Langlois’ comic, over-the-top story about violence as a necessary evil in the struggle for rights. Not for the faint-hearted or the politically correct: Langlois’ pulp characters are not at all cuddly – it’s a hell of a trip.
STARFUCKERS (Antonio Marziale, 2022, 15’)
Drag as a creative means of subverting the power structures of the commercial film world. The drag queen as an alter ego – performed with impressive meticulousness – renegotiating their place in a patriarchal society.
Drag as a creative means of subverting the power structures of the commercial film world. The drag queen as an alter ego – performed with impressive meticulousness – renegotiating their place in a patriarchal society.
For the Eye Filmmuseum in Amsterdam, I compiled a programme of experimental short films that explore a part of the LGBTQIA+ range.
I believe our community deserves to claim a narrative that might be painful, yet raises relevant questions and ignites conversations.
I chose works that depict characters with complex emotional landscapes, people who had to rethink gender roles and sexuality and might even decide to use it as a weapon.
Either by finding their own aesthetics or heavily subverting the established film genres, each of these works are an unabashed statement of who we are as queer people.
Ljubljana LGBT Film Festival
Photo: Tara Dobravec
I was honoured to be a part of international the jury of the 38th (!) Ljubljana LGBT Film Festival. After watching a selection of wonderful films we unequivocally chose Três Tigres Tristes (Gustavo Vinagre, 2022) to be this year's winner.
The LGBTQ+ community has always challenged the norms of society. The same goes for artists who challenge the norms in art. The people who brought to life Três Tigres Tristes manage, in addition to this, to challenge the queer community and the boxes we still put ourselves in.
Três Tigres Tristes leaves behind categories and creates a new sense of unison. We follow the individuals and witness them forming spontaneous temporary communities. In an atmosphere of lurking adversity, the characters react to the political reality thrown at them. They are in fact activists, simply by living, by being.
The film functions through fluidity, also in terms of characters and storytelling. Although the script gives us an impression of linearity, it functions like our mind, jumping from place to place, story to story.
Yet, the audience is never lost but is taken along in this kaleidoscope of impressions. The film forms a coherent picture, a cosy bubble for us to relate to.
Yet, the audience is never lost but is taken along in this kaleidoscope of impressions. The film forms a coherent picture, a cosy bubble for us to relate to.
Três Tigres Tristes shows us a queer community that is beyond asking for acceptance. We can be an integral part of our society by simply being ourselves.
The film invites us not only to create a new future, but to redefine our present. Our times are fluid, our times are non-binary, our times are queer!
Uroš Goričan (producer and screenwriter)
Sina Früh (artistic co-director of Pink Apple queer film festival)
Iztok Klančar (filmmaker and teacher)
Sina Früh (artistic co-director of Pink Apple queer film festival)
Iztok Klančar (filmmaker and teacher)