Queer Lisboa starts today in S. Jorge with ‘Diamantino’
The exhibition of ‘Diamantino’ by Gabriel Abrantes and Daniel Schmidt, today in São Jorge cinema, marks the opening of the 22nd edition of Queer Lisboa festival, ‘one of the most socially committed, politically and culturally’ ever.
HIV / AIDS in the cinema, migration and fashion are among the themes highlighted in this edition, which runs until September 22 and which, according to the organization, is “perhaps one of the most socially committed politically, but also culturally, of the your story”.
The various competitions – feature films, documentaries, Queer Art, short films and ‘In My Shorts’ – include films focusing on themes such as’ migrations, drugs, different religious expressions, post-porn, specific issues related to individuals intersex, transgender, new virtual realities, discovery of sexuality, feminism and revisions of historical figures or events of queer culture.
This year, the festival presents films from 32 countries, the United States being the most represented, with 27 films, followed by Brazil, with 15, among which ‘Bixa Travesty’ by Claudia Priscilla and Kiko Goifman, closing the festival, France, with 14, and the United Kingdom with 10.
Portugal is represented with eight films, one of which was chosen for the opening session.
For the thousand-euro feature film prize, ‘And Breathe Normally’ by Andið Eðlilega and Ísold Uggadóttir, ‘Azougue Nazaré’ by Tiago Melo, ‘Blue my Mind’ by Lisa Brühlmann, ‘Los Días The Darkest Days of Us ‘by Astrid Rondero,’ Girl ‘by Lukas Dhont,’ Marilyn ‘by Martín Rodríguez Redondo,’ Sauvage ‘by Camille Vidal-Naquet, and’ Hard Paint / Hard Paint ‘by Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon.
The € 1,500 short film prize for the purchase of the film’s rights to display the film by RTP2 is disputed by 23 films, among which Carolina Markowicz’s “O Orrão”, who won Palau Queer in May Cannes Film Festival in France.
From the documentary competition, with a prize of three thousand euros, for the purchase of the rights to the exhibition of the film by RTP2, there are eight films, and ‘In my shorts’, with a prize of 400 euros in video equipment , include ten films from students of European film schools, and Queer Art includes eight films.
This edition includes the program ‘The virus-cinema: cinema queer and HIV / Aids’, which brings together a film series, an exhibition – which opens on Saturday at the FOCO gallery and includes works by Christophe dos Santos, Fernanda Feher, João Gabriel Marta Pombo and Rui Palma – and the launch of a book of essays.
As part of a partnership with ModaLisboa and the DocLisboa festival, QueerLisboa will anticipate the 51st edition of the Lisbon Fashion Week, which will take place in October, with the presentation of three documentaries: ‘We Margiela’ (2017), ‘Kevyn Aucoin – Beauty & the Beast in Me’ (2017) and ‘George Michael: Freedom – Director’s Cut’ (2018).
The Queer Pop sessions, dedicated to music, will focus on Janelle Monáe and Eurovision, and the documentary ‘Punk Voyage’ on the Finnish band Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät will also be on show.
The program of the festival also includes the workshop ‘Queer lives in the story of interactive history’, by the director Rob Eagle, and the presentation of the book ‘Queerquivo – Portuguese LGBT archive’, by the playwright and director André Murraças.
The program is divided between Cinema São Jorge and Cinemateca Portuguesa.
