Peter Murimi's I Am Samuel, part of the 35th BFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival March 17-28th 2021, is an intimate portrait of Samuel, who lives in Nairobi, Kenya, and his partner Alex. Shot in verité style, the documentary opens with footage of the two men visiting a beauty spot, a waterfall in a forest,... Continue Reading →
Graham Kolbeins' documentary, Queer Japan, is packed with accounts of experiences and ideas from members of the LGBTQ community in Japan, the result of more than 100 interviews over three years. It gives insight into the lives of interesting and unconventional people who are challenging social norms for themselves and others. For all its outward... Continue Reading →
This year's London Film Festival has a larger-than-usual array of short films, all free to watch online in the UK until Sunday October 18th via BFI Player. Here are some favourites so far. Dungarees. Courtesy of LFF. Dungarees, written and directed by Abel Rubinstein, is a 5-minute 3-hander (now there's a phrase to conjure with)... Continue Reading →
Carmilla, with its themes of sexuality, isolation, fear of and fascination with of the other, is an intense Gothic pleasure. The story works on many levels, and at its heart is a trio - a love triangle - of women representing innocence, awakening sexuality, and repression. The action is set in late eighteenth-century rural England,... Continue Reading →
Shirley, directed by Josephine Decker, is a thrilling psychodrama based on a novel by Susan Scarf Merrell; nominated for the Teddy at this year's Berlinale it now arrives in the UK at the BFI LFF. Starring Elisabeth Moss in the title role, who also produced, it's the tale of Shirley Jackson, a renowned horror writer... Continue Reading →
Update: I Am Samuel will be available to stream for free across Canada from February 18-22 and a Q+A will follow screening. Tickets are free and must be reserved in advance through Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema website. Peter Murimi's I Am Samuel, which has its European premiere at the London Film Festival on October... Continue Reading →
The 64th BFI London Film Festival (LFF) runs from October 7th-18th, and like many other festivals, Covid-19 restrictions mean that it's taking a different form this year. Given current circumstances the 2020 programme offers a reduced number of feature films, just 58, plus collections of short films and experimenta, but with an expanded reach across... Continue Reading →
The concept of award-winning poet Oakley Flanagan's debut play, produced by the female and LGBTQIA+ led OPIA Collective in partnership with Gendered Intelligence, This Queer House was intriguing. The press blurb tempted me in: "A young queer couple inherit a home. A joint renovation project begins. A restless house gathers strength." I immediately wondered about... Continue Reading →
My Dads, My Moms and Me follows three Canadian families as they navigate the world of LGBTQ parenthood. Documentary filmmaker, Julia Ivanova, initially filmed her subjects in 2007, returning 12 years later to capture the families’ lives as they go through the tween to teen years of their children. In 2005, Canada was the first... Continue Reading →
Graham Kolbeins' documentary, Queer Japan, is packed with accounts of experiences and ideas from members of the LGBTQ community in Japan, the result of more than 100 interviews over three years. It gives insight into the lives of interesting and unconventional people who are challenging social norms for themselves and others. For all its outward... Continue Reading →
