Following the world premiere of Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor's poignant and romantic debut feature Dreamers at the 75th Berlinale, the Berlin International Film Festival, where it was in competition for the prestigious queer film Teddy Award, its lead actors Ronkę Adékoluęjo and Ann Akinjirin speak exclusively with The Queer Review's editor James Kleinmann. Loosely based on Gharoro-Akpojotor's... Continue Reading →
SAPPH-O-RAMA! A 30 film exploration of the lesbian image in cinema runs at NYC’s Film Forum February 2nd – 13th
SAPPH-O-RAMA, a 30-film series exploring the eccentric, enduring, and genre-encompassing history of the lesbian image in cinema runs at New York City's Film Forum from Friday, February 2nd through Tuesday, February 13th, 2024. This swoon-worthy celebration of the sapphic canon—groundbreaking, cult favorite, or under-seen selections from the silent era to present day—includes films by Dorothy... Continue Reading →
Theatre Review: Merry Me (New York Theatre Workshop) ★★★★
Playwright Hansol Jung and veteran Tony-nominated director Leigh Silverman reunite, following their collaborations on Cardboard Piano and Wild Goose Dreams, to create an evening of queer bliss with the hilarious lesbian sex comedy Merry Me running at New York Theatre Workshop until Sunday, November 19th. Jung's new play brings together Restoration comedy, Greek theatre, and... Continue Reading →
MQFF33 Film Review: Isla’s Way ★★★1/2
Isla Roberts is what you would call "a character". The octogenarian at the heart of the loving documentary Isla’s Way, is quick with a joke and a raucous laugh, but as the camera lingers and director Marion Pilowsky pushes, it becomes clearer why we are here. Pilowsky doesn’t just want to hear Isla recount her... Continue Reading →
Exclusive Interview: Chuck Chuck Baby filmmaker Janis Pugh & star Louise Brealey “these are voices that we don’t often hear”
British writer-director Janis Pugh's remarkable sophomore narrative feature Chuck Chuck Baby, which received its North American premiere at last month's 48th Toronto International Film Festival is a celebration of love between working class women in all its forms with a infectious carpe diem spirit. In industrial North Wales, we meet thirty-something Helen (Louise Brealey) who... Continue Reading →
Two NYC galleries present Queer Love: Affection & Romance in Contemporary Art
Explorations of intimate queer relationships by 48 LGBTQIA+ artists are currently on show at a two-part New York exhibition at Lehman College Art Gallery in the Bronx and La MaMa Galleria in Lower Manhattan. Queer Love: Affection & Romance in Contemporary Art presents paintings, photographs, sculpture, video, and multimedia works that celebrate queer carnality, camaraderie,... Continue Reading →
Mardi Gras Film Festival 2023 Review: The Origin of Evil (L’origine du mal) ★★★★
Situations spiral out of control and the classes clash in the juicy lesbian drama, The Origin of Evil (L'origine du mal). Money, murder, and the design choices of the nouveau riche fill the screen in this darkly comic-thriller. Stéphane (a wonderful performance by Call My Agent’s Laure Calamy) works in a factory, packaging anchovies all... Continue Reading →
Theatre Review: CAMP (Seymour Centre, Sydney) ★★★1/2
CAMP, a new play by Elias Jamieson Brown, chronicles the rise of the Australian Pride movement through the women who fought through their pain and losses to win us the freedoms we enjoy today. It’s a decades spanning tale, elevating Australia’s own Gay Liberation story, just in time for Sydney WorldPride 2023. Sydney, in the... Continue Reading →
Theatre Review: Blessed Union (Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney) ★★★★★
There’s a simple pleasure to be had in sitting back and watching everything on stage being done well. Belvoir’s new queer family dramedy, Blessed Union, is seamlessly terrific. Funny, emotive, and probing. Flawless. No notes. I could end the review here, but obviously I won't... Ruth (Danielle Cormack) and Judith (Maude Davey) have always upheld... Continue Reading →
Mardi Gras Film Festival 2023 Review: The Venus Effect (Venuseffekten) ★★★1/2
Danish lesbian romantic drama, The Venus Effect (Venuseffekten), closes out Queer Screen's 30th Mardi Gras Film Festival with subtle charm. This gentle story is a sexy and sweet treat to round off an excellent 2023 festival. Liv is a young woman on the cusp of change. Living in rural Denmark, she is surrounded by orchards... Continue Reading →
