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fringefilmfest · 7 years ago

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Queer Cinema Magic from Female Filmmakers at Fringe!

Chavela, dir Catherine Gund. We don’t want to prematurely herald The Year of the Lesbian, but this year’s Fringe! programme displays a very welcome breadth of feminine film talent, as well as dynamic female subjects. With a Catherine Gund strand throughout and a range of female, non-binary, lesbian and trans directors in attendance for panel discussions, we have really seen a shift in the queer film-making landscape, and the range of queer cinema being made is all the better for it.

Catherine Gund, Act Up.

First we’ve got to talk about our Catherine Gund Focus. From two unbelievable feature documentaries that see Gund ingratiated in the lives of her subjects: Born to Fly: Elizabeth Streb vs. Gravity and more recent work, Chavela, will leave you gasping at the strength of their subjects’ presence in the world. Gund’s films celebrate lives lived fully. We will be tracing this fervour in her earlier career with a presentation of early, social justice based, short films in the aptly titled Lez be Honest. We are even treating you to a masterclass with the master documentarian herself, presented in partnership with Open City Docs School.

Hot to Trot, dir Gail Freedman.

Continuing with a look at dance, Hot to Trot, Gail Freedman’s delicate portrait of same sex ballroom champions preparing for the Gay Games comes to Europe, and we’ll host a Q&A with the director herself. Following the routines and preparations of a section of professional and romantic same sex partnerings, this intimate record will sweep you up in the rapture of bodily movements that express love, passion and tensions between our dance mavericks.

Paris is Voguing, dir Gabrielle Culand.

Repeat attendees will remember our Vogue strand last year, complete with an English Breakfast London ball, a Kiki discussion on the history and relevance of the scene and art of voguing, and films including Kiki and Strike A Pose which each included valuable images of the expressive and vital scene. This year Fringe! screens a new documentary on a European vogue scene. Paris is Voguing sees Willi Ninja’s words “make the real Paris burn!” come to life through the ferocity and tenacity of its vogue champions. Gabrielle Culand’s document of Paris Ballroom culture seen through the bickering and banter of House Mothers Stephane Mizrahi & Lasseindra Ninja is something you will not want to miss.

Homemade Melodrama, dir Jacqui Duckworth.

With queer feminist curating collective Club des Femmes we take a look back at feminist filmmaker Jacqui Duckworth, whose incredible 16mm works discussed open relationships, ‘sweet dyke revenge’ in the porn industry, multiple sclerosis, identity and coming out were pioneering, years before her premature death in 2005. Curated in her honour, and with a great deal of love and thanks, An Invitation to Jacqui D comes to Fringe! on festival Saturday.

195 Lewis, dir Chanelle Aponte Pearson.

Festival Sunday sees a special event at the Barbican: a screening of Brooklyn web series 195 Lewis by Chanelle Aponte Pearson in full. Getting the lesbian series right has been an occasionally disappointing endeavour, but web-series 195 Lewis is definitely the hottest kid on the block.

From the creators of Revival: Women and the Word and An Oversimplification of Her Beauty (two films chronicling the efforts and grace of strong women), 195 Lewis engages with and reflects our London scenes with its hilariously self-referential art talk, playful explorations of gender and sex, and a genius, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Bette Porter reference. This is accompanied by shorts including the award-winning We Love Moses by Dionne Edwards, and a panel discussion on QTIPOC representation and successes in film and media.

Upon the Shadow, dir Nada Mezni Hafaiedh.

Don’t miss gems of female achievement earlier in the festival too! Head to Tunisia, where first time director Nada Mezni Hafaiedh’s incredible and heartfelt documentary Upon the Shadow follows former Femen member Amina Sboui and her group of activist friends whose lives hang in the balance and at the whims of nations and border forces. The friends and their matriarch Amina look out at cool blue seas wondering what destinies await them and what forces will impact their futures in this stunning documentary that shines a spotlight on the lifestyles of those members of our global queer community that are still fighting for many of the freedoms we have already inherited.

FLUID0, dir Shu Lea Cheang.

Closing out the festival with a lasting impression (and a palpable climax), moving image artist and provocateur Shu Lea Cheang of Fresh Kill; IKU comes to London to accompany our opening film in its UK premiere, FLUIDØ. This sex-capade from the Taiwanese director concerns a future Berlin, a genderfluid race of ZERO GENs, and a struggle to gain control over the production and exploitation of bodily fluids.

Representations of feminine sexuality range from the DIY to the delicate at this year’s Fringe!

There are so many more gems from female filmmakers in the Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Fest programme that I hope you’ll explore, displaying, expressing and recording tenacity, vivacity and the distinct queer feminine perspective.

Full programme info: fringefilmfest.com

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