The full programme for the first Queer East Film Festival is announced. The curated series of screenings across London, with accompanying panel events, will explore identity, religion, family, adulthood and politics through queer relationships on screen, specifically from East and Southeast Asia.
Many have seen the significant progress of LGBTQ + rights across the world, but progress in Asia has been mixed. The festival invites everyone in the UK to be part of the discussion and celebrate diverse identities, cultures, and heritages of Asian and Asian diasporic communities who've often been excluded from mainstream discourse.
The programme is a mix of classic films and new releases, exploring how culture, law, history, and social norms have affected and built the current Asian queer landscape over 50 years of cinema.
Twenty-nine films (feature, documentary and short), including 6 UK Premieres and 2 London Premieres, from 13 countries across Asia will be screened in cinemas across the capital to foster and promote a cultural understanding of what it means to live in Asia and be queer today. Tickets are on sale now here
FULL PROGRAMME
Opening Film: Tracey
by Jun Li | Hong Kong | 2018 | 119 min
Sunday 19 April
The Shepherds (UK Premiere)
by Elvis Lu | Taiwan | 2018 | 70 min
Preceded by Lupah Sug | Dir Rhadem Camlian Morados | Philippines | 2018 | 30 min
Monday 20 April
Panel Discussion: Queer Movements: Fighting for LGBTQ+ Rights in Asia
Tuesday 21 April
Between the Seasons (UK Premiere)
by Jun-Sik Kim | South Korea | 2018 | 98 min
Preceded by Catch the Light | Dir Siddharth Chauhan | India | 2019 | 22 min
Wednesday 22 April
Memories of My Body (UK Premiere)
by Garin Nugroho | Indonesia | 2018 | 106 min
Funeral Parade of Roses
by Toshio Matsumoto | Japan | 1969 | 105 min
Preceded by Alienation | Dir Kang-chien Chiu | Taiwan | 1966 | 6 min
Thursday 23 April
Malila: The Farewell Flower
by Anucha Boonyawatana | Thailand | 2017 | 97 min
Preceded by The Last Letter | Dir Vishal Jejurkar | India | 2018 | 15min
Friday 24 April
Sisterhood (UK Premiere) + Director Q&A
by Tracy Choi | Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan | 2016 | 97 min
Saturday 25 April
Panel Discussion: Female Gazes: Queer Women in East Asian Cinema
Girlfriend Boyfriend
by Ya-Che Yang | Taiwan | 2012 | 105 min
Sunday 26 April
A Dog Barking at the Moon
by Zi Xiang | China, Spain | 2019 | 107 min
Preceded by A Woman's Wife | Dir Ahlam Jang | South Korea | 2018 | 20 min
Spider Lilies + Director Q&A
by Zero Chou | Taiwan | 2006 | 97 min
Monday 27 April
Lilting
Dir Hong Khaou | UK | 2013 | 86 min
Turning 18
by Chao-Ti Ho | Taiwan | 2018 | 87 min
Tuesday 28 April
The Wedding Banquet
by Ang Lee | Taiwan, US | 1993 | 106 min
Wednesday 29 April
Queer Japan
by Graham Kolbeins | Japan, US | 2019 | 100 min
Preceded by Military Dog | Dir Ping-Wen Wang | Taiwan| 2018 | 11 min
Thursday 30 April
Song Lang
by Leon Le | Vietnam | 2018 | 101 min
Friday 1 May
The Teacher (UK Premiere)
by Ming-Lang Chen | Taiwan | 2019 | 92 min
Preceded by Langit Budak Biru | Dir Kean-Hian Lim | Malaysia | 2018 | 23 min
Saturday 2 May
Looking For? (UK Premiere) + Director Q&A
by Tung-Yen Chou | Taiwan | 2017 | 60 min
Preceded by Beer! Beer! | Dir Popo Fan | Germany | 2019 | 17 min
Preceded by Adorable | Dir Cheng-Hsu Chung | Taiwan, UK | 2018 | 6 min
Closing Film: Blue Gate Crossing (35 mm)
byChih-Yen Yee | Taiwan | 2002 | 85 min
