The great achievements of the civil rights movements that began in the 1960s, and the countercultures that gained expression in that same decade, were the site for utopian constructions that made us believe in a better and fairer world. But the reality we are witnessing today is that of increasing social asymmetries, LGBTQI+phobia, xenophobia and all forms of hatred being fired in all directions. This is the context that could not be ignored when putting together the program of Queer Lisboa 28, which is back again for another edition at its usual venues: Cinema São Jorge and Cinemateca Portuguesa, between September 20 and 28. The many films in this edition of the festival offer us a complex gaze upon the realities of LGBTQI+ people and communities in the most diverse geographies, in their external but also internal battles, and in what it means to be queer today, in its multiple challenges and expressions. A cinema that gradually looks outwards, that embraces what surrounds it, that reflects upon and dares to draw solutions, whether simply pragmatic ones, or utopian alternatives.

 

The program includes some of the most acclaimed titles of the recent international film festival circuit, arriving from Cannes, Locarno or Berlin; but there are also many new surprises yet to be discovered. Films from countries as distinct as Vietnam, Greece, Estonia or Guam. Films that aren't afraid to address more sensitive issues such as the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean, the conflict in the Middle East or the constant environmental alerts, along with titles that don’t shy away when it comes to create safe havens: there is no shortage of disruptive proposals, radical works that explore the boundaries in representing explicit sex, and even parodies and comedies with multiple layers. Out of a total sum of 108 films, 54% are directed by cis men, 30% by cis women, and the remaining 16% directed by trans or non-binary filmmakers.

 

In addition to the titles and activities announced over the past few weeks - the retrospective dedicated to William E. Jones in collaboration with the Cinemateca Portuguesa, Queer Focus, Opening and Closing Films, the Special Sessions and the Panorama titles  – we now introduce the Festival's five official competitions; a Hard Night dedicated to Lazare Lazarus; debates where we will discuss a series of relevant social and cultural issues; and the announcement of all parallel activities: performances, exhibitions and parties.

 

The jury for the Feature Film Competition is formed by actress Cristina Carvalhal, filmmaker Márcio Laranjeira and artist and performer Tita Maravilha. The eight films in this section take us to a series of geographies and human mappings that both startle and entertain us. Coal mining taints the bodies in “Viet and Nam”, Truong Minh Quý's feature debut whose title carries the names of the two protagonists of a film that poetically interweaves their love story in the face of trauma and loss, in the backdrop of war. In an opposite geography, “La Pampa”, by French director Antoine Chevrollier, tells us about friendship and loyalty: a cruel portrait of a rural community ignited by masculinity and homophobia. American trans musician and filmmaker Theda Hammel directs and stars in one of this year's most surprising comedies, “Stress Positions”, where the daydreams and perversions of the characters, locked up in a Brooklyn apartment during lockdown, ensure that everything goes deliciously wrong. Another film, “Sem Coração”, by Nara Normande and Tião, takes us to a Brazilian fishing village, where young kids from different social backgrounds gather, in a delicate and violent narrative with an almost documentary-like quality. Four more titles complete this section, whose 1.000€ award is sponsored by Levi's.

 

The selection for this year's Documentary Competition favours distinct ways of living, in a series of films about memory and change. Activist Paula Monteiro, RTP producer Maria João Gama and filmmaker Renata Ferraz are the jury responsible for deciding which of the eight films will conquer the award sponsored by RTP, by acquiring the broadcast rights of the film, valued in 3.000€. The competition includes: “Avant-Drag! ”, by Fil Ieropoulos, which discloses the originality behind the drag art form in contemporary Greece by following a troupe of artists who challenge norms, icons and cultural monolithism, using drag as a means of protest; “Cyborg Generation”, a film in which Miguel Morillo Vega follows musician Kai Landre on a journey that will allow him to listen to music produced in space by outer worlds, simultaneously reflecting on the existential consequences of the cyborg condition; “Frammenti di un Percorso Amoroso”, in which Chloé Barreau compiles interviews, letters and images of all the people she has loved in her life in a final gesture of amorous compulsion; and “La photo retrouvée”, by Pierre Primetens, a documentary built with found footage and voice-over, which illustrates a suppressed childhood, the many homes and Islamism, among other realities lived by its director.

 

22 more films compose the Short Film Competition, whose jury includes casting director Diogo Camões, actress and performer June João, and film producer Madalena Fragoso. From a wide variety of countries, this competition presents us multiple artistic expressions that tell us about desire, places, bodies, restitution, mourning, visibility and belonging. James Cooper (“The 5 O’Clock Chime”), Angalis Field (“Bust”), John Greyson (“Death Mask”), Abdellah Taïa (“Ne jamais s’arrêter de crier”) or Hao Zhou (“Wouldn’ t Make It Any Other Way”) are festival regulars, but there are other new and also exciting names to be discovered. In this year’s competition, and also eligible for the 500€ award sponsored by Contranatura, are two Portuguese films that arrive in Lisbon after being acclaimed in their international premieres: “Seu Nome Era Gisberta”, an animated documentary and powerful tribute to Gisberta Salce - a stylistic shift in the film work of director Sérgio Galvão Roxo; and the surprising “As Minhas Sensações São Tudo o que Tenho para Oferecer”, which director Isadora Neves Marques presented in the past edition of the Cannes Film Festival.

 

The European Film School Shorts Competition “In My Shorts”, which will be evaluated by the same jury, features films from schools such as ESCAC (Barcelona) and FAMU (Prague). Part of the competition, “Cura Sana”, by young filmmaker Lucía G. Romero, is a delightful work that has won over audiences with its flawless recipe based on scenographic strength, social dilemma and actresses in a state of grace; “I Kiss Your Hand, Madame”, where director Jeremy Luke Bolatag follows closely her protagonist, a trans woman in Orbán's Hungary who fights fear drawing strength from the love for her son; and “Dancing in the Light”, an exercise by Czech student Julie Petríková based on video recordings by Nelson Sullivan (1948-1989) that recently became available online; a rare opportunity to discover this almost-forgotten figure from the New York underground scene of the eighties who prophesied the culture of 'vloggers'. In total, ten films make up this section.

 

Lastly, this year's Queer Art Competition explores once again the boundaries of cinematic languages, genres and narratives. Among the most surprising titles in the section, “Trans Memoria”, a documentary that shows how the right to autonomy over your own body crosses the agendas of trans people, and “The People’s Joker”, a parody about the famous DC Comics character, which arrives at the festival at the exact moment of the theatrical release of the highly anticipated “Joker: Folie à Deux”, by Todd Phillips. Also noteworthy are three Brazilian films: after winning the grand prize in this same section in 2021, Ricardo Alves Jr. returns with “Parque de Diversões”, a film built as an overnight cruising and in which, through voyeurism, exhibitionism and fetishist codes, he addresses multiple sexualities; “Eros” proposes a performative exercise to several people for them to freely film themselves during a night spent at a sex motel; and “Sofia Foi”, winner of the First Film Competition at the 2023 FID Marseille, that follows the wanderings of its eponymous protagonist in a ghostly, nocturnal, silent and solitary plot. The jury in charge of deciding which of the eight films will be awarded the 1.000€ Prize sponsored by Variações, is composed by illustrator and educational mediator Andreia Coutinho, editor and screenwriter Jorge Braz Santos and visual artist Pedro Gomes.

 

Focusing now on the debates: “Agora Somos Nós”, welcomes Joana Mortágua and Maíra Freitas as guests and will discuss various topics such as rights, representation and public policies for queer communities in Portugal. In “Gentrificação e População LGBTQI+”, which complements the screening of the documentary “Éviction”, Rita Paulos from Casa Qui and Helder Bértolo from Opus Diversidades, are invited to reflect on the gentrification processes that have taken over the urban centers of Portugal’s coastline. There will also be a debate on “Queer Resistance”, this year’s Queer Focus, where we invite Dan Sokoli, from the Prishtina Queer Festival in Kosovo, and Bohdan Zhuk, from the Sunny Bunny Queer Festival in Ukraine, to, through their geographical and curatorial perspectives, debate modes of production, organization and artistic expression in their specific political contexts.

 

And also, a Hard Night dedicated this year to Marseille-based filmmaker Lazare Lazarus, a photography exhibition, “Queer Spectrum”, by Dana Click, which can be seen in the foyer of Cinema São Jorge, and two performances: the first one is “La Carn” and will be performed by Lluís Garau at Casa do Comum, and the second, presented as a lecture, is “Palavras que me Servem”, a project by André Tecedeiro and Laura Falésia in which they reflect upon inclusive language and how, even after conquering new vocabularies, social expectations continue to shape our existences. And, to celebrate after the screenings, there will be several parties, late into the night: at Arroz Estúdios, at Purex Clube and at Casa do Comum.

 

Queer Lisboa 28 has a total budget of 155.000€ and has the support of Lisbon City Hall and ICA – Instituto do Cinema e do Audiovisual, in addition to important partnerships such as those established with the Spanish Embassy, ​​Levi's, Contranatura, Absolut and FLAD, among many others.

 

The complete program of Queer Lisboa 28:

 

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

* Opening Night: Baby, Marcelo Caetano (Brazil, France, The Netherlands, 2024, 106’)

* Closing Night: Call Me Agnes, Daniel Donato (The Netherlands, 2024, 94’)

I Saw the TV Glow, Jane Schoenbrun (USA, 2024, 100’)

Onda Nova, José Antonio Garcia, Ícaro Martins (Brazil, 1983, 102’)

 

FEATURE FILM COMPETITION

All Shall Be Well, Ray Yeung (Hong Kong, 2024, 95’)
Asog, Seán Devlin (Canada, Philippines, 2023, 98’)
Light Light Light, Inari Niemi (Finland, 2023, 91’)
La Pampa / Block Pass, Antoine Chevrollier (France, 2024, 103’)
El Placer Es Mío / The Pleasure Is Mine, Sacha Amaral (Argentina, Brazil, France, 2024, 94’) 

Sem Coração / Heartless, Nara Normande, Tião (Brazil, France, Italy, 2023, 91’)
Stress Positions, Theda Hammel (USA, 2023, 95’)
Viet and Nam, Truong Minh Quý (Vietnam, 2024, 129’)

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

Alteritats / Otherness, Alba Cros, Nora Haddad (Spain, 2023, 91’)
Avant-Drag!, Fil Ieropoulos (Greece, 2024, 92’) 

Baldiga - Unlocked Heart, Markus Stein (Germany, 2024, 92’)
Cyborg Generation, Miguel Morillo Vega (Spain, 2024, 60’) 

Frammenti di un Percorso Amoroso / Fragments of a Live Loved, Chloe Barreau (Italy, 2023, 95’)
Neirud, Fernanda Faya (Brazil, 2023, 72’)
La photo retrouvée / The Found Photo, Pierre Primetens (France, 2024, 76’) 

Sylvia Robyn, Panayotis Evangelidis (Greece, 2024, 91’)
 

SHORT FILM COMPETITION

The 5 O’Clock Chime, James Cooper (Japan, UK, 2024, 15’)
aquest (no) és el teu oceà / this is (not) your ocean, Jordi Wijnalda (Belgium, The Netherlands, Spain, 2024, 13’)
Bust, Angalis Field (USA, 2023, 11’) 

Chi(le)na, Yoksan Xu (Chile, 2023, 6’)

Death Mask, John Greyson (Canada, 2023, 10’) 

Le garçon qui la nuit / The Blue Shelter, Jérémy Piette (France, 2023, 26’)
Gender Reveal, Mo Matton (Canada, 2024, 13’)
getty abortions, Franzis Kabisch (Germany, Austria, 2023, 22’)
Hello Stranger, Amélie Hardy (Canada, 2024, 17’)
I Don’t Want to Be Just a Memory, Sarnt Utamachote (Germany, 2024, 20’)
The Inescapable Desire of Roots, Mark Chua, Lam Li Shuen (Singapore, 2024, 6’)
As Minhas Sensações São Tudo o que Tenho para Oferecer / My Senses Are All I Have to Offer, Isadora Neves Marques (Portugal, 2024, 20’)
Ne jamais s'arrêter de crier / Never Stop Shouting, Abdellah Taïa (France, Morocco, 2023, 10’)
Paradise Europe, Leandro Goddinho, Paulo Menezes (Germany, Brazil, 2023, 17’) 

Pássaro Memória / A Bird Called Memory, Leonardo Martinelli (Brazil, UK, 2023, 15’)
Queen Size, Avril Besson (France, 2023, 19’)
Sauna Day, Anna Hints, Tushar Prakash (Estonia, 2024, 13’)
Seu Nome Era Gisberta / Her Name Was Gisberta, Sérgio Galvão Roxo (Portugal, Brazil, 2023, 30’) 

La tentation du panda roux / Red Panda Temptation, Haïga Jappain (France, 2023, 20’)
Traces, Chantal Partamian (Canada, 2023, 9’)
Vienen las Grietas / Cracks Will Come, Daniel Mateo Vallejo Gutiérrez (Colombia, The Netherlands, 2022, 18’)
Wouldn't Make It Any Other Way, Hao Zhou (USA, Guam, 2024, 21’)
 

“IN MY SHORTS” EUROPEAN SCHOOL SHORT FILM COMPETITION

The Building Opposite, Siri Pårup (Sweden, 2023, 14’) 

Cura Sana, Lucía G. Romero (Spain, 2024, 19’)

Dancing in the Light, Julie Petríková (Czechia, 2023, 28’) 

Helmet, Valentina Parati, Antoine Scalese (Switzerland, Kosovo, 2022, 16’) 

I Kiss Your Hand, Madame, Jeremy Luke Bolatag (Hungary, Portugal, Belgium, 2024, 18’) 

Son Pardos / Grey at Night, Carlos Llaó (Spain, 2023, 30’) 

Les sports X-trem, Gio Ventura (France, 2023, 19’)

Pistoleras, Natalia del Mar Kašik (Austria, 2023, 2’) 

Ralentir la chute / Slow Down the Fall, Camille Tricaud, Franziska Unger (Germany, France, 2023, 20’) 

Springtime, Mon Dewulf (Belgium, 2023, 18’) 

 

COMPETIÇÃO QUEER ART
Embodied Chorus, Danielle Davie, Mohamad Sabbah (Lebanon, Germany, Luxembourg, 2023, 72’)
Eros, Rachel Daisy Ellis (Brazil, 2024, 108’)
Et dans le flux, tu le perdras / And in the Flow You‘ll Lose Him, Christophe Pellet (France, 2023, 61’)

Of Living without Illusion, Katharina Lüdin (Germany, Switzerland, 2023, 109’)
Parque de Diversões / Amusement Park, Ricardo Alves Jr. (Brazil, 2024, 73’)

The People’s Joker, Vera Drew (USA, 2022, 95’)

Sofia Foi / Sofia Was, Pedro Geraldo (Brazil, 2023, 67’)
Trans Memoria, Victoria Verseau (Sweden, France, 2024, 72’)

 

PANORAMA

Close to You, Dominic Savage (Canada, UK, 2023, 100’)

Drift, Anthony Chen (France, UK, Greece, 2023, 93’)

Éviction, Mathilde Capone (Canada, 2024, 72’)

Hidden Master: the Legacy of George Platt Lynes, Sam Shahid (USA, 2023, 96’)

Teaches of Peaches, Philipp Fussenegger, Judy Landkammer (Germany, 2024, 102’)

The Visitor, Bruce LaBruce (UK, 2024, 101’)

 

HARD NIGHT

Les fantômes du hard, Lazare Lazarus, Lupa Charon Gateff (France, 2023, 26’)

Frioul, Lazare Lazarus, Antoine Vazquez (France, 2023, 33’)

Mont Rose, Lazare Lazarus (France, 2019, 8’)    

 

RETROSPECTIVE: William E. Jones

2/60: 48 Heads from the Szondi-Test, Kurt Kren (Austria, 1960, 4’)

A Great Way of Life, William E. Jones (USA, 2015, 7’)

Actual T.V. Picture, William E. Jones (USA, 2013, 7’)

All Male Mash Up, William E. Jones (USA, 2006, 30’)

Discrepancy, William E. Jones (USA, 2017, 10’)

Fall into Ruin, William E. Jones (USA, 2017, 30’)

The Fall of Communism as Seen in Gay Pornography, William E. Jones (USA, 1998, 19’)

Film Montages (for Peter Roehr), William E. Jones (USA, 2006, 11’)

Finished, William E. Jones (USA, 1997, 75’)

Is It Really so Strange?, William E. Jones (USA, 2004, 80’)

Jellyfish Sandwich, Luther Price (USA, 1994, 17’)

Killed, William E. Jones (USA, 2009, 2’)

Massillon, William E. Jones (USA, 1991, 70’)

Model Workers, William E. Jones (USA, 2014, 13’)

More British Sounds, William E. Jones (USA, 2006, 8’)

Psychic Driving, William E. Jones (USA, 2014, 15’)

Racine - 1 (1992 - 1999), Dietmar Brehm (Austria, 2002, 8’)

The Sex Garage, Fred Halsted (USA, 1972, 35’)

Shoot Don’t Shoot, William E. Jones (USA, 2012, 5’)

Tearoom, William E. Jones (USA, 1962-2007, 56’)

V.O., William E. Jones (USA, 2006, 59’)

Youngstown / Steel Town, William E. Jones (USA, 2016, 6’)

 

QUEER FOCUS: Queer Resistance

A’lam, Saleh Saadi (Palestine, 2022, 25’)

Buffer Zone, Savvas Stavrou (Cyprus, UK, 2023, 17’)

Even a Dog in Babylon Is Free, Lior Shamriz (USA, 2024, 18’)

Fairy Garden, Gergő Somogyvári (Hungary, Romania, Croatia, 2023, 83’)

Four Pills at Night, Leart Rama (Kosovo, Switzerland, 2021, 25’)

Homecoming Queenz, Elias Wakeem (Palestine, 2023, 11’)

It’s a Date, Nadia Parfan (Ukraine, 2023, 5’)

Khobs & Chai, Noor Gatih (Canada, 2021, 4’)

Lines, Hanna Trofimova (Ukraine, 2023, 42’)

My Whole Heart Is with You, Essa Grayeb (Palestine, 2022, 9’)

Nazareth, Mike Hoolboom (Canada, 2021, 7’)

Overcoming, Besire Paralik (Cyprus, 2023, 58’)

The Poem We Sang, Annie Sakkab (Canada, Palestine, Jordan, 2024, 20’)

Queer Fighters of Ukraine, Angelika Ustymenko, Alex King (UK, Ukraine, 2024, 30’)

Simeiz, Anton Shebetko (Ukraine, 2022, 18’)

Sultana’s Reign, Hadi Moussally (Lebanon, 2023, 10’)

Tempest in a Teapot, Amy Gottlieb (Canada, 1987, 4’)
 

DEBATES
Agora Somos Nós, with Joana Mortágua & Maíra Freitas
Gentrificação e População LGBTQI+, with Rita Paulos & Helder Bértolo
Resistência Queer, with Dan Sokoli & Bohdan Zhuk

 

PERFORMANCES

La Carn, by Lluís Garau

Palavras que Me Servem, by André Tecedeiro & Laura Falésia

 

EXHIBITION
Queer Spectrum, by Dana Click

 

PARTIES

Welcome Party, Alma @ Purex Clube

Volunqueers Party @ Casa do Comum

Farewell Party, Desesprezo, lian:e & Yizhaq @ Arroz Estúdios