PORTSMOUTH’S LGBT FILM FESTIVAL RETURNS FOR 2017
Throughout February sees the third annual Portsmouth Pride LGBT Film Festival. The festival is dedicated to screening lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-themed films, and is a collaboration between Portsmouth Film Society, the University of Portsmouth‘s LGBT Staff Forum, Peccadillo Pictures, BFI FAN, Southeast HUB and the LGBT Society at the University of Portsmouth Students’ Union.
The festival will be officially opened on Wednesday 1st February, 6pm, by the University of Portsmouth’s Senior Equality Champion, Professor Pal Ahluwalia, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation). Portsmouth Film Society event manager Aysegul Epengin says:
“At PFS, we like to give people the chance to watch great films that they might not otherwise get to see. We are pleased to support the development of a culturally diverse community, interested in the arts, willing to support each other to participate and develop the centre and programme. For example, we have a selection of LGBT+ orientated films in our programme, to be shown during February.”
The festival start on 1st February with the new documentary Who’s Gonna Love Me Now? and the producer/director of the film, Alexander Bodin Saphir will be giving a talk at the festival too. This film celebrates the triumph of love over hate, of understanding over ignorance and the melding of cultures who traditionally view each other as extreme. On 22nd February there is a screening of Girls Lost and there will be a panel/debate on “Zooming in on the issues of transgender youth in education” following the screening. Confirmed panel guests are: Dr. Deborah Shaw from the University of Portsmouth, Julie Nelson who teaches transgender teens, and Katie Yeomans a transgender equity awareness campaigner.
Tickets: £6 single, or £12 for a 3-film pass.
The lineup of films is shown below. Screenings will be held in the Eldon Building, home to the Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries and further information can be found on the society’s website www.portsmouthfilmsociety.org.uk
1st February
WHO’S GONNA LOVE ME NOW (2016) Cert TBA
Eldon Screening Room, 7pm
At the age of 21 Saar Maoz arrived in the UK after being kicked out of his religious Kibbutz. Following the highs and lows that accompanied his newfound freedom Saar discovered an alternative family with The London Gay Men’s Chorus. After 19 years, Saar has reached out to his conservative and Israeli family in an attempt at reconciliation. Now his parents are coming to visit…This film celebrates the triumph of love over hate, of understanding over ignorance and the melding of cultures who traditionally view each other as extreme. This isn’t Saar Moaz’s singular journey, it is a monumental trek undertaken by his entire family. The film producer/director of the film Alexander Bodin Saphir will be our guest for QA.
8th February
MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE (1985) Cert 15
Eldon Screening Room, 7pm
After the death of his wife and his subsequent descent into alcoholic near-agoraphobia, a crotchety Pakistani intellectual convinces his shady entrepreneur brother to provide work for his son in this multi-layered portrait of the immigrant experience in Great Britain. With the lead actor Daniel Day-Lewis and British-born, half-Pakistani playwright and novelist Hanif Kureishi won an Oscar nomination for his screenplay for this film, which was originally filmed for BBC television. Kureishi collaborated again with director Stephen Frears. The chair person of the KROMA, Tom Armstrong-Collett will introduce the film. KROMA is an organisation for those within the gender and sexual identities (LGBT+) community. www.kromalgbt.org.uk
15th February
LOOSE CANNONS (Italy 2010) Cert 12
Eldon Screening Room, 7pm
Tommaso is the youngest son of the Cantones, a large, traditional southern Italian family operating a pasta-making business since the 1960s. On a trip home from Rome, where he studies literature and lives with his boyfriend, Tommaso decides to tell his parents the truth about himself. But when he is finally ready to come out in front of the entire family, his older brother Antonio ruins his plans. This Italian coming-out comedy has a neat central narrative gimmick.
22nd February
GIRLS LOST (Sweden 2016) Cert TBC
Eldon Screening Room, 7pm
After drinking the curious nectar that drips from a mysterious plant, best friends Kim, Bella and Momo magically transform into boys. Geeky girls by day and popular boys by night they find themselves living in two completely different worlds.
The thrill of experiencing life as the opposite sex soon wears off for Bella and Momo, but being a boy becomes addictive for Kim as he experiments with his sexuality and the possibility of first love with bad boy Tony. Panel discussion discussion after the screening, “Zooming in on the issues of transgender youth in education“. Chaired by Dr. Deborah Shaw, Reader in Film Studies, School of Media and Performing Arts, University of Portsmouth.
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