Saturday 2 April 2011

LLGFF Part 2: A personal journey

The British Film Institute's 25th London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival continues over the weekend with a variety of screenings and events. The opening night on Thursday was great fun - with a lively screening of Kaboom attended by writer-director Gregg Araki, who held a terrific Q&A afterwards, followed by a rather raucous party at the BFI.

Pictured above is Chaz Bono with filmmakers Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato - sadly, festival budget cuts meant they were able to attend the UK premiere of their film last night. But the festival parties continue all weekend. And here are some film highlights...

Becoming Chaz
dir Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato; with Chaz Bono, Jennifer Elia 11/US ****
In documenting Chastity Bono's transition from female to male, filmmakers Bailey and Barbato offer a detailed, intimate narrative. And letting Chaz tell his own story is both engaging and moving... FULL REVIEW >


Break My Fall
dirKanchi Wichmann; with Kat Redstone, Sophie Anderson 11/UK ****
Scruffy and offhanded, this low-budget British feature takes a fractured, fragmented look at a relationship. Without a clear narrative, it's not an easy film, but it's honest and often painfully raw... FULL REVIEW >


Open
dir Jake Yuzna; with Daniel Luedtke, Morty Diamond 10/US ***
Artfully and beautifully directed, this film feels like a feverish dream, with characters whose gender is impossible to define. It's an impassioned, important call for respect, although it's unlikely that a bigot would watch it... FULL REVIEW >


Angel
dir Sebastiano d'Ayala Valva; with Angel Preciado, Feliza 10/Fr ***
This unusual doc follows a cross-dressing man home from Europe to visit his family in rural South America. And what we see is continually surprising, as the story and colourful people defy expectations... FULL REVIEW >


Horror of Darkness (special screening)
dir Anthony Page; with Alfred Lynch, Glenda Jackson 65/UK ****
Originally broadcast on BBC television's The Wednesday Play, this ominously titled drama gets increasingly forceful as it progresses, vividly exploring the complex inner life of three people who are connected in a disturbing way... FULL REVIEW >

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