Spa Night.
After last year’s success, Bangkok Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (BGLFF) returns today with a line-up of LGBT films from across the globe. The theme for this year is “Love Wins”, which brings different facets of love in a diverse array of genres. The festival will run until at Quartier CineArt of EmQuartier.
Opening the festival is Tomcat (Kater), an Austrian drama by Händl Klaus. The 114-minute feature was shown at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Teddy Award for best LGBT film.
Tomcat tells the story of Andreas and Stefan, a gay couple in Vienna, whose relationship and life together is shaken at the sudden departure of their pet cat Moses.
One of the most anticipated titles of the festival is From Afar (Desde Allá), a Venezuelan drama which won the Golden Lion at 2015 Venice International Film Festival. Writer-director Lorenzo Vigas’ directorial debut tells the story of a rich middle-aged gay man who gets sexually involved with a delinquent teenager.
From Afar.
Crossing over to Asian titles, two of them are set to take their audiences on a contrasting pair of journeys. Loev from India is about two old friends who go on a hiking trip together among the hills where unexpected romance blossoms between them.
If you’re up for a laugh, Miss Bulalacao from the Philippines will take you through the strange tale of a transgender woman who miraculously becomes pregnant.
It should be noted that the majority of the films at this festival involve gay characters, with limited appearances of lesbian, transgender and bisexual characters.
For anyone looking into a girl-on-girl romance, the French film Summertime should be able to satiate Sapphic souls. Directed by Catherine Corsini, most recently the president of the jury for the Caméra d’Or prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the film follows country girl Delphine in the 1970s when she meets the feminist Carole in Paris.
Closing the curtain on this year’s BGLFF will be Paris 05:59 — also known as Théo Et Hugo Dans Le Même Bateau — a French drama featuring two men who meet at a sex club and their subsequent journey in the early morning hours throughout the French capital.
Other films to be shown at the festival are A Cappella from Japan, Nasty Baby and Spa Night from the United States, Weekends from South Korea, 4 Moons from Mexico and Closet Monster from Canada.
The BGLFF2016 runs from today until June 19. All films have Thai and English subtitles. Tickets start from 160 baht. Visit www.facebook.com/BGLFF
This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.