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Flare · 2023

Flare 2023

Minds

Programme

13 films · 4 reviews

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100 Ways To Cross The Border

The documentarians attempt to queer all sorts of borders – not only territorial, but also those relating to race, gender, sexuality and even filmmaking.

(Country: US, Mexico; Year: 2022; Director: Amber Bay Bemak; Writer: Amber Bay Bemak, Guillermo Gómez-Peña)

1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture (1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture)

Review preview for 1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture

This isn’t a plea for people to swap one source of authority for another. The focus is on encouraging us to think for ourselves.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
The mystery of how theology, history, culture, and politics led to a Biblical mistranslation, the man who tried to stop it, and the impassioned academic crusade of the LGBTQIA+ Christian community driven to discover the truth.

(Country: US; Year: 2022; Director: Sharon Roggio; Writer: Jena Serbu, Jill Woodward; Stars: Kathy Baldock, Ed Oxford)

Full review

Afeminadas

Five Brazilian performers present different explorations of femininity.

(Country: Brazil; Year: 2022; Director: Wesley Gondim; Stars: Safira O'Hara, Khryz Amusa, Chandelly Kidman, Hellena Borgyz, Jefferson Lemons)

The Empress Of Vancouver

A cinematic and intimate collision of drag, queer history, and performance art, a musical and genre bending irreverent documentary which follows trans icon Oliv Howe as she prepares for the 40th anniversary of her coronation.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2022; Director: Dave Rodden Shortt; Writer: Joella Cabalu, Jessica Hallenbeck, Jordan King; Stars: Oliv Howe)

It's Only Life After All

With forty years of making music as the iconic folk rock band Indigo Girls, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers have made their mark as musicians, songwriters, and dedicated activists. This film catches up with them today.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Alexandria Bombach; Stars: Amy Ray, Emily Saliers)

Jewelle: A Just Vision

A celebration of the achievements of Jewelle Gomez, her vampire stories and her exploration of Black and indigenous histories.

(Country: US; Year: 2022; Director: Madeleine Lim; Writer: T Kebo Drew; Stars: Jewelle Gomez, Dorothy Allison, Nancy Bereano)

Kenyatta: Do Not Wait Your Turn

Since the United States Senate was first convened in 1789, Pennsylvania has had 53 senators. They have all been white men. In this documentary, 31-year-old Pennsylvania State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta takes us along on his race to become the first openly gay person of colour with a seat in the United States Senate.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Timothy Harris; Stars: Malcolm Kenyatta)

Little Richard: I Am Everything

Review preview for Little Richard: I Am Everything

For all the debt owed to Sister Rosetta Tharpe the essence here is not translation uncovered but transgression buried. That makes the decision not to further explore these hidden histories all the more surprising.

Andrew Robertson · 2.5 out of 5
This celebration of Little Richard reveals the Black queer origins of rock ’n’ roll, finally exploding the whitewashed canon of American pop music.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Lisa Cortés)

Full review

Lotus Sports Club

Review preview for Lotus Sports Club

Packed full of richly observed detail.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
The story of Leak, a teenage trans man who plays football in the under-21s women's team of Kampong Chhnang, and Pa Vann, the coach and father-figure to Leak and other LGBTQ+ players on the team.

(Country: Netherlands, Cambodia; Year: 2022; Director: Tommaso Colognese, Vanna Hem; Writer: Tommaso Colognese, Vanna Hem, Martina Serafin)

Full review

Loving Highsmith

Review preview for Loving Highsmith

Vitija rarely gets distracted from her approach, and this is a strength – not easy to achieve with so much material to pull together.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A documentary portrait of the enigmatic novelist.

(Country: Switzerland, Germany; Year: 2022; Director: Eva Vitija; Writer: Eva Vitija; Stars: Gwendoline Christie, Annina Butterworth)

Full review See: Eva Vitija in conversation on Loving Highsmith, Patricia Highsmith, and the film adaptations

My Name Is Andrea

Portrait of feminist writer Andrea Dworkin, one of the most controversial and misunderstood figures of the 20th century, who fought passionately for justice and equality for women.

(Year: 2022; Director: Pratibha Parmar; Writer: Andrea Dworkin, Pratibha Parmar; Stars: Andrea Dworkin, Amandla Stenberg, Soko, Andrea Riseborough, Ashley Judd, Christine Lahti, Michael Selle)

Prejudice & Pride - Swedish Film Queer (Fördom & Stolthet - En Queer Filmhistoria)

A history of LGBTQIA+ representation on Swedish cinema screens, from the first gay kiss ever filmed to the recent wave of trans-themed films.

(Country: Sweden, Finland, Iceland; Year: 2022; Director: Eva Beling; Stars: Harriet Andersson, Liv Ullmann, Levan Akin)

Willem & Frieda

Willem was an artist who lived openly as a gay man at a time when few did. Frieda was a well-connected musician who became the first woman to lead an orchestra. As this documentary reveals, together they fought the Nazis.

(Country: UK; Year: 2023; Director: John Hay; Writer: Rik Carmichael; Stars: Stephen Fry)