Skip to main content

Scottish Queer International Film Festival · 2018

Scottish Queer International Film Festival 2018

Features

Programme

35 films · 17 reviews

Jump to a film

Alifu The Prince/ss

A set of intersecting queer Taiwanese stories about love, identity and loss, centred around Alifu, who is selected to succeed her father as the head of her tribe, but hasn't yet come out to her family as trans.

(Country: Taiwan; Year: 2017; Director: Yu-Lin Wang; Writer: Hui-Ling Chen, Hua-Chien Hsu; Stars: Utjung Tjakivalid, Yi-lan Chao, Pong Fong Wu, Angie Wang, Bamboo Chu-Sheng Chen, Jen-Shuo Cheng)

Beautiful Thing

In a suburb of London, young Jamie is escaping sport hours, to avoid being the victim of his comrades. Young Ste, his neighbour, is beaten by his father, and comes to sleep overnight. They discover new feelings, sleeping in the same bed.

(Country: UK; Year: 1996; Director: Hettie Macdonald; Writer: Jonathan Harvey; Stars: Glen Berry, Linda Henry, Scott Neal, Tameka Empson)

Bixa Travesty

Review preview for Bixa Travesty

The directors take what is primarily an observational approach, with only intermittent scenes clearly set up to encourage specific discussions. In return for this they get intimate access to their star's day to day life.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
A documentary that follows Mc Linn Da Quebrada, a black trans woman, performer and activist living in impoverished São Paulo.

(Country: Brazil; Year: 2018; Director: Kiko Goifman, Claudia Priscilla; Writer: Claudia Priscilla, Linn da Quebrada; Stars: Linn da Quebrada, Jup do Bairro, Liniker)

Full review

Buddies

Review preview for Buddies

Both lead actors are well chosen. Bressan Jr directs with a quiet assurance that gives them lots of room to work but ensures that the film never tips over into melodrama.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
The first film to deal with the AIDS crisis tells the story of a man who becomes a voluntary 'buddy' for an AIDS patient and finds their relationship changing

(Country: US; Year: 1985; Director: Arthur J Bressan Jr; Writer: Arthur J Bressan Jr; Stars: Geoff Edholm, Damon Hairston, Joyce Korn, Billy Lux, David Rose, Libby Saines, David Schachter, Susan Schneider, Tracy Vivat, Geoff Edholm, Damon Hairston, Joyce Korn, Billy Lux, David Rose, Libby Saines)

Full review

A Deal With The Universe

Review preview for A Deal With The Universe

The film cuts through al the intellectual debate around these subjects to remind us of the human experiences at their core.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
The filmmaker documents 15 years of his life, including aspects of his transition and his subsequent pregnancy.

(Country: UK; Year: 2018; Director: Jason Barker; Writer: Jason Barker; Stars: Jason Barker, Tracey Barker)

Full review See: Interview with Jason Barker about A Deal With The Universe, part 2 , Interview with Jason Barker about A Deal With The Universe, part 1

Dykes, Camera, Action!

Review preview for Dykes, Camera, Action!

An impressive potted history of an important movement in cinema with an equally impressive list of contributors.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A history of queer cinema told by women who had pivotal roles in its development.

(Country: US; Year: 2018; Director: Caroline Berler; Stars: Desiree Akhavan, Cheryl Dunye, Su Friedrich, Jenni Olson, B Ruby Rich, Yoruba Richen, Sarah Schulman)

Full review See: Article about lesbianism in Golden Age Hollywood

Extravaganza

Feel the shade, live the fantasy. A new documentary about the Shanghai drag scene.

(Country: China; Year: 2018; Director: Matthew Baren)

A Fantastic Woman (Una mujer fantástica)

Review preview for A Fantastic Woman

Lelio makes no bones about how he wants us to feel, to the point where it sometimes feels as though he is stating the obvious is six-foot neon letters.

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
A transgender woman fights for the right to grieve after the death of her partner.

(Country: Chile, Germany; Year: 2017; Director: Sebastián Lelio; Writer: Sebastián Lelio, Gonzalo Maza; Stars: Daniela Vega, Francisco Reyes, Luis Gnecco, Aline Küppenheim, Amparo Noguera)

Full review

Friend (Rafiki)

Review preview for Friend

Touching and brave.

Richard Mowe · 4 out of 5
When they fall in love, two girls from rival families must choose between being together and being safe.

(Country: Kenya, South Africa; Year: 2018; Director: Wanuri Kahiu; Writer: Jenna Cato Bass, Wanuri Kahiu; Stars: Patricia Amira, Muthoni Gathecha, Jimmy Gathu, Nice Githinji, Charlie Karumi, Patricia Kihoro)

Full review

Free Cece

A documentary about the case of Cece McDonald, a trans woman jailed after the stabbing of one of a group of men who abused her.

(Country: US; Year: 2016; Director: Jacqueline Gares; Stars: Laverne Cox, Cece McDonald)

A Girl At My Door (Dohee-ya)

Review preview for A Girl At My Door

This film includes a lot of material that will make viewers uncomfortable, but never gratuitously.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A policewoman tries to help a young girl who is being abused by her violent stepdad.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2014; Director: July Jung; Writer: July Jung; Stars: Bae Doona, Jang Hie-jin, Kim Sae-ron, Mun Seong-kun, Song Sae-Byeok)

Full review See: Interview with Bae Doona about A Girl At My Door

The Gospel Of Eureka

Review preview for The Gospel Of Eureka

The Gospel Of Eureka is fairly straightforward in structure, with no real surprises, but it tells a story that matters.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
Love, faith, and civil rights collide in the south as evangelical Christians and drag queens step into the spotlight to explore the meaning of belief.

(Country: US; Year: 2018; Director: Donal Mosher, Michael Palmieri; Writer: Donal Mosher; Stars: Justin Vivian Bond)

Full review

Hustler White

Reminiscent of Sunset Boulevard, Hustler White transposes the action from the silver screen's old movie backlots to contemporary male prostitution and the porn industry.

(Country: Germany, Canada; Year: 1996; Director: Rick Castro, Bruce La Bruce; Writer: Bruce La Bruce, Rick Castro; Stars: Tony Ward, Bruce La Bruce, Kevin P Scott)

Leitis In Waiting

Review preview for Leitis In Waiting

Leitis In Waiting provides insight into the leiti community, Tongan society, the spread of American-funded missionary fundamentalism and the politics of resistance.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
The story of Joey Mataele and the Tonga Leitis, an intrepid group of transgender women fighting a rising tide of religious fundamentalism and intolerance in their country.

(Country: Tonga, US; Year: 2018; Director: Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson; Stars: Joey Joleen Mataele)

Full review

Light In The Water

A documentary about the history of the West Hollywood Swim Club, registered in 1982 as the first openly gay masters swim and water polo club.

(Country: US; Year: 2018; Director: Lis Bartlett; Writer: Lis Bartlett, James Cude; Stars: James Ballard, Charlie Bartel, Mauro Bordovsky)

The Misandrists

Review preview for The Misandrists

Something like a cross between Carry On Solanas! and The Beguiled

Jane Fae · 4 out of 5
A radical female ‘army of lovers’ is preparing itself to fight for a world without men.

(Country: Germany; Year: 2017; Director: Bruce La Bruce; Writer: Bruce La Bruce; Stars: Susanne Sachße, Viva Ruiz, Kembra Pfahler, Caprice Crawford, Grete Gehrke, Kita Updike, Victoire Laly, Olivia Kundisch, Lina Bembe, Til Schindler, Dominik Hermanns)

Full review

A Moment In The Reeds (Tämä hetki kaislikossa)

Review preview for A Moment In The Reeds

There's more to this film than just another erotic romance.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
Romance blossoms between a Finnish man and a Syrian immigrant.

(Country: UK, Finland; Year: 2017; Director: Mikko Mäkelä; Writer: Mikko Mäkelä; Stars: Janne Puustinen, Boodi Kabbani, Mika Melender, Virpi Rautsiala)

Full review

Mr Gay Syria

A documentary about two gay Syrian refugees who are trying to rebuild their lives.

(Country: Turkey, Germany, Malta, France; Year: 2017; Director: Ayse Toprak; Writer: Ayse Toprak)

My Brother The Devil

Review preview for My Brother The Devil

El Hosaini is wise to inject visual majesty into her otherwise gritty tale.

Sophie Monks Kaufman · 4 out of 5
A pair of British Arab brothers trying to get by in gangland London learn the extraordinary courage it takes to be yourself.

(Country: UK; Year: 2012; Director: Sally El Hosaini; Writer: Sally El Hosaini, Aymen Hamdouchi; Stars: James Floyd, Fady Elsayed, Saïd Taghmaoui, Elarica Gallacher, Nasser Memarzia, Letitia Wright, Nicola Harrison, Ashley Bashy Thomas, Anthony Welsh, Frieda Thiel, Arnold Oceng, Aymen Hamdouchi, Malachi Kirby, Leemore Marrett Jr., Michael-Joel David Stuart)

Full review See: Saly El Hosaini interview about My Brother The Devil , Sundance Episode 5: Bestiaire, Moving Stories, Bachelorette, My Brother The Devil and Nobody Walks , Feature on the history of Sundance labs and interview with Sally El Hosaini on My Brother The Devil

Nitrate Kisses

A film visually structured around four couples making love and narratively structured around four chapters in lesbian life.

(Country: US; Year: 1992; Director: Barbara Hammer; Stars: Jerre, Maria, Ruth)

Outitude (Outitude: The Irish Lesbian Community)

A documentary delving into the lives of rural and urban lesbians, poets, writers, activists, self-professed bar dykes, and queer and curious women.

(Country: Ireland; Year: 2018; Director: Sonya Mulligan)

The Owls

Two middle-aged, lesbian couples accidentally kill a younger lesbian and hide the body, without reporting it to the authorities - but their guilt and long-kept, dark secret will come back to haunt them.

(Country: US; Year: 2010; Director: Cheryl Dunye; Writer: Cheryl Dunye, Sarah Schulman; Stars: Deak Evgenikos, Guinevere Turner, VS Brodie)

Pink Excavation

A pseudo-documentary set in 2518 and exploring the preservation of queer histories in Glasgow.

(Country: UK; Year: 2018; Director: Natasha Lall; Stars: Mina Baird, Junie Latte)

Pulse

Review preview for Pulse

Perhaps there are certain questions that we don't need asked; or if they are to be asked, a certain care in the way they are asked would be helpful.

Jane Fae · 2 out of 5
After a series of humiliations, a young disabled man looking for love decides to transition – but not in the manner you’d expect. Set in an alternative present in which medical procedures are drastically different, the question of what it means to change gender is complicated by the question of what it means to find love when you have a disabled body in an ableist world.

(Country: Australia; Year: 2017; Director: Stevie Cruz-Martin; Writer: Daniel Monks; Stars: Daniel Monks, Caroline Brazier, Scott Lee)

Full review

She Must Be Seeing Things

An attorney becomes convinced that her filmmaker girlfriend is having a secret affair with a man.

(Year: 1987; Director: Sheila McLaughlin; Stars: Sheila Dabney, Lois Weaver)

Signature Move

Review preview for Signature Move

Notions of identity, duty to others and duty to the self intersect in this pleasingly nuanced tale.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
The story of a young woman navigating her life between a mother who doesn’t really know her daughter and a burgeoning relationship that offers the possibility of real happiness.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: Jennifer Reeder; Writer: Fawzia Mirza, Lisa Donato; Stars: Fawzia Mirza, Shabana Azmi, Sari Sanchez)

Full review

Shakedown

The story of the legendary underground lesbian club in Los Angeles.

(Country: US; Year: 2018; Director: Leilah Weinraub; Writer: Leilah Weinraub; Stars: Egypt, Jazmyne, Junior, Mahogany, Slow-Wine)

Sidney And Friends

Review preview for Sidney And Friends

Technically impressive given the conditions in which some of it is filmed, Sidney And Friends is a powerful piece of filmmaking exploring the human impact of prejudice and simple ignorance.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
Scottish filmmaker Tristan Aitchison visited Kenya in 2013. A chance meeting with an activist revealed an underground network of intersex and trans people that wanted their voices heard.

(Country: UK, Kenya; Year: 2017; Director: Tristan Aitchison; Stars: Awuor Onyango, Charles Ouda, Michael Daviot)

Full review

The Story Of The Stone

A queering of a tale from classical Chinese literature, thoroughly modernised and relocated to the midst of Taipei's gay community.

(Country: Taiwan; Year: 2018; Director: Starr Wu; Writer: Starr Wu)

Tomorrow Never Knows

The uncomfortable reality of death is faced by Shar and Cynthia who, upon Shar’s diagnosis with early-onset Alzheimer’s, make a brave and difficult decision: she will undertake a conscious death, fully experiencing the end of her life.

(Country: US; Year: 2018; Director: Adam Sekuler; Writer: Shar Jones, Cynthia Vitale)

Until Rainbow Dawn

Review preview for Until Rainbow Dawn

Despite its narrative issues, this film has some well structured dialogue and a touching relationship at its centre.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
After meeting at their Deaf school in Central Japan, Hana and Ayumi become close friends, and quickly fall in love. But when Hana comes out to her parents, they throw her out of the house

(Country: Japan; Year: 2018; Director: Mika Imai)

Full review

White Rabbit

A dramatic comedy following a Korean American performance artist who struggles to be authentically heard and seen through her multiple identities in modern Los Angeles.

(Country: US; Year: 2018; Director: Daryl Wein; Writer: Vivian Bang, Daryl Wein; Stars: Vivian Bang, Nico Evers-Swindell, Nana Ghana, Tracy Hazas, Elizabeth Sung)

The Wizard Of Oz

Review preview for The Wizard Of Oz

The Wizard Of Oz has something fresh and intangibly pure for me every time I see it.

Scott Macdonald · 5 out of 5
Swept away to a magical land, young Dorothy sets out to find the wizard who can help her get home, meeting some unusual friends along the way. Out on IMAX reissue.

(Country: US; Year: 1939; Director: Victor Fleming; Writer: Noel Langley, based on the book by L Frank Baum; Stars: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton, Charley Grapewin, Pat Walshe, Clara Blandick)

Full review See: The Restoration of Oz

Wild Nights With Emily

The story of Emily Dickinson's off-hours.

(Country: US; Year: 2018; Director: Madeleine Olnek; Writer: Madeleine Olnek; Stars: Molly Shannon, Amy Seimetz, Susan Ziegler, Brett Gelman, Jackie Monahan, Kevin Seal, Dana Melanie, Sasha Frolova, Lisa Haas, Marc Alan Austen, Darren Lee Campbell, Stacey Alyse Cohen, Lee Eaton, Elizabeth Everett, Nick Fisher)

The Wild Search

Documentary filmmaker Georgia Mann explores the streets of San Francisco in search of raw and compelling lesbian sex.

(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: Shine Louise Houston; Stars: Georgia Mann, Papi Coxx, Rozen DeBowe)