Documentary section
"The six selected documentaries resonate with this year's topic, The Days That Shook the World, and address current social issues and cases, being it the current face of Islam, the life of queer top sportsmen, or the positive social changes in Europe," says the program director Lucia Kajankova.
The brave and personal film A Sinner in Mecca by the Indian director Parvez Sharma documents his journey to Mecca: the viewers thus can see the holy place where only Muslims may enter and where it is officially prohibited to film. The central theme is the conflict of the director's homosexuality and Islam, which condemns it.
Out to Win confronts the minority sexual orientation with the rather intolerant world of professional sport. It observes how coming-out influenced the career of famous top sportsmen and sportswomen such as the tennis player Martina Navratilova, the basketball player John Amaechi, and the American footballer Michael Sam, and how is the situation changing thanks to the more open current generation, which doesn't see homosexuality as a taboo. Mezipatra will introduce the film in its European premiere.
Two very different views on the situation in Europe are offered by a duo of films: Spanish Carla's Journey (El viaje de Carla) takes places in the relatively liberal Spain of today and portrays Carla Antonelli, a trans* actress and activist who started in cabarets in the 1970s and is a member of the parliament today. Sick (Bolesno) is a Croatian documentary which shows the shocking story of Ana, a girl they tried to "cure" from homosexuality for five years in a local psychiatric ward.
Something funnier, self-ironic, yet certainly not without a deeper message is offered by Do I Sound Gay? by the American director David Thorpe – the documentary won the audience award at Toronto festival. With the help of his friends as well as professionals, Thorpe reflects his own elocution and examines the cultural connotations of "manly" or "feminine" way of speaking.
Peter de Rome also doesn't lack humour. The portrait of the Grandfather of Gay Porn follows the fifty-years-long career of the porn director, from the adventurous beginnings when he was shooting illegally, for example in New York subway, until today when he's become a legend in his field. The energetic filmmaker's memories alternate with excerpts of his films, which are nowadays in the care of the British Film Institute.
International Short Film Competition
“Fresh films from 2014 and 2015 meet in our selection of short films: student films as well as professional ones, live-action dramas and comedies, music videos, animation and documentaries from four continents," describes Lucia Kajankova, adding that the selection is based on the quality and originality of the individual pictures as well as on their genre and content variety.
Forty-four films will be screened in four thematic sections. I Wish I Told Her... connects seven tender, humorous and dramatic stories of love between women; Mirror, Mirror examines the topic of non-conformist gender identity; Ladies' Company is a selection of films with female protagonists who've gained some experience and approach life with an enchanting ease; In the Darkest Hour is a collection of darker films focusing on male sexuality. The names of sections Family Circles, Desires Left Unsaid, and A Brief History of Violence speak for themselves.
As tradition dictates, the best film from all the presented short films will be chosen by the student jury. Last year's winner, Aban and Khorshid, based on true events, and all the other short films from last year will be available from 28th October on the website of Czech television, which is the festival's main media partner.
Complete program is available here.
The trailer of this year's edition is on our YouTube channel which includes also film trailers and, for the festival's duration also Festival minutes.
This year's visual identity and photos available at https://mezimedia.capsa.cz
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