INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM COMPETITION

This year, the festival shines with all the colors of the rainbow thanks to films from around the world and across various genres. Ten feature films will compete for the main jury prize. All Shall Be Well becomes Angie’s mantra after the death of her partner, as she begins a battle with her family over the estate. In the streets of São Paulo, Baby finds protection, money, and perhaps love. In the musical fantasy Reas, former inmates reenact their stories in the ruins of a Buenos Aires prison. Fresh from the Venice Film Festival comes Pooja, Sir, a Nepalese detective film based on true events. The Missing is a Filipino animated sci-fi about aliens and coming to terms with the past, while I Saw the TV Glow is a horror ode to 90s queer television. Vera and the Pleasure of Others explodes with the sexuality of young people open to all genders and kinks. Félix Maritaud returns in Solo as a manipulative drag queen. Chuck Chick Baby is a feel-good film where Helena’s secret love from her youth reappears after years. The opening film of the festival on November 7 will be The Beauty of Gaza, who supposedly walked all the way to the streets of Tel Aviv.

SHORT FILM COMPETITION

A total of 41 short films, divided into seven thematic blocks, will compete for the favor of the student jury. Tender or wild, joyful or dark, traditional or unconventional... This year’s shorts will speak to you in a truly diverse language. In addition to the traditional gay, trans, lesbian, family, dark, and quirky categories, there is a new section dedicated purely to positive vibes. The world is already depressing enough on its own, so come and soften it in the cinema. Break prejudices with us and attend a block you wouldn’t usually be interested in. We’ll convince you that unconventional experiences are the best. Beauty lies in diversity!

ICONIC DOCUMENTARIES, FAVORITE RETRO, AND QUEER MIXER

You can also look forward to five documentaries. European documentaries will present various forms of love, relationships, and overcoming barriers. A sympathetic couple, Gergo and Lenard, know a lot about the latter as they move to Budapest to gain fame with the first Roma musical in Narrow Path to Happiness. Lesvia reveals a more fitting place for queer love in the village of Eresos, which became a paradise for untamed female relationships for several decades. Similarly untamed is musician Peaches, a queer icon of feminism and female sexuality. Teaches of Peaches aptly summarizes her work and philosophy with energetic pacing. In Code of Fear, we join a Cameroonian filmmaker on a journey from Berlin to his home village to uncover the roots of deep-seated and system-supported homophobia. Fragments of a Life Loved then weaves a novel of life and omnipresent love in a unique format.

In the Retrospective section, we will look back at older films by Argentine director Marco Berger, who made his debut in 2020 with Young Hunter and in 2022 with Horseplay. He is unafraid to dissect Latin American macho culture, which in his films is accompanied by homoerotic tension, focusing on various forms of male relationships and suppressed desires. This year, Berger will personally present his latest work, along with two films that map his career. His second feature film, Absent (2011), a suspenseful thriller that flips the power dynamics between a teacher and a student, won the Teddy Award at Berlinale. His award-winning film Taekwondo (2016) explores relationships and psychology among friends during seemingly carefree summer days through hypnotic cinematography. Berger’s latest film, The Astronaut Lovers (2024), shifts slightly away from toxic masculinity, focusing instead on a romantic relationship between two childhood friends.

The Queer Blender serves a mix of fictional and documentary films, Czech and international works, and both film and TV formats. For the first time in a while, Mezipatra brings a Czech representative – the editing, sound, and visual gem I’m Not Everything I Want to Be Yet, a documentary about Libuše Jarcovjáková. The screening will be followed by the launch of Libuše's book T-Club. A unique sneak peek at upcoming Czech Television content will be offered by the drag talk show Chi Chi's Couch. The traditional block Queer as Ukraine vol. 3 will present a panorama of Ukrainian queer filmmaking, with films like Sebastian and Bulldog telling two different coming-of-age stories. While Sebastian focuses on his career and collects material for a new book by becoming a sex worker, Bruno struggles to break free from a problematic, codependent relationship with his mother.

The Queer Cinema Presents section offers a selection of new releases and proven classics, ensuring it won’t disappoint even the most demanding viewers. Taiwanese drama Moneyboys tells the story of Freio, who works as a sex worker to support himself and his family. We’ll stay in the realm of sex work in the romance Bliss, where we seek pure love among women sharing affection – and clients – in a German brothel. From a different angle comes the bittersweet documentary Boylesque, which explores the joys and struggles of Poland’s oldest drag queen, Lulla La Polaca. Three different films, three extraordinary experiences, one Queer Cinema.