Transgender cinema from around the world: campy movie from Taiwan, lyrical poetry from Indonisia, Mexican hard realism, a night trip drama from the USA, a familial tragedy from Spain, transgender parenthood in Brazil and a short surprising comedy from Germany.
A rich and diverse collection that brings to the big screen a wide arc of characters and stories on the trans spectrum.
Duration: 90 minutes.
Short queer animation films from all over the world. Each one done in a different style of animation, with a different cinematic approach. The films deal with a variety of subjects, such as gender, sexuality, sexual identity, history, love and of course, the modern world’s obsession with dating apps and selfies.
Get ready for a thrilling and original 80 minutes.
Filmed in Cambodia over the course of 5 years, “Lotus Sports Club”, is an inspiring coming-of-age story. In its center is Leak, a teenage trans man who plays football in the under-21s women’s team of Kampong Chhnang, and Pa Vann, the trans coach and father-figure to Leak and other LGBTQ+ players on the team. 61-year-old Pa Vann established the football team in 2009 to encourage solidarity among straight, lesbian and gender-diverse players. He also opened his home to the more vulnerable and often homeless teenagers, including Leak, thus providing these LGBTQ+ players a safe place to be themselves.
After living with Pa Vann for many years, Leak, driven by the pressure to make more money for his family and forced off the football team because of his age, takes the heart-breaking decision to move to Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, leaving behind the one person he loves the most.
The full cinematic version of the wonderful documentary by Shauly Melamed, in a one-time screening at the festival in the presence of the film’s heroes.
In this coming-of-age story, four LGBTQ adults re-encounter the home video footage they shot of themselves as kids: Shauly explored his homosexuality; Tom faced his gender identity; Betty filmed her friends and lovers; Rumia discovered her roots in drag.
The ‘Muxes’ are a unique group of people in Oaxaca state in Mexico. They are an example of a third gender, and proof that gender norms are a lot more fluid than what we might think.
“Finlandia” is a spectacular film about a community not many people know. Marta is a fashion designer who is assigned to explore this vibrant muxes community for ideas for a new fashion line of a high fashion company. She pretends to be a curious Spanish tourist and befriends the heads of the community, while hiding her real intentions. As the friendship between Marta and her new acquaintances becomes stronger, she begins to question the integrity of her assignment.
In his debut film, director Horacio Alcalà brings to the big screen the breathtaking views of the southern Mexican desert and combines artistic and visual cinema with a sweeping melodrama full of love for the Muxes community.
In association with the Embassy of Mexico
“Becoming Charlie” is a short web-series about a search for identity.
Discovering their non-binary identity takes not only Charlie, but everyone close to them out of their comfort zone, and shakes up some seemingly unshakeable truths.
Charlie, in their early 20’s, are still living with their mother Rowena, who has no control over her own life or finances, both she and Charlie move from one job to the next. It seems the only let out for Charlie is rap music. Charlie is working as a courier and realises more and more that everyone’s expectations of them don’t resonate with what they’re feeling. On top of that, there’s tension in the family – Rowena’s sister Fabia tries to collect some old overdue debts and causes a chain reaction.
Charlie finds themselves wondering more and more “Where do we belong?”
Courtesy of ZDF
In association with Goethe Institut
The screenwriter-director-actress Michelle Ehlen comes back to TLVFest after screening here two of her other films: “Butch Jaime” and “S&M Sally”. Her previous films were lighthearted fun-filled comedies that enjoyed crushing gender stereotypes. This time Ehlen proves that she is not only a gifted comic filmmaker but a quality drama master as well. “Maybe Someday” brings us the serious side of her cinematic work and this time she deals with relationships, heartbreak and memory, but despite the dramatic levels, the film is still full of humour.
After her partner leaves her, Jay embarks on a road trip across the USA with a backpack full of basics and an old phone. She arrives at the home of a childhood friend in California and gets swept by a torrent of bitter-sweet memories of their childhood. The real crisis comes when she finds out her old partner is seeing someone else. Meanwhile she meets Tommy, an amateur stand-up comedian who is funnier off the stage. With her teenage sweetheart in the next room and her ex that still messages her, Jay must decide if she really means to leave the limbo she’s stuck in.
