Lesvia

Since the 70’s lesbians from all over the world have been drawn to the island of Lesbos, the birthplace of the famous ancient Greek poet Sappho. They find refuge on the wild beaches that are void of tourists, next to small traditional fishermen villages. The women create their own environment that does not align with the conservative mind set of the nearby villagers and brings forth tensions. Some lesbians decide to relocate to the village and start a new community, hotels and businesses that cater to the lesbian crowd, which makes the locals feel like their home had been invaded and turned upside down.
Filmmaker Tzeli Hadjidimitriou, a Lesbos native and a lesbian herself, directed an immersive experience about 40 years of love, community, conflict and gentrification.


1.11 – An introduction by Dr. Amal Ziv 


In association with the European Union

Keep Not Silent – Ortho-Dykes (Et SheAhava Nafshi)


Celebrating 20 years of the premiere of Ilil Alexander’s groundbreaking film

Following the screening we will conduct a Q&A session with the creator of the film and a number of notable religious lesbian activists.

An Israeli documentary film from 2004, which won the Ophir Award for best docu, directed and produced by Ilil Alexander.
The film follows three Ultra Orthodox lesbian women living in Jerusalem and struggling with their sexual preference and their attraction to women. The film details the conflicts standing in their way – the wish to fulfill their desires and be authentic in their love and their loyalty to their families and their religious faith, and follows their lives and struggles.
The Hebrew name of the film comes from Song of Songs, 3:1 – “By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth; I sought him, but I found him not.”

The film was screened in cinemas and on TV in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Denmark and Poland, as well as in Israel.

“Jerusalem Is Proud to Present” & Panel

After the screening, a panel will take place with 3 LGBTQ activists from different cities –
Reut Nagar (Tel Aviv), Shiri Bar-On (Mitzpe Ramon) & Nava Dissentshik (Rosh Haayin), hosted by the film creator Nitzan Gilady.

In the summer of 2006, Jerusalem was to host, for the first time in history, the World Pride events, which were to culminate in a traditional gay pride parade. The planned events stirred turmoil in the politically complex city, with Jewish, Muslim and Christian religious leaders banding together in an uncompromising battle against what they said would “defile the holy city”. On the other side stood the activists of the Open House, Jerusalem’s LGBT community center, who planned the events. Steadfast in the face of the heated and violent anti-gay sentiment, they had to deal with threats to much more than just their right to march.

Gay Days

The screening will be followed by a panel with Yair Qedar, Elliott, Michal Eden and Omer Ohana, on the subject of the Israeli LGBTQ community 15 years ago (when the film was released) versus today. What had changed for the better and what had not?

Director Yair Qedar chronicles Israel’s LGBT revolution in a series of interviews and archive footage and in the process, shares his own story – a boy from a small town who arrived in Tel Aviv in the mid-eighties and embarked on a journey that began with oppression, before plowing on towards equality and along the way, starting the free LGBTQ publication, The Pink Times (‘haZman haVarod’).

LGBTQ Mix – Israeli Shorts 6

As its name suggests, this is the most colorful, diverse, surprising and fun shorts collection of the 2024 TLVFest. It contains many different cinematic genres and topics from every color of the LGBTQ rainbow.
Animation, video-art, fiction, documentary, serious drama and comedy – and all of it made in Israel.

Duration: 70 min