As Black History Month comes to an end we continue our celebration with more of our favourite films and where you can watch them. This diverse range of films that we have selected are celebrations of love, community and identity in its many forms. Recognising the richness and diversity of black communities all around the world through the medium of film. Check out part 1 here.
Body Electric (2017)
An erotic tale of identity and sexuality set in modern day Brazil. BODY ELECTRIC, the feature debut by Marcelo Caetano captures the beauty and delicate excitement of sexual awakening, as seen through the intense colour and vibrancy of São Paulo.
Rachel (Munroe Bergdorf) is a young aspiring transgender woman. After a series of encounters with a handsome man, she impulsively takes a chance on a one night stand, but where will it go from there?
Inspired by real-life experiences, BEAUTIFUL SOMETHING follows four men during one sublime night, as they comb the Philadelphia streets looking for a connection, they often settle for something quick and easy. However, tonight is much different.
The debut feature film from British Nigerian filmmaker Joseph A. Adesunloye, WHITE COLOUR BLACK at its heart is about self-discovery and rediscovering home.
WHITE COLOUR BLACK will be available in the UK 2021
October marks Black History Month in the UK, which was founded to recognise the contributions that people of African and Caribbean backgrounds have made to the UK and worldwide over many generations. To celebrate this, we have compiled a list of some our favourite Black Queer films and where you can find them. This diverse range of films that we have selected are celebrations of love, community and identity in its many forms. Recognising the richness and diversity of black communities all around the world through the medium of film.
Socrates (2019)
This recent release follows
15-year-old Socrates as he tries to come to terms with the sudden death of his
mother and being thrown into adulthood. It is a moving portrait about the
lengths we go to to survive and the very real hardships many at risk young
people face in Brazil’s urban landscape today. It is the debut feature from
Brazilian-American director Alexandre Moratto and the first feature to ever be
produced by the Quero Institute in Brazil where it was co-written, produced and
acted by at-risk teenagers who helped to shape the story and make it feel so
authentic.
Widely considered a classic in LGBTQ+
cinema, in The Watermelon Woman, Cheryl Dunye plays a filmmaker who becomes
fascinated by a long ago forgotten black actress known as ‘the watermelon
woman’. Alongside her uncovering of this actresses’ history, in her personal
life she falls in love with a white woman, Diana, this relationship brings with
it new difficulties. Throughout the film, Dunye raises questions of authorship,
visibility and film history, with Dunye having to fictionalise a history in
film for black lesbian women in order to be visible and create a dialogue with
the present.
The debut feature from
South-African filmmaker John Trengove, this film follows the intertwining story
of two closeted men in the context of the Xhosa ritual of Ulwaluko. In this
ritual, young men are circumcised and spend the following weeks in a camp
healing from their wounds under adult supervision, adults who themselves
underwent this same procedure many years before. With this ritual as a
backdrop, Trengove explores masculinity within this confined context and the
dangers of having to suppress a part of your identity in order to be accepted.
This film offers a unique look at
British urban life from acclaimed director Campbell X. It focuses on the story
of JJ, a black lesbian, and her best friend Seb, a white gay ‘pretty boy’. The
film follows the pair’s romantic entanglements, as well as their own turbulent
friendship. In Stud Life, Campbell X captures a side of Britain rarely seen on
screen, representing the British LGBTQ+ community in all its diverse forms with
love and understanding.
So much of what we built in the West is contingent on forgetting some of our past traumas.
MONSOON is a rich and poignant exploration of the struggle for identity in a place where the past weighs heavily on the present. Lewis (Parker Sawyers) an American living in Vietnam comes to terms with his Father’s involvement in the war. In Cinemas and On Demand Now, Monsoon is available on DVD & Blu-Ray Nov 2nd. MonsoonFilm.co.uk
Explore the Black History Month collection on the Peccadillo Shop here. Pt2 coming soon.
A Film by Hong Khaou In Cinemas and Streaming in the UK Now
This week welcomes the release of director Hong Khaou’s second feature film Monsoon, following his critically acclaimed debut feature Lilting. In Monsoon we see Hong Khaou drawing on similar themes to the ones he explored so touchingly in Lilting: cultural displacement, generational divides and a search for identity. Monsoon follows a young British-Vietnamese man Kit (Henry Golding, Crazy Rich Asians, The Gentlemen) as he returns to Vietnam for the first time since his childhood to scatter his parents’ ashes. Along the way he finds unexpected romance with handsome young American Lewis (Parker Sawyers) who has his own complex history with a Vietnam of the past. The two men bond over their shared dislocation in a country which greatly impacted both their identities.
Hong Khaou drew from personal experiences for his inspiration
for Monsoon, reflecting on his own
experience of having to migrate to Britain at eight years old as a political
refugee and his subsequent feeling of cultural displacement from his home
countries of Cambodia and Vietnam. Monsoon,
therefore strives to capture this transitional state of living that many
first and second generation migrants exist within, being both physically and culturally
dislocated from a country you remain connected to. A country which inextricably
impacts your identity and sense of self despite having very little or no memory
of this space. Through Kit, Hong Khaou questions what it must feel like to be
treated like a tourist in a place that was once your home.
Hong Khaou has also stated that in Monsoon he wanted to show Vietnam in a new light, working against
the invasive American perspective that has dominated the representation of the country
in film, ‘Vietnam is always seen as a victim, I wanted to show it as it is.’[1] Therefore,
in Monsoon, Khaou focuses on Vietnam
as the thriving, bustling metropolis it has evolved into, as well as its’ new
generation of young people who are beginning to pull away from their parents’
traditions and ways of living. This new generation is represented by the
character Linh (Molly Harris), a young woman who has big ambitions and is
reluctant to takeover her parents’ declining Lotus Tea business. She tells Kit
that the tea that they produce is outdated and that ‘nobody drinks it anymore’,
illustrating how the Vietnam of the past is rapidly changing as is its’
long-standing cultures and traditions. Hong Khaou captures this moment of
change in Monsoon, drawing a
connecting line from the disappearing Vietnam of the past, the one he grew up
in, to the altered Vietnam of the present. Noticing how despite this change, the
country’s painful history continues to impact the present across generations
and families. Monsoon
at its heart is a film about how we look the
past to understand the present. We follow Kit as he rediscovers a Vietnam which
now feels foreign to him and attempts to find traces of his parents and their past
selves through these explorations. Ultimately, Kit’s search for understanding
and self-discovery is universal, it is a reflection on how we retrace steps in
our history and our family’s history to better understand ourselves.
This debut feature film from 29
year-old Brazilian-American filmmaker Alexandre Moratto follows Socrates, a
15-year-old left reeling after his mother’s sudden death, struggling to make a
decent living and avoid homelessness even though the odds are stacked against
him. It is a unique film being that it was the first feature to be produced by
the Quero Institute in Brazil, an organisation supported by UNICEF which works
to teach audio visual skills to young people from low income communities to stimulate
talents and expand their professional horizons. In their workshops, they
promote cultural inclusion with classes in citizenship and entrepreneurship,
resulting in more awareness and participation from these young people. They
have stated about the films they create that they focus on themes related to
the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, further fostering an awareness in their
students about the wider world and sociological issues.
As a UNICEF backed project, it was
co-written and produced by at risk teenagers from the local area in Sao Paulo. In
describing how this project came to fruition, director Alexandre Moratto
discussed how in 2009 he had volunteered at the Quero Institute in Brazil and
was inspired by dedication of these young people to make a better life for
themselves. It was through this experience that Moratto recognised the
importance of making films about underrepresented cultures and communities.
Impressively, Socrates was able to
be made on a micro budget of under $20,000, which led to it being nominated for
the prestigious ‘John Cassavetes Award’ at the Film Independent Spirit Awards.
This award is presented to the creative team of a film which was budgeted at
less than $500,000, which further illustrates just how tiny Socrates budget
was. At these awards Socrates was also awarded the ‘Someone to Watch’ Award and
nominated for ‘Best Male Lead’ for its young star Christian Malheiros who plays
Socrates.
SOCRATES In Cinemas and On Demand Now IAmSocrates.co.uk
Papicha is a
fierce and probing look at the 1990s Algerian civil war from the perspective of
its young women. The film follows Nedjma (otherwise known as Papicha), a university
student who dreams of becoming a fashion designer and opening her own boutique
for the women of Algeria. But all around her civil war is closing in, Islamic
extremists are locked in a violent battle against the military government.
Posters threatening women who do not wear Hijabs in public begin to appear on
her campus and mobs of black Hijab clad women burst into their lectures
demanding they strictly adhere to their religious demands. In protest, Nedjma channels
all of her creative energy into a fashion show, defiantly ignoring these
impending dangers in favour of her own feminine resistance.
Although the story of Papicha
is fictional, the film’s director Mounia Meddour has stated that it is
partly based on her own experiences growing up in Algeria during these times.
Like Nedjma, Meddour studied and lived at the City University until her and her
family were forced to leave the country when she was 18 due to increasing
violence. This film is in homage to the young women, embodied by Nedjma and her
friends, that stayed and formed a resistance against this violence and
patriarchal oppression.
The character of Nedjma and her closely knit group of
equally defiant female friends, is also illustrate of the youth movements that
were appearing in Algeria at this time, in active protest of this rising
extremism and violence against civilians. One of the most notable groups of
this time was the Youth Action Rally (RAJ) which was formed in 1993. This
organisation was created in response to the rise of radical Islamism and wanted
to bring these divided forces back together.[1] It
was passionate in its support of women’s freedom and right to protest, with its
first ever president being a woman. Its committees were primarily founded on
university campuses, meaning the organisations members were primarily made up
of young intellectuals. In focusing her film on a university campus and its
female students, Meddour is celebrating the activism of youth movements like
the RAJ during this period, providing a hopeful, united young voice to counter
the violent oppression of this era.
Interestingly the RAJ is still an operating organisation
today. They have recently lent their efforts to supporting the ongoing
pro-democracy protests in Algeria, with multiple members of the group being
arrested during these peaceful protests including their president.[2] The events shown in
Papicha and the 1990s Algerian Civil War directly link to the current turbulent
political crisis in Algeria. Young protesters are being arrested merely for
their peaceful political activism. Amnesty International has called these
arrests ‘an unacceptable
violation of their rights and liberties’[3]
It appears that Papicha’s for freedom is not yet over, as is the case for
thousands of young Algerians protesting for their right to a democratic
government.
PAPICHA will be streaming in the UK from August 7th
Support your local cinema with virtual screenings of A WHITE, WHITE DAY streaming July 3rd
Cinemas have now been closed across the UK for more than 100 days. Recently it was announced that doors may open from July 4th, although some will open their doors this July, there will be limited capacity to maintain social distancing. Many Art House screens in the UK, that regularly show our films, are looking to open around August / September time. Some are even planning for a later reopening.
While some cinemas will be able to play A WHITE, WHITE DAY inside their auditoriums during the next few months, many cannot. Therefore we have teamed up with local Cinemas across the UK to launch a “Virtual Cinema Release” on Friday 3rd July. Cinemas will be opening the film virtually from their websites, on over 30 screens.
You can show support to your local cinema by watching A White White Day embedded on the cinema website or by clicking on the url from the cinema domain to the Vimeo On Demand page. The film rental revenue generated will be shared with the cinema venue, just like when you book a ticket in person.
It is truly wonderful to have cinema venues on board with our ‘virtual cinema release’ for A WHITE, WHITE DAY.
The last few years have brought to the screen genuine Queer stories from authentic voices that seem to really understand what it’s like to grow up Queer – none more so than CLOSET MONSTER, re-released in the UK today four years after its original premiere.
The feature debut of Canadian director Stephen Dunn (GOOD MORNING, Boys on Film 12), shows the strangeness of being a teenager through the surreal story of Oscar, a boy trying to escape his small town to become a special-effects makeup artist, together with Buffy, his talking pet hamster and life coach. After the arrival of a new cool, handsome co-worker, Oscar is forced to face demons from a traumatic childhood memory. Beautiful and haunting – but prepare to cry at Isabella Rossellini narrating Buffy the hamster.
In a more realistic and sombre tone, highly acclaimed TOMBOY (2011) brings an exceptional cast of teenagers on this drama about childhood gender confusion. 10-year old Laurie is mistaken for a boy by the local kids after moving in with her family to a new apartment block. Instead of correcting them, Laurie creates a new identity and starts living a parallel reality from her parents in the afternoons, as all her friends think she is ‘Michael’. French director Céline Sciamma’s unique observational style avoids tropes, bringing a tender summer experience to the screen.
Swimming between fiction and documentary, 52 TUESDAYS (2015) is remarkable in its production. Filmed every Tuesday for 52 consecutive weeks, the film shows Billy, a teenager who just found out her mum will transition and live as a man. Having to move in with her father, Billy holds her Tuesday meetings with her mum as sacred, but a new sexual relationship with two school friends might put that at risk. Director Sophie Hyde leads this cast of non-actors with authenticity to create a truly compelling story of family, transformation and sexual awakening.
Last but not least, COMING OUT (2019) is a gem of a movie. Made entirely of Youtube videos of young people coming out to their families around the world, director Denis Parrot sews an absolutely charming documentary with these life changing moments. The seconds of silence after a mother realizes her son just said he’s gay carries the weight of the world – suddenly we forget ourselves and experience the moment like it’s been screened live from across the globe, holding our breaths as we wait for her reaction. There is an inevitable and quite compelling mise-an-scene from a person caught up in the moment but who still can’t forget they are being filmed, fully aware their reactions will be judged.
The power of these films are irrefutable and any one of us, however we identify under the rainbow umbrella, will be able to see our own adolescent experiences on the screen.
33 years on BUDDIES is still as affecting as ever.
Buddies is a film made chaotically amid a plague that was killing thousands of gay men. While it was happening. It’s also a film about a plague that was killing thousands of gay men; it’s a film set in 1985, about two very gentle, kind and frightened gay men living amid an epidemic that was only burgeoning at the time. But burgeoning dramatically. One of these gentle, kind men volunteers to become a ‘buddy’; to befriend those dying in hospital, abandoned by friends, families, lovers. The very premise of this film is steeped in the kind legacy of community activism that defined that decade. These two men were very different; quite plainly, one is a monogamy-favoring academic, gentle, good. The other, a free-loving wanderer, an agitator, also gentle and good. This dynamic is one of the (many) hearts of this film; two gentle people, very frightened and challenged, full of differences, yet finding kindness and likeness amid panic, chaos, death, fear, anger and differing politics.
There was no benefit of hindsight in the making of this movie. The privilege of reflection, of historical perspective… it did not live here. The maker of this film; the man who wrote it, directed it, made it; he did not have the luxury of calling “cut!”, exiting a movie set and getting on with life. That plague was happening outside the film set door, crashing and killing and propagating fear in mammoth proportions. There was no off switch, no time for reflection, or to process the fear, or to process the many emotions and injustices this community was living with, dying with. Even their 5 year projections/estimates of how many would die from this plague, were devastatingly conservative.
This is a film, made naively and responsively in the moment. You’ll know this as you watch this film. As the gentle people in the film act, the real life outside crashed in; you hear it in the politics, in the porn they watch on the deathbed; you see it in the 80s clock radio beside the bed. Not a prop; this is 1985 and you can’t forget it. As these gentle actors act, you can feel the real-time bewilderment of Ronald Regan’s denial, of gay sex-phobic heterosexual America. New York’s Statue of Liberty appears accidentally in the film too; a symbol of inclusion, freedom and liberty actually falling apart, as it was shrouded in scaffolding in 1985, crumbling with age and neglect. Her torch was literally beyond repair in 1985. From behind her scaffolding, she watched over New York as a government neglected a dying people, ignoring a plague.
This is a film, made in chaos and fear and love. Watch with a friend; you’ll need your friend with you for this. Be grateful for your friend; one of the lead actors in this film (Geoff Edholm) died four years afterward. The filmmaker, Arthur
“Artie” Bressan Jr, died 2 years after he made his film, his masterpiece.
Life and art often imitate each other, often merge. In this case, life and art and death merged, and we have this film left as a loving legacy. When it’s finished, this film feels a bit like someone you really liked has just been whispering the most important things your ear, with anger and passion and a love that’s especially for you, but about something bigger and very important; and now you are bereft without them. But you can still feel their breath on your ear.
David Stuart was the first to name and identify Chemsex as an emerging gay cultural phenomenon. He developed the world’s first chemsex support services, and he fought relentlessly for greater chemsex awareness by encouraging and stimulating cultural dialogue and discussion within our international gay, bi and Queer communities. He continues to support international governments and communities to manage the cultural phenomenon from a place of kindness, sex positivity and cultural competence.
In 2015, Niloufar Ardalan, Captain of the Iranian Women’s Futsal team, was not be able to lead her teammates in the Women’s Futsal Championship, because her husband would not allow her to renew her passport. In 2017 a further eight Iranian female athletes were also banned by their menfolk from leaving the country. Everyday Women in Iran are denied the right to freedom of movement, dictated by their age and marital status, by law husbands, fathers and male guardians have the right to stop a woman travelling abroad. These cases became the inspiration for director Soheil Beiraghi’s second feature film PERMISSION starring Baran Kosari.
Afrooz (Kosari) is the captain of the Iranian international women’s Futsal National Team. After eleven years of hard work, her dream is finally about to become a reality as she will be leading her team in the Women’s Asia Cup’s Final, an opportunity to further her professional career. En route to Malaysia, Afrooz discovers that she has been forbidden to leave the country due her estranged husband’s disapproval. In PERMISSION we join Afrooz in the battle for her freedom. A battle, in which, a spiteful estranged husband has the law on his side.
“Beiraghi is to be commended for making a film which has provoked debate in Iran regarding the law that gives every husband there the absolute right to act in this prohibitive way.”
Beiraghi has used his voice to create a film that urges the viewer to look at tradition and law from the perspective of the oppressed. It is impossible to look at Afrooz’s story and not feel compelled to join her in her fight for gender equality. The strength of the women affected is undeniable. Now is the time to break tradition favouring a patriarchal society.
PERMISSION is available in UK Cinemas and On Demand NOW
On the surface the life of Agassi is one that could have come straight out of a movie, having discovered the world of gay porn he became an international, award winning star. Travelling the world for his work, Agassi was the definition of love and making love – or so it seems.
“When someone goes to bed with Jonathan Agassi they want a god.”
Heymann and Agassi met in Tel Aviv. Immediately drawn to Agassi, Heymann set out to tell the story of the internationally successful porn star. With no deadlines, no budget and a constantly developing storyline the making of the film unravelled elements of Agassi’s life that he never planned on exposing. Shot over 8 years, this is a journey that does not hold back, from the highs to the lows Jonathan Agassi reveals the person behind the persona.
Agassi will be visiting London in December for some very special Q&A screenings, there may even be opportunity to get your DVD signed. Q&A Screening info: ICA December 4th Genesis December 5th
