He LesGaiCineMad Festivalorganized by the Triángulo Foundation, begins its 29th edition this Wednesday in Madrid with more than 110 film screenings queer from the five continents, which can be seen in more than 20 rooms in the capital.
“LesGaiCineMad It has become the meeting point for filmmakers and viewers of all nationalities, from where it is possible to independently express the desire to live in freedom, through cinema and culture. We are aware of the powerful speaker that the big screen offers us to continue raising awareness about the realities of the collective,” commented the president of the Triángulo Foundation, José María Núñez.
The Film Festival, which will conclude on November 24, contains an extensive program in which Spanish cinema stands out with twelve feature films and the documentary ‘A quiet man’, by César Vallejo, Santiago Gómez and Alberto J. Fernández, which will open this edition and which will pay tribute to Miguel Ángel Sánchez, co-founder of Triangle Foundation died in June 2023.
At the opening gala, the + MAS Emerging ‘Queer’ Talent award will be presented to the actress and singer Juani Ruiz. This award, according to the organization, will be for his impeccable work in queer series such as ‘Veneno’, ‘Cardo’ and ‘Vestidas de Azul’. “A well-deserved recognition for a trans woman who began her fight in the streets of Madrid, and who has been supporting the collective’s cause in multiple ways for more than 20 years,” states the Triángulo Foundation.
In this 29th edition, the Honor Award will go to the American director Rose Troche who will collect the award on Thursday, November 21 at Filmoteca Española, after the screening of her lesbian feature film ‘Go Fish’, which this year celebrates 30 years of its premiere in 1994. Rose Troche’s visit to Madrid is a collaboration between LesGaiCineMad and Festival Rhizome.
One of the novelties of the LesGaiCineMad Festival is the celebration of the cycle Queer Cinema Taiwan: Opening paths to freedom. This retrospective spans more than 30 years, with films such as ‘The Wedding Banquet’ by Ang Lee, ‘The River’ by Tsai Ming-Liang, ‘Spider Lilies’ by Zero Chou, ‘Small Talk’ by Huang Hui-Chen, ‘ Moneboys’ by CB Yi and ‘A Journey in Spring’ by Wang Ping-Wen and Peng TzuHu, which will be complemented by short films, masterclasses and other activities.
A round table on queer series organized by the festival will also be held by Rose Trose, Pablo Tocino, Javier Ferreiro and Carlota Pereda in Sala Dama on Thursday the 22nd at 12 noon. A meeting between professionals to discuss the evolution of the series.
Official Section
In the official section, twelve feature films will compete, among which are ‘Ponyboy’ by Esteban Arango, and the fiction premiere in Spain ‘Close to you’; by Dominic Savage, with trans actor Eliott Page as the protagonist. After his time at La Semaine de la Critique in Cannes, the Brazilian director Marcelo Caetano will go to LesGaiCineMad to present his new film ‘Baby’, filmed in a contemporary Sao Paulo where queer environments will represent a healing refuge for its protagonists.
Great presence of Spanish cinema in the official section with the premiere of ‘Where the silence passes’ by Sandra Romero and ‘Lahalf of Ana’ by Martha Nieto. Both works are based on previous short films by the directors that were also presented at the festival years ago.
In addition, Asian debut films that will be part of this section will compete, such as the Thai film ‘Solids by the Seashore’ by Patiparn Boontarigabout the relationship between two antagonistic women, and the Taiwanese ‘Who’ll stop the rain’ by Yi-Hsuan Su, a lesbian love story crossed by the struggles over the country’s freedoms.
The director’s new work arrives from France Claire Burger‘Foreign Language’, and the work by director Alexis Langlois ‘The Drama Queens’, a musical of kitsch imagery where the popstars will have to survive the hell of the fans and the cruelty of the networks. Completing the Official Selection are the Dutch ‘Out’ by Dennis Alink, the Brazilian ‘Sofia’s Challenge (Levante)’ by Lillah Hallah and the American ‘Lilies not for me’ by Will Seefried.
Panorama Section
For its part, the Panorama section will feature ‘Rent Free’ by Fernando Andrés, and ‘Extremely Unique Dynamic’ by Ivan Leung, Harrison Xu and Katherine Dudas, as well as great European dramas such as the Belgian ‘Young Hearts’ by Anthony Schatteman and the Italian ‘Io non sono nessuno’ by Geraldine Ottier or the Spanish ‘You are not me’, by Marisa Crespo and Moisés Romera.
The Argentine Marco Berger returns to the festival with his new gay romantic comedy ‘The Astronaut Lovers’, with the Spanish actor Javier Orán and Lautaro Bettoni. ‘Duino’ by Juan Pablo di Pace and Andrés P. Estrada will illustrate the relationship of two men on the Italian coast. From South Korea come two very different lesbian works; the anime ‘The summer’ Jiwon Han and Jay Han’s love story ‘No heaven but love’. Completes the section ‘Layla’ by Amrou Al-Kadhi, presented at the Sundance Film Festival.
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