If you are visiting London between 21 March and 4 April get along to the 21st London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival located at the redeveloped BFI South Bank (British Film Institute). Their centrepiece screening is ‘Rag Tag’, a British black gay film by ambitious first time director Adaora Nwandu which features Danny Parsons, Damola Adelaja and Geoffrey Aymer. The film tells the tale of religion, racism, the distractions of troubled heterosexual relationships and shady dealings in Nigeria and London as it traces the journey of 12-year-old intimate boyhood friends into adulthood.
One of the intriguing elements of the Festival that at least we can visit from WA via the web is The Pansy Project by Manchester-based artist Paul Harfleet. The Festival image, a large pansy in the foreground in bloom with a twilight lit cityscape in the far background is one of the Harfleet’s creations, as photographed by Nadege Meriau. The image depicts a pansy that was planted for David Morley, who was murdered on the South Bank in 2004 after surviving the tragic Admiral Duncan bombing.
Paul Harfleet initially started planting pansies at locations where he had experienced verbal homophobic abuse. Afterwards he would entitle the locations and would post the photographs of them on his website www.thepansyproject.com
The project was originally autobiographic but has progressed to become a symbolic action of resistance. Paul Harfleet will be presenting a series of events and activities during the Festival that will showcase The Pansy Project.
The Flickerfest International Short Film Festival is back once again to showcase 4 International programmes of 32 short films from 19 different countries will run from Thursday 8 until Sunday 11 March. Grab your picnic rugs and get under the stars at Camelot Outdoor Cinema, Lochee Street, Mosman Park.
www.lunapalace.com.au
32 films that almost made it into the finals of the Sony Tropfest have been compiled especially for us and screened by Popcorn Taxi and FTI.. On Friday March 9th, you can see the second half of the ‘best of the rest’ selection hand picked from the shortlist by Tropfest selectors as just too good to miss. Tropfest: Best of the Rest is on 7pm Friday March 9 at FTI, 92 Adelaide St, Fremantle, Tickets: $13/$10 Entry to is 18+ only. Bookings: (08) 9431 6721
Coming up this month is also the 20th WA Screen Awards proudly presented by the Film and Television Institute (FTI). There are more entries this year, and according to the judges, an impressive standard of entries. Paul Goldman is a special guest at the award ceremony, which is to be hosted by local actors Sam Longley and Damon Lockwood at His Majesty’s on March 23. Tickets $60/$70 through BOCS. www.wascreenawards.com
The Alliance Francaise French Film Festival is on once again from Thursday 29 March until Wednesday 4 April at Cinema Paradiso. 17 French films featuring performances by Isabelle Huppert, Romain Duris, Gerard Depardieu, Audrey Tatou, Louis Garrel, Daniel Auteuil, Nathalie Baye, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Charlotte Rampling with the legendary Danielle Darrieux too. www.frenchfilmfestival.org
