Japan is one of those societies where discussions about sexuality have traditionally remained private. However, the country has made visible progress in LGBTQ+ awareness in recent years; local partnership systems now exist in dozens of prefectures, Pride celebrations are held in cities across the country, and public discussion around marriage equality continues to grow. Yet…
Tag: film festival
40th BFI FLARE: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival: “The Deepest Space in Us” Review
Grief can be especially difficult to process when it is complicated by discovery – when, after someone is gone, you begin to uncover things about their life you never knew existed. In The Deepest Space in Us, written and directed by Yasutomo Chikuma, this kind of loss is at the center of the story. The…
40th BFI FLARE: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival: In Conversation with Rahemur Rahman & Lily Vetch, Directors of “Body of Our Own”
Perhaps it is through artists that we come to see stories we might never have known otherwise, stories that exist beyond the margins. Body of Our Own is one such film. Centered on the lives of three women from the Hijra community, offering a perspective rarely seen on screen. The film is brought to life…
40th BFI FLARE: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival: “Body of Our Own” Review
Presented at this year’s BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival, the documentary Body of Our Own follows three members of the Hijra community: Momo, Neshi, and Jannat. Directed by Rahemur Rahman and Lily Vetch, the film gives us a beautifully observant portrait of identity and friendship. Filmed over seven years, Rahman and Vetch take a…
28th Far East Film Festival: The New Poster is Here!
For a few days each spring, Udine turns into the hub of Asian cinema. The premieres, the talks, the packed schedules, the chance encounters between artists and audiences. These are the visible mechanics of any festival. But what truly gives it meaning is something less tangible: the people. A festival audience is a living, breathing…
The 40th Edition of the BFI Flare Will Run from 18-29 March 2026 at BFI Southbank
Now in its 40th year, the BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival returns to BFI Southbank with one of its most expansive and internationally minded editions to date. Long considered a key fixture of the global queer film calendar, the festival continues to balance discovery with legacy, pairing brave new voices with restorations, talks and…
76th Berlin International Film Festival: “A Russian Winter” Review
Directed by Patric Chiha, A Russian Winter offers a necessary portrait of the post-2022 lives of Russians who chose exile. In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russian identity has often been flattened into a single political narrative, leaving little space for those who reject the regime, or for the difficult, uncertain process of…
76th Berlin International Film Festival: In Conversation with Priscilla Kelle, Director of “Papaya”
Papaya is an animation that offers an optimistic portrayal of the natural ecological chain. Through the film, audiences gain insight into the complex and interdependent processes within the soil, where plants, fungi, and animals each play their roles, nourishing and sustaining one another in remarkable ways. While the film does acknowledge the negative impact of…
76th Berlin International Film Festival: In Conversation with Patric Chiha, Director of “A Russian Winter”
In September 2022, images of young men crossing the border in the Georgian mountains struck Patric Chiha, the director of A Russian Winter. They were fleeing the Russian regime, some on foot, others by bike or car. “While these men were experiencing a situation unimaginable to me,” he recalls, “their faces seemed to say a…
76th Berlin International Film Festival: “Papaya” Review
A compact and light-hearted Brazilian animation, Papaya, screening at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival, feels exceptionally sincere and heartening as director Priscilla Kelle’s feature debut. Without dialogue, the constant adventure of the papaya seed reflects a teeming Amazonian forest landscape blazing with colours through its vitality and the complex interactions of plants coexisting within…
VIEW OF THE ARTS 