Queering Cinema series brings five form-pushing features to the VIFF Centre, May 15 to June 12
Moonlight, Tehran: City of Love, and more explore themes of loneliness, belonging, and desire in program curated by Fay Nass
SPONSORED POST BY VIFF
Moonlight.
VIFF presents Queering Cinema, curated by the frank theatre company’s artistic director Fay Nass, from May 15 to June 12. The series includes five features and two short films that have extended the scope of queer cinema. Offerings from Iran, Japan, Europe, the U.S., and India explore themes of masculinity, loneliness, belonging, desire, and beyond.
Screenings on Thursdays will be introduced by Nass. The opening night film Tehran: City of Love, which runs May 15 at 7:45 pm, will be followed by a DJ set from DJ Nancydru.
Tehran: City of Love.
In Tehran: City of Love, director Ali Jaberansari weaves a poignant narrative that explores the complexities of modern love against the backdrop of Tehran, a vibrant but lonely city. While none of the characters in the film are openly queer, the film delves into the intricacies of connection in a place where love cannot be openly expressed. Through beautiful imagery and subtle underscoring, Tehran: City of Love challenges perspectives on gender, love, and identity in a society grappling with tradition and modernity.
Closing night on June 12 at 7:30 pm will feature Naoko Ogigami’s 2017 film Close-Knit, which has garnered significant critical acclaim for its heartfelt storytelling and richly developed characters. A young girl, Tomo, unexpectedly finds herself living with her uncle and his transgender partner, a woman named Tetsu. The unconventional family arrangement serves as a backdrop for exploring the challenges and joys of living authentically, and the filmmakers evoke empathy and understanding for each character.
Close-Knit.
Three more films will screen as part of the Queering Cinema series. There’s John Cameron Mitchell’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which unflinchingly explores the struggle for love and acceptance through the lens of a rock musical, screening alongside the short “The Human Voice”; Barry Jenkins’s Moonlight, an Oscar-winning portrait of a young Black man grappling with his identity and sexuality in a rough Miami neighborhood, screening alongside the short “Strange Way of Life”; and Deepa Mehta’s Fire, a groundbreaking exploration of queer identities set against the backdrop of a traditional Indian household.
Series passes and individual tickets are available for purchase through VIFF.
Post sponsored by VIFF.
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