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# SPOTLIGHT ON: Queer East Film Festival
- URL: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/spotlight-on-queer-east-film-festival-2/
- Published: 2023-03-30T14:00:55.000Z
- Updated: 2023-03-30T20:26:46.000Z
- Description: Brian Butler finds another film festival to jump in to
- Author: Brian Butler
- Tags: LGBTQ, queer, Queer East

Hot on the heels of this year’s highly successful **BFI Flare Film Festival**, comes another season of queer cinema. Now in in its fourth year, the **Queer East Film Festival** will be screened at cinemas across London from **April 18-30**, and then will tour to 10 as yet undisclosed cities between September and November.

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/tank-fairy-still-5600.jpg)

Looking at its programme, it promises an eclectic mix of contemporary features and documentaries, retrospective screenings, short films, artists’ moving works, a VR cinematic experience and dance productions that explore a diverse range of topical LGBTQ+ issues.

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/fsog4_v600.jpg)

Some 15 titles will comprise Focus Korea, running from the 1960s to now as part of a wider programme of films from East and South East Asia. As well as films, this year’s festival’s partners **The Place** will bring us international dance productions – **Robin Nimanong**’s ***Cyborg DNA*** and **Choy Ka Fai**’s***Yishun Is Burning***.

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/fsn5jmx600.jpg)

The festival opens with the high camp comedy ***I Love You Beksman*** from the Philippines. It follows a glamorous make-up artist Dali, who is assumed by everyone to be gay. But when he falls for beauty pageant Queen Angel, he’s forced to finally come out as… Straight. No-one believes him, not even Angel.

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/fr11fv600.jpg)

The festival closes with the UK premiere of **Home Ground** from South Korea – a poignant documentary about Korea’s first lesbian bar **Lesbos**. It charts the bar’s history from 1996 through times of struggle and hope. Other highlights include:

The 1969 film ***A Man and a Gisaeng*,** where a man dresses as a female courtesan.

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/fr_h8f1xwaeq6mb600.jpg)

**Sa Bangji* (1988) – a stunning 4k restoration of a film following the tragic, violent and sexual life of a hermaphrodite raised in a monastery, and their journey into the world.

The ’90s horror movie ***Memento Mori*** *,* where a sudden death leads to terror in a school.

**Peafowl** (2022) – the story of a transgender dancer forced to return to her rural hometown after the death of her father.

**Lotus Sports Club** (Cambodia/Netherlands) – a coming-of-age documentary about the relationship between a young Transgender footballer and his coach.

[**The full programme is at queereast.org.uk**](https://queereast.org.uk/?ref=scenemag.co.uk)