Take a look at a selection of Brazil’s contemporary queer short film productions: these are films whose queer aesthetics go beyond everyday LGBTIQA representation, made by people who just recently started to tell their own stories. Brazil is reported to have the highest LGBT murder rate in the world, with a LGBT person being killed every 25 hours – so to film these lives, loves and culture is, in itself, an act of resistance. In this programme you won’t find shame: instead, the programme presents a joyful celebration of queer living, diverse in theme and region, with films that come from 5 different cities in the Northeast, Southeast and Midwest of Brazil. In STUDY IN RED, ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture are mixed together in an analysis of queerness as an art form (plus, a stunning cover of Kate Bush’s ‘Wuthering Heights’). Made by a trans* crew, TAILOR is an animated documentary about a transgender cartoonist and the people he draws. AFRONTE is a part-fictionalized documentary in which black gay men reflect on their experiences, racism and community in the outskirts of Brazil’s capital. In NOT YET, a lesbian has a difficult time when her mother comes to visit; and in VANDO AKA VEDITA, we are introduced to a group of young people who dye their hair blonde and wander the slums of Fortaleza city.
ESTUDO EM VERMELHO/STUDY IN RED,
Chico Lacerda, 2013, 16 min