The 24th Florence Queer Festival returns to Cinema La Compagnia from November 18 to 22, showcasing over 35 films dedicated to LGBTQIA+ culture and identity.
The program spans five days of screenings, book presentations, and discussions, with this year’s edition centering on the body as a site of political expression and social resistance.
The festival opens on November 18 at 9:00 p.m. with a focus on cultural resistance, featuring the experimental documentary A Message by Palestinian trans artist Mama Ganuush. Following the screening, the event WOKE! – contro la nuova grammatica reazionaria will examine the political weaponization of terms like "gender" and "wokismo" through archival materials and theatrical performance.
"Corpi che protestano nelle piazze, che si ribellano alle convenzioni sociali, che ballano e rivendicano il proprio spazio," ha dichiarato Barbara Caponi, direttrice artistica del Florence Queer Festival. "Questi temi uniscono i lavori in gara, i quali esplorano vulnerabilità, scontri e percorsi di autodeterminazione e resistenza attraverso storie provenienti da Brasile, Cina, Kazakistan e Stati Uniti."
The selections include diverse narratives, such as the story of the first NHL player to come out publicly in The Hockey Player and the experiences of a queer Ukrainian couple navigating gender transition during wartime in I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming. Other featured works include She’s the He, a comedy about American teenagers exploring gender identity, and The Dads, a documentary profiling American fathers supporting their transgender children.
The festival distributes awards across four sections: feature films, short films, the Pride Award, and queer animation. A jury featuring director Fabio Mollo, activist and actor Pietro Turano, and filmmaker Amandine Gay will evaluate the feature film entries.
Short film submissions will be judged by musician Fabio Santi Viscuso, Simone Alliva, and media diversity expert Simone Gambirasio. The Pride Award jury includes writer and activist Luce Scheggi, performance artist Sara Leghissa, and comedian Simonetta Musitano. Students and staff from TheSIGN – Comics & Arts Academy will assign the Queer Animation prize alongside the Collettivo Moleste.
The festival concludes on November 22 at 9:00 p.m. with the national premiere of the docuseries Ballroom, directed by Afro-feminist activist Amandine Gay. The screening will feature the first and fifth episodes of the series, which documents the ballroom scene in the suburbs of Paris.
Set against the backdrop of the 2024 Paris Olympics, the series follows young members of the House of Revlon as they manage family dynamics and personal affirmation.
Keep reading