10th edition of Chennai International Queer Film Festival to feature 22 films from 8 countries

The tenth edition of Reel Desires: Chennai International Queer Film Festival is set to be held from November 11 to November 13. The three-day film festival, which is aimed to showcase sexuality and gender diversity issues, is organised by Orinam and Goethe-Institut Chennai in collaboration with Nirangal Charitable Trust and SAATHII.

This year’s line-up of films includes 22 feature films, short films, and documentaries from 8 countries that were selected via a community-led review process.

The highlights among the short films include Pride (India) by Arun Siddharth, Stars and Freckles (Argentina) by Constanza Garcia, Fado Menor (Portugal) by Salvador Alejandro Gutiérrez, Fake (France, 2020) by Alexandre de Villeneuve, and An Alarippu (India) by Talin Subbaraya.

Posters of ‘23rd September’, ‘Taap – About Mercury Rolling Down The Bodies’, ‘Aonde Vão Os Pés’
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

This year, two feature-length documentaries will be screened at the festival. On Friday, November 11, Zuhur’s Daughters, a 2021 German documentary by Laurentia Genske and Robin Humboldt will be screened. The film chronicles four deeply complex and life-changing years in the lives of siblings Lohan and Samar, two young transgender women who fled Syria with their family and are now embarking on a very different life in Germany. On Saturday, November 12, a 2022 Brazilian documentary called Blooming on the Asphalt by Coraci Ruiz will be featured. The film follows the journey of a teenage transgender person named Jack.

Further, on Saturday, a panel discussion will be held on the pressing need for shelter and housing for LGBTIQA+ persons, city activists, staff of NGO and government-supported shelters, and community members who have needed and sought shelter to escape family violence.

On Sunday, Chennai-based filmmaker Mani Shankar Iyer’s Valentine @3 is set to be screened. The film is an anthology of stories following three gay men in different stages of their journey through life and love. The first story narrates a teenager’s feelings towards his school and college crush, and his mother’s understanding of his sexuality. The second story deals with two gay men deciding to get married in an unexpected context. The third story will follow a conversation between a cab driver and his passenger.

The screenings will take place on Friday (6 pm-9 pm), Saturday (3 pm-7.30 pm) and Sunday (3 pm-9 pm), at Goethe-Institut, 5th Street, Rutland Gate, Chennai. For more information, visit www.ciqff.org.