This Festival Is Ireland’s Largest Celebration of Queer and Trans Cinema
Running from 28 July to 3 August, GAZE is putting queer cinema at the forefront of the Irish psyche by taking over some of our favourite visual hubs in Dublin. Click here to grab tickets.
GAZE International LGBTQIA Film Festival spans The Lighthouse Cinema, The IFI and even IMMA’s Living Canvas. Drawing on some of the most stunning cinema centred around queer stories and creatives, the festival has become a one-stop shop for high quality queer and trans cinema. Founded in 1992, GAZE has become more than just a film festival. It is also the largest celebration of Irish LGBTQIA+ culture in Ireland, outside of Pride. The festival covers the spectrum of cinema, including shorts, international feature films and homegrown documentaries. Here’s a taste of what’s on offer:
Stop! That! Train!
Directed by: Adam Shankman
When: 29 July
Where: Irish Film Institute
A chaotic disaster film, headed by drag stars Ginger Minj, Jujubee, and RuPaul. Drawing on three of the world’s biggest drag icons to tell a story of two train stewardesses who work to stop a train and its passengers heading directly to a Stormaganza!. Fundamentally hilarious and with a star-studded cast, this is not your normal drag queen performance. Hairspray director Adam Shankman pulls out all the stops, to deliver the biggest spoof we’ve seen on screen since the noughties.
Grab Tickets here.
Iván & Hadoum
Directed by: Ian de la Rosa
When: 30 July
Where: The Lighthouse Cinema
Set in Spain, this feature tells the story of a romance between a Moroccan woman and a trans man. Here, the queer identity of the characters sits in the background as this is fundamentally a love story first. However, the work also delves into societal and familial challenges as the central characters overcome and navigate a contemporary romance. The screening will also be attended by Silver Chicón, who plays Ivan in the film.
Trial of Hein
Directed By: Kal Stänicke
When: 1 August
Where: The IFI
This period piece that follows a man (Hein) as he returns to his remote island hometown after 14 years. Upon arrival, Hein realises that no locals have any memory of him. After distrust builds, Hein is put on trial to prove his identity. This beautifully shot, German language film gives an enigmatic exploration of a man’s journey to reclaim his identity from a past life. This full-length directorial debut comes from Kal Stänicke following his queer short film ‘Golden’.
The Passion According To G.H.B.
Directed by: Gustavo Vinagre, Vinicius Couto
When: 1 August
Where: The Lighthouse Cinema
A documentary centring around the taboo subject of chemsex in the queer community. The work is shot in three parts, centred around an orgy and the retrospective thoughts and feelings that come with partaking in the controversial corner of queer culture. ‘The Passion According To G.H.B’ looks at the havens of escape the LGBTQIA+ world has formed in a social landscape that has historically been hostile to the community. We see this through the eyes of Matias, a gay man in São Paulo and his navigation of queer life in Brazil. Grab tickets here.
Testing Limits (Shorts Block)
When: 2 August
Where: The Lighthouse Cinema
This programme features seven shorts with the shared theme of ‘desire’. An international lineup of films ranging from Irish made projects to works from as far as India. These shorts explore various facets of queer culture including online dating, cultural rebellion, power dynamics and sexual liberation. Testing Limits gives us stunningly shot and perfectly curated works, each orbiting around the same themes, however explored in a starkly contrasted way. Grab tickets here.
Bound – 35mm
Directed by: Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski
When: 3 August
Where: The Lighthouse Cinema
A 1996 cult classic, ‘Bound ‘laid the foundation for the Wachowskis’ success before their breakout hit, ‘The Matrix’. This film noir delivers an erotic, gritty thriller that transcended the traditional femme fatale trope. Nearly 30 years after its cinematic debut, GAZE is paying homage to a film that offered one of the most authentic depictions of a lesbian relationship on screen. Better still, audiences will have the chance to experience it as originally intended, with this special screening presented on beautiful 35mm film. Grab tickets here.
