Queer East is a cross-disciplinary festival that showcases boundary-pushing LGBTQ+ cinema from East and Southeast Asia and its diaspora communities, with a diverse programme delivered to 15 cities across the UK.
Highlights at Sheffield's Showroom Cinema include:
Murmur of Youth
Two adolescent girls in Taiwan, both named Mei-li, meet when they get a job in a cinema box office.
Each from very different backgrounds - one with affluent but unloving parents, and the other with a father who wants to spare his daughter the hardships he has faced – the two girls begin to bond as they chat about family, heartbreak and school; but gradually, their conversations become more intimate.
Originally released in 1997, when Taiwanese queer cinema was rising in prominence, this poignant coming-of-age story features sensitive performnces and beautifully explores the complex connections between family, society, and the individual.
Looking for an Angel
Takachi, a young gay porn star from a small town in Japan, is found dead in Tokyo.
At his wake, two of his friends recollect their time together, attempting to piece together fragments of Takachi’s life, and what emerges is a portrait of a lonely man who longs for love and kindness.
Originally released in 1999, Looking for an Angel interweaves past and present, memories and stories - as it offers an impressionistic account of Takachi’s existence - challenging assumptions around sexuality, rejecting the idea that desire is something fixed or unchanging.
Kubi
In the context of Japan's Sengoku period (1470-1600), 'kubi' translates as head – specifically, the severed head of an enemy, which served as proof of victory in battle.
From the outset, this is a film filled with brutal violence and bloodshed - no surprise for those familiar with acclaimed director Takeshi Kitano’s work (known to many for his scene-stealing performance in Battle Royale), with unflinching action, explicit imagery and moments of dark comedy.
In this mesmerising historical epic, rival warlords battle to reign supreme over feudal Japan. But with a web of shifting alliances, brutal passions and vengeful betrayals, who will have the skill to survive.
Offering a darkly comic perspective on the political intrigue, this strikingly violent film comprehensively debunks the myths of masculinity, ethics and honour that have defined samurai genre filmmaking.
- Words by
- Joe Harris
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