Cinema has always been one of my favorite types of art. Although I fancy both the commercial and the cult circuit, I am really into film festivals that feature queer-themed movies.
 
This week I talked with Alexander Mello, producer of Rio Gender and Sexuality in the Cinema Festival. Good news is, film submissions for 2016 are welcome beginning the 1st of February. 
 
Mello also promotes monthly projections in a cultural center sponsored by Federal Justice. It’s called Genders and Sexualities Film Club. Last year I came to tears with Pepper (Craig Young/USA) –no joke on words–and Queen of the Desert (Alex Kelly/Australia).
Queen of the Desert (Starlady is her name)

Queen of the Desert (Starlady is her name)

Both films portrayed the lives of two transgender people–the first was an elderly drag queen still performing in a club, and the second was a young transexual woman doing social work among the native people of Australia. She would go far into the desert to help teenagers enhance their self-esteem through her portable beauty parlor. Suicide rates are astonishingly high among aboriginal youth. Wherever she goes, her visit shakes the whole community for better but they also add a lot to her effectively in return. 

 
But it was not all about tears, though. There was this hilarious short film called Tú. Yo. Baño. Sexo. Ahora, which translates to “You. Me. Toilet. Sex. Now” (Francisco Lupini Basagoiti/ Espanha, Venezuela e EUA). The story takes place at a pub where a transgender bartender tries to cheer up a guy who had been dumped by his boyfriend. Things get really hot as other guests drop in. The film is a good laugh indeed.
 
Tú. Yo. Baño. Sexo. Ahora.

Tú. Yo. Baño. Sexo. Ahora.

 

I reckon I will limit myself to these three films so as not to drag on for too long.

According to Mello, “the festival’s main role is to represent LGBTQIA people… and all of the others who do not fit in — the fluid, the nonbinary, etc. He adds a personal touch to it, “Following up these transitions and conceptual transformations related to genders and sexualities in films is the most remarkable experience I have ever had and I still do.”

Below you will find a picture of the Federal Justice Cultural Center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — the official venue of Rio Gender and Sexuality in the Cinema Festival.  It is absolutely inspiring to see lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people lining to enter the cinema in this historic, charming building.

 

As there are galleries and a theater in the building, I always have a good time observing other people’s reactions. Most of them glance at the audience without furrowing their eyebrows, but there is always someone who stares like “WTF is going on in here?”… Oh, the heteronormative! So predictable. Anyway, I’ve just written this unassuming poem for those curious but fearful passers and others alike. Hopefully, it will inspire my readers too.

 
The Queer that Lies in You
(by Sergio Viula)
 
Let’s make it very clear:
We love to be queer.
No need for fear
Come close, come near.
 
Let’s have a pint of beer.
Imagine you the queer of the year,
More gracious than a deer,
OK, You don’t have to adhere.
 
But let’s be sincere.
Whichever the hemisphere,
Everybody is a little queer.
Why wouldn’t you, my dear?
Federal Justice Cultural Center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Federal Justice Cultural Center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.