While a bunch of politicians in Tallahassee may be afraid to say “gay” and “trans,” the Florida Film Festival will be shouting it from the movie screen with nearly two dozen films that explore stories about sexual orientation and gender identity in its 31st annual film fest.
The Florida Film Festival, hosted by the Enzian Theater since the festival’s inception in 1992, will be April 8-17 and will screen 167 films representing 37 countries. Of the selected films, 145 have premiere status, 24 of which are world premieres, and 20 of them are LGBTQ-themed.
“This year’s lineup includes 84 women and 8 nonbinary filmmakers — the most in our 31-year history and 55% of our total programming — and their voices will be represented throughout every part of the festival,” said Matthew Curtis, Florida Film Festival programming director, in a press release.
The 19 features and 59 short films in the American Independent Competition will be eligible for up to three awards each: a Grand Jury Award for best film in that category, a Special Jury Award given at the jury’s discretion for exceptional achievements and an Audience Award determined by audience votes for Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature and Best Short Film. International films are also eligible for Audience Awards for Best International Feature and Best International Short, and an Audience Award will be given for the Best Midnight Short as well.
The Florida Film Festival also holds the distinct honor of being one of only a handful that are Academy Award-qualifying in all three Oscar shorts categories: Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film and Documentary Short Subject; meaning any short film that is in competition that falls into any of the three categories and wins a grand jury prize is automatically eligible to be nominated for an Oscar the following year.
The festival isn’t just about watching movies (although that’s a big part of it), it is also about celebrating film. The festival’s opening night party will be April 8 starting at 8:30 p.m. at the Winter Park Events Center’s Tiedtke Amphitheater and Belvedere and the Awards Bash will be April 16 starting at 8 p.m. at Artisan Motorcars. In between you can celebrate at the festival’s block party during their brunches, take in live music at Eden Bar and more.
To help you get your festival plan started, we have gathered information below on this year’s LGBTQ-themed films including showtimes, brief descriptions of the films, competitive status and more.
“Beautiful They”
Directed by Cloudy Rhodes
Australia | 2021 | 11 min.
April 16 at 2:30 p.m.; April 17 at 5:45 p.m.
Violet and Blue bond over an early morning toke in this lyrical, soul-stirring, queer surf-romance that flows along the waves of gender nuance and the sanctuary of truly being seen.
“Beautiful They” is a part of International Shorts #2.
“Broken Wing”
Directed by Jonathan Sutak
U.S. | 2021 | 56 min.
April 10 at 6:15 p.m.; April 13 at 1 p.m.
Adonis, an injured black vulture with a broken wing, is a local hero in Hot Springs, Arkansas. His survival depends on Jayne Lakhani, a waitress and artist who develops a special bond with Adonis. If you have never seen a vulture excited to see someone, it’s surprisingly joyful and moving to witness. Years ago, Jayne’s life was derailed when she was also seriously injured in an accident. She has a fondness for caring for people and animals who may be seen as “broken.” She takes in Ann, an 80-year-old, formerly homeless Brit, who is quite the character and presents another challenge for Jayne. However, Jayne’s kindness, empathy and charm rarely fades, even when she recounts her own traumatic past and her emotions around her LGBTQ identity. Jonathan Sutak, who last directed “Dons of Disco,” returns to the festival with a very different kind of film. “Broken Wings,” which is making its Southeastern premiere, is a quirky yet intimate story about finding love, friendship and community in the most unlikely of places.
“Broken Wings” is a Competition Documentary Feature and will be preceded by the film “Dad Jokes.”
“cosboi”
Directed by Gosha Shapiro
U.S. | 2022 | 15 min.
April 10 at 4:30 p.m.; April 14 at 7 p.m.
Inspired by cosplay advice videos on TikTok, a genderfluid teen uses rideshare trips to try on different personas in a quest to determine their own identity. “cosboi” is making its East Coast premiere and this year’s festival is only the film’s second U.S. screening.
“cosboi” is a part of Shorts # 4: “I’m Free.”
“Ever Wanting (For Margaret Chung)”
Directed by Tina Takemoto
U.S. | 2022 | 6 min.
April 16 at 10 p.m.
Inspired by San Francisco’s first Chinese American female physician, “Ever Wanting (For Margaret Chung)” is a found-footage film from the director of “Wayward Emulsions” that envisions the euphoria and despair of Margaret Chung. “Ever Wanting (For Margaret Chung)” is making its East Coast premiere and this year’s festival is only the film’s second U.S. screening.
“Ever Wanting (For Margaret Chung)” is a part of Sunspots: New Visions of the Avant Garde.
“F^¢K ‘€M R!GHT B@¢K”
Directed by Harris Doran
U.S. | 2022 | 13 min.
April 10 at 4:30 p.m.; April 14 at 7 p.m.
A Baltimore rapper accidentally gets high after a show and, knowing the vindictive supervisor at his civil-servant workplace intends to “randomly” drug test him, he attempts extreme detoxification to keep his job. “F^¢K ‘€M R!GHT B@¢K” is making its East Coast premiere.
“F^¢K ‘€M R!GHT B@¢K” is a part of Shorts #4: “I’m Free.”
“Fanny: The Right to Rock”
Directed by Bobbi Jo Hart
Canada | 2021 | 96 min.
April 11 at 4:30 p.m.; April 14 at 9:30 p.m.
Sometime in the 1960s, in sunny Sacramento, two Filipina American sisters got together to play music. Little did they know their garage band would evolve into the legendary Fanny—the first all-women (and partially queer) band to release an LP with a major record label (Warner/Reprise, 1970). Despite releasing five critically acclaimed albums, touring with some of the greats and amassing a dedicated fan base of music legends including David Bowie, Fanny’s groundbreaking impact in music was written out of music history. With incredible archival footage of the band’s rocking past — intercut with its next chapter, recording a new LP in their late ’60s — the film includes interviews with a large cadre of music icons, including Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott, Bonnie Raitt, The Go-Go’s Kathy Valentine, Todd Rundgren, The Runaways’ Cherie Currie, Lovin’ Spoonful’s John Sebastian, The B52’s Kate Pierson and many more. Fighting early barriers of race, gender and sexuality in the music industry — and now ageism — the incredible women of Fanny are finally ready to claim their hallowed place in the halls of rock ‘n’ roll fame … and it’s about time!
“Generation Wrecks”
Directed by Kevin T. Morales
U.S. | 2021 | 112 min.
April 9 at 4:45 p.m.; April 12 at 9:15 p.m.
Set in 1994, “Generation Wrecks” follows 11th graders Stacy and Liz, who were best friends until the seventh grade when a mysterious event drove them apart. Stacy joined the popular crowd and Liz fell in with the freaks and became a goth. After years of antagonizing each other, Stacy is moved to repair the friendship when Liz experiences a family trauma. Featuring supporting turns from Emily Bergl (“Shameless,” “Mindhunter,” “Desperate Housewives”) and Heather Matarazzo (“Welcome to the Dollhouse,” “The Princess Diaries,” “Scream”) and a kick-ass alternative soundtrack featuring The Pixies, Beastie Boys, The Flaming Lips, Blind Melon, Beck and many more, this John Hughes-esque coming-of-age movie is a unique story based on a homework assignment that director Kevin T. Morales was given when he was a high school student. Told in collaboration with Morales, his daughter/star/co-writer Victoria Leigh (Liz), and her friend/star/co-writer Bridget McGarry (Stacy), the film — which is making its Southeast premiere — is a sweet, funny and smart teen comedy that provides an authentic and representational voice, while exploring the differences between being a teenager over 25 years ago, in contrast with what younger generations actively experience today.
“Generation Wrecks” is a Competition Narrative Feature.
“Girls & The Party”
Directed by Paloma López
U.S. | 2021 | 5 min.
April 9 at 4 p.m.; April 13 at 8:30 p.m.
Between boy talk and makeup, a young woman navigates her blossoming attraction for her friend. “Girls & The Party” is making its Florida premiere.
“Girls & The Party” is a part of Shorts #2: “Come See About Me.”
“Homebody”
Directed by Joseph Sackett
U.S. | 2021 | 75 min.
April 9 at 11:30 a.m.; April 14 at 6:45 p.m.
Nothing is quite as special as a child’s relationship with their babysitter, and nine-year-old, genderqueer Johnny is obsessed with theirs, Melanie — so much so that they’ve transmitted their spirit right into her body. But when mom comes home early, Johnny must navigate the world as an adult woman (clothes, make-up, would-be boyfriends, witnessing childbirth as a doula). The result is a visually playful and emotionally resonant take on high-concept body-swap movies like “Freaky Friday” and “Big” that digs more deeply into the beauty and complexity of queer childhood and nascent gender expression. Starring Colby Minifie (“The Boys”), Maria Dizzia (“Martha Marcy May Marlene”), Whitmer Thomas (also appearing in this year’s feature film “The Civil Dead”) and newcomer Tre Ryder as Johnny, this feature debut from Joseph Sackett (“Dominant Species”), inspired by his own genderqueer childhood (except for the body-swapping part, we think), is a sweet comedy-fantasy that’s sure to be fun for the whole family. “Homebody” is making its Southeast premiere.
Note to family audiences: This film contains mild profanity and a birthing sequence. While not rated, it is comparable to a PG-13.
“Homebody” is a Competition Narrative Feature.
“I Won’t Let You Get Lost”
Directed by Dakota Renée
U.S. | 2021 | 10 min.
April 16 at 12:30 p.m.
A UCF student’s personal experience in coming out as a bisexual trans man to their mother presents in a series of interviews that take place in both subject’s cars. Through the combination of these interviews, we witness a very personal coming-out experience from two distinct perspectives. “I Won’t Let You Get Lost” is making its world premiere.
“I Won’t Let You Get Lost” is a part of Sunshine & Swampland: New Florida Shorts.
“My Parent, Neal”
Directed by Hannah Saidiner
U.S. | 2021 | 8 min.
April 13 at 6:45 p.m.; April 15 at 8:30 p.m.
In this sweet documentary rendered in a watercolor visual style, the director interviews her parent about coming out as transgender, the process of transitioning and what it has meant for their relationship. “My Parent, Neal” is making its Florida theatrical premiere.
“My Parent, Neal” is a part of Shorts #5: Animated Shorts: “Tell Me Is It True.”
“Neptune Frost”
Directed by Anisia Uzeyman and Saul Williams
U.S./Rwanda | 2021 | 105 min.
April 15 at 10:45 p.m.
Multi-hyphenate, multidisciplinary artist Saul Williams (star of “SlamNation”) brings his unique dynamism to this Afrofuturist, queer, experimental, sci-fi musical. Co-directed with his partner, Rwandan-born artist and cinematographer Anisia Uzeyman, the film takes place in the hilltops of Burundi, where a group of escaped miners form an anti-colonialist computer hacker collective. From their camp in an otherworldly e-waste dump, they attempt a takeover of the authoritarian regime exploiting the region’s natural resources — and its people. When an intersex runaway and an escaped miner find each other through cosmic forces, their connection sparks glitches within the greater divine circuitry. Executive produced by Lin-Manuel Miranda and set between states of being — past and present, dream and waking life, colonized and free, male and female, memory and prescience — “Neptune Frost” is an invigorating and empowering direct download to the cerebral cortex and a call to reclaim technology for progressive political ends.
“Neptune Frost” is in English, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Swahili and French with English subtitles.
“Poser”
Directed by Noah Dixon and Ori Segev
U.S. | 2021 | 87 min.
April 11 at 6:45 p.m.; April 14 at 9:15 p.m.
Lennon (Sylvie Mix) is a disconnected loner who starts a podcast to interview musicians and narrate the story of her local music and performance art scene. As she transitions from being an outsider fan to the close friend of the hip front woman of Damn the Witch Siren (Bobbi Kitten playing herself), Lennon’s intentions take on more a sinister and obsessive spirit. Set in the real-life underground music scene of Columbus, Ohio, and featuring the actual musicians, “Poser” provides an authentic chronicle of a burgeoning arts scene while transforming it into the setting for a Single White Female-style suspense thriller. “Poser,” the feature debut of music video directors Noah Dixon and Ori Segev, wowed audiences at its Tribeca premiere, took home the Grand Jury Prize at the Nashville Film Festival and is now making its Florida premiere. This film is a phenomenal example of the kind of regional filmmaking that is hyper-focused in time, place and setting, yet is universal in its themes of identity and loneliness.
“Poser” is a Competition Narrative Feature.
“Sirens”
Directed by Rita Baghdadi
U.S./Lebanon | 2022 | 78 min.
April 9 at 9:30 p.m.; April 13 at 9:30 p.m.
In every band’s lifetime there comes a critical moment when the big question is “can we keep this going?” Slave to Sirens is at that moment. Based in Beirut, Lebanon, the Middle East’s first all-female thrash metal band must deal with civil unrest, a failing electrical grid, economic instability and—the most dangerous menace of all—the crumbling relationship between their guitarists, Lilas and Shery. Defying family expectations of early marriages and gender norms, the pair discovered heavy metal, formed the Sirens and explored a romance before backing away. Now they wrestle with an uncomfortable detente, united mostly by gigantic riffs and the age-old hope that music will be a road to somewhere else. Can they keep this going? Director Rita Baghdadi, who shot the footage herself for several years, captures something much deeper than a behind-the-music band doc. This is a coming-of-age story for people who understand they might not be alive tomorrow. Just as Beirut itself must find a way to survive amidst endless street protests and explosions, Lilas and Shery must wrestle with friendship, sexuality and destructive tendencies if they’re to succeed in their pursuit of becoming rock stars together. “Sirens” is making its Southeast premiere.
“Sirens” is in English and Arabic with English subtitles and is a Competition Documentary Feature. This film will be preceded by “Stranger Than Rotterdam with Sara Driver.”
“Surviving Pulse: Life After a Mass Shooting”
Directed by Alexa Sheehan
U.S. | 2022 | 73 min.
April 11 at 6:15 p.m.; April 16 at 1:15 p.m.
On June 12, 2016, Pulse’s weekly “Latin Night” was in full swing on S. Orange Ave. Just over 300 patrons were dancing and laughing as last call rolled around 2 a.m. Moments later a terrorist attack shattered the seemingly “safe space” of one of Orlando’s beloved gay bars. When the madness subsided, 49 beautiful souls were lost, dozens more injured and a community of thousands was left broken. In the aftermath, blood was donated, memorials were held, millions of dollars raised, fingers pointed and some politicians offered hopes for change, while others offered little more than lip-service, but Orlando is strong and somehow got through it. But what has happened since that night to the survivors — the ones who lost friends and lovers, who are bonded together by an unthinkable act of violence? This powerful and amazingly hopeful testament gathers together many of the people who hunkered down in bathroom stalls and behind the bar (many of whom have never spoken before) and allows them a spce to share the details of that night and the ongoing effects of living through a “national tragedy” from an incredibly intimate perspective. How have their lives changed and what struggles remain? “Surviving Pulse” is making its world premiere.
“The Syed Family Xmas Eve Game Night”
Directed by Fawzia Mirza
U.S./Canada | 2021 | 11 min.
April 9 at 1:30 p.m.; April 12 at 6:30 p.m.
From the writer/director/star of “I Know Her,” a queer Pakistani Muslim woman brings her Puerto Rican partner home for the first time on the family’s annual game night. “The Syed Family Xmas Eve Game Night” is making its Southeast premiere.
“The Syed Family Xmas Eve Game Night” is a part of Shorts #1: “Keep on Moving.”
“Up Close”
Directed by Sam Gurry
U.S. | 2022 | 3 min.
April 16 at 10 p.m.
A tactile exploration of earthly hungers using animated domestic objects. From the director of “Winner’s Bitch,” “Up Close” is making its world premiere.
“Up Close” is a part of Sunspots: New Visions of the Avant Garde.
“Valentine”
Directed by Beck Kitsis and Chris McNabb
U.S. | 2022 | 10 min.
April 10 at 1:30 p.m.; April 14 at 4:30 p.m.
Directors Beck Kitsis (“The Three Men You Meet at Night”) and Chris McNabb explore the unexpected complications that arise, with gender and identity in flux, as Corey and Mia struggle to redefine their relationship. “Valentine” is making its world premiere.
“Valentine” is a part of Shorts #3: “You Just May Be The One.”
“Wake Up, Leonard”
Directed by Kat Mills Martin
U.S. | 2022 | 72 min.
April 9 at 9:45 p.m.; April 13 at 7 p.m.
Leonard (co-writer/producer Nigel DeFriez) is a young gay man with a patchy beard and clip in his hair. It’s the eve of his birthday, and he’s moving into a new place and getting some advice along the way from his sister and his mom as he prepares for a date with his ex. Part comedy, part self-help nightmare, “Wake Up, Leonard” follows one man’s quest for wellness while failing miserably to stay on his vibe. “Wake Up, Leonard” is making its Florida premiere.
“Wake Up, Leonard” is a Competition Narrative Feature.
“Warsha”
Directed by Dania Bdeir
France/Lebanon | 2022 | 15 min.
April 15 at 4:30 p.m.; April 17 at 2:45 p.m.
A Syrian migrant volunteers to work the highest and most dangerous crane at a construction site, if only for a moment of peace and freedom. Winner of the Short Film Jury Award for International Fiction at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. “Warsha” is making its Southeast premiere.
“Warsha” is in Arabic with English subtitles and is a part of International Shorts #1.
To check out the full schedule for the 31st annual Florida Film Festival, get more information on other festival events and to purchase tickets, go to FloridaFilmFestival.com.
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