To increase the visibility of LGBT*QIA+ content and to provide a more accessible overview, this page summarizes our events, films, and offerings that explore or highlight non-heteronormative subject matters.
Films and Events at the DFF Cinema
15 October, 7:30PM, Film & Talk with director Max Gleschinski
ALASKA
Film Series “What’s New in German Film?”
DE 2023. Director: Max Gleschinski, Cast: Christina Grosse, Pegah Ferydoni. 124 minutes.
In October, the winner of this year’s Max Ophüls Prize will be our guest: Director Max Gleschinski presents his poetic film ALASKA, which was shot in the idyllic nature of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. ALASKA screened in April at the Lesbian Film Days in Mannheim and then had its regular cinema release. Event link
21 October, 6:00PM, Film & Talk
LGBT_SLO_1984
Film Series “Guest of Honor Slovenia”
Slovenia 2022. Director: Boris Petkovic. Documentary. 87 minutes. Original language with English subtitles.
35 years of the LGBT movement in Slovenia through the prism of activism and culture. In 1984, the first Magnus Festival – Homosexuality and Culture took place at the alternative ŠKUC Gallery in Ljubljana – a milestone in the Slovenian LGBT movement and the beginning of the queer film festival, which is considered the oldest of its kind in Europe. Film series link
Ovtober 31, 6PM, Film & tak with director Maria Binder
EREN
DE 2023. D: Maria Binder, Dockumentary film. 93 min. Turkish with German subtitles
EREN portrays the lawyer and human rights defender Eren Keskin, one of the key figures and plaintiffs in Turkey for women, LGBT, and minority rights, as well as against torture and sexualized violence. Because she challenges the foundations of the Turkish state, she herself is now facing charges. She is at risk of a life sentence in more than a hundred legal proceedings. More
tingeltangel – A Cabaret Festival at DFF
22 September through 3 November 2023
tingeltangel – A Cabaret Festival at DFF
in conjunction with the WEIMAR WEIBLICH exhibition
Until November 3rd, the DFF foyer transforms into an intimate cabaret theater on a number of Friday nights. An intriguing selection of artists explores the ideas and perspectives of the artistically golden 1920s: Berlin music cabaret, ukulele swing trio, drag performances, Lindy Hop nights, lip-sync workshops, and much more are on the program. The festival addresses intersectional feminism, queer bodies, migration, (post)colonialism, and anti-racism.
6 October, 8:30PM
Bad Mouse Orchestra: Drunk with Love
Songs by queer artists of the 1920s & 1930s
The Bad Mouse Orchestra revives the swing sound of the 1920s and 1930s. Sometimes casual and sassy in knickerbockers and flat caps, sometimes elegant in classic evening wear, they evoke the sound of the small, hidden bars and saloons where the shimmy and the Charleston were danced late into the night. In “Drunk with Love,” they look back at a brief heyday of LGBTQIA+ culture between the two world wars, bringing banned and outlawed songs back to the stage.
13 October, 5:00-8:00PM, Workshop
Artist Gathering
Bi_PoCs and Jewish FLINTA* only with Shivā Amiri
An exchange about art in a relaxed, safe setting: This event is exclusively for Bi_PoCs and Jewish FLINTA* who identify as (aspiring) artists. It provides a space for improvisation, resistance, and healing. Participants are invited to share about their artistic practice, discuss insecurities, learn from each other, and support each other. Any art form is welcome, and those who wish can bring samples of their work. Afterward, there will be snacks and drinks. Registration at events@dff.film. Subject: Artist Gathering.
20 October, 8:30PM, Performance
Shivā Amiri alias Queer Jelabee
with Artist Talk
Queer Jelabee blends various media such as sound, dance, video, comedy, and storytelling. On this evening, the stage becomes a hybrid space where thought patterns are disrupted, and new perspectives can be discovered. The artist talk takes place after the performance and is exclusively accessible to BI_PoC and Jewish individuals and queer allies.
Queer films at LUCAS – International Festival for Young Film Lovers
6 October, 11:25AM (DFF) & 12 October, 8:45AM (Cinéma)
BEFORE I CHANGE MY MIND
46. LUCAS – International Festival for Young Film Lovers
CA 2022. Dir: Trevor Anderson. 89 min. Fiction Film. Original language with German voice-over. Recommended for ages 13 and up.
Alberta, Canada, in the year 1987: Robin doesn’t have an easy start at the new school because there is a lot of gossip. Is Robin a boy or a girl? Despite the efforts of the class bully, Carter, to make Robin’s life difficult, he also exerts a certain fascination on Robin. The school band outing becomes the beginning of an unexpected friendship between Carter and Robin, which will face challenges when the cool Izzy enters their lives. More..
6 October, 8:30PM (DFF)
SOFT
46. LUCAS – International Festival for Young Film Lovers
CA 2022. Dir: Joseph Amenta. 87 min. Feature Film. Original language. Recommended for ages 16 and up.
Julien, Tony, and Otis are barely older than twelve and form a close-knit queer group that roams the streets of Toronto day and night. It’s summer, and the kids are left to their own devices, curious and full of energy. Then, someone Julien trusts disappears. A powerful film in every aspect, intimately close to the characters, poetic, and uncompromising. More…
7 October, 6:00PM (DFF)
FUCKING AMAL
46. LUCAS – International Festival for Young Film Lovers
SE 1998. Dir: Lukas Moodysson. 89 min. Feature film. Original version with German subtitles. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Agnes lives in the small Swedish town of Åmål and is considered an outsider in her class. Nobody knows that she is secretly in love with Elin, the most popular girl in school – until Elin suddenly kisses her at a birthday party. Although it was supposed to be a stupid dare, Elin soon has to ask herself how deep her feelings for Agnes really go. More…
9 October, 2:45PM (DFF) & 10 October, 9AM (Kino im Hafen 2)
THE DANCE-OFF
46. LUCAS – International Festival for Young Film Lovers
US/AR 2023. Dir: Nicolás Keller Sarmiento. 13 min. Short film. Original version with German subtitles. Suitable for ages 6 and up.
Young Ernesto wants to become a dancer. However, in the patriarchal environment in which he grows up, his dream is not accepted. Out of nowhere, a drag queen appears who will support Ernesto on his journey to becoming a dancer. More…
11 October, 10:30AM (DFF)
ALICE JUNIOR
46. LUCAS – International Festival for Young Film Lovers
BR 2019. D: Gil Baroni. DP: Luiz Bertazzo, Adriel Nizer. 87 Min. Feature film. Original language with English subtitles. Suitable for ages 12 and up.
Influencer Alice is frustrated by constantly being perceived as a boy, and to make matters worse, now she’s also forced to move from Recife to the provinces. “I’m straight, damn it,” she declares there, but things don’t get any easier at the Catholic school. Fortunately, amidst machismo and shaming, there are also accepting kids: the nerdy Viviane, the laid-back Taísa, and Bruno, whom Alice dreams of sharing her first kiss with. A touch of levity against transphobia. More…
Other Offerings
Exhibition
WEIMAR WEIBLICH. Women and Gender Diversity in Weimar Cinema (1918-1933)
The exhibition (until November 12, 2023) highlights women working in various fields who contributed to the flourishing of the emerging film industry. One of the central questions is how the cinema of the Weimar era addressed gender issues, including topics such as bodily autonomy, crossdressing, and homosexuality. More…
Podcast (in German)
Das Homosexuellen-Melodram ANDERS ALS DIE ANDERN
In conjunction with WEIMAR WEIBLICH
Richard Oswald’s “ANDERS ALS DIE ANDERN” (GER 1919) was the first film to address homosexuality and Paragraph 175, which criminalized homosexuality. Film scholar Wolfgang Theis talks about the educational film, starring Conrad Veidt, which was not only a box office hit but also faced homophobic attacks. More…
Podcast (in German)
Queere Mutterschaft
In conjunction with WEIMAR WEIBLICH
In the podcast conversation with the Berlin artist Annette Hollywood, one of the topics is why lesbian mothers are rarely mentioned in history, and when they are, it’s often in criminal contexts. Additionally, Annette Hollywood introduces her video project, “anderkawer,” which explores the traces of queer motherhood. A video from this project is also on display in the foyer of the WEIMAR WEIBLICH exhibition. More…
Lecture
2001: A QUEER FUTURE
International Kubrick Symposium 2018
Will the future be gender-fluid, characterized by an unspecified and changing gender? In this 2018 lecture, cultural historian Dominic Janes emphasized that Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” can also be interpreted as a queer odyssey. More…
RHIZOM Filmgeschichte (in German)
QUEER CINEMA
Focus
The platform RHIZOM FILMGESCHICHTE explores the beginnings of films. In the thematic path “QUEER CINEMA – Counter-Narratives and Cinematic Experiments,” Karin Michalski writes about an explicitly political phenomenon that does not adhere to well-defined identities but rather subverts, confuses, and expands normative societal concepts of identity. More…
Online Talk (in German)
OUTING IN DER FAMILIE
Influential Films and Cinema
On the occasion of the Queer Action Days 2022, Olaf Wehowski (LUCAS – International Festival for Young Film Lovers, DFF) spoke with Ioannis Karathanasis (Association of Binational Families and Partnerships) and Josefine Liebig (Alliance for Acceptance and Diversity Frankfurt) about films on the topic of coming out within the family. More…
