Fairy lights, the smell of mulled wine and Christmas markets at every corner: what more do we need to celebrate the festive season? The answer is two special Christmas queer film screenings brought to the Irish capital by the one and only GAZE International LGBTQ+ Film Festival.
The two screenings are taking place at the Light House Cinema and the Irish Film Institute, and GAZE is partnering up with Teeling Whiskey to offer a bespoke complimentary Winter Spiced Tea Cocktail to their guests.
The first is on December 2 at the IFI, where viewers will get to watch the fabulous documentary The George. Directed by filmmaker Clark Harding, this beautiful archival piece follows the regulars of legendary Dublin bar The George, transporting the audience 20 years back and exploring the city’s changing queer scene.
The film was first screened in 2002, the same year it was filmed, back when GAZE was known as the ‘Dublin Lesbian & Gay Film Festival’. The documentary features footage of The George, Alternative Miss Ireland, and several recognisable names from the scene, including Brendan Courtney, Panti Bliss and Veda Lady, to name a few.
With the reception by Teelings starting at 7:15 pm, viewers will be treated to a special pre-feature screening of short films Behind My Drag Queen and Spins, Splits, Stories. The first of the two shorts, directed by Leonardo Oliveira follows Chantelle Perez, a Brazilian drag queen who finds a new life in Ireland through her art.
Created by Alan Power, Spins, Splits, Stories tells the story of Leon Pinto, a singer and pole dancer from Australia, ending with a captivating performance at The George. Tickets for this screening can be found here.
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The second special screening organised by GAZE will take place on December 15 at Light House Cinema, showing the untimely Christmas classic Carol. In this historical drama, Cate Blanchett plays a glamourous married woman who embarks on a passionate but forbidden romance with an aspiring photographer, played by Rooney Mara.
The film will be preceded by a special pre-feature screening of the short film Kasbi, directed by Farah Jabir. The short follows a middle-aged Pakistani housewife in search of herself as she hires a young, self-assured sex worker to keep her company for the night.
The screening will start at 3pm and will be followed by the reception offered by Teelings at 5pm. Get your tickets here.
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