The Dublin International Film Festival (DIFF) is set to brighten up our spring and delight the movie buffs among us with a fabulous line-up of LGBTQ+ stories.
Between February 19 and March 1, Dublin will play host to world-class cinema events, premieres and stars aplenty. Across the 11 wonderful days, film fans can delight in some amazing queer features, and if you want the run-down on the Dublin International Film Festival’s queer highlights, then you’ve come to the right place.
Here are some of the LGBTQ+ films and events queer fans can look forward to at the Dublin International Film Festival.
At the heart of this year’s DIFF is a deep-dive into the work of the acclaimed Swiss director Lionel Baier. Enjoy a screening of the 2002 documentary La Parade, which shines a light on the work of queer Swiss activists and their role in organising the first Pride parade in the conservative canton Valais. DIFF will also screen Baier’s black-and-white psychological satire Another Man, his tense crime drama First Name: Mathieu, and his vibrant historical drama The Safe House.
Catch queer icon Charli XCX in her first dramatic role in this sapphic romance filmed in Warsaw. The film, which was shot guerilla-style, wowed audiences when it premiered at TIFF, and it’s bound to do the same when it screens in Dublin. In it, Charli plays Bethany, who gets wrapped up in romantic entanglements while visiting her pal Nel.
This poignant Basque film is a tender exploration of ageing and identity. Masapalomas follows Vincente who, after leaving his wife and family for the queer-friendly titular hotspot, suffers a stroke and is forced to return to the city and the life he once left behind.
The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo
Told from the perspective of an 11-year-old girl who has opted to live with her chosen family, this queer film explores the myth of a deadly disease. Set in a Chilean mining town, The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo draws on director Diego Céspede’s personal history, touching upon his family’s experience of the AIDS crisis.
Queer Irish immigrant Paul Rowley explores the important advocacy of Gays Against Guns, a direct-action LGBTQ+ activist group calling for gun control in the US. Elsewhere, in the documentary, Rowley interviews the iconic filmmaker John Waters.
The Restoration at Grayson Manor
DIFF will screen the Irish premiere of this stylish horror starring Chris Colfer as Boyd Grayson, who delights in tormenting his legacy-obsessed mother by bringing men to their sprawling estate for sex. However, when an accident leaves him dependent on his mother, she seeks revenge, outfitting him in experimental prosthetics that are controlled by her subconscious. Needless to say, this terrifying romp demands to be seen on the big screen.
Pitched as a “big, gay zombie movie”, Queen of the Dead is another unmissable queer horror romp that we’ll be seated for at DIFF. The film follows a group of party promoters and drag queens out on the town in Brooklyn, whose festivities are interrupted by a reawakening of the dead.
In addition to these fabulous features, DIFF will also screen plenty of LGBTQ+ shorts throughout the festival’s run, including A Song, His House, Home, Like Me and What You Will.
You can read the full DIFF programme right here.
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