Last night at the BFI Southbank, the full programme of the 2015 London LGBT Film Festival was announced, with entries running along the themes of Hearts, Bodies and Minds. There will be over 50 feature-length films, hundreds of shorts as well as talks, appearances and events.
The opening night will see the screening of I Am Michael, starring James Franco and Zachary Quinto and directed by Gus Van Sant protégé Justin Kelly. It’s the tale of Michael Glatze, who went from being a pioneering gay journalist to an anti-gay man of cloth.
There are filmic explorations of “gay voice”, LGBT life in Kenya and London’s alt drag performers, plus a lesbian rock musical, a director’s cut of 54 and a celebration of a pre-Stonewall, black-owned gay bar Starlite in We Came To Sweat. There are also celebrations of the 40th anniversary of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and the 20th birthday of Xena Warrior Princess.
The event will close with Out To Win, from Malcolm Ingram, which looks at LGBT people in sport, from Martina Navratilova to John Amaechi and Billie Jean King to Jason Collins.
Tickets go on sale via bfi.org.uk/flare on 25th February for BFI members and 2nd March for non members. If you can’t make the London event, a selection of related titles will be found at bfi.org.uk/player
BFI Flare: London LGBT Film Festival runs from 19th – 29th March.