LGBTQ+ Premieres at BIFF
There's been so many amazing releases recently that I feel compelled to shoutout the selection of LGBTQ+ films that are being shown for the first time at BIFF (Busan International Film Festival).
I'm really excited by these movies- all of them have interesting premises, and seem like they have amazing cinematography.
Delay
China; 15 minutes
After getting married and having a son, a middle-aged man finally comes out as gay and divorces his wife. At his son’s wedding, the son invites his gay friends, but hesitates to invite his father as it may take time to bridge the distance between them.
Girlfriends
Macao, China/Taiwan/Hong Kong, China/Thailand; 101 minutes
At 17, Xin lived a simple life in Macau. She enjoyed exploring the “world” with her DV camera, understanding the value of ordinary life. However, everything changed when she met her senior schoolmate Fei, who brought a new rhythm to Xin’s life.
At 22, Xin embraced a free life in Taiwan, studying journalism and living with her girlfriend, Qing. Despite seeming ordinary, her life was also marked by graduation uncertainties. Xin wanted to stay in Taiwan but faced obstacles, and returning to Macau meant confronting her family.
At 34, Xin lived a busy life shuttling between Hong Kong and Macau. Anxious to break free from the curse of being an assistant director, she felt pressured by her eligible actress girlfriend, Bei, to become independent. Facing external worries and internal conflicts, Xin finally realized that embracing her true self and being carefree might be the best way to survive.
Tiger
Japan; 127 minutes
Working at a men-only massage shop and hopping between gay porn auditions, Tiger heads to his hometown one day after hearing his father is critically ill. His father intends to leave the house to his son and the dental clinic to his daughter. However, his sister denies Tiger’s right to inherit, threatening him with the prospect of outing him.
Through time spent with a married friend he hasn’t seen in years and while looking after his young niece, Tiger realizes that he also wants to be part of a ‘family’ and begins to explore ways to build one in his own way through a ‘friendship marriage.’
Having lived a drifting life without a sense of belonging since his mother’s death, Tiger desperately yearns for a place to put down roots and for someone with whom he can share love, a realization that comes to him late. The critical sense of alienation that hits him at the very moment success as a porn star is within reach is all the more bitter and painful.
The film sincerely portrays Tiger’s journey as he fights against a relentlessly hostile world and reconciles with his wounded self, maintaining a thoughtful perspective to the end to avoid simply exploiting a minority’s life as a dramatic device.
Whisperings of the Moon
Hong Kong, China/Cambodia/India; 87 minutes
After the death of her father, theater actress Nisay returns to her hometown and reconnects with her former lover, Thida. On stage, their love finds its fullest expression but in life, they must navigate bittersweet goodbyes
The Mutation
Korea; 107 minutes
One suitcase. Two strangers. A road to connection.
A native Korean man, born to Korean parents as a Black individual, and a lesbian woman still holding onto memories of her ex-lover embark on a journey together.
10s Across the Borders
Philippines/Singapore/Germany; 100 minutes
This film follows three leading characters of Southeast Asia’s ballroom scene—Teddy from Malaysia who ran away from his homophobic father, Xyza from the Philippines who found beauty in herself after being rejected by the modeling world, and Sun who was born to a Thai sex worker mother and European father.
10s Across the Borders is a pan-Asian queer film that confronts homophobia, transphobia, and racism while celebrating the region’s underground ballroom culture, interwoven with New York’s legendary ball scene. As the title suggests, Chan Sze-Wei envisions a world where members of Ballroom communities far from New York can also score a perfect 10.
In the film’s finale, the performers’ surreal performance cuts between Southeast Asia’s back alleys and New York’s bustling streets, dissolving boundaries of nation, gender, race, age, religion, and class to soar beyond the rainbow. This is Southeast Asia’s answer to the seminal documentary about the New York ball culture, Paris is Burning (1990).
Bonus
Recent LGBTQ+ releases at other film festivals:
Kaohsiung Film Festival (Taiwan)
Kashish Pride Film Festival (India)
Hong Kong Lesbian & Gay Film Festival (Hong Kong)
Toronto International Film Festival (Canada)