19th edition of Fire!! in the Institut Francès
The Barcelona International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival is more extensive than ever this year, with a total of 41 screenings between the 2nd and 13th of July
Faithful to its summertime spot, Fire!!, the Barcelona International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, will celebrate its 19th edition in the Institut Francès with a more extensive programme than ever before. From the 2nd to the 13th of July a total of 41 films will be screened, including full-length fictional films, documentaries and short films, some of which will be presented by their respective creators.
One of the most-awaited, most-award-winning films of this, the 19th edition, is the French film Les Rencontres d’après minuit (You and the Night), by Yann Gonzalez. As uplifting as it is melancholy, the film includes a soundtrack by the band M83 and stars, among others, ex-footballer Eric Cantona and the son of Alain Delon.
The festival kicks off with W imie... (In the Name Of), a Polish costumbrist drama directed by Malgoska Szumowska which deals candidly with the life of a priest trapped in a moral dilemma.
Other screenings will include films such as Eastern Boys, a mixture of claustrophobic suspense and love story between a pimp and a respectable businessman, Hawaii, the latest film by renowned Argentinian film maker Marco Berger, which focusses on the relationship between two young men, 52 Tuesdays, an alternative perspective on the reality of transsexuality in an everyday contemporary Australian family, and documentaries Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia, about the popular author and A Liar’s Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python’s Graham Chapman, about the late comedian.
This year’s retrospective is dedicated to the figure of David Bowie and will include screenings of Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, The Man Who Fell to Earth and The Hunger. The festival will also include a session of Portuguese short films.
Highlights among the parallel events and activities prior to the festival include the screening of Velvet Goldmine on the 28th of June in the CCCB, the annual educational programme that takes place in the FNAC Triangle, which this year includes the screening of the documentary Valentine Road on the 30th of June, a round-table discussion about homophobia on the 1st of July and the presentation of the book by Bob Pop, Cuando haces bop, no hay stop, on the 27th of June in the Libreria Calders.
Tickets for all sessions in the Instituto Francés are priced at 6 euros and 4-session tickets are available for 20 euros. The complete Fire!! programme can be consulted here.