Tokyo: Lesbian, gay film festival marks 15th year

青山で「レズビアン＆ゲイ映画祭」－14カ国35作品を上映
シブヤ経済新聞 2006/07/07

　7月8日より、青山でゲイやレズビアンなどセクシュアル・マイノリティをテーマとする映像作品を集めた映画祭「第15回東京国際レズビアン＆ゲイ映画祭」が開催される。

　1992年より開催されている同映画祭は開催毎に規模を広げ、昨年は約6,500人を動員するなど、同様の映画祭ではアジア最大級のイベントとして話題を集めている。15年目となる今回はメーンテーマを「アジア」とし、日本やインド、中国圏などアジア各国からの作品を中心に集めたほか、スペインやアメリカ、イギリスなど欧米諸国の作品も含め14カ国計35本を上映する。

　7月8日・9日の2日間、東京ウィメンズプラザホール（渋谷区神宮前5）で行われるプレ・イベントでは「アジアン・ビューティーズ」をテーマに、映像作家としても知られる大木裕之監督の「g8-2（カリ）」、ニューヨークで暮らすレズビアンの中国人2世の生活を描いた「素顔の私を見つめて」などの作品を上映。関連イベントとして、HIVをテーマにしたトークイベントも開催する。

　また、同13日より17日までスパイラルホール（港区南青山5）で行われるメーン・プログラムには、トランス・セクシャルのマリエッタが繰り広げるスペインのミュージカル作品「20センチ！」（オープニング作品＝写真）をはじめ、舞台をきっかけに親密になる女性同士の物語「ガール・プレイ」などがラインナップされる。メーン・プログラム開催中はコンペティションとして公募作品の上映も行う（優勝者にはレインボーリール賞を授賞）。15日には、スパイラル地下の「EATS and MEETS Cay（イーツ・アンド・ミーツ カイ）」でオフィシャル・パーティーも開催。チケット（当日）は、1回券＝1,500円、フェスティバル・パス＝15,000円。


東京国際レズビアン＆ゲイ映画祭
（2006-07-07）


Lesbian, gay film festival marks 15th year
The Yomiuri Shimbun

The 15th Tokyo International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, set to run July 7-8 and 13-17, will show 14 feature-length films and 21 shorts from around the world.

One feature is the Indian film Sancharam (The Journey), directed by Ligy J. Pullappally, which begins ominously with a young woman on the verge of a suicide leap from the top of a waterfall. Will she do it? What brought her to this point? The rest of the film is a flashback leading us once again to the waterfall nearly two hours later, for an ending that is both more and less ambiguous than the opening.

The woman on the ledge is Kiran (Suhasini V. Nair), daughter of a wealthy family with a long and locally distinguished history. Early on, her mother gives her a cherished heirloom bracelet: It dates back to a female ancestor who found happiness by eloping with a soldier. In the context of this festival, it's a safe bet that Kiran is going to fall in love with a woman rather than a man, thematically echoing her ancestor's forbidden romance. But a long-ago elopement is a tricky model. Even if they are remembered fondly by later generations, couples who love each other more than they love social conventions tend to be judged harshly in their own lifetimes.

The German feature Sommersturm (Summer Storm), by writer-director Marco Kreuzpaintner, starts out like an American Pie-style sex comedy about a young man named Tobi (Robert Stadlober) who has a secret crush on his rowing teammate Achim (Kostja Ullmann). Their rivals at a major tournament--the very out "Queerstrokes" and a happy-clappy Catholic girls' team--seem tailor-made for farcical complications. However, the film turns seriously emotional halfway through. Tobi's life is a shambles by the end, but at least he has some idea about how to get on with it, which puts him ahead of where he started.

Another unexpectedly serious film with a comical set-up is the U.S. feature Latter Days by writer-director C.J. Cox. It starts with Christian (Wes Ramsey), a breathtakingly shallow party boy, making a bet with friends that he can seduce Aaron (Steve Sandvoss), a Mormon missionary who has just moved in next door. It's not long before nervous, closeted Aaron seems ready to give in, but when Christian tries to close the deal by remarking, "This doesn't have to mean anything," Aaron is aghast: "Yes, it does!"

In the dialogue that follows, Aaron cuts him to the quick: "You're so pretty and colorful on the outside, but inside you're nothing but fluff. You're like a walking, talking marshmallow Peep." Stung, Christian tries to find some meaning in his life, a struggle that parallels Aaron's efforts to reconcile his sexuality and his religion. Latter Days turns out to be a film about trying to be a good person.

Other films in this festival come from Japan, Argentina, Australia, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Russia, South Korea, Spain and Switzerland.


The 15th Tokyo International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival continues tonight at Tokyo Women's Plaza and July 13-17 at Spiral Hall. Both venues are near Omotesando subway station. Tickets for each screening are 1,300 yen in advance or 1,500 yen at the door. Except for the Japanese film "g8-2 (kari)," movies not in English will have English subtitles. For details, fax (020) 4666-6983 or visit www.tokyo-lgff.org.

(Jul. 8, 2006)