The UK celebrates LGBT History Month in February, offering the opportunity to recognise the culture and achievements of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex people. The month also raises awareness for issues that affect LGBTQ+ communities, providing a chance for learning and discussion. GFF contributes to the conversation with a programme rich in films that explore LGBTQ+ themes, history and culture. Here is our pick of the highlights…
A Fantastic Woman
GFT / Sun 25 (20.40) & Mon 26 Feb (13.15)
A beautifully compassionate portrait of a trans woman’s defiant resistance when society challenges her right to grieve her lost lover. A stunning performance by trans actor Daniela Vega cements the film as one of the favourites for Best Foreign Language Film at this year's Oscars.
120 BPM (Beats Per Minute)
GFT / Mon 26 (19.45) & Tue 27 Feb (13.00)
Paris, 1990s. Hot-headed Sean (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart) falls under the spell of gravely handsome newcomer Nathan (Arnaud Valois) in a moving, lump-in-the-throat love story, following the personalities and politics of the LGBTQI community as they fight to awaken an indifferent world to the AIDS epidemic.
Love, Simon
Cineworld / Fri 2 (20.45) & Sat 3 Mar (18.00)
17-year-old Simon (Nick Robinson) is gay but hasn’t told any of his friends or family. He is starting to fall in love with an equally closeted, anonymous classmate that he has met online. The screen version of Becky Albertalli’s novel Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda is a fresh, funny, inspirational take on growing up and coming out.
You, Me and Him
GFT / Sun 25 (18.15) & Mon 26 Feb (15.15)
Meet lesbian couple Olivia and Alex (Lucy Punch, Faye Marsay) who, despite their age difference, are very much in love. But as the question of pregnancy rears its head and their neighbour John (David Tennant) befriends them, they both start making some truly disastrous decisions.
Don’t Talk to Irene
CCA / Sat 24 Feb (16.15) | GFT / Tue 27 Feb (15.50)
All 15-year-old Irene (Michelle McLeod) wants in the world is to join the cheerleading squad and be Geena Davis, who provides encouragement from a poster on her bedroom wall. After being suspended, she is inspired to recruit an unlikely dance team with the help of gender-nonconforming pal Tesh (Andy Reid).
Dog Day Afternoon
GFT / Sun 4 Mar (10.30) / FREE SCREENING
Oscar-winning Dog Day Afternoon stands in film history for being one of the first portrayals of openly queer characters. Sonny’s (Al Pacino) partner is a trans woman (Chris Sarandon) unable to afford sex-reassignment surgery, which sets in motion the infamous attempted robbery of a Brooklyn First Savings Bank.
How to Talk to Girls at Parties
Cineworld / Wed 28 Feb (20.30) & Thu 1 Mar (13.00)
Hedwig and the Angry Inch director John Cameron Mitchell’s latest feature-film returns with a shape-shifting, mind-blowing adaptation of the Neil Gaiman short story, charting the impact of punk on an unsuspecting Britain.
High Fantasy
Cineworld / Thu 1 (21.00) & Fri 2 Mar (15.45)
A group of four young South African friends go on a camping trip in the Northern Cape and experience a supernatural body-swap incident in the vein of Freaky Friday. Shot entirely on iPhone, High Fantasy is a complex, thought-provoking exploration of race, gender, and identity.