A documentary film about a murdered trans woman and the quest to give her justice. Another documentary about the world’s oldest surviving LGBTQ+ charity organization. A Filipino comedy movie about a large dysfunctional family dealing with the death of their grandfather.
These are just three of the movies which will be screened at the Quezon City International Pink Festival which will happen from Nov. 14 – 25.
The festival, which returns after a 3-year hiatus, aims to empower members of the LGBTQ+ community and raise awareness about the issues that are affecting them.
This year’s edition will screen more than 60 local and international feature-length, short, and documentary films in three locations: Gateway Mall in Cubao (Nov. 14 – 17); UPFI Film Center – Cine Adarna in Diliman (Nov.19 – 21), and Cinema Centenario on Maginhawa Street, in Teacher’s Village (Nov. 22 – 25).
Aside from screening movies, the festival will also hold workshops educating attendees about HIV as well as offer HIV testing.
Here are just a few of the movies which will be shown at the festival.
50 Years of Fabulous by Jethro Patalinghug
The festival’s opening film, the documentary details the history of San Francisco’s Imperial Council, the oldest LGBTQ+ charity organization in the world. It also details how the organization seeks to remain relevant in light of the changes that American society has witnessed.
Boys for Sale by Itako
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6CLPFY1fyY&t=28s
A look into the world of urisen bars in Tokyo’s 2-chome district, where young men offer sexual services to their customers. The documentary uses animation to depict scenes which the director found impossible to shoot.
According to its producer Ian Thomas Ash, it took them more than a year to gain the trust of the subjects interviewed for the documentary, which went on to win awards in Los Angeles, South Africa, Mexico, and Ecuador.
Call Her Ganda by PJ Raval
In 2014, 26-year-old trans woman Jennifer Laude was brutally murdered in an Olongapo City motel room by a U.S. Marine named Joseph Scott Pemberton. On “liberty leave” when he met Laude at a club, Pemberton choked Laude to death and rammed her head inside a toilet upon learning that she was a trans woman.
The documentary follows three women as they seek justice for Laude’s death: lawyer Virgie Suarez, investigative journalist Meredith Talusan, and Laude’s mother Julita. Together they take on a powerful institution that threatens to silence their voices.
Ded na si Lolo (Grandfather is Dead) by Soxy Topacio
A huge dysfunctional family finds it hard to mourn for their dead grandfather in a civilized manner.
Starring: Roderick Paulate, Gina Alajar, Elizabeth Oropesa, and Manilyn Reynes
Leitis in Waiting by Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson
A documentary that showcases the struggles faced by Joey Mataele and the Tonga leitis, a group of trans women fighting American-financed evangelicals who seek to resurrect laws which would criminalize their lifestyles.
Liquid Truth by Carolina Jabor
Inspired by Josep Maria Miró and Ventura Pons’ 2015 movie Virus of Fear, this Brazilian feature film is about a swimming instructor accused of kissing one of his young students.
Starring: Daniel de Oliveira, Marco Ricca, and Malu Galli
Mr. Gay Syria by Ayse Toprak
This documentary shows the plight of two gay Syrian refugees. Husein lives a double life in Istanbul where he finds himself fulfilling the duties of a husband and father while competing in the local edition of Mr. Gay Syria; the other refugee, Mahmoud, lives in Berlin where he’s organizing the city’s chapter of the pageant.
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