TAKE ONE presents: Highlights of Scottish Queer International Film Festival 2018

PRESENTS HIGHLIGHTS OF…

Scottish Queer International Film Festival 2018 December 5th-9th

— RAFIKI

“…a touching portrait of young love…”

— BIXA TRAVESTY

“…creating new spaces and invading old ones…”

— SIDNEY & FRIENDS

“…enlightening tales of hurt and hardship…”

— UNTIL RAINBOW DAWN

“…like you have been embraced by an old friend…”

Still from RAFIKI (2018)

— PULSE

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“…breaks the mould & challenges the status quo…”

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UNTIL RAINBOW DAWN Directed by Mika Imai

Dec 8th, 12:30 Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow In UNTIL RAINBOW DAWN, deaf filmmaker Mika Imai takes on a new p ro j e c t p o rt ra y i n g t h e t e n d e r relationship between two young women trying to find their place into society.

Japan is hardly a place that prizes inclusivity. It’s rather a place where complying with social norms is looked at with more than just a benevolent eye - it’s what you are expected to do to fit in. That’s why it simply comes out naturally to anyone to ask Hana (Eri Nagai) if she has a boyfriend right after asking for her age. When she stops by to visit her parents to enjoy a hearty sukiyaki we can feel it in our bones that, as soon as Hana’s mother casually mentions the notion of a boyfriend, such a convivial moment is doomed.

“Disgusting. I won’t accept this” her mother declares upon the news of Hana being in a relationship with another woman, while her father tries to smooth things over by wondering if maybe she’s only mistaking her love for Ayumi (Haruka Kobayashi) for some kind of sisterly affection. You couldn’t be more naive, otousan.

Venturing out of the safe cocoon that heteronormativity makes you believe you should be totally comfortable in sure can be scary, but fear not if there is somebody ready to reach out and care for you. Eventually, that’s what’s going to happen in UNTIL RAINBOW DAWN - when your own family fails you, you can find your chosen one. Trying to help Hana out, Ayumi decides to take her to Tokyo to meet with other

deaf people of the LGBTQ+ community. Here, the film gently strays from the main story to delve deep into the stories of Shou, a gay man who confessed to his senpai in high school only to be viciously outed the day after, and Yuta, a transexual man blessed with a supportive mother.

It’s rather impressive how Imai manages to put together such a well-rounded story in such a short running time. Although the script lacks a general touch of sophistication, the final product is so pure and filled with good intentions it feels like you have just been embraced by an old friend whose minor faults you’re always willing to overlook.

Told through sign language but also including background sounds and music for the first time in Imai’s filmography, UNTIL RAINBOW DAWN is itself a hymn to inclusivity. Leaping from Hana’s and Ayumi’s flat to their workplaces and then to Tokyo, the film continuously basks in a glossy, white light until all doubts are finally lifted and holding hands comes as easy as walking away together at dawn.

- Serena Scateni All written content © TAKE ONE Magazine 2018

Editor-in-Chief: Managing Editor: SQIFF Edition Editor: Edition Contributors:

Rosy Hunt Jim Ross Jim Ross Serena Scateni, Anna Whealing, Jim Ross, Sammy Andie Bennett

All images © reviewed film stakeholders For more information email contact@TAKEONECinema.net

RAFIKI Directed by Wanuri Kahiu

Dec 9th, 14:30 The Space, 257 London Road, Glasgow When a film has been banned, as RAFIKI has in its home nation of Kenya, as a Scottish viewer you might expect something vaguely scandalous.

Director Wanuri Kahiu has, however, created a film that embraces romantic tropes in the most endearing fashion. Many of its characters are given depth within that conventional framework, delivering a story that deals with a discriminatory environment by underscoring it with universal emotions.

Kena (Samantha Mugatsia) is a young woman in Nairobi, whose father John (Jimmy Gathu) is running for local office. When she meets Ziki (Sheila Munyiva), the daughter of an opposition candidate there is a clear romantic spark that grows very naturally across Kahiu and Jenna Cato Bass's script. Dealing with their own feelings about the culturally taboo relationship and reactions of friends and family, the two must navigate their coming of age with some extra pressure.

Adversity facing a new love is not a new obstacle to put on film. What RAFIKI does well, however, is to convey that universal adrenaline rush of a new spark of attraction. When Kena and Ziki share an extended 'moment' in a secluded camper van, the editing blends medium and close up shots in a way that conveys that rush of excitement mixed with hesitation that will resonate with a wide range of people.

The cultural context it occurs in - neatly demonstrating the film's off-screen domestic

woes - lends a level peril above that of basic parental disapproval: friendly banter between Kena and her heterosexual male friends quickly takes a nasty homophobic turn; the whole community hangs on the words of a local priest's bigotry; talk of 'cleansing' people of 'demons' predominates.

The central pairing of Mugatsia and Munyiva has a chemistry that means this surrounding context is always a bass note, rather than the melody of RAFIKI. In addition, across the supporting cast a number of reactions are conveyed (the script and acting working harmoniously) that goes beyond simple homophobia. Jimmy Gathu in particular does good work as Kena's father. Although the political differences between him and Ziki's father are never terribly obvious, the class differences are made clear. Therefore, contrasting his more measured respondse with that of Kena's mother ironically named Mercy (Nini Wacera) - prevents the reactions from seeming too designed to serve up cliched dramatic opposition to this burgeoning young love.

A touching and heartbreaking portrait of young love, the narrative framework of RAFIKI is not revolutionary. However, the skill in bringing it to screen - from both a socially progressive and artistic standpoint - means a twist on the familiar heteronormative version of the story deserves to be told, and cinematically earns the right to be watched.

- Jim Ross

PULSE Directed by Stevie Cruz-Martin

Dec 6th, 15:15 Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow

Cinema becomes exciting when it breaks the mould and challenges the status quo of the mainstream. PULSE is one such film.

The film tells the story of a gay disabled teen boy struggling with his identity and his own body. The story is beautifully portrayed by a great cast, with notable performances by Daniel Monks (Olly) and Caroline Brazier (Jacqui, Olly’s Mother). Their nuanced performances allow the audience to feel intimate with the characters and become invested in every step of the story.

The film is incredibly well shot and the opening scenes grab the audience immediately. The use of staged and real-life footage also grounds the film in reality, despite a major plot point being a body transplant. Any summary of the film's story and themes would diminish its importance, and it should be seen to fully comprehend the heights this film reaches: eliciting tears, laughter, cringes

and a hope that everything turns out okay. The film tackles everything including sexuality, disability, identity and teenage life. These topics will connect with every viewer in some way and that is a testament to the crew, but in particular Daniel Monks (who wrote, edited and starred in the film).

PULSE leaves no stone unturned and it provides comfort to those that have ever felt uncomfortable in themselves. The emotion the film creates stays with the viewer, meaning the film does not end when the credits begin. PULSE provides a platform for disability and LGBTQ+, often exclusive categories, and brings a story to life that is usually left untold in mainstream cinema. Stevie Cruz-Martin, Daniel Monks and the entire crew of PULSE have given a voice to those who are often forgotten and have created a film well worth a watch for anyone and everyone.

- Sammy Andie Bennett

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BIXA TRAVESTY Directed by Kiko Goifman & Claudia Priscilla

Dec 6th, 15:00 Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow

"What do I have in me that bothers you so much?" - this is one of the opening lines of BIXA TRAVESTY and I believe it encapsulates the film’s messages and hits a note with the entire LGBTQ+ movement.

Every person has the right to exist and feel safe in their existence. So, why does the patriarchy have such a resistance to people living their life?

What is it that bothers them so much about a person choosing to live differently to their idea of normal? Linn de Quebrada, the film’s focus, takes fire at these opinions and empowers herself from the words often used against her.

She calls herself a ‘Tranny Fag’, has a song that proclaims ‘get faggier’, laughs about being a ‘gender terrorist’ and doesn’t let anyone make her feel less about herself. She critiques the male through her manifesto, songs and her very existence, delivering an attack on the closeminded world of the patriarchy.

Linn de Quebrada provides much material for thought and often makes the viewer reflect on their own views, allows them an inside look at Linn’s life, and gives them lessons for the road too. Her manifesto is political and heartwarming; it strikes a chord with anyone who has felt denied permission to be themselves or have been the subject of criticism and derogatory remarks.

Linn empowers those who do not follow the patriarchal norm and gives them a song or two to sing when they need reminded of their importance in this world. She is creating new spaces and invading old ones, existing powerfully and truthfully and is not going to let anyone stop her. Linn de Quebrada showing you ‘the new Eve' should prove a highlight of SQIFF 2018.

- Sammy Andie Bennett

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Filmed over three years in Nairobi, SIDNEY AND FRIENDS follows a group of transgender friends who have been abandoned by their families, shunned by their society and are effectively living as outcasts.

Having visited film festivals on almost every continent, won acclaim at NewFest: New York's LGBT Film Festival and Transgender Film Festival Kiel (to name a few), been wildly praised by publications such as Intersex UK and Gay Essential, SIDNEY AND FRIENDS is a big deal.

Apart from the enlightening tales of hurt and hardship which make up this documentary, SIDNEY AND FRIENDS is also visually satisfying. Shot in black and white, the film becomes mimetic of the society which is constraining these trans people into old-fashioned, binary terms. Either male or female, nothing else, the choice is as distinct as black and white.

In black and white the characters become even more striking, even more distinctive. Maria, whose portrait is often used as a primary still for the film, comes to mind most of all. She shows off to the camera with no hint of reserve, fully confident in her body and herself.

All of the characters we meet, speak of how hard living as a trans person in Kenya is. Yet they all seem confident and optimistic. Of course there are tears, frustration and despair but equally there is much talk of love and friendship. I did not however get a great sense that the characters were intimately connected until the end of the film. Each person is interviewed separately, in different settings. At first the only thing which ties them together is the somewhat loose motif of lace and tea-cups, which appear throughout the film and as each new character is introduced. Only later do we see images of the characters together, standing in a wood or sitting on a sofa. There is an element of fragmentation to this documentary: many of the shots are tight, the locations unrelated, as if you are never given the bigger picture, and can never experience the actual suffering, can never fully understand the lives of these individuals. How could you?

SIDNEY AND FRIENDS Directed by Tristan Aitchison

Dec 6th, 12:30 Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow What is most striking about this film is, obviously, its subject matter. It portrays a group of young adults, living in a developing country and dealing with similar problems of identification and acceptance which face the trans community in privileged western society. For those people who doubt transgenderism, who say that wanting to live as a different gender is attention-seeking, or results from a confused younger generation faced with too many options, this film is of vital importance. Why would a transgender person in Kenya deliberately choose to be different? Sidney’s own family made attempts on his life, believing he is possessed with male demons.

Rural Kenyan practice, as Sidney explains, has strict rules about how boys and girls should dress, and boys’ chores (herding cattle, collecting firewood) are separate from the girls’ chores (fetching water and washing dishes). Sidney wanted to dress as a boy and herd cattle with the boys that followed was worse than misunderstanding: his community beat and shunned him. With such clearly defined gender norms, why would gender dysphoria occur in Kenya if not because, in the case of Sidney and his friends, the individual’s sex did not match their gender identity?

Giving a voice to the trans community, in any community, is important in order to share an understanding of transgenderism. Giving a voice to those communities which are more silenced than most is even more important. SIDNEY AND FRIENDS will, hopefully, challenge those who are sceptical or misunderstanding of the trans community and offer a deeper level of understanding to all.

- Anna Whealing

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All written content © TAKE ONE Magazine 2018 http://TAKEONECinema.net