WHAT’S THE STORY?

A LOOK at how bisexual desire is represented on the big screen, a feminist porn night and a focus on the queer Muslim experience are all part of this year’s Scottish Queer International Film Festival (Sqiff), which opens on Wednesday.

Expanding from four days to five to meet demand, the festival boasts Scottish premieres of the latest features from cult filmmakers such as Bruce LaBruce and Jennifer Reeder as well as showcases of short films by LGBTI filmmakers from around the world, powerful documentaries, free have-a-go workshops led by industry professionals and two massive dance parties courtesy of Free Pride and Lock Up Your Daughters.

A total of 40 screenings have been lined up for the third year of the event which has gone from strength to strength since it opened in 2015. Audience numbers last year increased by 40 per cent from 1800 to 2500 and it is expected that attendance will go up again.

The festival was born out of a perceived need for better representation of the LGBTI experience, according to festival co-ordinator Helen Wright — but as well as giving a platform for filmmakers it also provides a safe space for the community to meet and discuss issues.

“Glasgow does not have any kind of physical space for LGBTI people apart from bars and clubs,” Wright said. “We are providing an opportunity where people can get together to discuss films as well as think about the different issues affecting our community. It’s also about as meeting people and having fun.”

HOW ACCESSIBLE IS IT?

ORGANISERS have tried to make the festival as inclusive as possible and this year there is a sliding scale for tickets from free to £8. All Sqiff venues are wheelchair accessible, all films screen with English language subtitles, and many events feature BSL interpretation.

“We’ve had a lot of positive feedback with people saying they find it very inclusive which is something we have aimed for,” Wright said. “A lot of people tell us that it is one of the few opportunities they have to come together as a community, meet people, have discussions and have a nice time.”

This year’s event will open and close with two major Scottish premieres. Queer filmmaking hero Bruce LaBruce will be in Glasgow to introduce his latest film The Misandrists on Wednesday and on Sunday the festival closes with the first Scottish screening of Signature Move, Jennifer Reeder and Fawia Mirza’s “hilarious and honest” focus on the queer Muslim experience, love, family and female Mexican wrestling, which created a huge buzz at this year’s SXSW.

WHAT ELSE IS ON?

FEATURE documentaries include Chavela, a fascinating look at the life of legendary Mexican ranchera singer Chavela Vargas, who defied all social expectations, revolutionised music and romanced a series of celebrated women, including Frida Kahlo; Carlos Jauregui: The Unforgettable Fag, the story of the first leader of the pioneering Argentine Homosexuality Community; and FREE CeCe! which follows the fate of trans woman CeCe McDonald, whose incarceration for defending her life led to support from high-profile activists including Orange Is The New Black star Laverne Cox, who produced the film.

Looking Awry is a focus on how bisexual desire is represented on the big screen, from well-known Hollywood thrillers to queer underground filmmaking. As well as screenings of Gregg Araki’s Nowhere, described as Beverley Hills 90210 on speed and Sheila McLaughlin’s She Must Be Seeing Things, a dissection of queer jealousy, Jacob Engelberg will host an illustrated talk through cinematic invocations of bisexuality.

Short films from around the world include a variety of stories surveying the trans experience in Switching Teams, a bunch of Defiant Dykes proudly rejecting the demands of both hetero and queer cultures and Queer Scotland III, an array of the most exciting queer filmmaking happening in Scotland.

ANY OTHER HIGHLIGHTS?

ONE of the most popular segments of the festival is the Feminist Porn Night which this year features an award-winning slice of hot queer Berlin vampire action in Enactone, with director Sky Deep in attendance.

Festival organisers have also teamed up with the Glasgow School of Art Pornography Society for M4M, a night of “vivid, lurid and fluid queer sex on camera”, including rare archive clips from prominent gay porn company productions.

In addition, there will be a celebration of the life and work of Glasgow-based artist, activist, drag king and educator Diane Torr, who passed away earlier this year. This includes a chance to see Katarina Peters’ feature-length documentary Man For A Day, filmed at one of Diane’s renowned gender workshops in Berlin.

We Are Failing is an evening inspired by Jack Halberstam’s book The Queer Art of Failure which explores how failure can be embraced as a form of resistance to the demands of heterosexual, capitalist society.

Meanwhile Gaysian Superheroes is a showcase of the work of two British South Asian queer women filmmakers across different generations – activist and director Pratibha Parmar, who’s groundbreaking Khush (1991) portrays lesbian women and gay men in India and the Indian diaspora and emerging digital media artist Seema Mattu.

IS THERE MORE?

A SERIES of free workshops from leading industry professionals designed for LGBTI creatives at any stage in their career includes a full-day masterclass with Emmy-nominated director Catherine Gund, body positive porn filmmaking with the award-winning Sky Deep and a guide to collaborative, low-budget filmmaking with Lasse Langstrom.

There will also be two huge dance parties courtesy of local heroes Free Pride, who will be getting Glasgow’s finest LGBTI DJs on the decks till 3am at The Art School and the one-night-only return of Lock Up Your Daughters with a Babadook Ball at Drygate Brewing Co, promising what the organisers describe as “fresh queers, craft beers and butt-thumping beats”.

Wright said: “We are really pleased to bring Sqiff to audiences in Scotland for a third year, offering a unique selection of queer cinema and an ethos of challenging barriers to accessing the arts.

Expanding to five days this year is an achievement for us and we also have more filmmaker and artist guests than before travelling to take part. Our focus is to provide a space for LGBTI communities to explore their creativity, make connections, and feel welcome at an event designed to meet their needs.”

For more details go to www.sqiff.org