Southbank sends up a flare!

Every year for 10 days BFI Southbank becomes the hottest place in London for gays to hang out. Especially if you’re looking for a crowd you’d never find in Soho, Vauxhall or Shoreditch. This year’s BFI Flare: London LGBT Film Festival takes place 19th-29th March.

The programme has been getting stronger over recent years, and this month’s line-up is a collection of terrific queer cinema, most notably the documentaries strewn throughout the schedule. And the sad fact is that several of the best films from this festival will never get a UK release, so catch them while you can! Tickets have just gone on sale: visit bfi.org.uk/flare for details. And remember, if the film you are after is sold out, returns are sometimes available fifteen minutes before screening times – but get there early, there may be a queue for popular films….

by Jack Leger

OPENING NIGHT

The festival kicks off Thursday 19th with the provocative true drama I AM MICHAEL, following its premieres at Sundance and Berlin. James Franco plays gay activist-journalist Michael Glatze, who dumped his long-time boyfriend (Zachary Quinto) and turned to religion, becoming a homophobic pastor. Reviews have centred on Franco’s remarkably balanced performance, so the film is sure to spark some heated discussions.

GALA SCREENINGS

DO I SOUND GAY? is an entertaining Morgan Spurlock-style documentary in which filmmaker David Thorpe hilariously explores why gay men have such distinctive speech patterns, and sets about to try to make himself sound a bit more butch. Where this goes is engaging and cleverly pointed. • From Kenya, STORIES OF OUR LIVES is a collection of five gay and lesbian vignettes beautifully filmed in black and white. Based on real events from East Africa, these stories are sad and hopeful at the same time. And the collection is daring and moving.

CLOSING NIGHT

Things wrap up Sunday 29th with the documentary OUT TO WIN, exploring homosexuality in professional sport. Director Malcolm Ingram (Small Town Gay Bar) traces the history of gay and lesbian sports personalities, including both the triumphs and tragedies. The film includes interviews with Martina Navratilova, Jason Collins, Billy Jean King and John Amaechi.

HEARTS

Films about love, romance and friendship include Mo’Nique as the homophobic mother of a gay teen in the moving drama BLACKBIRD • Patrick Stewart is an ex-dancer facing his past in MATCH • The steamy and masculine FUTURO BEACH travels from Brazil to Berlin • TIGER ORANGE is an involving, sharply well-made gay-brothers drama • JAMIE MARKS IS DEAD tells a sensitive queer teen ghost story • And the Sri Lankan gay romantic drama FRANGIPANI is warmly involving.

For something different, Carol Morley’s THE FALLING is a swirling dream of a movie about a girls’ school in the grip of a fainting epidemic • APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR is a witty Girls-style comedy about a bisexual woman in the big city.

BODIES

Stories of sex, identity and transformation include Romain Duris in Francois Ozon’s brilliant cross-dressing comedy-drama THE NEW GIRLFRIEND • From Spain, EVERLASTING LOVE is a dark, queer freak-out • And SOMETHING MUST BREAK is a gender-bending Swedish drama.

Documentaries worth catching include the sexy, voyeuristic locker-room doc FULBOY, a chance to get naked with an Argentine football team • From Puerto Rico, MALA MALA tells transgender stories • A company of physically intense dancers is profiled in BORN TO FLY: ELIZABETH STREB VS GRAVITY • And there’s the world premiere of the London drag-scene doc DRESSED AS A GIRL, which has its own fabulous party night hosted by Johnny Woo on Sunday 22nd.

MINDS

Explorations of art, politics and community include the festival-circuit favourite DEAR WHITE PEOPLE, a black comedy confronting diversity head-on • And GIRLHOOD is the stunning new film from Celine Sciamma (Tomboy) following a teen trying to find her place in a tough gang-controlled Paris suburb.

And don’t miss these documentaries: TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL explores the 1960s beefcake actor’s closeted gay reality (he’ll be present for the Q&A) • The gorgeous DIOR AND I goes backstage with the colourful people who work in the iconic fashion house • And WE CAME TO SWEAT looks at Brooklyn’s Starlite, under threat after 50 years of groundbreaking black-gay club nights.

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

Catch up with favourites from the past year in the company of an appreciative audience. This includes last year’s hit PRIDE, which on Saturday 28th will be followed by a discussion with THT founder Chris Birch. There’s also a collection of LGBT archive footage available to view free at the BFI Mediatheque.

The director’s cut of 54 gets a special screening, including all of the gay plot-strands that the studio cut out when the film opened in 1998 • And there’s an amazing chance to see THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW on the massive BFI Imax screen on Friday 27th, followed by a dress-up party in the Blue Room and a rare screening of the sequel SHOCK TREATMENT on Saturday • Speaking of dressing up, appropriately clad boys will be welcome at the 20th anniversary Xena Warrior Princess event and party, with prizes for the best costume.

More literary-minded gays will enjoy the Flare Book Group, exploring movies based on queer-themed books, including Hitchcock’s homoerotic film of Patricia Highsmith’s STRANGERS ON A TRAIN, plus Virginia Woolf’s ORLANDO, Alice Walker’s THE COLOUR PURPLE and Fannie Flagg’s FRIED GREEN TOMATOES.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Special events almost every day will make regular visits to BFI Southbank essential between 19th and 29th March. Author Rupert Smith presents a rare collection of 1950s and 60s physique films for The Golden Age Of The American Male • Ben Walters premieres his film SAVE THE TAVERN, about The Royal Vauxhall Tavern, London’s oldest queer venue, which is currently under threat from developers • And a Rainbow Family Fun Day on Sunday 22nd will include movie-inspired activities like an animation workshop.

CLUB NIGHTS

Flirt and dance the night away as Flare turns BFI Southbank into a nightclub each Friday and Saturday night during the festival, including a special Club Kali night and the Slippery People pop disco. And tickets are also available for the closing night dance party on Sunday 29th.

• The full BFI Flare programme and ticketing info are at bfi.org.uk/flare