The 21st Out in Africa Gay (OIA) and Lesbian Film Festival runs tomorrow to Sunday at Ster- Kinekor Cinema Nouveau in Rosebank Mall in Joburg and the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.
OIA organisers hope to run a second mini festival in October or November, but since they are currently working on their own feature film, this is up in the air. Dates will be confirmed at a later stage, said Sharon Jackson of OIA.
They want to start shooting in August, but first they need to confirm the director.
This mini festival, though, opens tomorrow at 7pm at both venues with a screening of Kill Your Darlings (pictured), which stars Daniel Radcliffe as gay Beat poet, Allen Ginsberg. The film is set during the poet’s time at Columbia University and centres on a murder investigation which includes him, his room mate Lucien Carr (Dane DeHaan) and fellow poet William Burroughs (Ben Foster). So, essentially this is a story about the Beat poets before they were known as that.
The special festival guest is German director Jan Soldat, who will present his documentaries Ein Wochenende in Deutschland and Der Unfertige at four scheduled screenings in Joburg and Cape Town.
The other films on the line-up are:
• Boy Meets Girl: Directed by Eric Schaeffer, the film is a coming- of-age comedy about three 20-somethings in Kentucky. The modern fable crosses gender and sexual orientation lines. (Thursday at 7pm and Sunday at 6.45pm in Joburg; Thursday at 7pm and Friday at 8.45pm in Cape Town).
• L’inconnu du lac (Stranger by the Lake): Winner of last year’s Cannes Un Certain Regard Best Directing Award for Alain Guiraudie, this erotic thriller explores how human identity is identified, and sometimes imprisoned, by desire, drive and passion. (Saturday at 8.45pm and Sunday at 8.45pm; Thursday at 9pm and Sunday at 6.45pm in Cape Town).
• Concussion: Directed by Stacie Passon, this winner of the Teddy Jury Award at the Berlinale is about a restless, suburban housewife pushing 40. She suffers a blow to the head which unleashes her repressed sexuality and she creates a second persona to cope.(Friday at 7pm and Saturday at 6.45pm in Joburg; Friday at 6.45pm and Saturday at 6.45pm in Cape Town).
• Ein Wochenende in Deutschland (Weekend in German): Presented by the dir- ector himself, this 25-minute documentary centres on Manfred and Jurgen, both in their mid-70s, giving us their version of an ordinary weekend, complete with their usual S&M bondage session.
• Der Unfertige (The Incomplete): A 48-minute documentary about a 60-year-old German who wants to live as a slave. Chained to his bed, he talks about his decision, his parents and what it means to be naked. (The double bill runs Thursday at 9pm and Friday at 9pm in Joburg; Saturday at 8.45pm and Sunday at 8.45pm in Cape Town).
• See www.oia.co.za for info.