Bonnie
Kena
For this year’s Mardi Gras Film Fest I am most looking forward to an Aussie film called Unsound, which is about a deaf trans man and a British guitarist, who wanders in to The Deaf Club, Finn’s nightclub for Deaf people. I can’t wait to see this because I am personally trans and masculine-presenting, and I’m learning Auslan (Australian Sign Language), which Unsound has in it! I’m so excited to see Auslan and Deaf culture on screen, and with characters who are going through some of my own experiences. I already have a ticket to Unsound and its afterparty.
The other one I’d really like to see is Defiant Souls (original title: Insumisas). Set in colonial Cuba, a Swiss doctor, Enrique Faber, arrives to find their missing son, marries a local woman, and gains respect in the community for their work. But Enrique’s compassion for the townspeople and open views on race and gender arouse suspicion in the patriarchal colonialist authorities of Cuba in the 1800s, and Enrique is put on trial for concealing their assigned gender. Again, this character (whom you’ve probably noted uses they/them pronouns) resonates with me, and I haven’t seen a movie set in colonial Cuba, so it would be very interesting! Defiant Souls looks dark and stormy.
Amy
Centred within the National Georgian Ensemble, And Then We Danced finds an interesting balance between documenting human experience and emotional struggles amongst rigid societal expectations in contemporary Georgian life.
Lizzie: Led by two stellar actresses (Chloë Sevigny & Kristen Stewart) this film retells the story of Lizzie Borden and the murders which occurred within the Borden family. I’m intrigued by the feminist take on the events and by the psychological and emotional hostilities which seem to be embedded in the original mystery. Furthermore, the film seems to present thrilling cinematography and lead performances.
Mardi Gras Film Festival
until 27 Feb 2020