Sofia Film Fest and GLAS Foundation present 3 queer films in the program of this year’s film festival

Can social isolation be worse than death? What is the test for a child to acknowledge their different sexual orientation to their parents? Which generates the language of hatred and the cases of violence caused by homophobia?

Sofia Film Fest, in cooperation with the GLAS Foundation, presents three films within the festival that address the current and painful topic of gender identity and the confrontation of man with social and cultural stereotypes in search of his right to self-expression.

Deny Paro’s Documentary Movie “DISCOVER” is a collection of authentic video recordings of teenagers and children who for the first time share with their parents their different sexual orientation. The film is included in the international documentary competition. The director will personally present his film at the press conference scheduled for March 11 at 13:00 at the PARA Festival Center. The press conference will be held as an open discussion on the topic of LGBTI disclosure and parenting. During the event will be presented for the first time conclusions from a sociological study on the levels of homophobia in Bulgaria.

The full-length debut “GIRL” of a Belgian writer and director Lucas Dont is a story about the dreams and aspirations of a 15-year-old transsexual girl to become a ballerina. The film is awarded the Golden Camera by Cannes 2018 and other international awards.

The “THE MOVE WHO WAS ALL” of Natasha Merkulova and Alexei Chupov is a contemporary Russian fairy tale to transform the male, family and egotistical Egor into a woman. The film will be presented by the teacher of “History of Sex” and journalist Nikolay Kolev.

Together with our GLAS Foundation partners, we will present the three films from the program at the film festival in the context of the public discussion “Cinema and sex” on the questions that contemporary cinematographers ask, beyond the day-to-day opposition and political controversy. These human stories open new and pure horizons for this conversation.

The newly created collaboration between Sofia Film Festival and the GLAS Foundation through the Big Gay Film Club Queer Cinema aims to familiarize the Bulgarian audience with the diversity of contemporary LGBTI cinema and to open a dialogue with the general public on important topics, affecting the lives of LGBTI people today.

Big Gay Film Club is a quair cinema platform created by the GLAS Foundation, launched at the end of July 2018. The Initiative brings together film lovers and professionals who gather each month in a sheltered space to discuss LGBTI-themed themes. The platform focuses on all forms and genres of the queer cinema, paying attention not only to contemporary productions but also to key quaint works from the history of cinema since its birth to the present day.