London’s BFI Flare 2022 queer film festival has an excellent program of international short films. Here are a few of my favorites from this year’s selection – covering Palestine, Egypt, South Korea, Libya, Pakistan, Lebanon, and India. The fact that queer film-making is spreading so globally is very encouraging.

Borekas is the first film by Saleh Saadi, a 23-year-old queer filmmaker from Palestine. The film premiered at Palm Springs International ShortFest (2021) and was also featured at Outfest (2021). The film is about a relationship between a Palestinian father and his son, and how a breakdown on the way to the airport provides them with an opportunity to reconnect. Beautifully shot with great casting and thoughtfully written, there’s a gentle tone to the relationship between father and son that I found very endearing. So much about the film is about what is not said. It reminded me about the relationship I had with my own father.

9/10

The Floating World is a fascinating short documentary about the world of the South Korean Host bars, where women buy companionship and/or sex from male hosts. Muscular, with shiny boy band hairstyles, about a dozen men per bar compete for the attention of the women, from whom they can earn a lot of money. Officially they chat, drink, dance and sing karaoke with the women, and make sure they get home safely. Unofficially about 50% of the transactions also involve sex, although this is illegal. We follow one host, who is a trans-man, and he gives us a great insight into his clients, most of whom are working female prostitutes. These women are looking for some male care and attention in their spare time, when they can now be in control. These bars grew out of the tradition of Japanese geisha or South Korea’s kisaeng bars. All sorts of women love these bars as it’s an opportunity for them to have a wide choice of men, have fun, and most importantly, to be in control. Very interesting. Directed by Fernando Souza

10/10

Another great film is Warsha which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and won the Short Film Jury Award for International Fiction. We follow Mohammed, a Syrian migrant working as a crane operator in a very grim, hyper-masculine, crowded environment in Beirut, Lebanon. One morning he volunteers to take on one of the tallest and most dangerous cranes in Lebanon. In this most unlikely of situations, he finds a moment for personal liberation. Starring Khansa, a Beirut-based multi-faceted artist who is also a male belly dancer, Director-Screenwriter Dania Bdeir’s film challenges traditional Middle-Eastern values regarding masculinity, echoing the work that Khansa has been doing for many years. Beautiful cinematography and a haunting soundtrack complement a fine performance. @khansakhansakhansa

10/10

Queer Parivaar: A mysterious woman arrives on the eve of queer couple Madhav and Sufi’s wedding, revealing a secret family history. Madhav and Sufi are forced to reflect on what makes a family. This is a wonderful feel-good queer musical romance. Slick production, good casting, sparkling costumes and a joyful atmosphere all go together to create a very sweet movie. Queer Parivaar  directed by Shiva Raichandani  explores many themes – non-binary gender identities, British South Asian queer weddings, inter-faith romance, chosen families and intergenerational differences. The cast includes Asifa Lahore, the UK’s first Muslim drag queen, musicians and activists, all of whom gel together well. 

9/10

Shams: written & directed by Pauline Beugnies. Eden, a 30-year-old Belgian woman, works in a cultural centre thousands of miles away from home, in the bustling capital of Cairo. She has a life-changing encounter with a beautiful young Egyptian woman there named Shams, and the two become girlfriends. One day, Shams brutally disappears. With the support and friendship of two valiant young Egyptians, Eden starts a fight against her own fears, denials, and bias to find Shams. This is a tense, gripping drama that leaves you wanting more. Very good.

8/10

Muhafiz by trans filmmaker Pradipta Ray. Against a backdrop of sectarian violence, can a gay Hindu man find the courage to help a Muslim man on the run being chased by attackers? Atmospherically shot on location in urban India, this film is based on true events from the 2002 sectarian riots in Gujarat. The film is well-paced, keeping you on the edge of your seat, with a good script and fine casting. Recommended.

8/10

Baba: Rejected by his family for his queerness and oppressed by his country for the same, handsome, reckless Libyan teenager, Britannia, gets an interview at the British Embassy, taking him one step closer to his long-held dream of stepping foot on Manchester’s queer Canal Street, holding hands with a boyfriend. Being British and gay is everything he’s ever dreamed of. But he needs his passport which is at the home he has run away from. He and his friends plot to retrieve the passport from their home in a network of underground tunnels in Tripoli. Plagued by memories of his oppressive Baba (Papa) but supported by his found family of queers, he sneaks back to the family house to retrieve it. There, an unexpected discovery strikes deep and forces him to question where his dreams truly lie.

This is an excellent, award-winning, nail-biting drama by Director-Screenwriters Sam Arbor and Adam Ali. Ali also stars as Britannia – and brilliantly portrays Britannia’s youthful exuberance with vulnerability. The plot successfully combines themes of family, the power of blood relatives, warm love and separation with quite thrilling scenes. There’s so much more I could write – make sure you see this film.

 10/10

The Syed Family Xmas Eve Family Game Night: All cards are on the table when Noor, a queer Pakistani Muslim woman brings her Puerto Rican girlfriend Luz to her family’s annual game night. Director Fawzia Mirza takes us on a colorful, humorous romp in this warm Christmas family sitcom. Mirza also directed the excellent Noor and Layla, another short screened at Flare, which we’ve previously reviewed. Good fun. Definitely, a director to keep an eye on.

8/10

2022 BFI Flare: London LGBT Film Festival

Dates: Wed, 16 Mar 2022 – Sun, 27 Mar 2022 

https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/

Review: Ris Fatah 

Queerguru Contributing Editor Ris Fatah is a successful fashion/luxury business consultant  (when he can be bothered) who divides and wastes his time between London and Ibiza. He is a lover of all things queer, feminist, and human rights in general. @ris.fatah