Cyprus, the third largest island in the Mediterranean, has a complicated history.  Once a British Colony (like so much of the world )  during the 19th century when the population was far from united. The Greek Cypriot majority, which comprised 77% of the total population, sought union with Greece while the Turkish Cypriot minority of 18% initially favored British rule and later the partition of Cyprus.

Fast forward to the present day and the country island is physically split into two with the small northeast portion of the island governed by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a de facto state recognized only by Turkey.  Today, the main part of the island is (Greek) Cyprus and when it joined the European Union it had to change its human rights legislation, including its laws regarding sexual orientation and gender identity. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity have been legal in Cyprus since 1998, and civil unions which grant several of the rights and benefits of marriage have been legal since December 2015. Conversion therapy was banned in Cyprus in May 2023.

Then 4 years ago Queer Wave  Cyprus’s LGBTQIA+ Film Festival was created  It was born through a pilot edition online in 2020, to address the need to experience community during times of isolation.  It has been a major success since day one,  and while the majority of its activities take place in Cyprus’s capital Nicosia, Queer Wave has taken up space south and north of the green line, within the buffer zone, and outside the capital, with the aim of bringing communities closer together – one film at a time.

Queerguru has scoured the very diverse program which covers most of  the  whole LGBTQ+ spectrum  to create our

TOP PICKS OF MUST SEE MOVIES 

 

All The Colors of The World are Between Black and White. This fictional film from Nigeria  premiered at the Panorama Section of the 73rd annual Berlin International Film Festival. where it won the prestigious TEDDY AWARD  Queerness is a taboo topic in Nigeria, one of the most difficult countries in the world to be an LGBT+ person,  people there can face up to 10 years in jail for being part of anything considered a gay social club or group, and up to 14 years if in a same-sex relationship 

An intimate portrait of yearning desire in an adverse social context, and to Queerguru’s knowledge it is only the 6th queer film to be produced in Nigeria, and is not to be missed.

 

BLUE JEAN is a brilliant new lesbian drama set in Thatcher’s Britain“Do you know what the phrase ‘Fight or Flight’ means?” asks gay Geordie PE teacher Jean (Rosy McEwen) of her teenage students at the beginning of the brilliant new drama Blue Jean. It is a physiological reaction that occurs in response to a perceived harmful event, attack, or threat to survival. It’s obviously on Jean’s mind as she navigates life as a queer teacher in a northeastern secondary school during bleak late 1980s Thatcher-era England in the shadow of controversial new anti-gay legislation, clause 28 of the Local Authorities Act.

 

 

 

On a film that loosely follows the seasons, to say that Lukas Dhont’s Close might make you weep is as inevitable as saying winter might follow autumn. The emotions are so finely evoked in this masterful coming-of-age drama they could have been drawn with an eyelash. Close is a wounding masterpiece. It aches tragedy and begs questions. Many people will find its journey difficult but also ultimately compelling. The evocation of childhood is universal however its sadness is very particular.

 

 

Rurangi . This compelling drama  about  Cas a trans activist’s return to the small New Zealand town he fled as a teenager is straightforwardly told but with great warmth and optimism. Kudos for giving us a lesson in how to get trans representation right: all the trans roles are played by trans actors (and for good measure some non-trans – or non-specific – roles too).

 

 

 

Who I Am Not is a fascinating documentary by Tunde Skovran chronicling the lives of two engaging, very different, black intersex people; South African ex-beauty queen Sharon-Rose, and unemployed fellow South African, Dimakatso, both of whom live in Johannesburg. Intersex people are people born with any of several sex characteristics including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that do not fit binary notions of male or female bodies. The exact numbers are unknown but it’s estimated there are globally a couple of million intersex people.

 

 

Will O The Wisp is director Joao Pedro Rodrigues’ unique queer fantasy romantic musical comedy. Both sexy and fun, prepare yourself for an unforgettable hour of craziness. A range of themes, including climate change, race, fascism and colonialism, combined with comedy moments and a nod to art history, brings the two protagonists together and they develop a sexual relationship. Amalia Rodrigues’s racist fado song is played as the two men have sex in a burnt-out forest, finishing with a funny cum-shot scene. Another humorous moment is when the two men look through a selection of dick pics, comparing them to various tree types. Will the unlikely prince and the pauper be able to survive the challenges to their love?

 

 

 

 

QUEERWAVE Cyprus’s LGBTQ+ Film Fest begins on 9/08 and will end on 9/17 To see the whole program and book tickets https://queerwave.com/

 

 

 

 

for full reviews of over 1800 queer films check out www.queerguru.com and whilst you are there be sure to subscribe to get all the latest raves and rants on queer cinema …best of all its FREE