Portugal’s Queer Lisboa is marking three decades of queer cinema with a sprawling program that spans new releases, radical 1970s counterculture, and a brand-new section aimed at families. The festival kicked off Friday with a packed schedule that includes the Portuguese premiere of Rami Malek-starrer “The Man I Love” and a closing night featuring Leah Nelson’s animated drama “Tangles.”
The festival, founded in 1997, is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a lineup of 94 feature, documentary and short films. They play across its usual venues, the Cinemateca Portuguesa and Cinema São Jorge, from Sept. 18-26.
Queer Lisboa launched as the Lisbon Gay and Lesbian Film Festival at the Cinemateca Portuguesa. Its first opening film was the 1950 short “Un chant d’amour,” the sole movie ever directed by French novelist and playwright Jean Genet, whose works include “Querelle de Brest,” famously adapted by Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
A Festival Born at the Portuguese Cinematheque
João Ferreira, Queer Lisboa’s artistic director, says the festival’s institutional home at the Cinematheque set it apart from other queer festivals across Europe from the start. “From the very beginning, I would say that the festival was not envisioned as a kind of niche or festival only for the LGBTQ community because of the institutional support that it already had from day one,” Ferreira tells Variety.
He contrasts Queer Lisboa with Madrid and Paris, which began around the same time. “It was certainly not the case with some festivals that started more or less at the same time, like Madrid or Paris,” he says. “The audience was from the very beginning, a very broad audience and an audience interested in film, a cinephile audience.”
In its first three years, the festival was organized by the Portuguese chapter of ILGA, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. That gave it a community dimension from the outset, Ferreira notes.
What Makes Queer Lisboa Different
Ferreira emphasizes that the festival’s approach to queer cinema never rested solely on narrative. “It was much broader than that. We were interested in a queer gaze at the world. We were interested in a camp aesthetic. So we were looking for very different kinds of films that could fit in this idea,” he says.
The festival’s early programming reflected that expansive view. “Then the festival was called the Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, but the idea was already queer at the time, the way we looked at film,” he adds.
Queer Lisboa has always tried to balance popular mainstream works with more radical experimental films. “We want this spectrum, the big films and very small films,” Ferreira says. “It’s part of our joy as programmers to discover these smaller and more independent, sometimes more DIY filmmakers and filmmaking, and we try to put all that in the program. It is challenging.”
The Lineup at a Glance
The centerpiece of the anniversary edition is the expanded Retrospectives section, which runs 19 titles. Among them are:
- The Wachowskis’ 1996 debut film “Bound”
- Sally Potter’s “Orlando” (1992)
- Lisa Cholodenko’s “High Art” (1998)
- Patrice Chéreau’s “The Wounded Man” (1983)
- Kim Longinotto and Jano Williams’ British doc “Shinjuku Boys” (1995)
- Frank Ripploh’s 1980 classic “Taxi to the Toilet” (“Taxi zum Klo”) from West Germany
The opening-night premiere is Ira Sachs’ “The Man I Love,” starring Rami Malek. Sachs’ previous films, “Passages” and “Peter Hujar’s Day,” also screened in Lisbon. The festival closes with Leah Nelson’s acclaimed animated drama “Tangles.”
The lineup includes nearly a dozen sections, five competition categories and six non-competitive sidebars. New this year is Queer Family, dedicated to kids and their families. It focuses on culturally enriching independent films that explore themes of inclusion and identity.
Two Brazilian features anchor the section: Allan Deberton’s Berlinale award-winner “Gugu’s World” and Priscilla Kellen’s animated “Papaya.”
The Queer Family Experiment
Ana David, programmer and director at Queer Lisboa, says attracting younger audiences has been a long-standing goal. The new family section is aimed directly at families, and it has already received positive feedback from interested parents.
“We’ll see if it’s the kids bringing their parents, or if it’s the parents bringing their kids,” David says. “It’s important for us to work with young audiences who will also become the adult audiences of the festival in the future.”
The section also provides an intergenerational experience. “It also provides the opportunity for parents and their children to have an intergenerational experience and to even talk about things after the screening,” David says.
Queer Lisboa has already sold a large amount of tickets for the Queer Family screenings. “We think it’s going to work out really well,” David says.
Navigating 90 Films
Ferreira acknowledges that acquiring films has gotten much easier over the past three decades. But filtering through the huge amount of available titles and curating the 90-plus films the festival presents has become more difficult.
“It’s much easier now to acquire films than it was 30 years ago, but it’s become more difficult to filter through the huge amount of available titles and curate the 90-plus films that the festival presents,” Ferreira adds.
A Year of Milestones
Queer Lisboa is not the only queer festival reaching a milestone this year. As it hits 30, BFI Flare in London is turning 40 and San Francisco’s Frameline is turning 50.
David notes that those festivals, along with Paris’ Chéries-Chéris, served as inspirations for this year’s Retrospectives sidebar. “It speaks to the longevity of queer cinema, but also the festivals that have for a long time now been promoting and expanding on the knowledge and appreciation of queer cinema,” David says.
For Queer Lisboa, the retrospective offered a chance to show early films that are rare in Portugal, even if they are already considered canon elsewhere. “We wanted to offer some classic titles that people know and can engage with the retrospective, but then also offer something new for them to learn about and that can expand on their knowledge,” David says.
The Anniversary Program
The 30th edition of Queer Lisboa runs Sept. 18-26 at the Cinemateca Portuguesa and Cinema São Jorge. The full lineup includes 94 feature, documentary and short films across nearly a dozen sections.
Key facts:
– 30th anniversary edition
– 94 feature, documentary and short films
– 19 titles in the expanded Retrospectives section
– Opening with “The Man I Love” starring Rami Malek
– Closing with Leah Nelson’s “Tangles”
– Queer Family section debuts this year
Queer Lisboa’s anniversary edition shows a festival that has grown while staying true to its cinephile roots. It offers something for everyone — from the kids in the Queer Family section to the cinephiles who came for the 1970s counterculture. The festival has found a way to balance blockbuster premieres, queer classics, and new discoveries.
The anniversary edition is a reminder that Queer Lisboa has been doing this for a long time. The festival has kept its commitment to a broad definition of queer cinema.
Queer Lisboa has always been more than a niche festival for the LGBTQ community. It has been a cultural institution, a place where queer stories are told and celebrated. And now, at 30, it is still finding new ways to do that.
The expanded Retrospectives section is also a highlight. The 19 titles span decades of queer cinema, from the Wachowskis’ “Bound” to Patrice Chéreau’s “The Wounded Man.” These are films that have shaped the genre, and seeing them together in Lisbon is a rare treat.
Queer Lisboa has always been a place where queer stories are told and celebrated. It has been doing that for 30 years, and it shows no signs of slowing down. Through it all, it has kept its commitment to a broad definition of queer cinema.
The anniversary edition is a celebration of three decades of queer cinema, but it is also a statement about where the festival is headed. Queer Lisboa is not resting on its laurels. It is looking forward, experimenting with new formats, and finding new ways to connect with audiences.
The Queer Family section is a bold move. It is a bet on the future of the festival, and it is a bet on the future of queer cinema. If families come, they will bring their children. If children come, they will bring their parents. Either way, Queer Lisboa will have a new generation of audiences.
Source material: “Portugal’s Queer Lisboa Celebrates 30th Anniversary With Vast Showcase of Latest LGBTQ Titles, Dose of Radical 1970s Counterculture and Family Fare,” Variety.
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