MEMORY-LIKE: An Oral History of QueerFest(2025)
Not only a film festival, but also a space for resistance
The documentary focuses on the story of QueerFest, the first and only LGBTI+ film festival in Turkey, which has been organized in Ankara since 2011. Through interviews with the founders of QueerFest, volunteers and staff who have contributed to the festival, the 14-year journey of the festival and the culture and arts landscape shaped by Turkey's political climate are told. QueerFest's self-organizational connection with the Pink Life Association, its connection with the “lubunya” (queer community) of Ankara and the cultural capital it inherited from there, is transformed into a powerful political voice by developing the practice of mobilizing through art. Since 2017, the festival has continued its resistance against the bans and heavy censorship obstacles every year and opens a space for many queer people living in Turkey who are interested in the field of culture and art and want to produce in this sphere.
Movie: MEMORY-LIKE: An Oral History of QueerFest
Top 3 Billed Cast
HomePage
Overview
The documentary focuses on the story of QueerFest, the first and only LGBTI+ film festival in Turkey, which has been organized in Ankara since 2011. Through interviews with the founders of QueerFest, volunteers and staff who have contributed to the festival, the 14-year journey of the festival and the culture and arts landscape shaped by Turkey's political climate are told. QueerFest's self-organizational connection with the Pink Life Association, its connection with the “lubunya” (queer community) of Ankara and the cultural capital it inherited from there, is transformed into a powerful political voice by developing the practice of mobilizing through art. Since 2017, the festival has continued its resistance against the bans and heavy censorship obstacles every year and opens a space for many queer people living in Turkey who are interested in the field of culture and art and want to produce in this sphere.
Release Date
2025-01-22
Average
0
Rating:
0.0 startsTagline
Not only a film festival, but also a space for resistance
Genres
Languages:
EnglishTürkçeKeywords
Similar Movies
Que sirva de ejemplo(es)
What is heteronormativity, what does it mean for men and women, what is the cultural canon, does culture reflect or does culture construct? We reflect on all this by putting in dialogue ten people who, from different fields of culture, have thought about this.
Pursuit of Equality(en)
By issuing marriage licenses to same gender couples, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom uproots the status quo and attempts to change the way the nation looks at life, love, and marriage.
Underneath the Sequence, Rage: a History of Drag(fr)
The art of drag represents an artistic transformation where individuals create characters by amplifying gendered traits, challenging established social norms. This practice, known for its spectacular performances, has evolved through periods of repression and acceptance. Through humor and self-mockery, drag disrupts conventions and is deeply rooted in the history of LGBT+ movements. This documentary traces the history of Drag in France and around the world, from William Dorsey Swann—a young emancipated slave considered the first drag queen—to RuPaul, Nicky Doll, and Paloma. Featuring contributions from historians, anthropologists, and sociologists specialized in drag, as well as testimonies from drag artists who are shaping or have shaped this history.
Trans*BUT — Fragments of Identity(tr)
Fragmentary perspectives on Human Rights and transgender (trans*) People in Turkey. What remains at the place where a murder happened? What constitutes trans* life? How to cope with daily violence and hatred? We begin to search for traces. We follow the tracks of resistance and survival. We are collectors of the expelled. We gather fragments of trans* lives inspired by texts of Nazim Hikmet, Foucault, Benjamin and Zeki Müren. Trans*BUT is a documental research study driven by the question: “What keeps you going when all else falls away?”
Equality from the Heart(en)
'Equality from the Heart' captures the narratives of various LGBTIQ individuals in Malta, shedding a light on the lived lives of our community throughout the 20th Century, during a time when our identities were considered a taboo, as it reflects on the progress this country has made and looks to the future with optimism.
to boyhood, i never knew him(en)
Archive footage from 2006 - 2010 of a young girl growing up during the ages of four to eight. Only fragments of what is remembered exists. Words from a transgender man float to the surface as fleeting memories go on.
Being BeBe(en)
The intimate journey and unpublished backstory of BeBe Zahara Benet – a charismatic drag performer originally from Cameroon, and the very first winner of the culture-changing phenomenon, RuPaul’s Drag Race. With over a decade of unprecedented access, we observe BeBe’s struggles with celebrity, authenticity, success, and failure.
Teguh(id)
Teguh was dishonorably discharged as a policeman due to his sexual orientation. With the support of his partner Tonny, Teguh decided to purue justice by bringing his case to court, an act that has never been done before in Indonesia from the LGBTQI+ community. From this, the question arises, why would he put himself in potential danger by going against the institution? The film tells a love story between Teguh and Tonny, which becomes the foundation of why this fight needs to be fought for.
Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution(en)
From the sweaty basement bars of 70s New York to the glittering peak of the global charts, how disco conquered the world - its origins, its triumphs, its fall and its legacy.
La purge LGBT : La sombre histoire(fr)
The Purge traces a dark and little-known moment in Canadian history: the systemic discrimination faced by members of the LGBT community within the Armed Forces and the federal public service. From 1950 to 1996, it was yesterday, no effort was spared to flush out these men and women deemed "immoral" and representing a "danger to national security": intensive and coercive interrogations, humiliating tests, polygraphs, forced confessions and denunciations.
The Times of Harvey Milk(en)
Harvey Milk was an outspoken human rights activist and one of the first openly gay U.S. politicians elected to public office; even after his assassination in 1978, he continues to inspire disenfranchised people around the world.
ALHIVE(es)
One morning, Leonardo Galicia wakes up with a dull pain and an intense fever. After a pandemic experience that made him aware of his mortality, the last thing Leonardo expected was an HIV-reactive result. The illness caused by the virus takes hold of Leonardo's body and forces him to take an indefinite break while recovering in a hospital. There, he meets a mysterious young man, Augusto. By sharing common thoughts, hopes, and dreams, the two will find refuge in each other's arms.
Polonia: ¿zona libre de LGTBI?(es)
Jon Sistiaga takes an immersive trip to Poland, a country divided into two zones: on the one hand, the urban and pro-European, and on the other, the rural and ultra-Catholic, still anchored in the traumas of the war and the post-war period. Is Poland a homophobic country or does it have a homophobic government? How does the European Union allow this situation?
O Legado dos Vaga-lumes(pt)
A short film that deals with the social and historical importance of Rainbowfest for Juiz de Fora, exploring the first edition held after the death of one of its founders, Marcos Trajano.
Not Alone(ru)
Mothers and fathers of gay, lesbian, and trans children from Georgia, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine travel to Berlin to walk together in the Pride parade. Living under one roof, they prepare for the march — painting signs, cooking borscht, and reflecting on how their relationships with their queer children have evolved over the years.
The Second Largest Minority(en)
Documentary short documents the “Reminder Day Picket” at Independence Hall, Philadelphia, on July 4, 1968.
Gay and Proud(en)
1970 short documentary covering the first New York gay pride parade celebrating one year after Stonewall.
A Tight, Warm Hug(en)
Lucy Rose, a transgender woman, shares her journey of self-love and empowerment since starting hormone replacement therapy three years ago. The film is part animation, part documentary and part VHS archive footage.
Voltrans(tr)
The documentary features the journey of the Voltrans initiative, a solidarity platform for trans men in Turkey.