Mezipatra Queer Film Festival 2015

Mezipatra Queer Filmový Festival / Mezipatra Queer Film Festival – What is Mezipatra? Around a hundred top-ranking films on lesbian, bisexual, transsexual and queer themes+ an international competition+ exhibitions, lectures, workshops, discussions and parties+ 110 000 viewers, both gay and straight, in ten different cities in the Czech Republic. Prague, Brno Czech Republic.

Let’s Not Be Afraid of Earthquakes

Mezipatra is sixteen this year, and slowly growing up. Since an early age, however, it has been trying to contribute to the positive image of LGBTQ+ characters and to balance the frequent tendency of the local cultural mainstream to mock them.

Not only our festival, but the whole queer community and its position within society are constantly evolving. An example of this is the verdict of the US Supreme Court of June 26 legalising same-sex marriage throughout the United States. We can hope that this small victory will be followed by changes in legislation in our country as well.

At Mezipatra, we are used to riveting stories about human strength and weakness. This year, the epicentre of the festival programme revolves around life’s pivotal moments – moments when the film protagonists’ lives turn upside-down.

Film has a unique power to touch our soul. It lets us find universal truth even in a story about somebody who is seemingly different. We are affected on a personal level by stories of a man in his fifties who finds out that his whole life has been a lie, a family where the forcible separation of one member means a catastrophe, a gay Muslim who must suppress his true self because of faith, and a woman who voluntarily accepts a male role to strengthen her position in a patriarchal world.

Since earthquakes are not only personal but also cultural, our retrospective section brings four canonical films that shook the perception of what queer cinema is between the 1960s and 1990s.

I wish you that the cinematic earthquakes at Mezipatra help you survive your personal ones.

Pavel Bicek, Director of Mezipatra QFF

Mezipatra Queer Film Festival 2015

What is queer? The term queer includes anybody who feels traditional gender categories to be inadequate, regardless of their sexual orientation or the sexual identity they were born with. It liberates us from traditional notions of sexual and gender identity based on the fixed categories of man/woman, heterosexual/ homosexual.

What’s our aim? Our aim is to bring world-class cinema to as large and diverse an audience as possible. We would like to draw attention to the inseperability of the private and the public, the individual and society, and offer a balanced portrayal of people who are generally depicted in mainstream culture and media in terms of stereotype and cliché.

Who are we? Mezipatra is produced by nonprofit organisations Mezipatra and STUD Brno.

Where? The main festival takes place in Prague and Brno, with related events in Ostrava, Olomouc and elsewhere.

When? Every November. In 2015 the festival runs from 5-12 November in Prague, and from 12-18 November in Brno.

How can I take part? Mezipatra welcomes volunteers, sponsors also of individual films and members of the preparation team.

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