Imagine what life would be like if we didn’t have the Lesbian & Gay film festival in Hong Kong (HKLGFFF). Imagine if we didn’t have the right to march in the streets during Gay Pride. Here in Hong Kong we are blessed that the festival is still running, but there are many places in the world that cannot even show queer movies, where people’s basic human rights are taken away because of their sexuality.
The Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival has now lasted for two decades. This is a testament to the work of our pioneers like Edward Lam and Wouter Barendretch, and the first generation team of HKLGFF who helped us to build up a solid foundation. The first HKLGFF was a small event held at the Arts Centre, these days we’ve got three cinemas showing our films to an audience in the thousands.
The most exciting development is that today we have queer film-makers covering so many different themes in their movies. These range from the traditional themes like coming out and gay marriage to hot topics like adoption. These movies have become so much more than just a form of entertainment. During the two weeks of the festival we will learn so much about queer lives and themes from across the world.
For me this is also a very emotional year to have the 20th anniversary of the Hong Kong Lesbian & Gay Film festival. My dear friend Wouter, the executive director of this festival, passed away at the beginning of the year. So as director, my challenge this year is to produce a festival deserving of his memory.
I hope that you will enjoy this biggest queer event in Hong Kong. Remember to vote for your favourite film this year at www.hklgff.hk. Let’s celebrate our 20th anniversary, and drink a toast to our dear friend Wouter!
Report Event
Please log in to use this feature.