From literature to leather to LOUD – What's up in September for the international Crowd

Well, well, well. What have we got here? September. And it’s delivering its annual plate of endlessly reconfiguring festivals. It’s nearly impossible to wrap your head around it all, yet impossible to ignore. A simple trip on the U-Bahn and you’re confronted with what’s going on. At least I’m here with a primer of them all – as well as some tips if you prefer to keep it small this month. None of the festivals during the season are explicitly queer – but with all of them operating on such a large scale, it would be bloody unlikely for there to be no queer content. Just check the programs.

The International Literaturfestival (Sep. 10-20 at Haus der Berliner Festspiele and other venues) takes place. With over 160 authors from around the world, queer bibliophiles should easily find something of interest.

Meanwhile, Folsom Europe (Sep. 13-14), Europe’s biggest fetish fair, is a two-day spin-off of San Francisco's legendary (and commercial) street fair, playing out on a couple of blocks in Schöneberg. Numerous side parties accompany it. Hand me my leather!

And then let’s not forget about Berlin Art Week (Sep. 16-21). Three big art fairs, one a rewritten version of last year’s most popular one, entertain the eager stars and consumers of Berlin with pageantry, pomp and plenty of tote bags. abc (Station-Berlin) is the most dependable of the three, being the only recurring one actually attached to the official Art Week. Berliner Liste (Postbahnhof) is a bit edgier, so those with a taste for something different should hit this one up. Finally, my personal fave, Preview, is no more this year, having disintegrated and reemerged as Positions (Kaufhaus Jandorf).

I think I got the festival side of things covered. Next, I’d like to give a shout-out to Expatriarch Radio, giving us over four years of queer sounds to discover. They are launching an ambitious four-part series called Expatriarch Generations in which each month one Berliner artist passes their wisdom on to another. Following an interview, the first pair, Perera Elsewhere and Bella Cuts, will appear at Hot Topic (Sep. 19, 23:00 at SchwuZ).

Turning south, Martin-Gropius-Bau hosts an exhibition about one of the most controversial intellectuals and homosexuals of the 20th century – filmmaker Pier Paulo Pasolini. In Pasolini Roma (Sep. 11), we are provided with an exploration of the celebrated and reviled artist’s relationship with the city of Rome. Indelibly impressed in my teenage years by his final film, Salo: 120 Days of Sodom, I may be the first in line on opening day.
Premiering on stage this month is dance piece BodieSLANGuage (Sep. 11-13 at Ballhaus Ost), an international production of eight dancers from eight different countries. Using their bodies to bridge the gap between languages, this expressive performance, in part brought to life by queer performer Gal Noer, whose past parts have been quite entertaining, is another way that Berliners prove they're not just German.

And if you want to contribute to a multikulti  good cause, don’t miss LOUD (Sep. 18 at Südblock), a Soliparty for refugees with DJs Planningtorock, rRoxymore and others. After refugees, mostly from Africa, squatted Oranienplatz and an abandoned school, living alongside residents all the while, they were suddenly evicted, sparking fierce resistance. Now, after losing what they worked so hard to build, the refugees need our support more than ever.

And with that, I bid adieu. And it is adieu, Tschüss, sayonara, whatever, in some ways … you’ll be hearing from me next month – but not in the same form.