Film

Revealing reels: the Xposed film fest is back

30. Apr. 2017
Still from 'MeTube 2' by Daniel Moshel

May 9, 2017 – Berlin can handle things big or small, but it’s the small that really gives the city its character – like Xposed, taking place this month at indie cinema Moviemento. The annual festival is back in its twelfth edition to once again delight a dedicated queer film fan base. While Xposed may be a smaller festival, it packs some big punches, most in compact form. A sizable chunk of its program is made up of short films (in fact, the first six editions of the fest screened only shorts). In deliciously titled sections like “Sex Dream Tales” or more challenging ones like “Transformations”, Xposed presents a dynamic and diverse view of contemporary queer cinema from around the world. 

In “House of Air”, Londoners Brian Fairbairn and Karl Eccleston offer a humorous homosexual semiotics course (think hanky codes and sexual vocab lessons) set in the form of a music video. For something more experimental, there’s Daniel Moshel’s two-part “MeTube” (pictured): the unassuming August starts out by lip-synching to classical music, but the scene quickly devolves into an orgy of seemingly disparate queer imagery, from orchestras in latex suits to grannies in full-on nightclub garb.

Xposed screens a number of feature-length films and documentaries as well. The fest opens with the German premiere of Jérôme Reybaud’s 4 Days in France and closes with Staying Vertical by Alain Guiraudie, both intriguing French sexual dramas sure to please real cinephiles. The excellent Waiting for B from Paulo Cesar Toledo offers a look into the world of Brazilian Beyoncé fans – and no, appreciation of Bey is not required.

Of course, there are a few awaited guests, but the fest delivers a real treat by inviting Valie Export, whose considerable body of work reaches back to the late 1960s. The Austrian feminist will be on hand at the fest for a screening at aquarium of her 1977 feature film debut Invisible Adversaries, about a Viennese photographer who uncovers an alien plot. An artist talk will follow.

There’s so much more going on at Xposed, so check the website for more info. See for yourself how big queer statements can come from the little peeps.

Walter Crasshole

Xposed International Queer Film Festival
May 11-14 at Moviemento, aquarium, Südblock
xposedfilmfestival.com

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