Fire!! is a film show organized by El Casal Lambda, a non-profit association whose objective is the normalization of homosexuality. Since 1976, it has been offering a meeting and orientation space for gays and lesbians, and it is also a documentation center on sexuality for professionals. Casal Lambda carries out important work to raise awareness among public institutions, political parties and society as a whole, with the organization of cultural activities, including the Mostra Internacional de Cinema Gai i Lesbià de Barcelona, which this year reaches its 29th edition.
The name of the festival is a tribute to the New York magazine FIRE!!! which was published at the end of the 1920s and was directed by the black and homosexual writer Richard Bruce Nugent. Bruce Nugent belonged to the Harlem Renaissance movement and was portrayed in one of the festival's most emblematic films, "Brother to Brother", which the festival screened in its 2008 edition.
La Mostra FIRE!!! is a pioneer festival of gay and lesbian cinema in Spain, and is an essential reference in the history of the LGTBI collective in our country.
The 2024 edition of the Mostra FIRE!!!
This year's program includes more than 40 feature films, short films and documentaries that cover a wide variety of themes and experiences within the LGTBIQ+ collective. With 10 gay-themed films, 9 lesbian films, 8 films exploring trans realities and 7 subcategories, the festival seeks to represent the diversity of the collective. The films come from different countries such as France, Brazil, Macedonia, Mexico, Norway, United States, among others, offering the public the opportunity to explore new realities and perspectives beyond local borders.
Highlights of this year's edition
The Mostra FIRE!!! presents a diverse and impactful selection of feature films, from the comedy "L'Arche de Noé (Under The Rainbow)," which opens the festival, to "Solo," a love story set in Montreal's drag scene. "Levante (Power Alley)" stands out for its message of female and trans empowerment, while "Unicorns" offers an innovative narrative about love beyond gender labels. Finally, "Housekeeping for Beginners" addresses themes of love and coping in the context of family loss.
Other notable films include "Days of Happiness," which follows the story of a young orchestra conductor struggling to find happiness, while "Norwegian Dream" chronicles a romance between two men on the cold Scandinavian coast, exploring themes of economic inequality and class struggle. "La Vénus d'Argent" presents the dreams of a non-binary person in a military family, and "Till the End of the Night" is a crime thriller about love beyond gender, highlighting the quality of the festival.
In the documentary section we highlight "Hidden Master: The Legacy of George Platt Lynes," about the fashion photographer who turned the male nude into art, and "Ocaña: Retrato Intermitente," which offers an intimate view of painter José Pérez Ocaña, an emblematic figure of 1970s Barcelona, directed by Ventura Pons.
Some notable short films include "Nocturnas," a Catalan story about Luna and her encounter with drag queens that redefines family; "Sultana's Reign," a portrait of a Palestinian drag queen performing in conservative Arab societies; and "Traca," which explores how secrets affect a group of friends led by Biel.
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