theBUZZ Features
What’s queer at the 2024 Vancouver International Film Festival – Sept 26 to Oct 6, 2024
The Vancouver International Film Festival showcases exceptional cinema in one of the world’s most beautiful cities. Our spectacular roster includes some of the best cinema from around the globe, one-of-a-kind live performances, talks, industry sessions, and other unique events celebrating film and film culture.
This year the event takes place Sept 26 to Oct 6, 2024 and below we’ve listed what’s queer for your viewing pleasure.
Solids by the Seashore, ทะเลของฉัน มีคลื่นเล็กน้อยถึงปานกลาง, Dir, Patiparn Boontarig (Thailand)
Patiparn Boontarig’s dreamy, poetic film is set in southern Thailand and tells the story of two culturally divergent women who slowly fall in love. The free-spirited artist Fon and the inhibited Muslim Shati come together through Fon’s gallery project: an exhibit documenting environmental misdeeds on the country’s beaches. Boontarig suffuses his film with brightness and mellow ambience while putting forth a sharp political critique–he’s as persuasive with his polemics as he is with his visual poetry.
Cherub, Dir, Devin Shears, (Canada) | Northern Lights
An ambient character study about Harvey (Benjamin Turnbull) an overweight, loner who stumbles upon a gay magazine called Cherub, “for big men and their admirers.” Invisible in his personal life and desperate to feel seen, he submits a photo to the “Cherub of the Month” contest. Featuring a deeply human performance from Turnbull, richly textured cinematography and a script completely free of dialogue, Devin Shears’ debut feature is a heartwarming crowd-pleaser about the healing power of being admired.
Most People Die on Sundays, Los domingos mueren más personas, Dir, Iair Said, (Argentina/Italy/Spain)
Still reeling from a fresh breakup, thirtysomething David, a chubby gay Jewish man living in a state of arrested development, returns to his native Buenos Aires for his uncle’s funeral. There he confronts not just his Jewish heritage, but also the impending death of his comatose father and his aging mother. Structured as a series of mortifying misadventures, this is a darkly comic exploration of the lengths people will go to escape their origins, and the moments of grace they find along the way.
Rafiki, Dir, Wanuri Kahiu, (Kenya) | Focus: Women, Life, Freedom
Bursting with the colorful style & music of Nairobi’s vibrant youth culture, Rafiki is a tender love story between two young women in a country that still criminalizes homosexuality. Initially banned in Kenya for its positive portrait of queer romance, Wanuri Kahiu’s intensely likable movie went on to a win a Supreme Court case that undercut that country’s anti-LGBT legislation. Rafiki (“friend” in Swahili) earns comparisons to the early films of Spike Lee for its energy and audacity.
About the Author
Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist with a focus on travel, lifestyle, entertainment and hospitality. He has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He enjoys discovering delicious eats, tasting spirited treats, and being mesmerized by musical beats.