Feature documentary “A Deal With the Universe” will be the centerpiece of BFI Flare, the British LGBTQ film festival. The movie, the debut of former BFI Flare programmer Jason Barker, chronicles his transgender journey and experiences as a parent. It is part of a festival strand on LGBTQ families that also includes Jules Rosskam’s “Paternal Rites” and Belgian-produced documentary “F.A.M.I.L.Y.”
The opening and closing night films – Tali Shalom-Ezer’s “My Days of Mercy” and Steve McLean’s “Postcards From London” respectively – have already been announced, and now the full lineup is available. The 33nd edition of the film festival has set Robin Campillo’s “120 BPM” as its Special Presentation, part of a program on how HIV/AIDS have been portrayed on screen, which includes “Meditations in an Emergency,” an all-day event about the issue that delves into the BFI archive.
Rupert Everett’s directorial debut about the last years of Oscar Wilde, “The Happy Prince,” will be screened, as will David Weissman’s “Conversations With Gay Elders,” Trudie Styler’s directorial debut “Freak Show,” and Adam Sekuler’s “Tomorrow Never Knows,” which will have its world premiere.
Laura Marie Wayne’s documentary “Love, Scott,” a portrait of a young man left paralyzed after a homophobic attack, will also have a world premiere at BFI Flare, and there will be a showcase highlighting work by and about LGBTQ deaf and disabled people.
Movies in this section include “Stumped,” about a young film professor and comedian who uses humor to help overcome the loss of his limbs, and “Pulse,” Stevie Cruz-Martin’s film about a young disabled man embarking on a radical transition. There will also be talks, mentoring events, and workshops examining, among other issues, inclusion and the stories of LGBTQ people of color.
The festival runs from March 21 to April 1 at the BFI’s Southbank headquarters.
