The largest and longest-running lesbian & gay film festival in Asia, the Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film & Video Film Festival (HKLGFF) is developing a reputation as the premier destination for Asian premieres of films with queer content. Now in its 13th edition and featuring 60 screenings from 18 countries, the festival will run from November 17th - 27th this year.

Saving Face, the award-winning film by Chinese-American filmmaker Alice Wu, opens the festival. It stars veteran actress Joan Chen and Michelle Krusiec, who was recently nominated for Best Actress at the 42nd Golden Horse Awards. Apart from a panorama of films from around the world, this year's HKLGFF features a focus on Latin queer cinema, a retrospective of notorious Canadian filmmaker Bruce LaBruce's works and a compilation of Asian lesbian shorts. The line-up also includes the world premiere of Hong Kong director David Chow's documentary Space of Desire, which gives rare insights into Hong Kong's queer movement. The festival closes with Filipino director Brilliante Mendoza's The Masseur, winner of the Golden Leopard at the recent Locarno Film Festival's Video Competition.

Started in 1989 by Fortissimo Films co-chairman Wouter Barendrecht, HKLGFF is a non-profit organization that is fully supported by both Fortissimo and the Edko Films-owned Broadway theatre chain. Gary Mak, Associate Director of the Broadway Cinematheque and co-organizer of the festival, says that the festival has opened up the mind of the general public, giving more representation to those who is always under-represented in this society.

In terms of the works programmed, festival director Denise Tang comments, "What makes the HKLGFF unique is that, due to relatively unfettered censorship laws in Hong Kong, the films featured here are shown uncut and uncensored. Screening controversial films such as those by director Bruce LaBruce is a much more difficult proposition in other countries within the region."

"The HKLGFF has been regarded as a major cultural event for film festival goers and the only high-profile community event for local lesbian & gay communities. We aim to make the festival the hub for emerging artists in Asia and give them the opportunity to present their works to an open-minded and sophisticated Asian audience."

(hkfilmart November 16, 2005)