Golden Village's 9th Love and Pride Film Festival returns for its 9th edition, featuring a well curated line-up of six internationally acclaimed foreign films. The festival is curated by the Singapore Film Society's David Lee and Eternality Tan.
Here are three films we highly recommend you check out:
1. Being 17
Being 17 (2016) is a French film directed by veteran filmmaker André Téchiné. The film tells a story of the turbulent romance and sexual awakening of two 17-year-old boys. It is Téchiné's 21st feature film. To ensure that his film stay true to the authencity of the adolescent experience, Téchiné enlisted fellow writer-director Céline Sciamma to co-write the script with him. Sciamma is well known for her trilogy of coming-of-age films centred on adolescent characters, which includes the breakout hit Girlhood (2014). Being 17 made its world premiere at the main Competition section of the Berlin International Film Festival, where it received critical acclaim.
2. Don't Look At Me That Way
Don't Look At Me That Way (2016) is Mongolian-German filmmaker Uisenma Borchu's explosive debut film. Highly autobiographical and shot with an energetic documentary style, the film centers on Hedi, played by the director herself, who starts a tempestuous relationship with her neighbour Iva, a single mother. Events take a dramatic turn when Iva's father appears. The film, which was Borchu's graduating thesis film, made its world premiere at the Munich International Film Festival, where it won the FIPRESCI Prize for Best Film. The film was screened once at the 2016 Singapore International Film Festival, but it definitely deserves to be seen by more audiences.
3. Don't Call Me Son
Don't Call Me Son (2016) is a Brazilian film directed by writer-director Anna Muylaert. Her fourth film, Don't Call Me Son tells the story of Pierre, a teenager who is confused about his gender. His life is turned upside down when he discovers that the mother who raised him is not his biological mother, but had, in fact, stolen him. When Pierre moves back in with his biological upper middle-class family, he has to learn to adapt to the new environment and family. The film deftly handles the themes of gender, class and identity in a way that is subtle and not heavy-handed. The film had its world premiere at the Paranoma section of the 2016 Berlin International Film Festival, where it won a Jury Prize at the Teddy Awards for LGBT films.