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Avant-Drag! + Panel Talk (SOLD OUT!)
September 6 @ 20:45
Avant-Drag! offers an exhilarating look at ten Athenian drag performers who deconstruct gender, nationalism, belonging, identity, while facing police brutality, transphobia and racism. As entertaining as it is thought-provoking, Avant-Drag! challenges societal norms and reshapes perceptions about LGBTQ+ culture by capturing the intimate lives of a tightly-knit group of drag performers, proving that being othered never felt so familiar.
The film emerged against the backdrop of a rise in police brutality and homophobic violence against LGBTQ+ individuals in Greece, as evidenced by the high-profile murders of drag performers and activists Zak Kostopulous (Zackie Oh) and Anna Ivankova. Avant-Drag! is an homage to Zackie, who was a personal friend and collaborator of the film’s creative team. The director intentionally chose to move away from the conventions of queer/identity documentaries that tend towards journalistic approaches, and instead pursued a cinematic approach in which the community speaks for itself without an outsider’s gaze.
As a prelude, we will screen the following film:
Stop trying to make it pretty, let it be fucking ugly (Daauwe van Huizen, 2024, 9 mins)
Trailer
Film Facts
Original language title: Avant-Drag!
Directed by: Fil Ieropoulos
Year: 2024
Country: Greece
Running time: 93 mins
Genre: Experimental
Language: Greek, English, Albanian, Russian
Subtitles: English
Awards:
- Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival 2024 Winner: Special Jury Award for Film Forward Competition
- Wicked Queer – The Boston LGBT Film Festival Winner: Jury Prize for Documentary Feature
Content warning: Flashing lights, Blood, Self-harm, Abuse, Queerphobia, Xenophobia, Murder, Police-Violence, Drugs
Sideprogram
Panel Talk
In today’s political climate, seeing yourself represented on screen is more important than ever. Before the screening, we will talk about the importance of creating and watching queer film, together with drag performer McMorait (part of Avant-Drag!), film producer Spyros Patsouras, film curator Darunee Terdtoontaveedej, and activist and curator Hilde van der Wal. The moderation will be done by Claire van den Broek.