Joins us for a disarmingly sweet tale of two Thai students who must decide whether they are brave enough to live lesbian lives. The first feature film in Thailand to be promoted as a lesbian film, Yes or No? has been an impressive success. Five years in the making, this disarmingly sweet film has been shown in cinemas across Thailand, made a modest profit at the box office and gained a best director nomination at the Thai equivalent to the Oscars. The plot focuses on the forthright Pie and more gentle Kim who are thrown together at university halls of residence. As Pie begins to let go of the prejudices she has inherited from her mother and Kim comes to terms with her tom (butch) identity, the pair become close friends and have to consider whether they are brave enough to be more than that. (Description courtesy of Nazmia Jamal, London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.)

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Zenne Dancer is inspired by the true characters and stories of Zenne Can and Ahmet Yildiz, who was murdered by his father July 18, 2008 in Istanbul. It is the contemporary story of three unlikely friends: Ahmet, a hyper-masculine gay (bear); Can, a male belly dancer (Zenne); and Daniel, a German photo-journalist. One day they meet Daniel, a German photojournalist newly arrived in Istanbul. The three of them forge a friendship and Daniel and Ahmet grow even closer, as a relationship begins to blossom between them. Soon, Ahmet’s hyper conservative family, suspicious and fearful of Ahmet`s sexual orientation, has hires a man to spy on him When Ahmet’s family discovers Ahmet’s plans to leave the country, they decide to defend their family honor. Zenne Dancer is an honest and unflinching look at living opening gay in Turkey, confronted by a systemic, institutionalized and culturally embedded homophobia.

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Growing up queer in a straight world isn’t easy, but these filmmakers show you how to navigate it.

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