Queer Wave 2024 is in Full Swing – And There’s Three More Days to Go!
As we enter the second half of Queer Wave 2024, the energy and excitement continue to build. Our journey began with an unforgettable opening night, where Tahini Molasses set the stage with a powerful sonic performance blending ritual, transness, and tradition. This was followed by the Cyprus premiere of Crossing, which packed the house, making for a deeply moving start to the festival. The audience embraced both events as a shared experience, setting the tone for a celebration of cinema, community, and connection.
Durings a positively buzzing opening weekend, Queer Wave also hosted its very first workshop, Embodying Archives led by Zuza Banasinska (director, Teddy Award-winning short Grandmamauntsistercat); and welcomed film programmer and curator Nicolas Raffin from the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, for an extended introduction to Cocteau’s work before a screening of The Blood of A Poet (1932). Other highlights included the presentation of Where the Sun Never Sets: 3 Shorts, curated by Dimitris Chimonas with contributions from Seta Astreou-Karides, Kris Adem and Emiddio Vasquez; as well as two screenings focusing on the queer Arab world and queer activism for Palestine.
The first week was full of memorable moments, including a packed premiere for Avant-Drag! followed by performances from Lala Kolopi and Gia Evangelista, the screenings of All of Us Strangers to a full house, and Lesvia, a documentary that sparked engaging discussions about identity and archiving practices. These stories, along with many others, have resonated with audiences, inviting them to reflect on themes of love, memory, politics and the diversity of queer experience.
This year’s lineup also includes a tribute to Zak Kostopoulos / Zackie Oh! by guest curator Despina Michaelidou, and a selection co-curated by Menelas Siafakas, founder and director of the Athens Porn Film Festival, who will be present at Queer Wave, for one of the festival’s seven short film programmes. Following the already sold-out and much-anticipated Cyprus premiere of The Summer With Carmen, the festival will gear towards its closing with a Masterclass by director Zacharias Mavroeidis: Queer Filmmaking, the Greek Edition, taking place this Saturday 12:00 noon at NiMAC.
The 5th edition of Queer Wave ends on a bang, with a duo of films that highlight the enormous leap accomplished in queer cinema over the course of 105 years.
After nearly 10 years of an underground existence and nearly zero press presence, Trash Your Gender, a political laboratory to experiment with gender expression, makes a comeback after a 2-year hiatus for what is shaping up to be a spectacular Queer Wave Closing Ceremony. Trash Your Gender: 9¾ Glitchversary will take place on Saturday 28.09 from 11pm till late - following a 9pm screening of Teddy Award-winning documentary Teaches of Peaches, on the electroclash queer femme music icon whose politics, music and performance played a role in shaping Trash Your Gender and what it stands for.
On Sunday 29.09 Queer Wave invites first-time visitors and veterans alike for a Filipino Community Event within the festival hub at NiMAC. From 12:00 noon, audiences can enjoy the delicacies served by Luzy’s Kitchen, and over 10 performances - dance and song - by members of the local Filipino Community, which will conclude with the premiere of Huling Palabas at 15:00, a coming-of-age film from this year’s Berlinale Generation strand.
The 5th edition of Queer Wave ends on a bang, with a duo of films that highlight the enormous leap accomplished in queer cinema over the course of 105 years. On Sunday 7pm, a screening of Different From the Others (1919), possibly the earliest surviving example of an explicitly-homosexual story in cinema, will be accompanied by a DJ set / musical collage especially prepared by Nikos Stephou for the film’s presentation at Queer Wave. The festival will come to its close after a screening of Rose Glass’s lesbian thriller and instant queer-classic Love Lies Bleeding (2024), which will be followed by closing drinks until midnight.
Having already danced off its first weekend to DJ sets by Cosmo + Nevvs (Friday 20.09) and WanderWonder (Saturday 21.09), Queer Wave prepares for another weekend of late night delights served by Alysidez (Friday 27.09), Dominatrix Lestrange / Kuya / Yakovlev (Saturday 28.09) and Ioli (Sunday 29.09).
We are honoured to share these stories and moments with you. Whether you've been with us from the start or are joining us for the first time, we look forward to continuing this extraordinary journey together as we celebrate LGBTQIA+ cinema and culture. See you at Queer Wave!
Tickets & Full Programme: queerwave.com
Instagram & Social Media: @queerwavecyprus
The 5th edition of Queer Wave is taking place at NiMAC, 20-29 September 2024.
