A first in PACA, an LGBT film festival from Nice to Marseille, organized by the cultural association Polychromes! From September 27 to October 8, 2012, for the first time in the Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur region, a film festival addressing lesbian, gay, bi, and trans issues will be held, reaching audiences in Marseille, Aubagne, Toulon, and Nice.
This initiative is made possible by the “handover” from the REFLETS festival in Marseille to ZEFESTIVAL by Polychromes in Nice. The organizers of the Marseille festival, while ceasing their associative activities, wanted to ensure that such an event continues in Marseille.
The 2011 festival was their ninth edition. The LGBT cultural association Polychromes, known for its Nice festival, Zefestival, was approached with the support of the Regional Council to take over in Marseille. This new cultural and cinematic offering (Nice-Marseille) now takes on a strong regional dimension by incorporating other cities in PACA, and as of 2012, Toulon and Aubagne.
All cinematic partners (political and institutional, producers, distributors, operators, and film enthusiast associations) have welcomed this regional itinerant project with great interest, which could not have come to fruition without the professionalism and pooling of both festivals: REFLETS and ZEFESTIVAL.
ZEFESTIVAL 2012
For the 2012 edition, the following cinemas are participating:
- Gaumont-Pathé (Nice)
- Le Mercury (Nice)
- Le Rialto (Nice)
- Le Royal (Toulon)
- Le Pagnol (Aubagne)
- Les Variétés (Marseille) where the “ex” REFLETS festival was already held
This expanded film festival offers films that address lesbian, gay, bi, and trans themes and will take place every year at the end of September and beginning of October. It is now organized by the Nice-based association Polychromes, whose goal is to promote culture in all its forms by or for lesbian, gay, bi, or trans people by disseminating a positive identity of homosexuality and gender issues.
ZeFestival thus positions itself as a cultural and activist player involved in national, European, and even international societal debates. It emphasizes the latest cinematic developments by offering premieres, exclusives, and films selected at festivals like Cannes, Sundance, Frameline, or Berlin…
Each year, directors and actors are invited to meet the public for discussions after the screenings. For 2012, Belgian director David Lambert will present the premiere of his film Hors les murs (Critics’ Week selection Cannes 2012) in these four regional cities.
This new regional festival aims to address the widest possible audience within the LGBT “community” and far beyond.
