The 6th In&Out Film Festival is wrapped up, and its schedule and programming will be presented today by its organizers. This event has gained considerable momentum over the years and has become a top-tier feature in the cultural life of Nice and its region.
Thanks to the initiative and the remarkable work of the organizing team, and the collaboration of all those who work with courage and determination for individual freedom without prejudice and, ultimately, for a better world. Nice Premium, a partner of the festival since its inception, is modestly part of that group.
The first act of the 2014 edition, the editorial by Benoit Arnulf, artistic director of the association:
“Considering the extraordinary year that has just passed, between the vote for Marriage for All and the wave of films addressing the issue of homosexuality on French screens, we should have titled the 6th edition of the In&Out Meetings ‘Everything is better.’ Yet a little voice in our heads keeps humming a completely different tune: ‘I love you, neither do I.’
Indeed, the situation remains dramatic for LGBT individuals in numerous countries and, without looking so far, LGBT-phobic assaults and insults continue to increase in France. Coming to terms with oneself, staying true to oneself, being accepted by a society that still stigmatizes differences are concerns that continue to haunt homosexuals, bisexuals, and trans people around the world.
Many are unable to break free from this veil of shame, solitude, and rejection. Despite the evolution of rights, homophobia is far from having put down its arms, and several films in our selection testify to these violences, which particularly affect the youngest. A violence that HIV-positive people also target.
This year, innovation and artistic boldness are to be found on the “short film” side. The Short in Queer selection is enriched with focuses on the work of Anthony Hickling and Antonio Da Silva, two directors with a distinctive aesthetic. The latter is also fully part of the carte blanche offered to the Queer Lisboa Festival. It is an opportunity to discover the richness of Portuguese queer cinema, whose creativity has not been diminished by the economic crisis.
Other themes complement this very rich 2014 selection: a tribute to “Camp” humor* and its trans muse Divine, the exploration of new sexual territories, a look back at the past with masterpieces of queer cinema, and of course the latest novelties unearthed at the world’s biggest festivals.
Apart from cinema, In&Out offers two photography exhibitions that question the body (Randa Mirza and Nir Arieli), a reading that invites (re)discovery of the writings of Monique Wittig, a major figure in the French feminist movement and the self-proclaimed “radical lesbian,” as well as an offbeat evening proposed by Urbains de Minuits.
Beyond fears and violence, art and performances are open to all to reveal the richness of our differences. Happy festival to one and all.”
Benoît Arnulf, Artistic Director of In&Out
