Queer East 2024

View other Queer East Films by strand: Galas

Sara Sara
Sara and Abang Adik
Abang Adik (Country: Malaysia, Taiwan; Year: 2023; Director: Lay Jin Ong; Writer: Lay Jin Ong; Stars: Kang Ren Wu, Jack Tan, Kim Wang Tan, Serene Lim, April Chan, Bront Palarae)
Abang and Adi are undocumented orphans in Malaysia. While the older brother, who is deaf mute, has resigned himself to a life of poverty, his younger sibling burns with indignation. A brutal accident upsets their relationship's fragile balance.
Asog (Country: Philippines; Year: 2023; Director: Seán Devlin; Writer: Seán Devlin, Jaya, Arnel Pablo; Stars: Jaya, Arnel Pablo, Ricky Gacho Jr)
All roads lead to the Ms. Gay Sicogan pageant! Rey toils away in mediocrity after their career as a comedian comes to a grinding halt due to a super typhoon devastating Tacoloban. They set their sights on winning the pageant cash prize. Joined by former student Arnel, searching for some semblance of the family he lost when his mother died in the typhoon, they embark on a journey, navigating trauma, transphobia, colonialism, climate change, grief, and ultimately, resilience.
I Am What I Am (Sobakasu) (Country: Japan; Year: 2022; Director: Shinya Tamada; Stars: Tôko Miura, Marika Itô, Takumi Kitamura, Atsuko Maeda)
Kasumi doesn't know what love is and she doesn't have any feeling of romance. Due to her sister's marriage, her mother arranged a formal marriage arrangement without her permission. At the meeting, she finds a man who is just seeking a friend.
The Last Year Of Darkness (Country: China, US; Year: 2023; Director: Ben Mullinkosson)
As the city of Chengdu changes, the future of Funky Town, a beloved queer-friendly techno club, is unclear. For a vibrant group of DJs, drag performers, artists, lovers, ravers, and skaters, the club is a sanctuary for underground partying and allows them to thrive after the sun sets.
Love Bound (Country: UK; Year: 2024; Director: Shanshan Chen; Stars: Qiuyan Chen)
LGBTQ+ activist Qiuyan Chen became an unexpected celebrity due to her courageous legal battle against homophobic university textbooks in the 2010s. However, this newfound fame came at a price: she was outed by her tutor, subjected to conversion therapy by her parents, and monitored by the Chinese government.
The Missing The Missing
The Missing and I Am What I Am
The Missing (Iti Mapukpukaw) (Country: Philippines, Thailand; Year: 2023; Director: Carl Joseph Papa; Writer: Carl Joseph Papa; Stars: Carlo Aquino, Gio Gahol, Dolly De Leon)
When an alien comes back to take him, a mouthless young man's life twists and turns as his memories untangle.
A Princess’ One-Sided Love (Country: South Korea; Year: 1967; Director: Choi Eun-hee)
Suk-yeong is the youngest daughter of the late king, whose brother now sits on the throne; her five sisters have been married off to worthy but dull court nobles, a fate she is determined to avoid. So after meeting a handsome young scholar, Suk-yeong resolves to search for him, contriving to leave the palace grounds in which she has been confined her whole life.
The River (He Liu) (Country: Taiwan; Year: 1997; Director: Tsai Ming-liang; Writer: Tsai Ming-liang, Tsai Yi-chun, Yang Pi-ying; Stars: Tien Miao, Lee Kang-sheng, Lu Yi-ching, Ann Hui, Chen Shiang-chyi)
A young man develops severe neck pain after swimming in a polluted river; his dysfunctional parents are unable to provide any relief for him or themselves.
Saving Face (Country: US; Year: 2004; Director: Alice Wu; Writer: Alice Wu; Stars: Michelle Krusiec, Joan Chen, Lynn Chen, Jin Wang, Guang Lan Koh, Jessica Hecht, Ato Essandoh, David Shih, Brian Yang, Nathanel Geng, Mao Zhao)
Romantic comedy about a young woman keeping her lesbianism a secret because of conflicts with Chinese tradition.
Sara (Country: Indonesia; Year: 2023; Director: Ismail Basbeth; Writer: Ismail Basbeth; Stars: Asha Smara Darra, Christine Hakim, Mian Tiara, Jajang C Noer, Landung Simatupang)
A trans woman returns to her remote village upon her father's death to find her traumatised mother in desperate need of her help.
Summer Vacation 1999 (1999 Nen No Natsu Yasumi) (Country: Japan; Year: 1988; Director: Shûsuke Kaneko; Writer: Moto Hagio, Rio Kishida; Stars: Eri Miyajima, Tomoko Ôtakara, Miyuki Nakano, Eri Fukatsu, Masaaki Maeda)
Summer vacation has emptied a Japanese boys' school of all but three boys. They have no families to return to for the summer, so they spend their days in the empty school. A darkness hangs over the three however: the suicide, three months earlier, of a classmate.
News

59th New York Film Festival early bird highlights Futura, Jane By Charlotte, James Baldwin: From Another Place and The Velvet Underground

More news and features

Playing Now

Eye For Film continues to support festivals both locally and across the world. At the moment, we're covering:

Scottish Queer International Film Festival

Grimmfest

New York Film Festival
62nd edition of the festival

Beyond Fest

San Sebastian Film Festival
Spain's largest film festival and market

In the Archive


Archive of festival coverage.

Daily diary and reviews from 2005-2018.

Coverage of the lynchpin German festival.