The politics of age and generation at the GAZE International LGBT Film Festival in Dublin
Summary
This article argues that age and generation are important issues in understanding the bonds of community produced at queer film festivals.
The article draws on interviews with organisers and volunteers at the GAZE International LGBT Festival in Dublin about their experiences in organising the event.
Analysis of our interviews identified three main ways in which age and generation was central to discussions of community at the festival:
1 A site of intergenerational community
The festival was valued as a distinctive site of encounter for people across boundaries of age and generation.
It was seen as providing an inclusive space compared to the commercial bar scene, which was seen as more youth-focussed.
2 A site of remembrance
Film screenings and associated discussions about landmark historical events in Irish and global LGBTQ+ politics were identified as being valuable in a number of ways:
- recognising the contribution of older rights activists
- educating younger LGBTQ + people about their history
- building support for campaigns around LGBTQ rights both within and outside of Ireland including the 2015 Marriage Equality referendum
3 Age and the sustainability of the festival
Organisers expressed concern about the ageing demographic of the film festival, which could impact on the longer term sustainability of the event.
Age restrictions in the certification of films was identified as a significant barrier in attracting younger people.
Initiatives to attract a younger audience to the festival included programming films aimed at this audience.
Films with an Irish theme were seen to have an appeal that transcended age differences and spanned the spectrum of LGBTQ+ audiences.
Comparative queer methodologies and queer film festival research
Summary
This article discusses comparison – and how we might think about the queer politics of comparison within research on queer film festivals.
How can we make comparisons between queer film festivals in different geopolitical contexts without reproducing problematic ideas about some localities being more ‘advanced’ compared to others with regard to LGBTQ+ human rights?
The article proposes a queer approach to comparison that is sensitive to regional context and informed by poststructural and postcolonial perspectives on cultural translation.
The discussion of queer comparison draws on insights from a comparative project examining the organisational politics of five queer film festivals in different sexual and geopolitical contexts in Europe.
Further information
This article formed part of a special issue on ‘Queer/ing film festivals: history, theory, impact’ which was edited by Leanne Dawson and Skadi Loist.
The special issue also featured articles by Antoine Damiens, Theresa Heath, Frederik Dhaenens and Navaneetha Mokkil.
The introduction to the special issue by Leanne Dawson and Skadi Loist provides an overview of research on film festival studies with a particular focus on work on LGBTI*Q film festivals.
Their article also discusses key trends in the organising of these events both within Europe and beyond.
Making your festival website and social media more accessible
An important way to make your film festival more inclusive is to ensure the website and social media are designed with inclusivity in mind.
Bird la Bird has curated some tips and resources to get you started. Resources and links on this page prioritise LGBTQ+ designers and developers especially those with disabilities.