Open Hearts, Open Minds: SQIFF 2024 preview

It seems like only yesterday the plucky, punky Scottish Queer International Film Festival (SQIFF) entered the Scottish film festival scene but this excellent celebration of queer cinema isn’t a newbie anymore. It returns for its ninth edition this month and over the last decade it’s proven itself one of the most forward-thinking festivals on the circuit, became a leader in many areas of film exhibition and built up a loyal following; as I write, weeks from the festival’s opening, screenings are already starting to sell out. 

SQIFF returns to the Centre for Contemporary Arts and Glasgow Film Theatre from 8-12 October for a packed programme, including the very exciting Scottish premiere of Bye Bye Love, Isao Fujisawa’s daring, recently-rediscovered 1974 film about two lost souls exploring a complicated romantic, physical, and spiritual connection. There's also a special focus at this edition on POC and disabled narratives on screen. 

As well as great films, the heart of SQIFF is an ambition to foster community art and artistic development. Accessibility and diversity is also key. All screening and event tickets are priced on a pay-what-you-can basis from free to £12. Audio description, live captioning, BSL interpretation and descriptive subtitles are offered to make filmgoing as inclusive as possible. This ethos of inclusivity extends to the welcoming of other art forms into the programme – including exhibitions by local artists, a queer craft fair, a party with local DJs and performers, and a variety of workshops and panel discussions. 

“We love all art forms,” festival director Indigo Korres says, “and as a festival, we’re really committed to bringing our audiences creativity through lots of different lenses.” She notes that these extra-film events complement the film programme and are “intended to spark conversations and root the films in our community context.” When we ask Korres about one of these events she's particularly looking forward to, she cites the letter-writing workshop led by artist Huss Mitha, running as part of the festival’s Dear Future Self shorts programme, which will utilise tools and techniques from abolitionist theory and science fiction “to imagine liberated future selves and others.” 

Fifty years after its initial release, the previously mentioned Bye Bye Love still pushes the boundaries of social norms, respectability, gender, and the very idea of sex and bodies in its depiction of two malcontents who find each other through an encounter so random it can only be fate. Their affair moves beyond easy categorisation as the film becomes increasingly surreal, and their exploration of their bodies’ limits and forms questions ideas about what is and is not organic.

“We’ve partnered with Queer East this year to present the first-ever screening of Bye Bye Love in Scotland since it was rediscovered in a warehouse in 2018,” says Korres. “It’s a poetic and surreal work that brings a queer challenge to conventional understandings of relationships through a doomed road trip through Japan. Our partnerships allow us to share films with audiences that we wouldn’t otherwise have access to and we’re really excited for Queer East to bring this special film to Scotland!”

The festival’s other feature film is Lesvia, directed by Tzeli Hadjidimitriou, a documentary chronicling the pilgrimage generations of queer women have made to Lesbos – Sappho’s island – in search of community and themselves. In addition to these international, intergenerational voices and testimonies of transformation, Lesvia explores the conflicted feelings local women have about their island’s reputation and even the name of the island being synonymous with gay culture, as well as the challenges of tourism on local businesses and communities. Lesvia is a heartfelt work and a much-needed addition to LGBTQ+ history, mixing archival footage with testimony and recollections to give these women full control over the story. 

The film programme is rounded out by 15 curated short film programmes, beginning with the Opening Night Scottish Shorts. Other strands include Drag & Performance Through Censorship (focusing on international and displaced communities), Blossoming Wilt (an exploration of the delicate and heartbreaking nature of queer love), Music as Resistance (exploring the idea of music as a universal language to empower marginalised communities), Sci-Fi Meets Reality (using the uncanny as a tool for gender exploration and historical critique), and ★,｡･::･ﾟ☆ “The Real Internet Is Inside You” ･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ (exploring sensory overload and emotional vulnerability). In addition, the SQIFF programme incorporates Oska Bright Film Festival’s famous Wild Women programme, which spotlights films made by neurodivergent women.

SQIFF was founded in 2015 with the aim of contributing to Scotland’s LGBTQIA+ culture, showcasing films audiences might not otherwise see, and to create inspiring and informative events. With the invention, care, open hearts and open minds that comprise SQIFF 2024, this promises to be a vibrant four days in Scotland's cultural calendar.

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Scottish Queer International Film Festival, CCA and GFT, Glasgow, 8-12 Oct
Full programme information at sqiff.org