In time for Pride Month, the Ministry of Culture, Taiwan, the Documentary Club Thailand and Alliance Francaise Bangkok will be presenting the 2019 Taiwan LGBTQ+ Film Festival in Bangkok starting on Saturday.
On May 17, Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage. For the occasion, Bangkokians will be getting a fine selection of Taiwanese films that focus on the topic of diversity in gender.
The festival will commence tomorrow with the screening of Small Talk at Doc Club Theatre within Warehouse 30 in Bangrak from 5.30pm onward. The 2016 documentary film was directed by Huang Hui-chen, who unveiled her complex relationship with her lesbian mother. It was deemed powerful and insightful for exploring one's family history and cultural context that many may be unfamiliar with.
Small Talk won the Teddy Award for Best Documentary Film at the Berlin Film Festival in 2017. After the screening, there will be a Q&A session with Jay Lin, Taiwanese activist and founder of the Taiwan International Queer Film Festival. Lin also operates GagaOOLala, the first queer-film streaming platform in Asia.
Other films on the line-up include:
Blue Gate Crossing
 June 9 (5.30pm; English subtitles)  June 14 (7pm; Thai subtitles)
This teen drama follows a girl who is in love with her female friend. But things get complicated when a boy enters the picture.
Queer Taiwan
 June 10 (7pm)
The documentary comes in three parts and focuses on the fight for marriage equality, the sexual desire of disabled people, and same-sex couples building a family.
Tale Of The Lost Boys
 June 11 and 13 (7pm)
The relationships of two men are explored in this Filipino-Taiwanese production. Upon their chance encounter, they begin to develop a connection that sends them on a road of discovery and connection with their respective families.
Juliets
 June 12 (7pm)
Divided into three parts under three directors, this omnibus of romance follows three "Juliets" in three different timelines as they weave through bittersweet love and life.
All films will be showing at Doc Club Theatre, with the exception of the closing film, I Don't Want To Sleep Alone, which will be showing at Alliance Francaise Bangkok. This Malaysian-Taiwanese romantic drama sees love blossoming between strangers amid the different social classes that divide them. Audiences will be treated to the appearance of the film's director and writer, Tsai Ming-liang, who will join the crowd for a talk after the screening.
The 2019 Taiwan LGBTQ+ Film Festival starts tomorrow at Doc Club Theatre. Tickets cost 100 baht. Tickets for the closing film at Alliance Francaise Bangkok are 120 baht. For more information, visit facebook.com/docclubtheater.
