Welcome Back to the Carefree In-Person #33 Queer Festival
by Marinell Haegelin
The uniqueness of Germany’s oldest, biggest, and queerest film festival isn’t obvious to most. The now 33rd Hamburg International Queer Film Festival (HIQFF) greets film enthusiasts every October with compelling, entertaining, and sometimes controversial feature and documentary films from around the world. It’s what has made this festival possible that’s so amazing – the commitment of the queer community, and the fantastic queer organizing team. The dedicated individuals, many unpaid, make HIQFF happen yearly, even the hybrid versions during COVID-19. The team makes programming decisions based on various factors. Some films are submitted via their website, different festivals and filmmakers recommend others, and some are discovered via other film festival programs.
The 2022 motto, “Let’s Bloom Together” whimsical visual motif, designed by Rita Macedo, signifies renewal. It acknowledged Hamburg’s relaxation of COVID-19 rules, thus a renewal of sharing, carefreeness, and having new experiences. The program’s films offered fresh, new, and different perspectives and insights; global stories one might not see otherwise about lesbians, gays, bi- and pansexuals, et al. Over six days 15,000-plus people attended screenings at Metropolis, Passage and 3001 cinemas that were occupied to a maximum of 80%, and supporting events also took place. Unfortunately, unlike in 2021, there was no online screening offered.
Kampnagel could finally host HIQFF’s Opening Ceremony again. On Tuesday, October 18th the author, poet and spoken-word performer ALOK, booked at Kampnagel starting Wednesday, made a cameo performance. The TEDDY 2022 award-winner, TRÊS TIGRES TRISTES (THREE TIDY TIGERS TIED A TIE TOGETHER) opened the in-person festival with director Gustavo Vinagre present. The many special programs included: WE DoQ in Hamburg is the project of two NGOs based in Tunis, the Doc House Tunisia and Mawjoudin; three different Ursula-Kurzfilmprogramme (short film programs); and Made in Germany short films program. The closing film, SÅ JÄVLA EASY GOING (SO DAMN EASY GOING) won the Queerscope Debüfilmpreis (Debut Film Prize). The Queerscope association consists of twenty independent queer film festivals in Germany and Switzerland; this is HIQFFs seventh year to participate. Applying cross-festival cooperation and participation, the festivals jointly make the award.
The non-profit organization Querbild e.V., formed in 1995, organizes, sponsors and provides the festival the legal framework for acquiring financial support. The Push-up Club, celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year, with 350-plus strong members is active in promoting and supporting the festival. HIQFF offers audiences a diverse range of films that socially engage, target relevant topics, and entertain, while offering venues for pertinent conversation and discussions thus attracting guests, queer and straight, from near and far.
My one wish would be that the festival offered post-film-festival online screenings. It would serve people whose prior commitments prevented them from seeing a particular film, especially considering most of HIQFF’s films screened only once, and also provide extra income. Sounds like a win-win situation worth considering.
