Your
guide in English to films showing in Germany.
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Hamburg’s queer film festival, drawing around 15,500 visitors yearly, is Germany’s largest and oldest. Now thirty-five, its LGBTQ+ films and relevantly themed discussions and workshops bespeak the program’s diversity. In 2021, to evince its commitment to the new issues, aims, and goals of the twenty-first century, it underwent rebranding. The 1990’s “Lesbisch Schwule Filmtage” (Lesbian-Gay Film Days Hamburg) exponential thriving required updating. Its moniker had, in increments and over years of discussion, had “Queer” added to its title in 2010. From such humble beginnings behold the Hamburg International Queer Film Festival (HIQFF).
Announcing the change in 2022, HIQFF wrote: “…by renaming the festival we want to actively engage in a process of change, instead of standing still. Queer will be our focus in the future—a strong, political term, which will be accepted and will agitate, be inclusive but disturbing, a term that brings with it an awareness of the past and is in tune with the present.”
The festival is a self-managed and organized collective of tireless, avid, and eager, predominantly volunteer film aficionados. Querbild e.V., a non-profit organization established in 1995, provides the festival with a legal framework for acquiring financial support, sponsoring and keeping everything organized. The Push-up Club’s 350-plus members celebrated its twentieth anniversary in 2022. “Pushies” actively, ingeniously promote and support the festival with special ticket presale events prior to HIQFFs opening.
HIQFF hosted the thirty-fifth Opening Night Gala with an audience preshow mingle in the Kampnagel foyer. Hamburg’s “House of Brownies,” whose program was designed especially for the event, are a queer BIPOC artist collective dedicated to and representative of the HIQFF 2024 motto: #transgenerational. “This festival wants to be a space to learn from the struggles of history across all generations and to broaden our view with new perspectives.” The opening film, ASOG, with its blurred boundaries and a mix of genre perspectives, was a journey and the many ways to reach a destination. It was thought-provoking and humorous and the clever, artistic team (cowriters Arnel Pablo and Rey ‘Jaya’ Aclao, who also plays the leading role, and director Sean Devlin) were in attendance. Hamburg-based interdisciplinary designer Mawuto Dotou designed the festival motif (a plump pink/blue heart).
The Let’s Talk program, a popular festival mainstay, four free events, offers attendees a platform for exchanging ideas, concerns, etc. Let’s Talk Trans*Generational centered on two films representing the city’s queer Black filmmakers, racism in Germany, and the past/present. ALLES WIRD GUT (EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE) 1998, the first German-funded TV program with an Afro-German cast, and SCHWARZE FRÜCHTE (BLACK FRUIT) 2024 by Elisha Smith-Leverock and David Uyochukwu. Let’s Talk Party & Care focus was on people’s responsibility for others (when partying). Let’s Talk Theory, about queer film history, and Let’s Talk (films) Festivals for exchanging ideas.
Rounding out their events was HIQFF@school—Queer Education in its seventh year, and curated programs. “Daybar” was available for meeting/relaxation during daylight hours and the late-night “Offbar” at the weekend had drag show, DJs, and live acts. Mark your calendars for next year’s fantastical film festival: #Hiqff36 will take place from October 14–19, 2025!