OutUK - OutSpoken : Work It Out. OutUK is the UK's Gay Men's Guide with News, Chat, Contacts, Galleries, Advice, Travel, Info, Listings, Entertainment, Information and Men.">

First Published: March 2008

This is an OutUK Archive Item and so some of the links and information may be out of date.

The London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival is in full swing at the BFI on London's South Bank. Running from 27 March – 10 April 2008 it plays to nearly 250 films and special events at BFI Southbank and selected venues around the city. A touring programme featuring some of the festival highlights will visit 40 towns and cities across the UK and Ireland throughout the summer. OutUK's Mike Gray has been previewing some of the highlights of this year's LLGFF.

LLGFF is the UK’s third largest film festival and for 22 years has been bringing the best in queer cinema to audiences in London and across Britain. It offers unparalleled access to the best in European and World cinema with hundreds of visiting filmmakers and cast and attracts audiences in excess of 250,000. Amongst the themes this year is queer dance with the highlight being an overnight celebration of the musical.

Love and Other Disasters

This year the opening Night Gala Screening film is Love and Other Disasters and will be shown at the Odeon West End. Described as a sharper, gayer version of Love Actually, the romantic comedy features performances from Brittany Murphy, Matthew Rhys and Catherine Tate. The Closing Night Gala Screening on 10th April will be Vivere a new film from Angelina Maccarone.

The London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival is famous for its side projects, mini-seasons of films that highlight regions or issues that the organisers believe are important.

Two areas are looked at this year, films of East Asian origin and films that display an overt political message. In the East Asian section of the festival, Spider Lilies, a film that looks at the world of family obligations in Taiwan, and The Chinese Botanist.s Daughter a look at lesbian life in rural China in the 1990.s, stand out as films of importance.

There are three films that the festival organisers have chosen to include in the politics section. EAST/WEST . Sex Politics offers an insight into the attempts to mount a Gay Pride march in Moscow, which takes us into the lives of the organisers and uncovers a surprising range of gay life.

The Marching Season looks at Pride 2007 in London and Riga, asking questions about the purpose and future of Pride. This local documentary is a timely reminder of the reasons why LGBT people march.