The Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination’s (SASOD Guyana) film festival, ‘Painting the Spectrum 14,’ will close next week with two screenings that focus on experimentation. Pushing the limits of cinema, society and sexuality, the organisation said, the films are visually compelling, thought-provoking, and, at times, radically sexual.
On Tuesday, September 25, at 18:00 hours the last feature film of the festival, Desire Will Set You Free, will be screened. The German film directed by Yony Leyser tells the story of a young American writer who falls in love with a Russian sex worker and introduces him to Berlin’s queer and underground scenes. The film was presented in over 20 festivals worldwide, including the East End Film Festival in London, Montreal World Film Festival and the Boston Wicked Queer Film Festival.
Then on Thursday, September 27, the festival ends with a screening of ten shorts from Moldova, Colombia, Mexico and Israel among other countries. From telling stories of trauma, war and sexual abuse to using dance and performance to express sexual desire, these shorts push both the limits of societal conventions and of cinematic technique, a release from the society said.
After the screenings on Thursday, SASOD will close the festival with the traditional painting the spectrum, using a variety of paints on fabric to represent thoughts and perspectives in an artistic way that celebrates the LGBTQ+ cultures explored throughout the screenings.
According to the release, the closing night will also include a light reception sponsored by Maggie’s Snackette and Catering Services and Wine Days. The other sponsors of Spectrum 14 are COC Netherlands, Paper Craft and Bettencourt’s Food Inc.
The festival screenings take place at SASOD’s office, located at 203 Duncan Street, Lamaha Gardens (between Durbana Square and Eastern Highway) at 18:00 on the days indicated. For more information on the screenings, the festival has a dedicated website which can be found at: https://spectrumguyana.wordpress.com/.
Admission to the film festival is free. The films are intended for mature audiences. SASOD reserves the right to refuse admission to minors who are not accompanied by a parent or guardian or persons who do not have identification to prove that they are not minors.
