New Beginnings, a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer+ (LGBTQ+) short film festival, premiered last Saturday at the Theatre Guild, Kingston under the patronage of the Embassy of Argentina, the High Commission of Canada to Guyana and Suriname, and the Embassy of Chile in partnership with Guyanese filmmaker, writer and producer Rae Wiltshire.
According to a press release from the High Commission of Canada, the festival included LGBTQ+ themed short films from Argentina, Canada and Chile. However, the featured short film of the event was one of Guyana’s very own titled, “Eating Papaw on the Seashore,” which was written and directed by Wiltshire. The cast and crew of the film included Sonia Yarde, Mark Luke-Edwards, Nickose Layne, newcomer Isaiah Lewis and Melissa Roberts.
Along with showcasing the skills and talent of Guyanese filmmakers, the festival also was organised to show support for them and to further educate the public on the rights and equality of the LGBTQ+ community.
The cast and crew of “Eating Papaw on the Seashore” held panel discussions where they described their experiences and views of being in the filmmaking industry. Among the points discussed were lack of support from the Guyanese population and the constant financial struggle and sacrifices that they make to produce quality work. It was said that during the discussion, Wiltshire expound on the fact that Guyanese filmmakers have the talent to create optical phenomenon and other dynamic features, however, more community support is needed for the film industry to grow in Guyana.
The release said the teams also discussed their choice in being part of the production of a LGBTQ+ film which is unconventional, given some of the stigma still experienced in Guyana.
“El Puto Inolvidable” is an Argentine film shown during the event. Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Argentina Dolores Kuunst explained that the film documented the journey of Carlos Jauregui, an Argentine LGBT activist who promoted the country’s first Pride March and whose advocacy changed Argentine history and its gay rights legislation.
High Commissioner of Canada Mark Berman and Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Chile Alejandro Peres, both of whom spoke at the event, emphasised that LGBTQ+ rights are human rights and these individuals deserve to be respected. These missions aired the films, “I Like Girls” and “Fantasia Dubois” respectively.
The film festival saw the presence of members of the diplomatic corps, human rights activists, and members of the LGBTQ+ community among others.
