The Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Festival (HKLGFF) returns September 7 - 21, 2019! As the longest running LGBT film festival in Asia, each year HKLGFF brings audience a wide range of quality feature and short films, from heart-warming comedies to films that address critical social issues. Celebrating our 30th anniversary this year, there will be special curated programs and events, along with our annual university tours, panel discussions and of course, fabulous parties! Opening and Closing Films The festival will open with Indian film How I Felt When I Saw That Girl, first LGBT love story in Bollywood movie history. This groundbreaking title stars veteran actor Anil Kapoor and his superstar daughter Sonam Kapoor. This Bollywood rom-com tells the story of Sweety, who has to contend with her over-enthusiastic family that wants her to get married, while she has already found her true love, but worrying that that special person might not be accepted by her family and society... Boys opening film is French comedy The Shiny Shrimps (Les Crevettes Pailletees), a uproarious story of a gay water polo team determined to gain qualification for the upcoming Gay Games, and its homophonic coach. Dive into this hilarious journey, beautifully written to highlight the necessary of self-expression and the transformative power of a fresh perspective. Closing film The Daughters of Fire, an intense and sexy film that tells the story of two female lovers, who reunites for the first time in ages. The two went on a road trip that takes them to breathtaking places where they encounter other women, all at a crossroads in their lives. The other closing film is My Big Gay Italian Wedding, a film adapted from the early 2000s off-Broadway play by Anthony Wilkinson. Newly engaged couple Antonio and Paulo are going to Antonio’s profoundly Catholic, old-timely hilltop village hometown to meet his parents... A classic meet-the-parents that will bring audience laughter and tears. Audience with opening film How I Felt When I Saw That Girl or The Shiny Shrimps ticket stub can enjoy free admission and one free drink to our opening party at W Hotel Wooba on September 7. Audience with ticket stubs of closing films The Daughters of Fire or My Big Gay Italian Wedding can enjoy free admission and one free drink at our closing party at Ophelia on September21, with performance from Thai drag queens Sira and Miss Kimhuay. Please visit our website for more party details: www.hklgff.hk Hong Kong Retrospective In 1991, the Hong Kong legislative Council agreed to decriminalize private, adult and consensual homosexual relations in Hong Kong. The local film industry suddenly had a hot new topic for their storylines, unfortunately, most of those movies depicted characters with stereotypes. Only a handful of exceptions portrayed the LGBTI community with sincerity and sensitivity. HKLGFF pays tribute to the films that explored the complexity of local LGBTI issues and significantly contributed to the gay culture of Hong Kong. The retrospective will screen 3 films, including: Yang and Yin: Gender in Chinese Cinema (directed by Stanley Kwan), Butteryfly (directed by Yan Yan Mak), and A Woman is A Woman (directed by Maisy Goosy Suen), with the additional screening of a short film My Way (directed by Ann Hui). Filmmakers of these films will also attend post-screening Q&A sessions. We Are GAYbours Sham Shui Po community screening One of the special events this year is We Are GAYbours, a new initiative aiming to bring LGBT films to the community. Four screenings will take place during the festival at “Form Society”, an art and cultural space located at Sham Shui Po. LGBT speakers will also attend for post-screening discussions. For more details please visit our website. Discussion Panel - Queer Power As one of the longest standing gay and lesbian film festival in Asia, and a member of the “Asia Pacific Queer Film Festival Alliance”, HKLGFF has always been supportive to the growth and in connecting other LGBT film festivals in the region. On September 8, HKLGFF will be hosting a discussion panel with alliance members from Taiwan, Sri Lanka and Pakistan where they will share their valuable experiences of organizing LGBTW film festivals in their countries. Panel will be moderated by Marco Wan, Assistant Professor of Law, University of Hong Kong. For more information, please visit http://www.hklgff.hk or official Facebook page：http://www.facebook.com/hklgff