Mapplethorpe on Saturday, August 3rd, which chronicles the life of photographer, Richard Mapplethorpe. The artist, who like so many of his contemporaries fell victim to the AIDS crisis, has become something of a cultural icon, and this looks extremely promising. The fabulous Handsome Devil from director, John Butler, features as the GAZE youth screening this year. Meanwhile, Daniel Day Lewis breakthrough movie, My Beautiful Launderette, was voted as the classic movie that most friends of the festival wanted to see. And their wish was the organiser’s command. Alongside all these amazing movies, there is a spotlight on Latin Queer cinema, featuring five outstanding films, Socrates, A Girl’s Band, Brief Story from the Green Planet, the Blond One, and Being Impossible. Latin movies also feature in the shorts programme, which is as strong as ever this year, and always a talking point, as it gives viewers a chance to see the works of many up and coming
filmmakers. The festival is also featuring a retrospective of the work of Barbara Hammer, who died last year. A trailblazer of lesbian, activist, and feminist filmmaking, six of her works will screen on August 3rd. As always, there are also workshops and discussions scattered throughout the festival, and the closing gala should definitely prove a crowd-pleaser. JT Leroy tells the story of the world’s greatest literary hoax. Starring Laura Dern and Kristen Stewart, this story is proof that fact really is stranger than fiction – if you’re not familiar with the story then google it. It really is bonkers, and should make for a fantastic movie. The full programme is available at http://www.gaze.ie and with offers available on packages and passes, there’s never been a better reason to hide in the cinema over a bank holiday weekend.
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