Fringe! Closing Event: BURN presents A Man to Pet’s Odyssey
Since first popping up to supplement the London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival’s shorter-than-usual 2011 edition, the Fringe! Queer Art & Film Fest has comfortably established itself as a major event in its own right, bringing an eclectic, leftfield flavour to the capital’s queer screen culture that goes way beyond showcasing new features and shorts to include DIY and experimental work, performances, parties, panels, exhibitions and more.
The 2014 event runs from today, November 3, until next Monday November 10, with many exhibitions running all week and the main action taking place between Thursday and Sunday. There’s loads of amazing stuff lined up so check out the full schedule. But here are a handful of selective highlights…
Thur Nov 6: Peter de Rome: Grandfather of Gay Porn
Peter de Rome: Grandfather of Gay Porn
The festival’s opening film is Ethan Reid’s documentary portrait of Peter de Rome, one-man gay porn studio and awfully nice chap. Now 90, he started making private sex films at a time when being gay remained illegal and there’s often a sense of furtive, illicit pleasure to his work; what’s more remarkable is its formal inventiveness and joie de vivre. Warhol and Hockney were intrigued.
Hackney Picturehouse, Thur. Opening drinks 7.30, film 8.30, followed by producer Q&A. More info here. Event currently sold out but enquire about returns.
Fri Nov 7: Jeffrey Hinton: Willy Nilly
From Jeffrey Hinton’s archive
Armed with his trusty camera, Jeffrey Hinton has been a scene regular since the 70s, building up a unique audiovisual Aladdin’s cave of queer London (and New York) history. Over the past couple of years, he’s been showing selected presentations of his pics and vids at places like the V&A, ICA and BFI; in this event, Hinton promises an exploration of freedom, showing clips interspersed with music, performance and panel discussion. (I might chip in myself.) A must for anyone interested in alt nightlife culture across the decades.
Hackney Attic, Fri, 8.30. More info here.
Sat Nov 8: There’s a Dyke in the Pit
In Search of Margo-Go
There’s masses going on today (see also sharp, sexy shorts by Antonio Da Silva, a queer armchair walk around the City and Bambi, a doc about the iconic trans Parisian cabaret act). Stand-out, though, is this multi-stranded celebration of kick-ass 90s DIY movements queercore and Riot Grrl, including a free selection of Riot Grrl shorts plus panel discussion; a poster exhibition/social space; and the premiere of Jill Reiter’s long-lost In Search of Margo-Go, accompanied by director Q&A, more shorts, live band and recreation of the film’s on-screen Club Totally. (There’s a bonus screening of the feature on Monday too.)
Various times and venues, Sat, see links for more info.
Sat Nov 8: ARtFUnSHACK!
ARtFUnSHACK!
DIY video-interactive live performance that teaches you how to make stuff out of rubbish – what’s not to like? I’ve been meaning to catch artist Evan Ifekoya’s show for a while because I really like the sound of its blend of kids’-show can-doism, colourful animation and freakazoid sensibility, using archive and pop-culture imagery to subvert the norm and encourage collaboration. What can I say, I’m a sucker for anything that promises “a queer tale merges into a papier mache hammer”.
Looking Glass Cocktail Club, Sat, 2pm. More info here.
Sun Nov 9: BURN presents A Man to Pet’s Odyssey
BURN featuring (clockwise from top left) Oozing Gloop, Lewis Burton, Jonny Woo and Foxy & Husk
Self-promotion alert! Obviously I’m plugging my own event, which closes the weekend festivities. The main draw (see pic at top of post) is a brand new hour-long video-interactive show from the brilliant, bonkers A Man to Pet, inspired by Homer’s Odyssey (he was into boleros and gang bangs, right?). Ahead of that, there’s on-screen work from Lewis Burton (him with the chicken-skin gimp suit) and Foxy & Husk, plus Drag is My Ecstasy, about Sink the Pink children Oozing Gloop, JonBenet Blonde and Alexus De Luxe. Plus an exclusive excerpt from Dressed as a Girl, the forthcoming doc about east London’s alt drag scene, in which Jonny Woo creates Gay Bingo, gets multiple organ failure and has tea with his parents. (Also catch Jonny on Saturday doing a free workshop for his upcoming lecture about the transformation of the East End.)
Hackney Attic, Sun, 8pm. More info here.
Fringe! runs until Monday November 10 at various venues. See website for more details.
