Shorts Program: Queer Fantasy

Mermaids, musicals, time travel, and gay love—these shorts have it all! In THE PARABLE OF THE GREEN ROOSTER (dir. �talo Almeida; Brazil) Rayra wants to enjoy the last night before starting her eighth job at a mall, but an unexpected encounter along the way may just change her financial fate. When a curious trans mermaid defies her mother’s warnings not to venture up to the surface, she discovers that the world above may not be what she dreamt in LAS COSAS QUE BRILLAN (dir. Kristal Sotomayor; U.S.). NEVER NEVER NEVER (dir. John Sheedy; UK/Australia) follows aspiring drag queen Henrick as she secretly longs for Arwyn, a fisherman whose quietness masks a storm of emotions. Victoria travels 25 years into her own past to meet a man she barely remembers—her father—and hopes he will love her for who she is in LONG AWAY (dir. Tilly Bridges, Susan Bridges; U.S.). In BREAKING WALLS (dir. Jan-Dirk Bouw; Netherlands) Hoi Yi speaks at a conference on freedom of expression—he radiates determination, but behind his public fight lies a personal struggle. And last, CICADA (dir. Yupu Luo; U.S.): after inheriting a restaurant from her late father, Jin must navigate what’s left behind while clashing with her father’s lover and estranged chef, Justin. Iona Bodem will moderate an exclusive conversation with director and screenwriter Yupu Luo of Cicada.