GAZE: Mighty Real

CLUB 18+120 min

Queer and particularly trans filmmakers have an affinity for the make-believe, from sex dreams to scream queens and all the galaxies in between. What makes fantasy, sci-fi and horror so appealing to us? These shorts offer a kaleidoscopic array of answers. Reimagining a Hawaiian legend revives suppressed histories; a bawdy romp in outer space imagines new destinies; digital utopias give new perspectives to real-world trans lives; the appearance of ghosts collapses queer pasts and presents into one. And as all these ideas and more are untangled in this block of genre shorts, a timeless queer question arises: Is it just me, or are shapeshifters kind of sexy?

Daisy: Prophet of the Apocalypse Dir. Venus Patel / Ireland / 2023 / 20m

A radical trans street preacher and her followers prophesy the end of the world with salvation only for those who denounce heterosexuality. Men must be women! Women must be men! All sexual intercourse must be interracial! PRAISE HER!

You Can Stay Over (If You Want) Dir. Zach Siegel / USA / 2022 / 11m

After a hookup, John and Alex touch on the beginnings of intimacy despite being near-strangers. Embarrassing stories give way to personal anecdotes, but how do you know when it's safe to show someone your real self?

AIKĀNE Dir. Daniel Sousa, Dean Hamer & Joe Wilson / USA / 2023 / 14m

In this sumptuously animated odyssey, a Pacific Island warrior is thrown to the sea in a battle against foreign invaders. Below the waves he finds not death but a beautiful, magical stranger who may just be able to turn the tides of this anti-colonial fight.

Do Digital Curanderas Use Eggs In Their Limpias? Dir. Roberto Fatal / USA / 2022 / 14m

Ria, an indigenous curandera, is one of the last people in their barrio who has not uploaded their mind to the Internet to escape the pain of life on Earth. As their magic fades and loneliness grows, Ria asks a friend to sign off as their next of kin so they can upload to digital utopia.

Celestial Bodies Dir. Ryan Suits / USA / 2022 / 5m

With kitschy sets and campy glamour, this short follows two astronauts attempting to overpower an alien spaceship... if the ship's pleasure-based defences don't overpower them first.

Afterparty Dir. Alex Matraxia / UK / 2023 / 9m

Settling in for a bath with a vinyl on the record player, an ageing Charlie (played by David Hoyle) finds themself beset by apparitions of old friends. In an intimately dreamlike atmosphere that blurs the line between past and present, ghost and memory, the unwelcome party helps Charlie come to terms with life after a generational loss.

Papergirl Dir. Jack Warren / USA / 2023 / 5m

En route to a party, a lonely traveler discovers their skin is turning to paper. The more they try to blend in, the more they fall apart, and suddenly gender dysphoria and gender euphoria clash in a mess of spilled ink, split skin and torn paper.

GLORY, HOLE Dir. Hiram Harrington / Ireland / 2023 / 17m

Two men hide behind a glory hole in a gay nightclub. One has a pair of scissors and plans to castrate his rapist. The other feverishly tries to talk him down. A third man approaches. A fly unzips. No one walks away intact.