Leeds Queer Short Film Competition 1
The first of two competition programmes for queer shorts this year includes films from China, Colombia, Mexico, Netherlands, Tunisia and USA.
Leeds Queer Film Festival are delighted to present this year’s Queer Short Film Competition at LIFF. Our first programme will transport you from a first date at a Mexican ice cream parlour in ¡Beso de lengua! through a Chinese reunion of old lovers in Manting to the politically charged resistance and joy of Floridian black queer and trans people in Shade in the Sunshine State. Body horror lovers are sure to enjoy the closing film of this programme, Belly Belly, a deliciously sexy meal featuring lots of blood, gore and severed fingers!
Conditional Desire
Ahmed and Salma, two queer people living in heteronormative Tunisian society struggle with their sense of self as they work together to live the life they both need, and desire.
Houcem Slouli | Tunisia | 2023 | 15 mins | UK Premiere
¡Salsa!
In rural Colombia Margarita's love of Salsa is spoilt by the leering men at the local bar. The oppressive atmosphere is shaken when Liana, a deaf tourist, shows up in the village. Forming an instant connection Liana helps Margarita be her true self, regardless of what the neighbours think.
Antonina Kerguelén Román | Colombia | 2024 | 14 mins | European Premiere
You can't get what you want but you can get me
Samira Elagoz and Z Walsh chronicle a year of their relationship through hundreds of gathered photographs and text messages. From their first kiss, through thirst traps, to meeting the parents and a beach wedding this is a sweet and steamy celebration of two long-haired trans men's T4T love affair.
Samira Elagoz & Z Walsh | Netherlands | 2024 | 13 mins | England Premiere
Manting
Following the death of an old school mate Manting, a Chinese woman in her early 60s, reconnects with a lover from her adolescence. After the classmates' reunion event in a karaoke bar, they end up spending a night together roaming the city.
Shuyao Chen | China | 2023 | 16 mins | UK Premiere
Shade in the Sunshine State
A portrait of the ballroom community in Miami, Florida where black trans and queer people use performance as political activism in a state that is currently passing legislation to deny their rights.
Olivia Bendis, Ben Nakhuda, Julio Rocha | United States | 2024 | 14 mins | Yorkshire Premiere
¡Beso de lengua!
Itzcóatl and Moisés are on their first date at the ice cream parlour. After getting to know each other a bit, they begin to play an unusual game that takes a twist into the surreal and the unsettling.
José Luis Zorrero | Mexico | 2024 | 15 mins | UK Premiere
Pretend I'm Not Here
A lonely Latine non-binary person works from home as a Spanish-English phone interpreter. One day their regular routine is interrupted when they hear the voice of their estranged mother on the other end of a call from a migrant detention facility.
Noah Amir Arjomand | United States | 2024 | 10 mins | International Premiere
BELLY BELLY
Two body obsessed femmes on a date decide to mutually relax the harsh restrictions they’ve placed on their bodies – a decision that has spectacularly gruesome consequences.
Gabriel Carnick | United States | 2024 | 12 mins | European Premiere
LIFF Shorts
A whole programme section dedicated to the best new short films from around the world, including eight competitions.