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Eyes Wide Open Cinema is a queer film strand based in Brighton founded in 2012 out of a desire to bring a regular film series to Brighton exploring the lives and work of sexual and gender minorities in film.

The strand is proud to be collaborating with Brighton and Hove Pride for another year running to showcase a strong selection of quality queer cinema. From ’90s classics to contemporary gems, Eyes Wide Open Cinema at BPAFF 2016, curated by programmer Jacob Engelberg, will bring you a diverse programme that foregrounds a variety of voices within LGBTQ+ communities across the globe.

Shinjuku Boys, directed by Kim Longinotto and Jano Williams is a rare ’90s documentary taking viewers on a journey into the fascinating world of three transmasculine people working as hosts in a Tokyo bar for women.

The 1996 cult lesbian classic Bound directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski features Corky, a tough female ex-con, and her lover Violet as they concoct a scheme to steal millions of stashed mob money and pin the blame on Violet’s crooked boyfriend.

Oriented, filmed in the lead up to the 2014 Israel­ Gaza conflict by filmmaker Jake Witzenfeld, is a powerful documentary following three gay Palestinian men as they negotiate the intersections of cultural, sexual and political identities in the Jewish­-majority city of Tel Aviv.

Directed by Ethan Reid, Peter de Rome: Grandfather of Gay Porn is a fitting tribute to gay erotic filmmaker Peter de Rome. Spanning eight decades both in the USA and UK and de Rome’s experiences from World War II to Stonewall and beyond it is a spellbinding celebration of the unique man who fused innovative cinematic techniques with the wildly salacious. Trouser Bar is a controversial new short from director Kristen Bjorn and follows a group of men as they get hot under the collar in a gentlemen’s outfitters in this sexy and aesthetically rich ode to ‘70s fashions.

Eyes Wide Open at BPAFF
25th July-4th August 2016
Duke Of York’s Picturehouse and Dukes at Komedia, Brighton.
To book tickets please click here

You can catch up with Eyes Wide Open here: Website | Facebook | Twitter