Reeling 2020, Chicago’s 38th annual LGBTQ+ International Film Festival kicks off on September 24th and runs all the way through October 4th. Although the reality of COVID-19 means that we won’t be able to come together to enjoy these amazing films, the plus side is, they’re all available for streaming on Reeling’s website in the coming weeks.
Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival is the second longest-running film festival of its kind. According to their website, Reeling’s mission is to, “recognize the important artistic contributions that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender filmmakers have made to our culture; to educate the general population and sensitize them to lesbian, gay and transgender issues; to investigate the history of LGBTQ+ film, including the stereotyping that has been a major part of this history; and to counteract this stereotyping with valid, meaningful and diverse portrayals of those in the LGBTQ+ community.”
In honor of this incredible festival, we put together a list of 5 must watch films and series that will be streaming on Reeling’s website.
Breaking Fast
Breaking Fast is Reeling’s opening night film. It’s a compelling romantic comedy that explores life, loss, family, and faith during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. In the film, West Hollywood doctor, Mo, observes Ramadan, and breaks fast every night with a traditional Iftar meal. When he meets Kal, a non-Muslim man at a party, Mo is faced with the ways in which he has become set in his ways, withdrawing into his own world view. As Mo and Kal grow closer, they break fast together each night, falling in love over their similarities and differences. Director Mike Mosallam delves into the divides between American and Muslim cultures with warmth and humor, giving the audience a charming, albeit complicated, new couple to fall in love with.
WHEN YOU CAN WATCH
Breaking Fast is available for streaming on September 23rd
The Strong Ones (Los Fuertes)
Director Omar Zuniga Hidalgo’s intimate ethereal romance follows gay architecture student, Lucas, as he encounters Antonio, a boatswain on a local fishing boat, during a visit to see his sister in South Chile. Despite their different backgrounds, the two young men find themselves drawn into an intense and beautiful connection with one another. Their love is threatened, however, by the hostilities of the conservative town and its inhabitants. A rare find in Chilean and Latin American cinema, this film is an unflinching celebration of two gay men in love.
WHEN YOU CAN WATCH
The Strong Ones (Los Fuertes) is available for streaming on September 24th
Cicada
After a string of unsuccessful and awkward encounters with women, Ben decides to date men again. After a string of random hookups around New York, Ben unexpectedly meets Sam. This adorable and enormously romantic dramedy is a funny and poignant examination of love and the remnants of the past traumas that we carry with us. Together Sam and Ben continue to dig deeper into each other’s experiences as they move through their own painful histories, and as their connection grows, their pasts emerge against the warmly lit backdrop of a cicada summer.
WHEN YOU CAN WATCH
Cicada is available for streaming on September 24th
Ahead of the Curve
Ahead of the Curve is Reeling’s closing night film. A documentary, the film follows Franco Stevens throughout the launch of Curve magazine in 1990. With a wealth of interviews and archival footage, Ahead of the Curve traces the power of lesbian visibility and community from the early 90s to the present day. Accompanied by a score composed by the legendary Meshell Ndegeocello, the film celebrates the legacy of a movement while considering the agenda of its future as the world continues to change.
WHEN YOU CAN WATCH
Ahead of the Curve is scheduled to premiere on October 3rd
These Thems
These Thems is a queer comedy series that centers the experiences of trans and nonbinary people of color. These Thems opens with Vero, a Latinx nonbinary dog walker turned educator, asking Asher, a South Asian trans man for help. Gretchen, a newly-out lesbian, turns to Vero for guidance as she finds herself attracted to folx across the gender spectrum. By examining the lives of four central characters, These Thems shows audiences how ideas of gender permeate every facet of our lives. The series tells these stories with an undertone of humor, wit, and generosity as it aims to educate viewers around the ways in which our collective understanding of gender may be doing more harm than good as we work to build a more equitable world.
WHEN YOU CAN WATCH
These Thems is scheduled to premiere on September 23rd
Catch these 5 films and many more on Reeling’s website between September 23rd and October 4th.
