Resistance Short Films

You’ll find a theme of resistance and antifascism running throughout most of the GAZE programme this year. It’s become a dominant theme in contemporary queer films, from grief in the face of losing our homes, our rights and our loved ones, to righteous anger at the violence inflicted on us by right-wing extremists and politicians. 

The three films in this programme are a snapshot of this bigger picture, capturing three acts of resistance from three different people caught in seemingly inescapable oppressive structures, from the smallest gestures of love to the most daring acts of survival. 

The Return 

Nikita is ready to give up on his conservative religious mother when explosions rock Kyiv, suddenly entangling Nikita’s fractured faith with his survival–and the survival of his mother, who hasn’t picked up the phone since the war broke out. 

Vadim Molachov/ Ukraine/ 2023/ 32min 

Writer: Vadim Molachov 

Producer: Vadim Molachov 

The Performance 

Claire Zhou/ Netherlands/ 2023/ 20min 

Writer: Claire Zhou 

Producer: Dennis Cornelisse, Alex Doff, Sabine Brian 

Lin has two great loves: her trans daughter Tan, and the church in which she’s a chorister. But on the eve of Lin’s solo performance, rumours about Tan start spreading in church, and Lin must decide how much of her love to truly show. 

Piecht 

When Johanna is begrudgingly whisked to a rural idyll, she’s trapped in something much worse than a boring holiday. Veiled hatred presses in from all sides, but the more Johanna resists, the harder this eco-fascist nightmare tries to crush her. 

Luka Lara Steffen/ Germany/ 2023/ 30min 

Writer: Luka Lara Steffen 

Producer: Sophia Lorena Gamboa Huamán