To highlight the openness, diversity and queer culture of Taiwanese society, the 2023 Queer East Festival, in collaboration with the Cultural Division of the Taipei Representative Office in the UK, will showcase a selection of Taiwanese audiovisual works at eight venues in London from April 18 to 30. The festival will then continue to tour 10 cities throughout the UK during the autumn season, and popular films from previous years will be screened online as part of the festival.
The program features nine Taiwanese films across various genres, including feature-length and short films, as well as virtual reality productions. The lineup ranges from "Rebels of the Neon God (青少年哪吒)" by Taiwan-based Malaysian director Tsai Ming-liang (蔡明亮), "Swimming in the Dark (悄悄告訴她)" by director Chen Pin-ru (陳品儒), "Rooted (防己)" by Wu Yi-wei (吳亦偉), "Leo & Nymphia (雙面曹里歐)" by Pan Hsin-an (潘信安), "Adju (歌舞的我們)" by director Lu Elvis A-liang (盧盈良), and "Tank Fairy (桶妝仙女)" by American director Erich Rettstadt.
In addition to films, the festival will also exhibit video art pieces such as "Disease of Manifestation (宣（言）癖)" by artist Wu Tzu-an (吳梓安), "Super Taboo (超級禁忌)" by Su Hui-yu (蘇匯宇), and "In the Mist (霧中)" - a VR work by Chou Tung-yen (周東彥).
This year, the festival features a lineup of 50 films from 17 countries, accompanied by a diverse range of activities such as virtual reality experiences, dance performances, and visual art exhibitions, contributing to the exploration of issues relevant to the queer community.
The Queer East Festival, established in 2020 by UK-based Taiwanese curator Wang Yi (王裔), received recognition and support from important art and cultural institutions in the UK such as Arts Council England and British Film Institute. This is a rare achievement in the UK-based Taiwanese community. The film festival presents diverse aspects of queer life and culture in East Asia and Southeast Asia through films, often breaking common stereotypes and one-dimensional perceptions of Asian queerness in Western societies.