The International Queer Film Festival Merlinka or Merlinka Festival is an annual

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

-themed film festival which is annually organized in

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

(since 2009),

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...

(since 2013) and

Podgorica Podgorica (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Подгорица, ; Literal translation, lit. 'under the hill') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city was formerly known as Titograd ...

(since 2014). The Belgrade edition is organized in the

Belgrade Youth Center Belgrade Youth Center ( sr, Dom omladine Beograda; abbr. DOB) is a cultural center in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, dedicated primarily to youth. History At the corner of the ''Dečanska'' and ''Makedonska'' streets, where the youth cente ...

during the second week of December, and it lasts for five days. The Sarajevo and Podgorica editions are organized in January and February of each year, with the former being organized in the Art Cinema Kriterion, and the latter being organized in the PR Centre. The festival was founded in 2009 by the

Gay Lesbian Info Centre Gay Lesbian Info Centre is a lesbian, gay and bisexual rights charity in the Serbia. It was formed in 2009 by Predrag Azdejković, Serbian gay journalist, Blogger and writer to promote LGBT right through media, culture and art, to collect infor ...

and

. It screens feature, documentary and short films from all over the world that deal with gay, lesbian,

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

transsexual Transsexual people experience a gender identity that is inconsistent with their assigned sex, and desire to permanently transition to the sex or gender with which they identify, usually seeking medical assistance (including sex reassignment ...

intersex Intersex people are individuals born with any of several sex characteristics including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical bina ...

and

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...

issues.Merlinka – International Festival of LGBT Films
, Belgradian, December 2014. The festival was named after Vjeran Miladinović Merlinka, a transgender

sex worker A sex worker is a person who provides sex work, either on a regular or occasional basis. The term is used in reference to those who work in all areas of the sex industry.Oxford English Dictionary, "sex worker" According to one view, sex work is d ...

and actress who was murdered in 2003. She is best known for her role in the

Teddy award The Teddy Award is an international film award for films with LGBT topics, presented by an independent jury as an official award of the Berlin International Film Festival (the Berlinale). In the most part, the jury consists of organisers of gay a ...

winning film ''

Marble Ass ''Marble Ass'' ( sr-Cyrl, Дупе од мрамора) is a 1995 feature film by Serbian filmmaker Želimir Žilnik. It was screened at the Berlin Film Festival in 1995 and won a Teddy award as best feature. It was screened at many worldwide fes ...

'' directed by

Želimir Žilnik Želimir Žilnik ( sr-cyr, Желимир Жилник; ; born 8 September 1942) is a Serbian film director best known as one of the major figures of the Yugoslav Black Wave film movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Early life Žilnik was born in 194 ...

. The festival was established to promote LGBT art and culture. In 2014, the festival produced a theater play about Vjeran's life, ''Merlinka's confession'', directed by Stevan Bodroža. Merlinka is the only active film festival to be annually organized in several countries.

Awards

The Festival awards the Dorothy's slipper award for the best short film. Until 2012 the festival awarded prizes for the best feature and documentary film.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official Website

Belgrade Youth Center

Merlinka festival on IMDb
Recurring events established in 2009 Film festivals in Serbia LGBT film festivals LGBT events in Serbia Tourist attractions in Belgrade Annual events in Bosnia and Herzegovina Festivals in Montenegro Winter events in Bosnia and Herzegovina Winter events in Montenegro Film festivals in Sarajevo LGBT festivals in Europe LGBT in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Awards

See also

References

External links