TLVFest or the Tel Aviv International LGBT Film Festival ( he, הפסטיבל הבינלאומי לקולנוע גאה) is an annual

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upon ...

held in Tel Aviv, Israel. The festival is focused on

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 from around the world. The festival, based at the

Tel Aviv Cinematheque Tel Aviv Cinematheque (also called: Doron Cinema center) is a cinematheque and movie archive, opened in Tel Aviv on 12 May 1973. The Cinematheque, located at HaArba'a Street 5, has five screening halls. The Cinematheque programming includes Is ...

. is open to all types of audiences, not only to members of the LGBTQ community. The festival is increasingly active outside Tel Aviv, and bringing LGBTQ culture across the country: like

Sderot Sderot ( he, שְׂדֵרוֹת, , lit. ''Boulevards'', ar, سديروت) is a western Negev city and former development town in the Southern District of Israel. In it had a population of . Sderot is located less than a mile from Gaza (the c ...

, Beer Sheva,

Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, Kibbutz Mizra,

Rosh Pina Rosh Pina (ראש פינה) is a lay-led independent minyan in Washington, D.C. It meets for Shabbat morning services twice a month in the National Museum of American Jewish Military History (NMAJMH). It also meets occasionally for Friday night a ...

, the Jordan Valley,

Nes Tziona Ness Ziona ( he, נֵס צִיּוֹנָה, ''Nes Tziyona'') is a town in central Israel. In it had a population of , and its jurisdiction was 15,579 dunams (). History Early history Lying within Ness Ziona's city bounds is the ruin of an Arab vi ...

, Pardes Hanna, Karkur, The festival runs around the same time as, sometimes concurrently, with

Tel Aviv Pride Tel Aviv Pride (Hebrew: מצעד הגאווה בתל אביב, Arabic: فخر تل أبيب) is a week-long series of events in Tel Aviv which takes place on the second week of June, as part of the international observance of Gay Pride Month. T ...

. In 2020, due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the festival moved to November.

History

The first ever LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual) film festival in Tel Aviv was held in 2006, and focused on LGBT-themed films would otherwise never get theatrical, TV or DVD distribution in Israel. The festival took place at the Ha’ozen Hashlishit (Third Ear) music venue on King George Street and screened in five tiny theaters of 20–40 seats each. The festival opened with Greg Araki’s ''

Mysterious Skin ''Mysterious Skin'' is a 2004 coming-of-age film written and directed by Gregg Araki, adapted from Scott Heim's 1995 novel of the same name. The film tells the story of two pre-adolescent boys who both experienced sexual abuse as children, and h ...

'' and the festival sold out every film, attracting more than 2,000 people. The festival moved to the bigger

in 2007.

Guests

Over the years, the festival's guests have included

Alan Cumming Alan Cumming (born 27 January 1965) is a British actor. His London stage appearances include ''Hamlet'', the Maniac in ''Accidental Death of an Anarchist'' (for which he received an Olivier Award), the lead in '' Bent'', The National Theatre o ...

Lea DeLaria Lea DeLaria (born May 23, 1958) is an American comedian, actress, and jazz singer. DeLaria is credited with being the first openly gay comic to appear on American television with her 1993 appearance on ''The Arsenio Hall Show''. She is best kno ...

, film producer

Christine Vachon Christine Vachon (; born November 21, 1962) is an American film producer active in the American independent film sector. Christine Vachon produced Todd Haynes' first feature, ''Poison'', which was awarded the Grand Jury Prize at the 1991 Sundan ...

('' Boys Don’t Cry'', '' Carol'', '' Far From Heaven''); LGBT community 'legends' such as

Bruce La Bruce Bruce LaBruce (born January 3, 1964) is a Canadian artist, writer, filmmaker, photographer, and underground director based in Toronto. Life and career LaBruce was born in Tiverton, Ontario. He has claimed both Justin Stewart and Bryan Bruce as ...

John Waters John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, writer, actor, and artist. He rose to fame in the early 1970s for his Cinema of Transgression, transgressive cult films, including ''Multiple Maniacs'' (1970), ''Pink Flamin ...

-star

Mink Stole Nancy Paine Stoll (born August 25, 1947), known professionally as Mink Stole, is an American actress from Baltimore, Maryland. She began her career working for director John Waters, and has appeared in all of his feature films to date (a distinc ...

Wieland Speck Wieland Speck (* 1951 in Freiburg im Breisgau) is a German film director, who since 1992 has coordinated "Panorama" at the International Filmfestival Berlin (Berlinale). Panorama showcases new films by established directors, as well as debut work ...

(Berlinale Panorama curator), Michael Stutz, Kim Yutani (director of programming for the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

Lorenzo Vigas Lorenzo Vigas Castes (born 1967) is a Venezuelan director, screenwriter and film producer. Biography Education Born in Mérida, the son of the painter Oswaldo Vigas, Vigas graduated in molecular biology at the University of Tampa. In 1995 ...

(

Golden Lion The Golden Lion ( it, Leone d'oro) is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most prestigious and distinguishe ...

Award Winner/

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...

– '' From Afar''), Marcio Reolon, Filipe Matzembacher (

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 ...

Winner/

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

– '' Hard Paint''), Martín Rodríguez Redondo ('' Marilyn''),

Jay Brannan Jay Brannan (born March 29, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. He was born in Texas and briefly studied in Ohio, but moved to California to become an actor. Brannan appeared in the 2006 movie ''Shortbus'', which included one of hi ...

(''

Shortbus ''Shortbus'' is a 2006 American erotic comedy-drama film written and directed by John Cameron Mitchell. The plot revolves around a sexually diverse ensemble of colorful characters trying desperately to connect in an early 2000s New York City. Th ...

''),

Jamie Babbit Jamie Merill Babbit (born November 16, 1970) is an American director, producer and screenwriter. She directed the films ''But I'm a Cheerleader'', ''The Quiet'' and ''Itty Bitty Titty Committee''. She has also directed episodes of television prog ...

('' But I’m a Cheerleader''), Angela Robinson ('' D.E.B.S.''),

Cheryl Dunye Cheryl Dunye (; born May 13, 1966) is a Liberian-American film director, producer, screenwriter, editor and actress. Dunye's work often concerns themes of race, sexuality, and gender, particularly issues relating to black lesbians. She is known ...

(''

The Watermelon Woman ''The Watermelon Woman'' is a 1996 American romantic comedy-drama film written, directed, and edited by Cheryl Dunye. It stars Dunye as Cheryl, a young black lesbian working a day job in a video store while trying to make a film about a black act ...

''), Mark Christopher ('' 54''), Alantė Kavaitė ('' The Summer of Sangailė''),

Daniel Ribeiro Daniel Ribeiro was born in São Paulo on May 20, 1982. He is a Brazilian film director known for his works You, Me and Him (Portuguese: Cafe com Leite) made in 2007 and I Don't Want to Go Back Alone, I Don't Want To Go Back Alone (Portuguese: Eu Nã ...

(''

The Way He Looks ''The Way He Looks'' ( pt, Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho, lit=Today I Want to Go Back Alone) is a 2014 Brazilian Coming-of-age film, coming-of-age Romance film, romantic Drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Daniel Ribeir ...

''),

Melanie Mayron Melanie Joy Mayron is an American actress and director of film and television. Mayron is best known for her role as photographer Melissa Steadman on the ABC drama ''thirtysomething'' for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Sup ...

(''

Snapshots Snapshot, snapshots or snap shot may refer to: * Snapshot (photography), a photograph taken without preparation Computing * Snapshot (computer storage), the state of a system at a particular point in time * Snapshot (file format) or SNP, a file ...

''),

Madeleine Olnek Madeleine Olnek is an American independent film director, producer, screenwriter, and playwright. She has written 24 plays and three feature films, including ''Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same, The Foxy Merkins,'' and ''Wild Nights wi ...

(''

Wild Nights with Emily ''Wild Nights with Emily'' is a 2018 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Madeleine Olnek. It stars Molly Shannon as Emily Dickinson, as well as Amy Seimetz, Susan Ziegler, Brett Gelman, Jackie Monahan, Kevin Seal, Dana Melanie, ...

''),

Thom Fitzgerald Thomas "Thom" Fitzgerald (born July 8, 1968) is an American-Canadian film and theatre director, screenwriter, playwright and producer. Life Fitzgerald was born and raised in New Rochelle, New York. His parents divorced when he was five years ol ...

('' The Hanging Garden''); international trans activists and performers:

Buck Angel Buck Angel (born June 5, 1962) is an American pornographic film actor, producer and sex educator. He is the founder of the media production company Buck Angel Entertainment. A transsexual man, he received the 2007 AVN Award as Transsexual Perfo ...

Gigi Gorgeous Gigi Loren Lazzarato Getty (born Gregory Allan Lazzarato; April 20, 1992), known professionally as Gigi Gorgeous Getty, is a Canadian YouTuber, socialite, actress, and model. In 2008, Lazzarato began uploading video blogs onto streaming platfo ...

, Miss Rosewood, Zazie de Paris, Maya Jafer and many more.

Opening Night Films

* 2006 -

* 2007 - The Gymnast * 2008 - FD Tel Aviv * 2009 -

Strella ''Strella'' ( el, Στρέλλα; international title: ''A Woman's Way'') is a 2009 Greek drama film written and directed by Panos H. Koutras. The plot centres around the relationship between a 45-year-old ex-convict and a 25-year-old transgende ...

* 2010 -

I Love you Phillip Morris ''I Love You Phillip Morris'' is a 2009 English-language French black comedy film based on a 1980s and 1990s real-life story of con artist, impostor and multiple prison escapee Steven Jay Russell, as played by Jim Carrey. While incarcerated, Russ ...

* 2011 - Melting Away * 2012 - Leave It on the Floor * 2013 -

Snails in The Rain ''Snails in the Rain'' ( he, שבלולים בגשם ''Shablulim BaGeshem'') is a 2013 Israeli drama film. Set in the 1980s, the film revolves around Boaz, a student, who receives love letters from an unknown man, which undermines his sexual ident ...

* 2014 - Guttman X 5 * 2015 -

Fresno Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, maki ...

* 2016 - Oriented * 2017 - The Wound * 2018 -

My Days of Mercy ''My Days of Mercy'' is a 2017 romantic drama film directed by Tali Shalom Ezer and written by Joe Barton (screenwriter), Joe Barton. It stars Kate Mara, Elliot Page, Amy Seimetz, Brian Geraghty, and Elias Koteas. It screened at the 2017 Toronto ...

* 2019 - 15 Years

Selected films, screened at festival

* ''

''. Directed by Greg Araki * '' One Kiss. Directed by

Ivan Cotroneo Ivan Cotroneo (born 21 February 1968) is an Italian writer, scriptwriter and director, known for '' I Am Love'', ''Kryptonite!'' and '' Loose Cannons''. Biography After abandoning his law studies he moved to Rome, where he graduated in scriptwri ...

* '' The Wound. Directed by John Trengove

Controversies

Funding 2012

The Israeli Film Council threatened to withdraw funding for the festival; however it didn't cancel the funding.

Calls for boycott

2017

A number of scheduled speakers canceled their attendance at the event in response to pressure from the

BDS movement Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) is a Palestinian-led movement promoting boycotts, divestments, and economic sanctions against Israel. Its objective is to pressure Israel to meet what the BDS movement describes as Israel's obligations u ...

. The speakers who withdrew their participation are South African director John Trengrove, Canadian author and screenwriter of Pakistani descent

Fawzia Mirza Fawzia Mirza is a Canadian-born film and TV writer and director. She is known for her works such as web series '' Kam Kardashian, Brown Girl Problems'' and the film '' Signature Move'' (2017). Early life Mirza's parents were born in India and ...

, Palestinian Nadia Ibrahim, who was supposed to sit in a jury panel, and Swiss

Jasna Fritzi Bauer Jasna Fritzi Bauer (born 20 February 1989) is a Swiss actress. She has appeared in more than fifteen films since 2010. Selected filmography References External links * 1989 births Living people Swiss film actresses {{Switzerl ...

, though only Trengrove, Mirza and Ibrahim cited the

and

Helene Hegemann Helene Hegemann (born 19 February 1992 in Freiburg im Breisgau) is a German writer, director, and actress. As a young writer her work was highly praised, but her first novel, ''Axolotl Roadkill'', sparked a plagiarism controversy. The book has s ...

claimed schedule clashes as a reason for cancellation. Despite speakers withdrawal, there were not changes in the screen program and the films of those who cancelled their participation were shown during the festival. John Trengrove cancelled his participation after he arrived to Israel on festival dime. Palestinian Israeli actress Samira Saraya and filmmaker Maysaloun Hamoud participated in the festival.

2020

More than 100 filmmakers from 15 countries signed a petition launched by the

Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) was launched in April 2004 by a group of Palestinian academics and intellectuals in Ramallah, in the West Bank. PACBI is part of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions ...

calling for a boycott of the festival out of solidarity with the struggle by the Palestinian queer community. Among the signatories are filmmakers

Charlotte Prodger Charlotte Prodger (born 1974) is a British artist and film-maker who works with "moving image, printed image, sculpture and writing". Her films include ''Statics'' (2021), ''SaF05'' (2019), ''LHB'' (2017), ''Passing as a great grey owl'' (2017), ...

, Alain Guiraudie,

Thomas Allen Harris Thomas Allen Harris is a critically acclaimed, interdisciplinary artist who explores family, identity, and spirituality in a participatory practice. Since 1990, Harris has remixed archives from multiple origins throughout his work, challenging hie ...

Harjant Gill Harjant Gill is an Indian documentary filmmaker and teaches visual anthropology at Towson University. His films explore topics related to gender, sexuality, religion and belonging in India and among Indians in diaspora. Personal life Gill was ...

Ian Iqbal Rashid Ian Iqbal Rashid (born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania) is a poet, screenwriter and filmmaker known in particular for his volumes of poetry, for the TV series '' Sort Of'' and ''This Life'' and the feature films ''Touch of Pink'' and '' How She Mo ...

Sarah Schulman Sarah Miriam Schulman (born July 28, 1958) is an American novelist, playwright, nonfiction writer, screenwriter, gay activist, and AIDS historian. She is a Distinguished Professor of the Humanities at College of Staten Island (CSI) and a Fellow a ...

John Greyson John Greyson (born March 13, 1960) is a Canadian director, writer, video artist, producer, and political activist, whose work frequently deals with queer characters and themes. He was part of a loosely-affiliated group of filmmakers to emerge in ...

Adrian Stimson Adrian Stimson (born 1964 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada) is an artist and a member of the Siksika Nation. Education Stimson earned a BFA with distinction from the Alberta College of Art and Design and an MFA from the University of Saskatch ...

Richard Fung Richard Fung (born 1954) is a video artist, writer, public intellectual and theorist who currently lives and works in Toronto, Ontario. He was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and is openly gay. Fung is a professor at OCAD University. He earned a ...

Catherine Gund Catherine Gund (born Catherine Gund Saalfield; 1965) is an Emmy nominated and Oscar shortlisted producer, director, writer, and activist who founded Aubin Pictures in 1996. Gund's films have screened around the world in festivals, theaters, ...

and

Raquel Freire Raquel Freire (born 22 June 1973, in Porto) is a Portuguese film director, screenwriter and novelist. In 2014 she released the film ''Transiberic Love'' which is a love story set in modern times showing how one can be an activist within globalise ...

, as well as film scholars

Alexandra Juhasz Alexandra Jeanne "Alex" Juhasz (born March 12, 1964) is a feminist writer and theorist of media production. Education Juhasz received her B.A. in American Studies and English at Amherst College in 1986. Shortly after graduating she participated ...

Thomas Waugh Thomas Waugh is a Canadian critic, lecturer, author, actor, and activist, best known for his extensive work on documentary film and eroticism in the history of LGBT cinema and art. A professor emeritus at Concordia University, he taught 41 years ...

Marc Siegel Marc K. Siegel is an American physician, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, author, and contributor to '' The Hill'', ''The Wall Street Journal'', ''Slate'', Fox News, and member of the board of contributors at ''USA T ...

, Shohini Ghosh and

Chris Berry Chris Berry is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He plays the mbira (thumb piano) and the ngoma drum, from the Shona people of Southern Africa. His records with the band Panjea have gone platinum in Zimbabwe and Mozambique. He has ...

2021

In October 2021, over 200 celebrities, including

Mila Kunis Milena Markovna "Mila" Kunis (born August 14, 1983) is an American actress. Born in Chernivtsi and raised in Los Angeles, she began playing Jackie Burkhart on the Fox television series ''That '70s Show'' (1998–2006) at the age of 14. Since ...

, Billy Porter,

Neil Patrick Harris Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received multiple accolades throughout ...

Helen Mirren Dame Helen Mirren (born Helen Lydia Mironoff; born 26 July 1945) is an English actor. The recipient of numerous accolades, she is the only performer to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting in both the United States and the United Kingdom. ...

Lance Bass James Lance Bass (; born May 4, 1979) is an American singer, dancer, actor, film, and television producer. He grew up in Mississippi and rose to fame as the bass singer for the American pop boy band NSYNC. NSYNC's success led Bass to work in film ...

and

Jeremy Piven Jeremy Samuel Piven (born July 26, 1965) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Ari Gold in the comedy series ''Entourage'', for which he won a Golden Globe Award and three consecutive Emmy Awards. He also starred in the British ...

, signed an open letter rejecting calls for a boycott of the

Tel Aviv International LGBT Film Festival TLVFest or the Tel Aviv International LGBT Film Festival ( he, הפסטיבל הבינלאומי לקולנוע גאה) is an annual film festival held in Tel Aviv, Israel. The festival is focused on LGBT themed film from around the world. The f ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:TLVFest Film festivals in Israel LGBT culture in Tel Aviv LGBT film festivals LGBT events in Israel Festivals in Tel Aviv LGBT-related controversies in film