short Q&A (march 2012)

A short Q&A with the Film Qlub...

 (march 2012)

What are yeez about?

Great LGBTQ films. Lesser known LGBTQ films. Monthly screenings. Followed by open discussion. In a beautiful, cosy, fully wheelchair-accessible, 66 seater cinema in Temple Bar (one of Dublin’s best kept secrets!). And there’s free tea and coffee.

Do you show many lesbian-interest films?

As an on-going policy, at least half of our films are of interest to lesbian, bisexual, queer, and trans women.

Is the Film Qlub a commercial venture?

No! We are a not-for-profit community group run by volunteers. But the Film Qlub is run professionally! We pay for screening permission and copyright clearance to film distributors. Our income goes towards screening fees and to cover the cost of the venue.

What is the difference between a film club and a cinema?

We are non-commercial, and we are not in competition with commercial cinemas (we are not permitted to advertise commercially). Also, we have a membership system: you can get full membership for the year, or day membership (8 euro) before a screening.

Any other community involvement?

One of our aims is to produce films that honour the diversity of the LGBTQ community. For example, we organised the Irish premiere of the film “A Florida Enchantment” (1914), the first lesbian feature film ever made, and the first trans film ever made! We offer an alternative to the pub/club scene, and our programme is a vibrant addition to the ‘arts, culture, and entertainment’ calendar in Dublin. We have had the support of Outhouse and the Exchange Art Centre, and on-going support from Dublin City Arts Council. We have collaborated with the Goethe Institute, the Dublin Gay Theatre Festival, and Dublin Pride.

What are you showing at the moment?

Each season of ten films has a theme. Season One (1010-11) was an exclusive selection of “Gay Silent Film”. We are now half-way through Season Two (1011-12), which is titled “Around the World in the 80s”. For this season, we are screening little known queer gems made in the 1980s, and each month, we go to a different country.

Your next film, “Another Way”, set in the aftermath of the 1956 Revolution in Hungary, has been described as a “thought-provoking lesbian political drama”. What is it about?

Romance. Democracy. Dancing. Secret meetings. Right-on journalists. Meeting in lifts. Meeting in parks. Meeting in coffee shops. Husbands. Homophobic cops. Politics. Responsibility. Recklessness. The right to be yourself.