BFI Flare's Grace Barber-Plentie on Bringing "The Wedding Banquet" and How Industry Changes Are Shaping Queer Film Culture

Andrew Ahn's latest feature The Wedding Banquet kicks off this year's BFI Flare Film Festival, running from March 19 – 30 at the BFI Southbank in London.

This highly anticipated film makes its way to London after premiering at Sundance with a star-studded cast featuring Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, and Kelly Marie Tran. It underscores the festival’s ongoing significance and broad popularity.

As the UK's biggest LGBTQ+ film festival, Flaar has been running for over four decades and will celebrate its 40th anniversary soon. The British Film Institute plans various events to commemorate this significant achievement. Among the highlights of this year’s schedule are showings of Rebecca Lenkiewicz'sBerlinale feature. Hot Milk Featuring Emma Mackey and Vicky Krieps, Lamin Leroy Gibba's highly talked-about German show Black Fruit, and the cherished Cannes winner of Truong Minh Quy Viet and Nam .The festival will conclude with the erotic thriller Night Stage by the Brazilian directing team of Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon, while Jane Schoenbrun’s I Noticed the Television Light and Luca Guadagnino's Queer Headlining the festival’s 'Best of Year' roundup, notable industry figures include seasoned producer and ex-Focus CEO James Schamus along with Lenkiewicz as keynote speakers.

Here, BFI Flare and LFF programmer Grace Barber-Plentie delves into this year's selections, discusses improvements in opportunities for LGBTQ+ films and creators due to changes in the industry, and explains how the festival adapts to shifting political climates in both the U.S. and the UK.

kor.news: Grace, is Flare the largest LGBTQ+ film festival globally?

GRACE BARBER-PLENTIE: The largest in Europe. We have some elder counterparts such as Frameline in San Francisco. We will be celebrating our 40th anniversary next year, whereas they are approaching their 50th.

kor.news: It seems like Flare might have gained more visibility recently. I noticed this when attending the Berlinale, where several individuals mentioned they were traveling to London specifically for Flare, something I hadn’t encountered previously.

BARBER-PLENTIE: The tasks we handle at Flare remain consistent, yet the landscape of the film industry has evolved. Discussions around LGBTQ+ movies have shifted; they're no longer seen as uncommon or easily marginalized content. Additionally, distributors and sales representatives are beginning to pay attention and collaborate with us. Our kickoff film this year is Universal’s The Wedding Banquet And we've had a few films from Mubi over the past couple of years. So it boils down to the industry changing.

kor.news: Having "The Wedding Banquet" as the opening act is quite a significant choice. What led to that decision?

BARBER-PLENTIE: This movie has always been one we've kept an eye on. Plus, Andrew [Ahn]'s involvement in filmmaking is incredibly compelling these days. I really enjoyed it. Fire Island There's a lot happening. Similarly, Bowen Yang is excelling remarkably. It was fortunate that Universal recognized our efforts as well, and everything came together at just the right time, making it a perfect match for both parties.

kor.news: So can you explain how Flare programming operates? Are you all working together on LFF simultaneously? How is the workload divided?

BARBER-PLENTIE: There is some overlap, but fortunately, they mostly follow each other sequentially. Our schedule begins in November with the London Film Festival concluding in October. This requires a bit of adjustment initially; however, throughout the year, we attend various film events such as those held at Cannes and Berlin. Additionally, I attended Frameline last year. While we're engaged in selecting films for the London Film Festival, we simultaneously view movies suitable for Flare. The actual commencement happens in November, where our core team dedicates itself full-time to managing these festivals all-year round. Moreover, several talented independent programmers join us externally during this period.

kor.news: Is Kristy Matheson also involved with Flare?

BARBER-PLENTIE: She handles things from a broader perspective. Since she isn’t part of the community, her role has well-defined limits. However, she focuses more on the administrative aspects, including marketing and similar tasks. When needed, she assists with making choices regarding our openings and closings. Yet, she doesn’t impose rules; instead, she grants us autonomy—a truly uncommon and wonderful privilege.

kor.news: A few years back, it was quite an exciting period as several emerging British queer female filmmakers started making their mark. Among them were Dionne Edwards, Georgia Oakley, Charlotte Wells, and some others. During conversations with Dionne and Georgia, they mentioned having benefited from Flare’s mentoring programs. In organizing this event, would your aim be similar—to foster new talent? Given our current climate, such efforts seem inherently politically charged.

BARBER-PLENTIE: It's odd because queerness has become quite mainstream in the film industry nowadays. However, this hasn't stopped queer identities and events like Queer festivals from still being politically charged. This situation feels very peculiar indeed. Regarding our filmmaker support program run alongside BAFTA, many talented directors who participated continue to impress us with their remarkable works which we proudly showcase. Last year was particularly special; Amrou, who directed Layla The film from last year’s opening ceremony, and Savannah, the producer, encountered each other through our initiative. They mentioned that without this program, their meeting and creation of that movie would not have happened. It feels great knowing we're contributing positively to the industry.

kor.news: Who do you think constitutes the audience for Flare?

BARBER-PLENTIE: There's quite a bit of diversity involved. If you're part of the LGBTQ+ community, there will definitely be topics that pique your curiosity specifically. However, we also have a wide range of attendees who come to check out various events. The interesting aspect for those deeply engaged with Flare is their willingness to explore different offerings without hesitation. Additionally, since our entire festival takes place within one venue, visitors feel it has more of an event-like atmosphere. We've also planned activities throughout the building. Moreover, thanks to our initiative aimed at individuals under 25 years old, we are beginning to draw in a younger crowd to Flare, which is really thrilling.

kor.news: You have an impressive talk program lined up for this year featuring James Schamus. Can you share how you assemble such a lineup?

BARBER-PLENTIE: This arises from the programming process. We'll plan the whole festival first and subsequently review the work submitted by filmmakers. Fortunately, many directors frequently come back to Flare with new films. Take Marco Berger as an instance; he has showcased several projects through our platform over recent years. This continuity is truly valuable. Similar to how Black Filmmakers were once treated within the industry, Queer cinema often sees creators produce one film, go through the festival run, and find themselves overlooked afterward. Hence, it's quite beneficial for demonstrating that Queer filmmakers can enjoy long-standing careers and create numerous works.

kor.news: Do you frequently encounter movies that premiere at Flare and then go on to have successful theater runs?

BARBER-PLENTIE: It differs from one film to another. Some arrive at the festival already backed by distributors. For instance, last year we showcased "Crossing" directed by Levan Akin, which secured a release through Mubi. Another case was "Big Boys," a film for which we hosted the world premiere a few years back; however, it hasn't yet received a UK release despite being an excellent movie. My hope is for it to gain traction here as well since it deserves wider recognition. Interestingly enough, after tracking its progress stateside, I learned that it did secure a US release and garnered reviews from prominent media outlets. It feels rewarding knowing our screening helped launch it into finding its audience.

And the finale movie, Night Stage. Could you provide some information about it?

BARBER-PLENTIE: I prefer not to delve too deeply into this as it's a genuine genre piece filled with entertaining plot twists. Both the directors are graduates from Flare Academy. This movie revolves around an up-and-coming actor who meets someone influential through dating apps; their relationship evolves into passionate trysts in various public locations. Visually, it's strikingly filmed, and the musical score is exceptional. It represents true cinematic art best experienced at theaters. Yet, it maintains a lighthearted vibe making it highly enjoyable for theater audiences.

Kor.News asks: Could you choose some noteworthy titles to share with our audience?

BARBER-PLENTIE: It's difficult because they're all like my children, but I could mention two that perhaps people aren't instantly considering. There's an interesting Canadian documentary titled A Mother Apart This story revolves around Staceyann Chin, a Jamaican poet whose life encompasses her complex relationships with both her mother and her daughter. As a lesbian woman who chose to have a child independently, the narrative delves into how Staceyann navigates these connections. The central theme explores her challenging history with her mom and her determination not to repeat those patterns with her own child. Additionally, we're excited to highlight an intriguing American movie set to be showcased at SXSW. Outerlands It features Asia Kate Dillon. They did an outstanding job. Billions and Orange Is The New Black remains unchanged as it is a proper title of a book, film, or series. It's an American comedy-drama that stands out because it focuses on a nonbinary individual whose journey isn’t centered around discovering or coming out as nonbinary. The protagonist is well-developed, and the story revolves around how they navigate various events in their life. This includes taking care of a child temporarily, which compels them to confront aspects of their upbringing. Additionally, the movie touches upon the issue of gentrification in San Francisco.

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