Here we go! ...

The 19th edition of the Paris International Lesbian & Feminist Film Festival, organised by Cineffable, is about to get under way. It's that time of year when "Les lesbiennes se font du cinéma" - those "happy few" days when a venerable Parisian theatre welcomes what has swelled into a tidal wave of women come together for mutual support, to meet up and to head off again with renewed force.

In 2006, the festival was supported by 1,686 memberships for 5,656 movie tickets.
How many of us will there be this year?

As in 2006, and wherever you're from, you're invited and we'll be waiting for you to come and see dozens of films, (both fiction and documentaries); to rock to the concert, to join the discussions and debates, to marvel at the work of the artists, (whether you get lost in it or bang up hard against it) and more generally to enjoy an intense moment of lesbian culture. so intense that even the fabulous meals served during the festival release Sapphic scents.

So what does 2007 have in store?
•  72 films are scheduled: 6 feature-length films, 28 mediums & shorts, 28 documentaries and 10 animated films. This is the French premiere for most of these films, which hail from 26 different countries, including Iran, India, Korea, Thailand, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Poland, Russia, Senegal and Algeria.
•  15 women , worked in 6 different languages to translate all of the films into French, and they will provide simultaneous sub-titling at each screening.
•  For the third "straight" year, we have also sub-titled all the French films in the competition, in order to allow deaf and hearing-impaired audience members to enjoy them to the fullest. (Sub-titling for the hearing impaired uses different colours for voice-overs and for indications about other sounds: "sighs, creaking door, sad music, etc."). A LSF (French Sign Language) interpreter will also be present throughout the festival.

Then what?
•  The organisers will welcome everyone to a co-ed screening of the best of the festival in a Parisian cinema in November.
•  Cineffable's Tea Dance will let the organisers, the festival volunteers and fans get back together for a dance party at The Tango.
•  Our website will give everyone around the world access to our news.
•  We'll start preparing the 20th anniversary edition of the festival, with glasses of bubbly and fireworks galore!

So tribading we'll go!
And let's all give a bit of our time!

Program 2007

Ladies, this year's festival Quand les lesbiennes se font du cinéma
will be taking you around the world once again!

A new generation of filmmakers out of Asia offers us a surprising new look at the feminist and lesbian planet with documentaries like UnLimited Girls (India), Many People, Many Desires (India), The Birthday (Iran), Lesbian Censorship In School 1 (Korea) as well as a feature-length fiction from Taiwan, Spider Lilies which won the Teddy award at the Berlinale 2007.

North America, present as always, brings us documentaries full of meaning, body and emotion, (Politics of the Heart, Flesh), a feature film (Finn's Girl) and plenty of romantic and sexy short films.

Closer to home, Europe demonstrates strength in diversity through two Austrian creations about intersexuality (Octopusalarm) and trafficking of women (It Happened Just Before); a funny and touching Russian look at same-sex parenting (My Happy Family) as well as reflections on the passing of time with A Different Life which will be followed by an exchange with the organisation "Repaire de Jubilation." You'll also be treated to a surprise-filled performance by 6 love-starved Norwegians - The Hungry Hearts - that will make your hearts melt!

France is showing its best, too, including a special screening with Sylvie Ballyot and her latest film Like Father Like Daughter, which competed in the Directors' Fortnight at Cannes.

Two debates will finish off our world tour: one about homosexuality and religion after the screening of the documentary Hineini; the other about incest after the documentary La traversée du silence. The directors will be present.

Last but not least, it is with great pleasure that we roll out the red carpet for a prominent figure in lesbian and feminist cinema: Anglo-Indian filmmaker Pratibha Parmar. She will be presenting her first feature-length fiction, Nina's Heavenly Delights, a zesty tale full of spice and flavor. We will also be paying hommage to this veteran artist and activist through a retrospective of her work, including the documentaries A Place Of Rage and Jodie: An Icon, among others.