On Monday, September 4, the 4th Merlinka Classic Festival will begin at the Cinematheque Museum in Belgrade, where 25 short, feature and documentary films that have left a deep mark on queer cinematography will be presented.
The festival was born from the desire to introduce the younger generation to important queer films that they may have missed, and without which we would not have the numerous films and series today that freely portray LGBT people.
The festival begins with a retrospective of the short films of the legendary Kenneth Anger, who died this year. His experimental films such as “Rise of the Scorpion”, “Rise of Lucifer”, “Inauguration of the Pleasure Hall” which influenced Martin Scorsese and David Lynch, explore homoeroticism, surrealism and the occult, leaving viewers stunned and inspired.
Tuesday, September 5tg is dedicated to the Queen of Pop, Madonna and her movies. On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the release of her first album, we present the films The Next Best Thing starring Rupert Everett alongside Madonna and her critically acclaimed Golden Globe-winning film Evita, a musical based on the life of Eva Peron, the wife Argentine President Juan Domingo Peron.
Wednesday, September 6tg is reserved for camp classics, who have entered the everyday vocabulary of the LGBT population. Camp, that elusive blend of style, humor and exceptionality permeates every frame of the films Mommie Dearest about the legendary Joan Crawford starring Faye Dunaway and Death Becomes Her starring Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn and Bruce Willis.
Thursday, September 7th focuses on German documentaries, beginning with The Law of Love from 1927 directed by Richard Oswald and Magnus Hirschfeld, founder of the Institute of Sexual Science, and the documentary Nomi’s Song about the German singer Klaus Nomi, who died early from AIDS.
Friday, September 8th is Spanish Film Day, during which we will screen the 1978 film The Substitute, about forbidden love, politics, blackmail and murder, as well as the 1972 Oscar-nominated film My Dearest Miss which follows a woman who lives in a small town and discovers that she is actually a man.
The weekend of September 9th and 10th is reserved for a retrospective of Serbian director Mladen Đorđević, during which his films Life and That of a Porno Gang, Made in Serbia, Vienna Hallways and his short films. As part of the retrospective, a conversation with the director will be organized.
More information about the program can be found at www.merlinka.com/klasik2023