Beijing is gearing up for its second gay and lesbian film festival.

Organized by the Film Association of Beijing University, 14 movies using alternative lifestyles as their theme will be screened from April 22 to 29 at Beijing University. Seven films are fictions produced by directors from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan, while five are documentaries.

These 14 movies include two French films: Jeanne et le Garcon Formidable and The Dream Life of Angels. They are scheduled to be shown at the Beijing French Cultural Center [which happens to be opposite one of Beijing's most popular gay bars].

To attract a larger audience, many of the films will have English subtitles and the ticket price for each film is 10 yuan (US$1.2). More schedule information is available at http://bglff.byhoo.com.cn.

The first Beijing Gay and Lesbian Film Festival opened four years ago at Beijing University on Dec. 14, 2001. During the event, all the Chinese mainland movies related to homosexual topics were presented, including the first Chinese homosexual movie West Palace, East Palace (1996) and the first lesbian movie Fish and Elephant (2000). About 3,000 people attended the festival.

The festival was originally established to create an artistic space for homosexual expression that could find little room in the mainstream media. But the second festival will see its original intentions widen.

With the theme of the festival set to be “sex health,” not only films produced about gays or lesbians over the past three years will be shown, but also discussions will be held about sex, sexual orientation and sexual health.

LINKS:
Xinhua: Homosexual film fest to open in Beijing
Film festival website

The Festival's website is rather difficult to navigate, ticket booking information is reproduced below.

Advance Purchase (200 sets of tickets, 5 tickets per set)
Price: 50 rmb (10 rmb for each ticket)
Note: You can see 2 or 3 films with one ticket!

On Off Bar
Tel: 010-64848083
Add: Lianbao Mansion , Xingfucunzhongjie Road , Chaoyang District

Destination Bar Tel: 010-65515139
Add. No.7 Gongtixilu road, Chaoyang District
Tickets selling time: April 15 th & April 16 th , from 9:00 pm

Box Café Tel: 010-62791280
Add: No 5 Xiwangzhuang Shuangqing Road , Haidian District

West Wing Bar
Tel: 010-82082836
Add: Deshengmen Road , Xicheng District

Beijing Lala Salon:
Add: in Pipe Café, located about 100 meters East of the South Gate of Beijing Worker's Stadium.
Ticket Selling time: on April 16 th , from 2:00pm to 6:00 pm.

Fanhall Studio
Tel: 010 － 82616514
E-mail ： servic@fanhall.com

On-line & Telephone Booking
Note: this service is mainly for students leaving nearby Zhongguancun and Xueyuan Lu. For the others, we suggest you go to one of our tickets agencies.
Send your booking to ourfilms@163.com if you live nearby Zhongguancun.
Call 87453991 (Xiao Qiang) to book tickets if you live nearby Xueyuan Lu.
We will then inform you how to get the tickets.