Girls Heart Brussels 2016
Winter is coming, but no need to get worried: Girls Heart Brussels is here to warm us up. From November 18th to 20th, this project curated by Jessica Gysel is the perfect occasion to explore the Belgium capital city from a queer and feminist perspective. In occasion of its fourth edition, this weekend’s event joins hands with Pink Screens, Brussels’ Queer Film Festival, and gives us a taste of the city’s LGBTQ spirit.
Every year, Pink Screens celebrates alternative sexualities and genders through nearly 80 films, performances, an exhibition, workshops, gigs and parties. For ten days, the selected screenings explore characters and individuals, from all over the world, living their sexuality or gender proudly, in spite of all local social conventions. Ultimately, the Festival wishes to represent and pay homage to “the queer, the innovative, the militant, the claimant, sometimes the feminist but always the daring”, through the lens of cinema. Among the films, a special mention goes to Arianna, by Carlo Lavagna, who narrates the delicate story of a young intersexual interpreted by Ondina Quadri, and to Amori e Metamorfosi by Iranian director Yanira Yariv, who casted Italian transgender and transsexual individuals as non-professional actors, to reflect upon the theme of identity.
Out of all the events, in particular audiences are invited to attend two meaningful screenings: Belle de Nuit (2016, Belgium, 74’), a film about the unconventional and brave story of Grisédilis Réal: militant, artist, writer and prostitute; and Women Who Kill, a mix of thriller and comedy by Ingrid Jungermann (2016, USA, ‘91).
Moreover, Girls Heart Brussels 2016 also includes free entrance to You Sad Legend, an ongoing performance by the L.A.-based artists Wu Tsang and Boychild, ft. experimental cellist Patrick Belaga. Wu Tsang (b. 1982) is a visual artist, performer and filmmaker whose work is inspired by the queer/transgender community and community-practices. Thanks to her multidisciplinary approach, she shifts smoothly between documentary, activism, and fiction. The performance, hosted at the Beursschouwburg, is linked to Tsang’s short film and installation Duilian (2016), recently presented at the 9th Berlin Biennale, which depicts a fictitious queer love story between one of China’s most famous poets, Qiu Jin (Boychild), and her calligrapher Wu Zhiying (Tsang). You Sad Legend combines voice, movement and music improvisation to explore different styles of storytelling. At the core of both the film and the performance lies the concept of mistranslation, as a method of queering the official narrative by making invisible visible. As Tsang puts it, “translation can be a process through which we discover ourselves.”
True to its spirit, Girl Heart Brussels combines more intellectually stimulating events with wild parties. This edition includes access to the Pink Night Anniversary Party at Beursschouwburg, with an outstanding line-up of the gayest and queerest DJ’s. Moreover, thanks to the selected must-sees, participants can enjoy the best experiences of Belgian fashion, cuisine and dancing.
The deal including a two-night stay at the JAM Hotel, a passepartout for Pink Screens and free entrance to the performance You Sad Legend by Wu Tsang & Boychild comes at 150 euro per person and 200 per couple.
Girls Heart Brussels: Brussels, various locations, 18 – 20 November 2016
