Best of Outsiders:

Fariba, a lesbian fleeing persecution in Iran, is refused permission to remain in Europe. As she is about to be sent back, however, a male friend in the internment camp commits suicide and Fariba seizes her chance - assuming his identity to avoid deportation and, in the outside world, quickly falling into a relationship with one of her female work colleagues. Unveiled is a sexy, political and convincing film featuring an extraordinary central performance from Jasmin Tabatai – and we’re very pleased to be offering you another chance to see one of the highlights of Outsiders 2006. Watch out for lesbian director Angelina Maccarone’s new lesbian feature, Vivere, at Outsiders later in the year.

In 2006 Jerusalem was chosen to host the annual World Pride celebrations, an event unprecedented in the history of the Holy City. This hair-raising documentary captures the violent homophobic hate campaign launched by religious groups against the Pride: death threats pour into Jerusalem’s Open House, the LGBT community centre, while in the city council chamber speeches from its only openly gay member are met with verbal abuse - and a mayor so disinterested in democracy he simply leaves the room. Facing accusations of ‘moral terrorism’ and the attempted ‘rape’ of the Holy City, LGBT rights activists (including the victim of a stabbing at a previous march) must decide what to do - to press on, or to try to find a compromise. But as they find out, the city’s Orthodox Jews are in no mood to agree to anything, and their Chief Rabbi even seems willing to sanction the use of violence to prevent the ‘defilement’ of the Holy City…

Best of Outsiders:

Part hilarious memoir, part lecture on sexual freedom (and/or perversity), This Filthy World is a recording of the ever-evolving stand up show director John Waters has been doing in some form for the last 30 years. In it, the man William S. Burroughs called ‘The Pope of Trash’ lets rip about anything and everything that comes to mind: his memories of working with Divine on Hairspray and Pink Flamingos, ‘teabagging’ (whatever that is), how students can and should be more filthy… As the great man says, “I was the only kid in the audience who didn’t understand why Dorothy would ever want to go home to that awful black and white farm, when she could live with winged monkeys and magic shoes and gay lions…”

MARTIN SHERMAN, (c) Susan Landau 2004

Director: Sean Mathias
Starring: Owen, Lothaire Bluteau, Ian McKellan,
Mick Jagger, Jude Law
UK 1997 108 mins