The Arpa International Film Festival will feature several films with LGBT characters or themes. On Friday, opening night, the festival will kick off with a screening of “Dalida,” a biopic that gives the true story of acclaimed Egyptian-born music icon who gained celebrity in the 50s, singing in French, Spanish, Arabic, Hebrew, German Italian. Her dazzling 30-year career was marked by tragic events, including her very own suicide in 1987. Dalida has become a gay icon in France.
On noon on Saturday there will be a screening of “Listen to Me: Untold Stories Beyond Hatred.” This film tells the stories of 10 LGBT Armenians. Armenian-American Vahan Bournazian’s mother and sister didn’t accept his gay identity, but he was the only one in the family to choose to keep his Armenian identity, moving to Armenia to stay. Another gay individual, Tsomak, had to leave Armenia because of her identity, after her LGBT friendly bar “DIY” was firebombed and she was also attacked. ”DIY’s” attacks overshadowed the Armenian LGBT community. Vahan, Tsomak and the other LGBT Armenian individuals come out of the shadows to share their childhood, identity, self-recognition and how they are relating with their family.
Earlier on Saturday, festivalgoers will have the opportunity to see “Pinsky,” a film about a young woman who loses her girlfriend and her grandfather in the same day. She moves back in with her authoritarian Russian grandmother, who is determined to marry her granddaughter off to a nice Jewish boy. The lead character, Sophia Pinsky, ultimately finds her way to a weekly open mic night, where on a whim she gets on stage and discovers there’s actually an audience for her Queer-Russian-Jewish-American sense of humor. The film captures the struggle between Sophia and her grandmother in an effort to define loyalty and love.
Sunday’s lineup will include three social impact films – “Apricot Groves,” “Helena’s Law” and “The Heart of Nuba” – all of which bring much needed awareness to LGBT issues, atrocities in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan and the essence of good and evil. “Apricot Groves” is an LGBTQ-inflected film about family, faith, brotherhood and love. The debut feature was written and directed by Tehran-based Pouria Heidary Oureh, who tells the story of a transmasculine young man by the name of Aram who travels to Armenia from the United States where he has lived all his life. Aram finds himself in Armenia to propose marriage to an Armenian girl he met in America. He and his brother hit the road between Armenia and Iran, with the film layering subtle hints among their words, looks, and deeds.
All of the screenings will take place at the Egyptian Theater, 6706–6712 Hollywood Blvd. Tickets, which may be purchased online, are $40 for the opening night screening of “Dalida ” and $60 for an admission to all screenings on Saturday. General admission is $15 for one daytime screening.
The festival is a project of the Arpa Foundation for Film, Music and Art (AFFMA), a non-profit that has awarded over 150 individuals with grants in support of their creative endeavors. Arpa International Film Festival places a strong emphasis on filmmakers’ artistic vision, cultural diversity and social understanding.
