LGBTQIA+
The films under this heading capture the experiences of different generations of people with diverse gender identities. Many of the feature films tell of a first love, of the moment of finding out that you love someone of the same sex, or of the moment that a love forces you to come out, to owe up to yourself and others where your sexuality is at. There are different circumstances and constellations that will trigger these moments or complicate what the characters experience. Though there are tensions, pain and disappointment, there is also excitement and joy - there is more lightness than melodrama!
Two Mothers (Zwei Mütter) may be the one exception. Here we see how a mature relationship is put to the test by rules and regulations, how a normative system stands in the way of personal happiness.
The two documentaries in this selection, Gardenia and My Wonderful West Berlin (Mein Wunderbares West-Berlin) focus on older LGBTQIA+ groups and communities, on characters that can look back on complex lives and diverse transformations as well as important historical milestones in the struggle for rights and recognition respectively throughout the history of Germany since the early 1970s.