Sponsored by Plakat-Kultur

After two postponements and several guest programs with sister festivals in 2020, the XPOSED Queer Film Festival Berlin is finally back for their 15th anniversary! With a full range of 17 feature films and 64 short films packed in 35 programs, the 15th edition of XPOSED will run from August 11-15 in various locations throughout Berlin and presents an exquisitely fabulous program to celebrate the strange and unusual queer story tellying.

‘For 2021, XPOSED is happy to present a program of many different multiple voices, colourful moments, tragedies, triumphs and rebellious acts that highlight the importance of activism and the art of listening’, say festival directors Bartholomew Sammut and Merle Groneweg. ‘Some of the films may have had a different meaning two years ago. Now they ring a different truth. The stories are a correlation to our lives in these times, and, by doing so, force us to reflect on our privilege, question our authorities and respect the work of the pioneers who came before us.’

The special 15th edition of XPOSED has been in the making since autumn of 2019. It will show a record number of short films, plus a deep dive into the festival’s love for the archive, celebrating some important works in queer film history. It will also be the last edition for Bartholomew Sammut as the festival director. After 15 years, the founder of XPOSED has decided to hand the festival directorship over to Merle Groneweg, who already acted as co-director since 2018.

With an online component built into the festival structure, XPOSED looks forward to creating an accessible program. Selected shorts programs as well as feature films will be available online via Salzgeber Club, while the XPOSED Nail Club offers a forum for online exchange to discuss films and the festival. On top, talks with filmmakers in focus and a panel on Berlin queer film festivals will be streamed online. XPOSED is also happy to offer workshops for Wikipedia entries for films and filmmakers to contribute to more queer content online.

While Moviemento is still at the heart of the festival, this year XPOSED spreads out a little further thanks to the support of Wolf Kino and Il Kino, where each evening strands from the program will be presented. Also, the team is excited to present five open air screenings in new venues such as Freiluftkino Kreuzberg, Freiluftkino Rehberge, Open Air Kino Mitte and Atelier Gardens Freiluftkino @ BUFA.

The festival could not have happened without the dedication of its team as well as the financial support by Neustart Kultur, Projektförderung Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg and Elledorado e.V.. A big thank you goes out to our cooperation partners: 25p CineSupport, BUFA, Planeno Film, Salzgeber Club, Bar Raval, Plakat Kultur & Feineweine Berlin.