The Projector has long been a staunch ally of the LGBTQ+ community. It runs regular queer parties and events, the crown jewel of which is the annual film festival, Pink Screen. With Pride Month just around the corner, The Projector has now opened ticket sales for this year's festival. It presents a tight curation of indie flicks from Singapore and around the world, which collectively spotlight queer inclusion, transgender experiences, and diverse voices from the community.
From May 31 to June 15, catch romantic comedies, noir flicks, and touching dramas on the big screen. A hotly anticipated film is a re-run of Bugis Street (1995), which paints an evocative portrait of queer Singapore in the 1960s. It's told through the eyes of a young cleaner employed at Bugis Street's Sin Sin Hotel – also a regular haunt for transvestites and transgender sex workers. This film was banned in Singapore for a good 20 years – an important reminder of how far we've come and how much there is left to go.
On the roster are Femme (2023), a seductive erotic thriller about a drag queen on a revenge quest after a traumatic homophobic attack; Love Is Strange (2024), a Women Film Critics Circle Award favourite about a married gay couple who lose their New York City apartment after one of them is unjustly fired from their job; and Peafowl (2022), an award-winning Korean drama that follows Shin-myung, whose dreams of winning a waacking dance competition (and the prize money for gender reaffirming surgery) cut short by the death of her estranged father.
Those in for a lighthearted movie night should also tune in to lesbian road comedy Drive Away Dolls (2024), which follows two teens (in a classic free-spirited vs. straight-laced character combination) on a journey of crime, catastrophe, and ultimately, self-discovery. NBCUniversal and The Projector will also be holding a special fundraiser screening of this movie on June 28. 100 percent of ticket proceeds will be donated to Oogachaga, one of Singapore’s most established non-profit LGBTQ+ organisations. The organisation is celebrating its 25th anniversary and will be using the funds to support its professional counselling services and youth programs.
To get your tickets to Pink Fest 2024, visit theprojector.sg.
