SASOD closes ‘Spectrum 14’ with films on desire and experimentation

Guyana’s Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) film festival, “Painting the Spectrum 14,” ends next week with two screenings that focus on experimentation. Pushing the limits of cinema, society and sexuality, these films are visually compelling, thought-provoking, and, at times, radically sexual.
On Tuesday, September 25, at 18:00h, SASOD presents the last feature film of the festival, “Desire Will Set You Free,” – a German film directed by Yony Leyser.
The movie is the story of a young American writer who falls in love with a Russian sex worker and introduces him to Berlin’s queer and underground scenes. The film was presented in over 20 festivals worldwide, including the East End Film Festival in London; Montreal World Film Festival; and the Boston Wicked Queer Film Festival.
On Thursday, September 27, the festival ends with a screening of 10 shorts from countries such as Moldova, Colombia, Mexico and Israel. From telling stories of trauma, war and sexual abuse to using dances and performances to express sexual desire, these shorts push both the limits of societal conventions and of cinematic technique.
After the screenings on Thursday, SASOD will close the festival with the traditional ‘painting the spectrum’ using a variety of paints on fabric to represent thoughts, ideas, perspectives in an artistic way that celebrate the LGBTQ+ cultures explored throughout the screenings.
The closing night will also include a light reception sponsored by Maggie’s Snackette and Catering Services and Wine Days. The other sponsors of ‘Spectrum 14’ are COC Netherlands, Paper Craft and Bettencourt’s Food Inc.
The final two evenings of “Painting the Spectrum 14” are Tuesday, September 25, and Thursday, September 27. The festival screenings take place at SASOD’s office, located at 203 Duncan Street, Lamaha Gardens, (between Durbana Square and Eastern Highway) at 18:00h each evening. For more information on the screenings, the festival has a dedicated website which can be found at: https://spectrumguyana.wordpress.com/.
Admission to the film festival is free. The films are intended for mature audiences. SASOD reserves the right to refuse admission to minors who are not accompanied by a parent or guardian or persons who do not have identification to prove that they are not minors.
The film festival aims to both offer a safe space for the LGBTQ+ Guyanese to interact and communicate, and to educate the general public by presenting queer-themed films, which are almost never screened in mainstream cinemas in Guyana.
SASOD is the 15-year-old international and local award-winning, human rights movement and organisation, leading change, educating and serving communities, to end discrimination based on sexuality and gender in Guyana.