The Mix Festival kicks off in Milan, an LGBTQ + cinema review with over 60 films in competition

More than 60 titles competing, including national and international premieres, such as the highly anticipated Spanish TV series Veneno, the More Love award to life senator Liliana Segre, many meetings with artists, directors, writers and musicians, including the special guests Veronica Pivetti and Francesca Michielin who will be awarded the title of Queen of Comedy and Queen of Music respectively and the Melancholia authors of the festival spot, for a very rich 4 days under the banner of the new Love Matters claim: a great cultural and entertainment event is expected. 35th edition of the MiX International Festival of Lgbtq + Cinema and Queer Culture, the most important and popular Italian festival dedicated to the best national and international Lgbtq + cinematography, among the most relevant at European level, directed by Paolo Armelli, Andrea Ferrari and Debora Guma. From 16 to 19 September 2021 it returns in a “hybrid” formula, at the Piccolo Teatro in Milan (Teatro Strehler and Teatro Studio Melato), for the first time in the prestigious setting of the courtyard of Palazzo Reale, inside the ‘Flying Tiger Mix Young Arena ‘, and online, accessible from all over Italy, on Nexo +, the on-demand content platform created by Nexo Digital. As per tradition, the rich programming photographs the great themes of contemporary culture and the LGBTQ + world, confirming the festival as a point of reference for the LGBTQ + community of Milan and Italy, an opportunity for dialogue and debate not only linked to cinema and queer culture, but also to other social issues concerning civil commitment, the defense of rights and diversity, as reflected in the this year’s claim, ‘Love Matters’. Among the most anticipated moments, the More Love Award, awarded to life senator Liliana Segre, symbol of the fight against hatred and all discrimination, on the opening night ra – Thursday 16 September (8.00 pm) Teatro Strehler – conducted by Paolo Camilli and accompanied by the intervention of the deputy Alessandro Zan and the dance performance of the dancers of the Teatro alla Scala Massimo Garon and Alessandra Albano. Among the other guests of the MiX, Veronica Pivetti who – Friday 17 September (22.00) Teatro Strehler – will be awarded the Queen of Comedy prize, while Francesca Michielin will be crowned Queen of Music in the closing ceremony – Sunday 19 September (20.30) Teatro Strehler – conducted by Ema Stokholma. The ceremony will be enriched by an intervention by the web comedian Daniele Ciniglio and by the live performance of Melancholia, authors of this year’s MiX commercial. Among the special events, the Italian preview presentation of the first two episodes of ‘Veneno ‘, the acclaimed Spanish TV series, which landed on HBO Max in the US and appreciated all over the world, about the life of transgender singer and TV personality Cristina Ortiz, better known as “La Veneno”, one of the most important Lgbtq + icons in Spain. The screening – Sunday 19 September (6 pm) Teatro Studio Melato – will see its directors, Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi and one of its protagonists, the actress and model Lola Rodríguez, in the hall. by the artist Jacopo Milani, ‘La Discoteca’, winning project of the eighth edition of the Italian Council, the program for the promotion of Italian contemporary art in the world of the Directorate General for Contemporary Creativity of the Ministry of Culture (MiC). The short film will be screened in the presence of the director, the producers and part of the cast, including Eva Robin’s and Pietro Turano. The evening, which will also see a special performance by the Drama Milano collective, will be conducted by Stephanie Glitter and Pierpaolo Astolfi.As usual, the heart of the program of the MiX International Festival of Lgbtq + Cinema and Queer Culture consists of the three international competitions – Feature films, Documentaries and Short Films – which will bring to the competition national and international works of great quality, different in themes and languages ​​but all united in the common denominator of “Love Matters”, the official claim of this 35th edition also told through some focuses. Among these, “Trans Lives Matter” which collects several titles, including many Brazilians, a country with the sad record of the largest number of transgender people killed per year, such as the two Italian premieres of ‘Valentina’, the award-winning opening film of Cássio Pereira dos Santos, the story of a coming-of-age of a transgender teenager, and ‘Madalena’ a dramatic and experimental film by Madiano Marcheti, or the short film ‘Swinguerra’ by the duo of video artists Barbara Wagner and Benjamin de Burca, presented at the Venice Biennale 2019 in the Brazilian pavilion. ‘Love Matters’ finds a further moment of reflection in the story of the movement for the affirmation of the rights of LGBTQ + people, through a series of titles including the Italian previews of two documentaries, ‘Rebel Dykes’ by Harri Shanahan and Sîan Williams, on the little-known story of a lesbian transfeminist movement in post-punk London in the 1980s, and ‘Unapolegetic’ by Ashley O’Shay on the two young women queer feminist leader of Chicago’s Black Lives Matter movement. But the themes of MiX are many and of different nature, as evidenced by two other Italian premieres, ‘Feast’ by visual artist, photographer and director Tim Leyendekker, guest of MiX, acclaimed at the last International Film Festival in Rotterdam, and ‘Potato Dreams of America ‘by the Russian-American Wes Hurley, an entertaining autobiographical camp melodrama. A prestigious program that will make known to the general public important works by established cineast * and young talents as is the tradition of the Mix Festival which in 35 years of history, from 1986 to today, also in the editions coordinated in the past by the historical director Giampaolo Marzi , introduced the Italian public to great names in Lgbtq + cinematography, such as Xavier Dolan and François Ozon. To the historic Best Feature Film awards assigned by a jury with president Juliette Canon, coordinator of the Festival Scope platform and programmer of the queer film festival Chéries-Chéris; Best Documentary awarded by a jury chaired by Pilar Monsell, multiple award-winning Spanish director, artist and researcher, and Best Short Film awarded by a jury composed of young university students representing the varied spectrum of the LGBTQ + community, this year will be accompanied by new awards. The Award for Best Screenplay, in which the titles of the Feature Film competition participate, awarded by a jury chaired by the writer and journalist Lidia Ravera; and the Mix Queer Shorts to Be award, aimed at short films in development, which will be awarded by a jury composed of the artistic directors of the Southern European Lgbtqia + Film Festival (Bilbao, Paris, Thessaloniki), a network born in 2020 of which the MiX is a founding member, and whose recognition consists of an original piece of music by the Argentine composer Camila Fawape.For the documentary section, the MIX laF Award is reconfirmed for the best work in competition thanks to the collaboration with laF – la tv di Feltrinelli ( Sky 135) which will broadcast the winning title on its channel. Another novelty this year will be the Mix Nexo + Award that Nexo Digital will award to the best work of a young or young filmmaker. Finally, also for this edition, the audience award has been confirmed who will be able to elect the Best 2021 Feature Film through the official APP “MiX Festival”, available for smartphones and tablets. As for the latest editions, all screenings in presence and in streaming they will be free for the friends of MiX who will register with the MiX Milano Aps association, already open on the official website of the festival. The under 26, on the other hand, will be able to take advantage of the Young card at the discounted price of 10 euros (15 euros the cost of the ordinary card) which will allow them to attend all the shows of the Festival in all three locations, including digital streaming on Nexo +. The “Suspended Card” has also been confirmed, a solidarity practice launched in 2020 which, together with the purchase of one’s own card, makes it possible to make a free card available to those who apply for it to the Festival email address. “La bella estate” is organized with the contributions of MiC Ministry of Culture, Department of Culture of the Municipality of Milan, US Consulate General, CIG Arcigay / MilanoPride through the Rainbow Social Fund, Embassy of Canada in Italy, Consulate General of the Kingdom of Countries Bassi, also for 2021 the Festival will be able to count on numerous collaborations, such as that of Pulsee, Axpo Italia’s full digital brand for electricity and gas, which chooses to become Main Sponsor demonstrating once again that with the right energy you can do any What; it is joined by the other sponsors – Flying Tiger, Klarna and SistemAzienda. Among the media partners, the Gay.it portal as Main Digital Media Partner, laF, Zero, Radio Popolare, Gaiaitalia.com, Toh! Magazine, Pride and the social Clubhouse, on which a media pitch to present the MiX will be held together with the three directors, on Monday 13 September at 7.00 pm. Among the precious collaborations of the festival there are also The Bridge Foundation, CIG-Arcigay Milano and Centro Medico Santagostino, which this year will allow MiX to be able to count on totally Covid-free stages. Organized by MiX Milano Aps (Social Promotion Association), the festival is directed and produced by Paolo Armelli, Andrea Ferrari and Debora Guma together with a team of young and enterprising professionals. The selection of lesbian themed films is made in collaboration with Immaginaria, International Film Festival of Lesbians and other Rebellious Women.