September 2006: 10th Lisbon Gay and Lesbian Film Festival - Celso Junior
In writing upon conformists (those who know exactly how to behave before the norms of society), Arno Gruen states that “the fundamental ill of mankind concerns those who can only keep the structures of their personality standing by resort to images of the enemy, and who conceal their own self-hatred, insecurity and lack of responsibility towards existence itself.”
Late in 1996, just minutes after being introduced to him, Gonçalo Diniz invited me to create and organise the Lisbon Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, which could already count on the support of the Lisbon municipality and the personal commitment of its Mayor, João Soares.
I consider myself to be a privileged individual. Life has always gifted me with the chance to overcome my limitations, and thereby I decided to accept the challenge, despite its surprising nature and the concern which its daunting dimensions instilled in me.
Ten years since the First Festival, a period which has proved equally intense for me on a personal level, the time is right for us to take stock. To sum up the victories and defeats, some gains, many losses, and the sense, somewhat bitter, at being confronted with today’s reality, that little or nothing has changed over the past ten years in the behaviour, civility, and civic values; and that in Portugal, we are still far from achieving a real transformation/evolution of mentalities.
One of the facets of Human Beings which most irks me is our lack of lucidity towards the surrounding world. We persist in blind obedience to imposed norms, without critical forethought. We comply to norms by virtue of laziness, inertia, prejudice, dread and fear, or superstition. Not out of agreement, and much less out of understanding. Sexuality, our sexuality, insists upon being covered by a veil (all but diaphanous) embroidered in taboos, fears, and a million little overcomplicated things which we ourselves put there, almost as though intending to hinder our evolutionary process towards the divine in us. Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, Transgenders, and Heterosexuals – all of those who play a part in this universe, in this reality, are oppressed, and simultaneously oppressors, acting in the name of an invisible enemy which in truth only resides within us. So, just for the sake of abuse, and fully conscious of what they are doing, Churches, Governments and other shady entities attempt, as they always have, to control our sexuality; by doing so, they believe they are preserving our “lifestyle”, preventing what they call a “return to the barbaric Pre-Christian World”, and controlling us all.
It is by embracing our orientation, be it what it may, we begin the construction of our Real Me, always a frightening process, because we all tend to live in relation to the Other, and not for the Other. But if we wish to give of ourselves and in doing so become better, we need at the very least to possess self-knowledge and acceptance of ourselves. I confess that I consider Individualism (not to be mistaken for Selfishness) as a privilege, because I believe that through it a better world may be born.
Ten years have passed, and I have an unsettling sensation in my soul. It almost seems that very little has been done. This is patently not true, and yet, it shows how far we still stand from fulfilling the prime objective of this Festival, which has always been to emphasise Education and Civic values and to promote a society more Just and Free, where Gisberta would not only survive, but live. I feel at times like a Quixote fighting against the windmills created in the name of current intolerance and ignorance.
This Festival has had an incredibly difficult journey, and lamentably it has not yet garnered the full support of local and national authorities. Even the “glbt community”, a miniature portrait which faithfully reproduces the larger reality of the country – among other reasons, because there are no intrinsically good minorities – still leaves much to be desired; it is apathetic, conformist, and makes very few demands.
Therefore, on this, the tenth anniversary of our Festival, HOMOPHOBIA is the theme we have chosen; a theme stained in pain, blood, malaise and shame, and for this very reason, all the more pertinent.
A recurring theme, a sentence by Brecht, “... the womb is fertile still”, and I ask myself, how and why can this be?
How can a country (including its glbt community), one which had such a vibrant and original coming out, let itself be led by the inertia of stupidity? Small isolated events, an affront here, a provocation there, clear symptoms that what was to sprout has already become rooted and grown. How can we accept the events of Viseu, a series of extreme-right demonstrations authorised by local government, the attention bestowed on them by the media, the general behaviour of the media towards glbt issues, the Gay Pride having been relegated to the outskirts of the capital (now, thankfully and rightfully, brought back to the very heart of town), the blackmail pushed on us by the former City Hall Cultural Delegate who required us to remove the words gay and lesbian from the name of our Festival, the torture and murder of Gisberta in Porto, and the judicial outcome of the case, the attitude of the Portuguese Consulate in Madrid regarding homosexual unions, the silent persecutions, the unimaginable prejudice that has to be faced daily, and the FEAR, a fear that becomes almost solid, and that impels a whole community to “return to the closet” and aspire to stay there.
The worst thing for me, however, was the fact that at no time did the President of the Republic, or the Government – in both cases, former or current – feel any need or will to send a message to the citizens of this country, to deplore or refuse any complicity with the aforementioned facts.
Despite everything, the glbt movement still stands, as does this Festival, and these days the Portuguese society cannot – despite all its attempts – escape the politics of sexual orientation. I wish to believe in the new glbt generation, which at times positively surprises me with the values it displays; however, things must be seen in proportion to the size of the country. By this I mean that we have yet many years and much work ahead of us. I wish to believe that one day, all that I have dreamed, and the love I have given to this Festival and this city will bear fruit, that lives will be respected and spared, that suffering will be mitigated, that all individuals will be seen as human beings and as citizens, whatever their sexual orientation.
I wish to be an optimist, and to believe that the gaps that are still part of the system will be properly filled, that bold leaders will rise, that chance and luck will allow common sense and justice to emerge. As for me, despite the fact that struggling and countering human stupidity are very harsh tasks, I have no intention whatsoever of giving up. I’ve come to understand my role and my mission on this planet well, and if hate has been planted in this fertile ground, I too have cast my seed, and here it is, bearing fruits, from one of my favourite trees. I refuse to give up, to be ashamed of what I am, and more than anything, to die a part of a minority.
Lisbon, my darling Lisbon, I was not born nor did I grow up here, but my legacy to you is much greater than the one I left in my home country; I have done my part, and now it is up to you. Open your eyes, Lisbon…
The case of Gisberta has brought to light in the most shocking manner all the Homophobia and Transphobia present in our society: their outline is clear and visible to all who wish to see; however, a denial, and the lack of lucidity I mentioned earlier are still in force. Silence reigns, indifference and ignorance reign supreme. What do we have left, other than indignation? Remembrance. None of us is allowed ever to forget what has happened. This is why I wish to dedicate the ten years of work in this Festival not to Gisberta, but to her murderers, nameless murderers (since I do not know their names), obscure and marginal as her life was, little heroes who, for having slain the dragon, count with the silent complicity and the implicit understanding of our society.
LGLFF Founder and Programmer
Late in 1996, just minutes after being introduced to him, Gonçalo Diniz invited me to create and organise the Lisbon Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, which could already count on the support of the Lisbon municipality and the personal commitment of its Mayor, João Soares.
I consider myself to be a privileged individual. Life has always gifted me with the chance to overcome my limitations, and thereby I decided to accept the challenge, despite its surprising nature and the concern which its daunting dimensions instilled in me.
Ten years since the First Festival, a period which has proved equally intense for me on a personal level, the time is right for us to take stock. To sum up the victories and defeats, some gains, many losses, and the sense, somewhat bitter, at being confronted with today’s reality, that little or nothing has changed over the past ten years in the behaviour, civility, and civic values; and that in Portugal, we are still far from achieving a real transformation/evolution of mentalities.
One of the facets of Human Beings which most irks me is our lack of lucidity towards the surrounding world. We persist in blind obedience to imposed norms, without critical forethought. We comply to norms by virtue of laziness, inertia, prejudice, dread and fear, or superstition. Not out of agreement, and much less out of understanding. Sexuality, our sexuality, insists upon being covered by a veil (all but diaphanous) embroidered in taboos, fears, and a million little overcomplicated things which we ourselves put there, almost as though intending to hinder our evolutionary process towards the divine in us. Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, Transgenders, and Heterosexuals – all of those who play a part in this universe, in this reality, are oppressed, and simultaneously oppressors, acting in the name of an invisible enemy which in truth only resides within us. So, just for the sake of abuse, and fully conscious of what they are doing, Churches, Governments and other shady entities attempt, as they always have, to control our sexuality; by doing so, they believe they are preserving our “lifestyle”, preventing what they call a “return to the barbaric Pre-Christian World”, and controlling us all.
It is by embracing our orientation, be it what it may, we begin the construction of our Real Me, always a frightening process, because we all tend to live in relation to the Other, and not for the Other. But if we wish to give of ourselves and in doing so become better, we need at the very least to possess self-knowledge and acceptance of ourselves. I confess that I consider Individualism (not to be mistaken for Selfishness) as a privilege, because I believe that through it a better world may be born.
Ten years have passed, and I have an unsettling sensation in my soul. It almost seems that very little has been done. This is patently not true, and yet, it shows how far we still stand from fulfilling the prime objective of this Festival, which has always been to emphasise Education and Civic values and to promote a society more Just and Free, where Gisberta would not only survive, but live. I feel at times like a Quixote fighting against the windmills created in the name of current intolerance and ignorance.
This Festival has had an incredibly difficult journey, and lamentably it has not yet garnered the full support of local and national authorities. Even the “glbt community”, a miniature portrait which faithfully reproduces the larger reality of the country – among other reasons, because there are no intrinsically good minorities – still leaves much to be desired; it is apathetic, conformist, and makes very few demands.
Therefore, on this, the tenth anniversary of our Festival, HOMOPHOBIA is the theme we have chosen; a theme stained in pain, blood, malaise and shame, and for this very reason, all the more pertinent.
A recurring theme, a sentence by Brecht, “... the womb is fertile still”, and I ask myself, how and why can this be?
How can a country (including its glbt community), one which had such a vibrant and original coming out, let itself be led by the inertia of stupidity? Small isolated events, an affront here, a provocation there, clear symptoms that what was to sprout has already become rooted and grown. How can we accept the events of Viseu, a series of extreme-right demonstrations authorised by local government, the attention bestowed on them by the media, the general behaviour of the media towards glbt issues, the Gay Pride having been relegated to the outskirts of the capital (now, thankfully and rightfully, brought back to the very heart of town), the blackmail pushed on us by the former City Hall Cultural Delegate who required us to remove the words gay and lesbian from the name of our Festival, the torture and murder of Gisberta in Porto, and the judicial outcome of the case, the attitude of the Portuguese Consulate in Madrid regarding homosexual unions, the silent persecutions, the unimaginable prejudice that has to be faced daily, and the FEAR, a fear that becomes almost solid, and that impels a whole community to “return to the closet” and aspire to stay there.
The worst thing for me, however, was the fact that at no time did the President of the Republic, or the Government – in both cases, former or current – feel any need or will to send a message to the citizens of this country, to deplore or refuse any complicity with the aforementioned facts.
Despite everything, the glbt movement still stands, as does this Festival, and these days the Portuguese society cannot – despite all its attempts – escape the politics of sexual orientation. I wish to believe in the new glbt generation, which at times positively surprises me with the values it displays; however, things must be seen in proportion to the size of the country. By this I mean that we have yet many years and much work ahead of us. I wish to believe that one day, all that I have dreamed, and the love I have given to this Festival and this city will bear fruit, that lives will be respected and spared, that suffering will be mitigated, that all individuals will be seen as human beings and as citizens, whatever their sexual orientation.
I wish to be an optimist, and to believe that the gaps that are still part of the system will be properly filled, that bold leaders will rise, that chance and luck will allow common sense and justice to emerge. As for me, despite the fact that struggling and countering human stupidity are very harsh tasks, I have no intention whatsoever of giving up. I’ve come to understand my role and my mission on this planet well, and if hate has been planted in this fertile ground, I too have cast my seed, and here it is, bearing fruits, from one of my favourite trees. I refuse to give up, to be ashamed of what I am, and more than anything, to die a part of a minority.
Lisbon, my darling Lisbon, I was not born nor did I grow up here, but my legacy to you is much greater than the one I left in my home country; I have done my part, and now it is up to you. Open your eyes, Lisbon…
The case of Gisberta has brought to light in the most shocking manner all the Homophobia and Transphobia present in our society: their outline is clear and visible to all who wish to see; however, a denial, and the lack of lucidity I mentioned earlier are still in force. Silence reigns, indifference and ignorance reign supreme. What do we have left, other than indignation? Remembrance. None of us is allowed ever to forget what has happened. This is why I wish to dedicate the ten years of work in this Festival not to Gisberta, but to her murderers, nameless murderers (since I do not know their names), obscure and marginal as her life was, little heroes who, for having slain the dragon, count with the silent complicity and the implicit understanding of our society.
LGLFF Founder and Programmer
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