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Top 10 Lesbian Movies at Amsterdam LGBTQ+ Film Festival 2021

By: Author Karl Krause

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Top 10 Lesbian Movies at Amsterdam LGBTQ+ Film Festival 2021
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Our Top 10 list of the best Lesbian Movies 2021 selected for the Amsterdam LGBTQ+ Film Festival Roze Filmdagen 2021. For 25 years, the biggest Dutch LGBTQ+ film festival is inviting the LGBTQ+ community to see the best, the most popular, and the newest LGBTQ+ movies. To make sure, you won’t miss any of the great movies, shorts, and films from Germany to Chili, from Australia to Turkey, or from the USA to Denmark, we teamed up with festival director Werner Borkes to select some of the best movies about lesbian women, love, aging and different generations from around the world. In 2021, the LGBTQ Film Festival in Amsterdam will celebrate its 24th-anniversary featuring some of the best Lesbian Movies 2021 like the Finnish movie “Nimby”, the US-American film “Shiva Baby” and the movie “Between the seasons” from South Korea.

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Top 10 List of Lesbian Movies 2021 at Roze Filmdagen

Last year, the LGBTQ+ Filmfestival Roze Filmdagen had to be canceled just a couple of days before the opening night. Currently, cinemas and theaters are not open in the Netherlands. The organizers decided for the 2021 edition, to turn the queer film festival into an online version. That means: Start planning your queer home cinema nights in March! The opening movie of the Amsterdam LGBTQ+ Film Festival will be available for streaming on 11th March 2021. The LGBTQ+ film nights will continue for 11 days in total until 21st March 2021. Like the other editions in the past year, the festival will be screening feature movies, documentaries, and short movies coming from many countries. But don’t worry, you won’t get lost with our list of the best lesbian movies including trailers and screening information on couple of men. And now, snuggle up and enjoy the best lesbian movies 2021 selected for the Roze Filmdagen Amsterdam 2021!

#1 Forgotten Roads | Chili

(2019) Claudina is a lonely, conventional woman from the countryside. After her husband died, and due to the lack of money, she had to move in with daughter Alejandra, with whom she has a standoffish relationship. Her dearest grandson Cristóbal is the only one who can make her smile. One day, she meets her neighbor Elsa, an independent and married sociable person. Together, both women explore the elements of lost time and regret and are open to intimate awakening; Claudia begins a romance with Elsa and falls in love with her.

Wonderful little drama with probably the most engaging lead actress of the entire festival. More about Forgotten Roads here >

Spanish, with English subtitles

Dates:
12th March 2021 | 21:00 Hours
21st March 2021 | 19:00 Hours

#2 Kiss me before it blows up | Germany – Israel

(2020) When two generations of Israeli women fall for a German woman and a Palestinian man, chaos follows in this debut film full of love stories of women from different cultures and political backgrounds. Maria travels to Tel Aviv from Germany to move in with her friend Shira. However, a small (literal) misstep and a wrong assumption cause an unstoppable chain reaction; a chaotic romantic journey that brings together the lovebirds’ two opposing families, including the unexpected love story of Shira’s grandmother full of political conflicts of her own.

A romantic satire-comedy that also does not shy away from uncomfortable topics such as the occupation and the Holocaust. More about Kiss Me Before It Blows Up here >

English, German, Hebrew, and Arabic, with English subtitles

Dates:
13th March 2021 | 21:00 Hours
19th March 2021 | 21:00 Hours

#3 Through the glass darkly | USA

(2020) The sleepy town of Elrod, Georgia is the setting of this suspenseful psychological thriller. Since her daughter suddenly disappeared a year before, Charlie has never given up hope of finding her again. She still plasters telephone poles with “Missing” posters. At home, the dogged search weighs heavily on her relationship with partner Angela. Her only solace is a drink at the local bar. When another girl goes missing, Charlie digs even deeper into the community’s dark past. She gets help from journalist Amy but is forced to face her own destructive secrets.

The film does an excellent job of fooling the audience yet giving them all the clues they need to unravel the mysteries hidden within. More about Through The Glass Darkly here >

English, no subtitles

Dates:
15th March 2021 | 21:00 Hours
18th March 2021 | 21:00 Hours

#4 Between The Seasons (gyejeolgwa gyejeol sai) | South Korea

(2018) Hae-Soo moves from Seoul to a small town where she opens a coffee shop. Student Ye-Jin visits the coffee shop regularly, and she befriends Hae-Soo who thaws out somewhat and even lets Ye-Jin decorate her store. The student falls in love with the woman but keeps it a secret. What is it that Hae-Soo is keeping secret?

A beautiful, sensitive film that takes the time to develop the women’s emotions and engage you with them. More about Between The Seasons here >

Korean, with English subtitles

Dates:
12th March 2021 | 19:00 Hours
21st March 2021 | 17:00 Hours

#5 Shiva Baby | USA

(2020) Twenty-something years old Danielle is a perpetual student who lies to her well-intentioned but meddlesome parents about her faltering academic career. We are immersed for a day in Danielle’s Jewish family, which encounters both her far too well-off ex-girlfriend (actually, why weren’t they together anymore?) and her secret sugar daddy after the funeral of a mutual friend. We almost don’t get out of the parents’ house where the Shiva takes place, and the more the plot unfolds thanks to the ever-swelling music, the more you begrudge Danielle a block.

A hilarious, realistic, and chaotic running buffet of vicarious embarrassment and awkwardness that simultaneously resembles an average family commitment in nothing and everything. More about Shiva Baby here >

English, no subtitles

Dates:
16th March 2021 | 19:00 Hours
20th March 2021 | 21:00 Hours

#6 Happy Ending | Denmark

(2019) While Helle thought they would be traveling together after retirement, Peter begins a career as a wine importer. It won’t take long until the couple splits up. For both awaits a world full of discoveries, possibilities, and dreams. And for Helle one even revived sensual freedom.

A romantic, but honest comedy about getting older. More about Happy Endings here >

Danish, with English subtitles

Dates:
13th March 2021 | 17:00 Hours
20th March 2021 | 17:00 Hours

#7 Nimby | Finland

(2020) Mervi is a young lesbian woman from the hipster neighborhoods of Helsinki. She has been living with her German-Iranian friend Kata for about a year. Circumstances encourage them to finally come out of the closet. With Kata’s parents on the way, they travel to Mervi’s home village in the countryside to first confront her parents. There, Mervi discovers that she is not the only one with secrets. The two girls find themselves in the middle of complete social chaos: a community of gangbangers, preachers, activists, racists, refugees, and people with alcohol and drug problems. Eventually, even a neo-Nazi group on the warpath invades.

This black, satirical comedy both entertains and makes you think. More about Nimby here >

Finnish, English, and German, with English subtitles

Dates:
12th March 2021 | 21:00 Hours
18th March 2021 | 19:00 Hours

#8 Same But Different: A True New Zealand Love Story | New Zealand

(2019) Single, somewhat bumbling, mother Rachel meets tough, straightforward, Samoan filmmaker Nikki at a local film festival. A funny and romantic story unfolds about how the two circle each other, overcome struggles, and, happy ending, come together. As the title suggests, this light romantic film is based on an actual real-life experience and the love that developed from it. Viewing tip: stay tuned until after the credits for some fun extras!

Director Si’ulepa wanted to “offer a glimpse into same-gender relationships” and tell a “true, romantic love story that people can relate to”, states NZonScreen. More about Same But Different here >

English, no subtitles

Dates:
15th March 2021 | 17:00 Hours
17th March 2021 | 17:00 Hours

#9 Cocoon (Kokon) | Germany

(2020) Nora is only fourteen years young but is already slowly discovering what kind of pleasures life has to offer. She attends parties, smokes marijuana, learns to stand up for herself, and, of course, falls in love. The confusion is great because Nora does not fall in love with a boy but with Romy, a sixteen-year-old girl.

A particularly beautiful coming of age film, straight from last year’s Berlinale premiere. More about Cocoon here >

German, with English subtitles

Dates:
14th March 2021 | 17:00 Hours
19th March 2021 | 19:00 Hours

#10 Love, spells and all that | Turkey

(2019) As teenagers, Eren and Reyhan had a forbidden love affair. When their secret relationship did become public, Eren’s family forced them apart; they sent Reyhan off the island and Eren to a boarding school in Europe. 20 years later, Eren is back on the island for the first time and seeks out the previously returned Reyan, who is now living with a man. She tells her that she has never loved anyone else like her and that she is still in love with her. Eren is initially shocked and reluctant, but nevertheless allows herself to be persuaded to spend a day together; after all, an old spell must be broken before a future together can be considered at all. More about Love, Spells, And All That here >

Turkish, with English subtitles

Dates:
14th March 2021 | 16:00 Hours
19th March 2021 | 21:00 Hours

Best Lesbian Movies 2021 for Roze Filmdagen:

List of the best Lesbian Movies 2021 selected for Roze Filmdagen Amsterdam

Of course, our top list of lesbian movies is just a selection for some guidance to get an overview for the online festival. Check the whole program of the Roze Filmdagen for all movies, films, and documentaries! A single movie ticket will cost you €8.50. Access the online movie theater by visiting: watch.rozefilmdagen.nl. This year again, it is possible to support the Amsterdam LGBTQ+ Film Festival 2021 with two different kinds of memberships (website in NL/EN).

Option 1: Become a Pink Member You can support the Amsterdam LGBTQ Film festival by becoming a member; one-year membership is €50. A Pink member gets a €30 discount for this year’s online passepartout. During the year you also get a discount on tickets for Gay Night at Het Ketelhuis, and sometimes other festivals and events we cooperate with.

Option 2: Become a Platinum Member Want to go all in? Then become a Platinum Member. For €750 you’ll be our guest at the opening, you’ll receive a personal passepartout for all screenings during the festival. And we’ll throw in a unique T-shirt. Plus we’ll invite you to some special events during the festival, and during the year.

Karl & Daan.

Do you want to know and see more of us gay couple travel bloggers? Stay tuned on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook! See you in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and around the world!

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