Lesbian festival coming to Budapest again! Labrisz Lesbian Association, (turning 25 this year), is organising the 15th LIFT, the iconic Festival of Lesbian Identities, from the 22nd to 24th November. This year’s slogan is “Lesbians who stood the test of time”.
This year, they are not only planning the festival, but also a month-long lesbian herstory exhibition, which will not only tell the story of Labrisz, but also the story of LBTQ women in Hungary in the 20th century.
The Labrisz Lesbian Association, which started LIFT, is turning 25 years old this year. In the past quarter of a century a lot has happened and a lot of things changed both in space and time, not only in the life of the organisation but also in the life of the Hungarian lesbian* community. Labrisz felt that it was time to give space to the history of Hungarian lesbians* and with it the history of the organisation, so this year’s LIFT is about the past 25 years.
You will see how a social minority, marginalised to this day and sometimes thought to be non-existent, stood the test of time, and how it can now exist in a country where, more than thirty years after the end of the Soviet era full legal equality has still not been achieved.
Programme and venues:
- 9-24th November, Gallery 2B: Labrisz 25 – lesbian herstory in Hungary exhibition
- 22nd November, CEU: opening ceremony of the LIFT Festival. The festival will be opened by Edina Pottyondy, and this year’s LIFT Award and LIFT Literary Contest prizes will be handed out. The official part of the evening will close with the Hungarian premiere of the documentary Lesvia by Greek director Tzeli Hadjidimitriou. Free event, registration required.
- 23-24th November, Itt és Most (Here and Now) community space: LIFT Festival
You can find all the festival’s events in one Facebook event here, but each event also has its own Facebook event with more details, which you can find on the LIFT page.
You can visit the events of the festival by buying day tickets:
- Saturday: 2500 Ft
- Sunday: 2500 Ft.
- Combination: 4000 Ft (valid for both days)
Tickets will be available from Saturday 23rd November from the Festival volunteers at the Here and Now Community Space, with the exception of the Saturday evening film screening. All information about the latter can be found here.
Teasers from the programme of the Labrisz 25 – lesbian herstory in Hungary exhibition:
- Saturday, 9th November, 18:00: OPENING: Labris 25 – lesbian herstory in Hungary exhibition OPENING event – Accompanying event: Réka Harsányi – Dóra Ida Szűcs: Nina – biofeedback performance
- Friday, 15th November, 18:00: Labris 25 herstory exhibition: the Hilda Gobbi Film Club “extra” – Orla Egan’s documentary “Loafers”, thematic Hungarian, Mexican, Portuguese short films and a women’s film roundtable discussion led by Mária Takács, film director and former creator of the Budapest Lesbian Film Committee.
- Thursday, 21st November, 18:00: Labris 25 herstory exhibition: zine workshop – Labris 25 anniversary issue as a zine: a feminist/activist/lesbian zine-making workshop led by Nóra Hegedűs, zinester, creator of the zines Burnout, Unnecessary and Background Noise, and a commemorative talk with the authors of the former Labris issues.
The exhibition and its programmes are free, they gladly take donations on the spot.
Teaser from the programme of the 15th LIFT: “Lesbians who stood the test of time” Festival:
This year’s festival will feature more than ten activities over two days, including presentations, workshops, discussions of LGBTQ+ movements, tolerance, addictions, past, present, and future. There will also be dance, literary programs, and films, without taboos, in a safe space. Most of the events will be in Hungarian, but there will also be some in English. Interpretation will be provided in both cases.
- 23rd November, 15:00 – 16:30 (Erzsébet Galgóczi Hall): Without Taboos – educational programme (interactive/workshop)
Are you curious about the banned educational programme? Try it now! Gather arguments, be prepared with up-to-date answers on the most common LGBTQ misconceptions! In an exciting workshop, you’ll learn about the programme and meet volunteer session leaders who are committed to sexual and gender minorities and contribute to the success of Without Taboos.
- 23rd November, 15:00 – 16:30 (Gobbi Hilda Hall): Lesbian Memory in Europe – roundtable discussion with archivists
A roundtable discussion with guests on the theme of exploring and preserving lesbian history. Why is lesbian herstory important? How can lesbian history be explored, preserved, and made accessible? How can lesbian history be integrated into the history of a particular community or mainstream history? Guests: Anna Borgos (scholar of women’s history, Labrisz Herstory Archives), Orla Egan (activist, writer, director, founder, and leader of the Cork LGBT Archives), Tzeli Hadjidimitriou (photographer, film director, director of the documentary ’Lesvia’), and Ruth Bjorgford (founder of the Kolozsvár Queer Sisterhood).
- 24th November, 15:00 – 16:00 (Gobbi Hilda Hall): LIFT Literary Competition – reading and discussion
Readings of the best entries to the 15th LIFT Literary Competition and discussion with the authors. 25 years is a generation. The themes of this year’s LIFT literary competition are growing up, growing old, and experiencing the ages and life cycles as a lesbian.
- 24th November, 16:00 – 17:30 (Gobbi Hilda Hall): To the God of Hets – presentation of Rebeka Kupihár’s poetry book
The focus of Rebeka Kupihár’s first volume is self-identical love, with all its questions, joys and dangers. The volume explores the social, psychological, physical and transcendent aspects of otherness cycle by cycle, with sometimes poignant, sometimes bewildering honesty.
The events are part of the Background Society’s “We are people, not propaganda!” project.
LIFT 15 is our time machine. Get in and let’s travel together through shared space and time!
Translated by Zsófia Ziaja