This year, Pink Apple will be celebrating its 15th anniversary with an extravagant programme full of highlights!
We are very happy to welcome a legend of the gay and lesbian rights movement, Rosa von Praunheim, once again here in Zurich. We will not only be showing his latest film „Der König des Comics“ („The King of Cartoons“, 2012) about the well known German cartoon artist Ralph König, but also his groundbreaking early title „Nicht der Homosexuelle ist pervers, sondern die Situation, in der er lebt“ („It is not the Homosexual Who is Perverse, but the Society in Which He Lives “, 1971). This extremely controversial film kicked off the gay and lesbian movement in Zurich: a public screening in 1972 led to the founding of the Homosexuelle Arbeitsgruppen (HAZ), which will be celebrating their 40th anniversary this year during Pink Apple.
For the lovers of historical film material: there is more in store for you! For one, we will be exploring the lives of distinguished personalities Renée Schwarzenbach, her daughter Annemarie Schwarzenbach and the Mann siblings Klaus an Erika. Films by Renée Schwarzenbach, a lecture and a city tour will bring the history of Zurich in the early 20th century to life. Another highlight will be “Vingarne” (1916) by the Swedish director Mauritz Stiller. This is probably the oldest film featuring a gay topic. In those days, however, anything explicit was out of the question and subject to strict censorship.
This leads us to the important issue of censorship, always present when homosexuality is shown in films. We will be going into more detail in our various Specials.
So much has changed, but not all is good yet. Many young people still find their coming out extremely difficult, especially if they have a multicultural background. Films and a panel discussion will be devoted to this key topic.
Last, but not least: our guests from near and far will be on stage at the Cabaret Voltaire, our new festival meeting point, chatting with knowledgeable interviewers. Come and meet them!
In Frauenfeld some changes have been made, too. The Cinema Luna now has two auditoriums and a fancy bar! This small town in Eastern Switzerland is Pink Apple's birthplace. A panel discussion will address the question whether it is now easier than 15 years ago for gays and lesbians to live in the Canton of Thurgau.
Twelve exhilarating festival days, then it will be time to say goodbye! Queen Marie Antoinette will cast a spell on us, wave, and bid us farewell in the fantastic “Les adieux à la reine” by Benoît Jacquot.
And finally, our birthday wish: big crowds coming to celebrate Pink Apple's 15th anniversary with us!
Your Pink Apple team