The Queer Home on Celluloid: Greek Cinema and the Public/Private Boundary

Description of Activity

EROSS Webinar at Dublin City University

The paper aims to discuss through content analysis of the films that constitute the New Greek Queer cinema of the 90s the residential home as an important site for ‘queer politics’ of identity, based on the way it manages the public/private boundary. Taking inspiration from the rise of the New Queer cinema as defined by Rich (1992, 2013), a group of Greek auteurs, many of them after studying and working abroad, brought forward the queer subject in a rather conservative society, aiming simultaneously to move forward from the depressing cursed gay man, the dangerous margin and the historical perspective. In the mid-90s, Greek filmmakers deal with contemporary issues, raise issues of class, immigration and alternative identities, and make references to global trends, while, at the same time, placing their main characters in the contemporary Greek urban and rural space. National cinematic productions provide a reflection of social issues, regardless of the aims of the creators and this paper aims to focus on the development of a queer identity in a country, which always dreamed of belonging to the west, despite its clear geographical position within and cultural links to the east. The paper studies the way the private space of gay, lesbian and trans characters is presented and maps how these representations reveal the way the public/private boundary is managed and creates relationships with the world. These representations reveal stereotypes and cultural assumptions, while at the same time bring those subjects to the attentions of the public.

Period	15 Mar 2023
Held at	Dublin City University, Ireland
Degree of Recognition	International