NQV Media’s Upon Her Lips is back with five beautiful short films exploring the space between secrecy and public knowledge. From two school girls attempting to avoid the gaze of a controlling state system to a castle deep in the forests of rural Germany, and a night out that sparks change, Upon Her Lips: Open Secrets is another knockout collection from NQV Media.
NQV Media’s latest Upon Her Lips collection of lesbian short films, Open Secrets, aims to tempt you with secret desires in the brightest of days or the darkest of nights. Two schoolgirls in Iran attempt to cover up a misdemeanour, whilst a Spanish couple’s weekend retreat involves navigating family dynamics. In 19th-century Germany, a peasant clairvoyant has the villagers gossiping, whilst in present-day New Zealand, a woman uses laughter to let go. For these emboldened women, sexuality becomes the least of their worries.
CCTV (Iran, 10 mins) Director: Samira Karimi
Cast: Parnia Larni, Parisa Habibi, Negar Taheri, Mehri AlAgha.
Two high school girls are called to the headmistress’s office and warned of severe consequences after footage of them is captured on the school’s CCTV. With nothing to lose, the two girls devise a daring plan to resolve the situation. Through the brilliant performances of her young cast, Samira Karimi powerfully explores the continued oppression of women in Iran, and the fear of a society where eyes are everywhere, and privacy feels distant. But CCTV also offers hope for change, as a new generation takes control and pulls the cords free that oppress them.
SHE’S A FRIEND ‘UNA AMIGA’ (Spain, 24 mins) Director: Maura Matute
Cast: Violeta Orgaz, Laura Romero.
Lucía takes Paloma to her family’s country house for the first time. That same weekend, Lucía’s brother unexpectedly turns up with his boyfriend. One problem: Lucía isn’t out with her family, and so Paloma is forced to pretend, once again, that they are ‘just friends’. Maura Matute’s short film isn’t afraid to ask whether any relationship can survive a partner who isn’t ready to open up. All LGBTQ+ people have been there; at some point, we have all hidden our feelings or pretended to be someone we are not to make a loved one happy. But is that really love?
QUEEN SIZE (France, 19mins) Director Avril Besson
Cast: India Hair, Raya Martigny, Marie Loustalot.
Carefree soul, Charlie’s approach to life is to coast along and see what fate has in store. When she purchases a mattress from Marina, who’s planning to move back home to the island of Reunion, they find more in common than expected. Queen Size was nominated for Best Short Fiction Film in the César Awards. Avril Besson’s short story explores the tentative nature of summer flings, which could become transformative with more time. But summer is always too short, and far too often we walk into Autumn and away from something truly special. Can Charlie and Marina buck the trend?
A LADY’S RITUAL (Germany, 30 mins) Director: Mark Lorei
Cast: Jenny König, Eva Maria Sommersberg, Mechthild Großmann, Milena Straube, Leonie Rainer, Cennet Rüya Voss, Fabian Nolte, Manolo Talarico.
In 19th-century Münsterland, Germany, in a castle deep in the forest, a noblewoman hears from her courtiers local gossip about a shepherdess who has angered the village chief because of her clairvoyant abilities. However, unknown to the courtiers and village folk alike, an occult alliance has formed, poised to change the balance of power forever. Mark Lorei’s gloriously rich costume drama, Die Spökenkiekerin und das Fräulein, is, in essence, a classic bedtime story, imbued with discussions of gender, myth, and sexuality in classic folklore and fairytales.
JOEY’S HEART (New Zealand, 15 mins) Director: Louise Lever
Cast: Angela Bloomfield, Holly Hudson, Jess Sayer, Renée Sheridan.
Joey, a self-described ‘gay Bridget Jones’, rediscovers her sexuality in the most unexpected ways. Tired of always being lonely and single, she meets Alice at a laughter club. Her fortunes begin to change when she meets Stella one night in a bar. Speaking about Joey’s Heart ahead of the NQV release of Upon Her Lips: Open Secrets, Louise Lever said, “Joey’s Heart is a film about wanting to find someone special and hope. I wanted to make a light-hearted love story for the LGBT+ community, where I could channel some of my own personal experiences into the script. Being in the LGBTQIA+ community myself, there are limited stories, and I don’t see myself reflected on the screen often. There aren’t many lesbian stories with mature women in their 30s/40s, and so I made the kind of film I would like to watch myself.”
NQV Media’s Upon Her Lips: Open Secrets – Stream It now on Vimeo, PeccadilloPOD, Payhip and Prime Video.
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