In a political climate rife with a right-wing agenda aimed at demonizing drag queens and the LGBTQ community, the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF) will screen the iconic film Victor/Victoria on Tuesday, April 25th at Savor Cinema, 503 SE 6th Street, Fort Lauderdale. Preceding the film, community influencers will take part in a discussion to address some of the challenges prevalent in our discriminatory climate.
Directed in 1982 by Blake Edwards, Victor/Victoria is a musical comedy that depicts a struggling female soprano who finally finds work as a female impersonator, a move that complicates her personal life. The award-winning film stars Julie Andrews, Robert Preston, James Garner and Lesley Ann Warren. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards, receiving the Oscar for Best Original Score, and also garnered five Golden Globe nominations, with Julie Andrews winning for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
FayWhat!?, lesbian TV personality and host of “The FayWhat?! Show” on her YouTube channel, will moderate the discussion prior to the film. She has also anchored Queer News Tonight on the Happening Out Television Network since 2020. Included on the panel are:
Franchesca D’Amore, a trans woman and one of the subjects in the documentary “Open Dialogues: Stories from the LGBTQ community.” She has a long history of community activism and currently serves on the Board of Safe Schools South Florida and as Entertainment Director for Hollywood Pride.
Todd Delmay, who, along with his husband Jeff, was one of six plaintiff couples in Equality Florida’s successful lawsuit for the right to marry in Florida. He is president of the Dolphin Democrats, the oldest LGBTQ+ political organization in Florida, chair of My Hollywood Pride, president of the Hollywood LGBTQ+ Council, and serves on Hollywood’s Sustainability Advisory Committee. Todd ran for State Representative in 2022, and despite his narrow loss has continued to deepen his political involvement, including travel to Tallahassee this year to lobby and bring others along to see firsthand the breadth and severity of what is happening to our community in real time.
Robert Kesten, Executive Director of the Stonewall Archives, has worked globally promoting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and furthering democracy. This work has taken many forms including writing and producing documentaries, working on the Ghanaian Constitution, coordinating and producing events leading to Ukrainian independence, producing events for the first AIDS day treatment center in the nation, and pushing for the decriminalization of homosexuality in Ukraine.
Doors open at 5:30 pm for a networking social hour, followed by a discussion at 6:30 pm. The film begins at 7pm at Savor Cinema, 503 SE 6th Street, Fort Lauderdale. Free parking in the courthouse garage on SE 5th Avenue, just north of SE 6th Street. Tickets are $10 (free for FLIFF members) and may be purchased at https://www.fliff.com/victix
