Queer film festival to start in Taipei

The second Taiwan Queer Film Festival is set to start in capital Taipei on Saturday

Featuring nearly 100 films from over 30 countries and regions, the festival on LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) topics will begin its movie tour first in Taipei, and then travel to other major cities and into more remote areas of Taiwan, Xinhua news agency reported.

The selection will include "I am Michael," featuring US actor James Franco; "A Sinner in Mecca," examining what it means to be gay in the Islamic world; and Taiwanese film "Living Together," depicting a polio victim who fights for the right of same-sex marriage with his partner.

The festival will feature "Stonewall", a movie about protests for gay rights in late 1960s in New York, as the opening film.

Festival organisers formed an alliance in the Asia-Pacific region this year for filmmakers from Beijing, Seoul, Yangon, Jakarta, Manila and other cities to exchange ideas, share experiences, and establish new connections.

Festival chairperson Jay Lin said the alliance works as a platform for its members to pool resources and support LGBT events in Asia.

Nepal, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Hong Kong and Japan are the most open to the LGBT community in Asia.