BFI's London Gay Fest Announces Lineup

The 24th BFI London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival (LLGFF) that runs March 17-31 has announced their lineup of 75 feature length films and documentaries.

Kicking the event off will be the world premiere of James Kent's BBC drama "The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister." The film stars Maxine Peake (TV's "Criminal Justice") as Anne Lister, a 19th century landowner and industrialist lesbian who wrote wrote her hidden passions into a coded journal.

Closing night will feature a gala screening of Kareem J Mortimer's "Children of God." Set on the rural island of Eleuthera, the film examines identity and gay politics in the Bahamas, and stars Johnny Ferro ("The Video Guys") and Stephen Tyrone Williams ("Crush").

Xavier Dolan's celebrated "I Killed My Mother" will screen as part of the Centerpiece Screenings. Leanne Pooley's award-winning documentary "Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls" will also join that lineup. Her film follows Jools and Lynda Topp, folk-singing lesbian twins who are national celebrities in New Zealand.

A host of films will also screen as part of the LGBT Africa series. The films explore the hardships the LGBT community face in Africa, where homosexuality is outlawed. Programmer Nazmia Jamal has selected a series of short films for the series, followed by discussions about LGBT rights in Africa.

The festival will also host a retrospective of director Dorothy Arzner's work, including her films "Working Girls," "Craig's Wife" and "The Wild Party."

Other films to screen include: Nicolo Donatto's "Brotherhood," Roberto Caston's "Ander," Lucia Puenzo's "The Fish Child," and Joao Pedro Rodrigues's "To Die Like A Man."