Madame(HKLGFF 2020)

Official Selection – Winner of Jury Prize, Documenta at Madrid 2019, Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival

“Beyond biological differences, what cultural components, what social obligations are assigned to our gender?” Geneva-born director Stéphane Riethauser spent his whole childhood perpetuating the ‘macho’ masculinity expected of a heterosexual male. Only after stepping out as gay did he recognise the subversive effects of this gender stereotype on women and the LGBTQ community. In this tragi-comic double autobiography, Riethauser compares his journey in activism with the life struggle of his extravagant grandmother as an ambitious and eccentric woman. A stylish and fascinating piece using private archive footage to capture the nuances of gender identity in a patriarchal environment.