32nd CT LGBTQ Film Festival: Erik & Erika

Director: Reinhold Bilgeri

Austria, 89

Screenwriter: Dirk Kämper

Cast: Ulrike Beimpold, Christoph Bittenauer, Nives Bogad |

World skiing champion Erika Schinegger, who won the gold medal in the women’s downhill competition in 1966, had been declared female at birth and raised as a girl. But a newly introduced genetic test proves that Erika is biologically male. When the truth comes out, everyone is shocked, including Erika. The joy of victory gives way to heartbreak as Erika is disqualified, accused of fraud and prevented from competing in the 1968 Olympics – unless she undergoes a medical procedure to become “fully female.” Without support from family or friends, Erika faces with the most agonizing decision of her life, at a time when the words intersex and transgender were not understood.

The Shorts preceding the feature are:

Oh No Pedro
Dir. Annlin Chao, 2018, UK, 3 min
A young person has lost their words, thoughts and gender identity. While many eyes watch in wonder and disapproval, the person is transformed through the power of music, dance and animation. Their secret is no longer hidden. They are free.
Northeast U.S. premiere!

Sequins
Dir. Michael Beddoes, 2019, UK, 18 min
Seventeen-year-old Paul Bigsby wakes up early every morning to practice his (somewhat haphazard) drag act. One day, a chance encounter with jaded Blackpool queen Mimi Le Purr sets him on a collision course with his parents, bullies and the school talent show.