Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone Dramedy ‘The Wedding Banquet’ to Open London’s LGBTQIA+ Film Fest
The Wedding Banquet, starring Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone and Kelly Marie Tran, will open the 39th BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival.
From Mar. 19-30, the fest will lead with the international premiere of Andrew Ahn’s dramedy, set to screen at the festival’s opening night gala.
Alongside Yang, Gladstone and Tran, the film also stars Han Gi-Chan (Where Your Eyes Linger), Joan Chen (The Last Emperor, Twin Peaks) and Oscar winner Youn Yuh-Jung (Minari). Co-written by Andrew Ahn and James Schamus, co-writer of the original film; the BFI Flare Opening Gala follows the film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
A plot synopsis reads: “Angela and her partner Lee have been unlucky with their IVF treatments, but can’t afford to pay for another round. Meanwhile, their friend Min, the closeted scion of a multinational corporate empire, has plenty of family money but a soon-to-expire student visa. When his commitment-phobic boyfriend Chris rejects his proposal, Min makes the offer to Angela instead: a green card marriage in exchange for funding Lee’s IVF.”
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“But their plans to quietly elope are upended when Min’s skeptical grandmother flies in from Korea
unannounced, insisting on an all-out wedding extravaganza.”
Ahn said: “I’m incredibly excited for The Wedding Banquet to have its international premiere at BFI Flare, a festival that celebrates and cultivates queer talent. I’m honored to be a part of a cinema legacy that
includes filmmakers like Amrou Al-Kadhi and Hong Khaou. I’ve fallen in love with London on my many
previous visits, so it feels fitting to bring this love story to the city.”
The full program for BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival will be released on Feb. 18.
