Gender Bender in Bologna

Gender Bender is a twenty-year old multidisciplinary festival dedicated to the imagery produced by contemporary culture related to new representations of the body, gender identities and sexual orientation. It marks a one-off moment in the city's cultural calendar, offering an articulated cross-section of the various disciplines of cultural production, from dance to cinema, visual arts and publishing. 

Check out the venues of the Gender Bender Festival 2024 in Bologna

The 22nd edition of the festival will be held in 11 venues around the city from 31 October to 9 November 2024.

The Festival opens with the cinema section, which returns to the theatres of the Cinema Lumière, in Piazzetta Pasolini, and is enriched by an exceptional and recently opened space, the Cinema Modernissimo, which will host a number of top appointments, including the screening From Ground Zero, whose proceeds will go to the Women With Gaza project and the Masharawi Fund.

A few steps away from the Lumière is DAS, the artistic research and production centre in Via del Porto, which will be the Festival Centre and host numerous events: among many, an exhibition by Jul Maroh and various literature meetings with authors, including Walter Siti and Ezio Sinigaglia. And in the area, don't miss the traditional appointments at the Cassero LGBTI+ between parties and meetings.

Cidade, Campo, film di Juliana Rojas ©Gender Bender 

Continuing towards the centre, in Via Indipendenza, there is the Arena del Sole, which this year hosts a performance in the large hall on 3 November at 7.30 p.m.: Terminal Beach by German choreographer Moritz Ostrushnjiak. For the occasion, the stage will be extended towards the stalls, and it will be a real concentration of beauty and energy. 

Under the Two Towers, in via San Vitale, is Atelier Sì, a place of theatre and exchange, which opens its doors to the show Lounge by Marga Alfeirão. And continuing towards Via Zamboni, there is Palazzo Bentivoglio, which, like last year, will host Corpo a Corpo, a show that straddles the genres of visual art, performance, and dance.

LOUNGE Margarida, Alfeirao ©Anna Agliardi

New festival venues include the former Church of San Mattia, in Via Sant'Isaia, with a performance outcome of the workshop le Baccanti, with women over 65 with no dance experience. 

From the Towers to the suburbs, we head for the Municipal Theatre of San Giovanni in Persiceto, which will host the Garden by Gaetano Palermo.

Moritz Ostruschnjak, Tanzanweisung. Foto di Wilfried Hösel via Gender Bender

Read the full programme on the official website