GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS WE LOVED IN 2024

10 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS 

WE LOVED IN  2024 

We are excited to share a selection of 10 queer feature films, shorts, documentaries, and animated queer stories we absolutely loved in 2024 from around the world. 

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THE MISSING / ITI MAPUKPUKAW (2023) 

dir. Carl Joseph Papa  | The Philippines

BLOOD LIKE WATER (2023) 

dir. Dima Hamdan | Palestine

ALL SHALL BE WELL (2024) 

dir. Ray Yeung | Hong Kong

CROSSING (2024) dir. Levan Akin 

Sweden, Denmark, Georgia, Turkey, France

THE LAST YEAR OF DARKNESS (2023) 

dir. Ben Mullinkosson | USA, China 

LOVE LIES BLEEDING (2024) 

dir. Rose Glass | UK, USA 

HOUSEKEEPING FOR BEGINNERS (2023) 

dir. Goran Stolevski | North Macedonia

SOMETHING BLUE (2024) dir. Chen Li | China

HURRICANE SEASON (2023) 

dir. Elisa Miller | Mexico

20,000 SPECIES OF BEES (2023) 

dir. Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren | Spain

THE MISSING / ITI MAPUKPUKAW (2023) 

dir. Carl Joseph Papa  | The Philippines

This literally breathtaking (the protagonist has no mouth) animated masterpiece is one of the strongest and formally most exciting queer films released in 2024. The story follows Eric, an animator who has a dark secret, a crush on his co-worker, Carlo, an alien stalker, and suffers from severe anxiety attacks. Strange things are happening to him as he is gradually losing parts of himself (his mouth, an eye, an ear) impairing his ability to communicate. Vignettes of fragmented memories slowly reveal the source of these horrific incidents, leading to a cathartic conclusion. Blending rotoscoping and 2D hand-drawn animation, this body-horror-sci-fi-coming-of-age queer love story about trauma and healing is a storytelling masterpiece and a mind-bending visual experience. An absolute must see. The Missing was The Philippines’ entry for Best International Feature at the 96th Academy Awards (2024). 

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BLOOD LIKE WATER (2023) 

dir. Dima Hamdan | Palestine

This poignant short witnesses the turmoil of a Palestinian family as the closeted son’s secret affair drags them into a trap where they face impossible choices. A powerful study of blackmail, politics, family and queer realities in Palestine. In 2024, Dima Hamdan was awarded the prestigious IRIS PRIZE for this film, the largest LGBTQ+ short film prize in the world.

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ALL SHALL BE WELL (2024) 

dir. Ray Yeung | Hong Kong

This complex and deeply moving film skillfully explores what LGBTQ+ rights actually mean and what their absence looks like. Ray Yeung’s 2024 Berlinale Teddy Award-winning fourth feature explores the intricacies of family, inheritance, and LGBTQ+ rights in Hong Kong where same sex unions are not recognized. Angie and Pat are an older queer couple who have been together for decades, are the beloved aunties of Pat’s family, and live an essentially carefree life until the unimaginable happens and changes everything. When Pat suddenly passes away and leaves no will, Angie finds herself at the mercy of the legal heirs and the family she has known suddenly becomes a group of people with competing legal interests. A sensitive yet sobering look at LGBTQ+ realities in Hong Kong. 

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CROSSING (2024) dir. Levan Akin 

Sweden, Denmark, Georgia, Turkey, France

A nuanced take on love and family and a nostalgic love letter to Istanbul, Crossing follows Lia, a retired teacher from Georgia who is looking for her long-lost transgender niece in the city that once was the capital of empires and where “people go to disappear”. While searching for her niece in the trans community of Istanbul, Lia must face her own prejudices and rely on the kindness of strangers and serendipity. Forgiving and finding forgiveness across generations is rarely explored so delicately and artfully as in this film elevated by unforgettable performances by Mzia Arabuli, Deniz Dumanli and Lucas Kankava. An ode to love, Istanbul and soulful Turkish music, Crossing is a true gem of queer cinema and an absolute must see.

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THE LAST YEAR OF DARKNESS (2023) 

dir. Ben Mullinkosson | USA, China 

The underground is simultaneously metaphorical and soberingly literal in Ben Mullinkosson's vibrant, beautifully photographed documentary. A visual and emotional wild ride from a metropolitan, neon-lit, queer corner of Chengdu (largest city of Sichuan, China), this pulsating yet intimate film follows the regulars of an underground club called Funky Town, a queer haven in the middle (and in the way) of booming urban development. A euphoric yet nostalgic look at contemporary Chinese youth, DJs, ravers, drag performers, and floaters holding on to each other through exhilarating nights and bleak mornings on the edge of sobering realities (and an imminent subway station). 

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LOVE LIES BLEEDING (2024) 

dir. Rose Glass | UK, USA 

A passionate, steroid- and violence-infused sapphic love story with retro vibes set in the late ‘80’s in a rural town somewhere in New Mexico, USA. The story follows Lou, a reclusive gym manager whose life is turned upside down by the ambitious new bodybuilder who passes through town headed to Las Vegas for a bodybuilding competition. The two fall hard for each other, but their love ignites violence and chaos as Lou’s criminal family gets involved. Love Lies Bleeding skillfully fuses the gut-wrenchingly real with the surreal in this vibrant queer revenge story. A wild ride of love, lies, and bleeding. 

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HOUSEKEEPING FOR BEGINNERS (2023) 

dir. Goran Stolevski 

North Macedonia, Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo, Poland, Australia, USA 

A queer family portrait like no other. Housekeeping for Beginners explores the concept of family and the bonds we inherit and those we create in life through the story of Dita, a middle aged woman, who, after a tragedy, has to raise her girlfriend’s two daughters. An unlikely and very queer family forms to provide a sanctuary for them. As they struggle to stay together against all odds, a riveting modern family is born Macedonian style: with heart, chaos and above all else, love. 

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SOMETHING BLUE (2024) 

dir. Chen Li  | China 

On the eve of her wedding, a young woman's old flame takes her on a last freezing hike into the wild where the two head towards the China-North Korea border on a seemingly absurd adventure.  With terrific performances by Ma Ximan and Chen Yusha, Chen Li's moving short is soulful tale of queer longing.

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HURRICANE SEASON (2023) 

dir. Elisa Miller | Mexico

Based on the novel of the same name by Fernanda Melchor, this harrowing crime thriller exposes the toxic machismo and violence that plagues a rural community in Veracruz, Mexico. When La Bruja (the Witch), the enigmatic trans woman who was the core and pariah of the community is found brutally murdered, the story investigates the events leading up to her murder from four different perspectives. Hurricane Season is a lustful, violent, sweat-drenched journey into the heart of darkness where machismo eats the soul and the hurricanes of destiny offer no absolution. An absolute must see (and read). Streaming globally on @netflix

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20,000 SPECIES OF BEES (2023) 

dir. Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren | Spain

Basque director Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren’s soulful feature debut follows an eight-year-old (the extraordinary Sofía Otero awarded the best leading performance at the 2023 Berlinale) who spends the summer with family in Basque Country (Spain) where she navigates the gender binary and connects with family, nature, and bees. An empathic and organic story of self-discovery, this film is a complex and humane exploration of femininity, gender, sexual identity and generational trauma without giving in to pathos or the clichéd tropes of coming-of-age stories.

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MORE GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS 

we absolutely loved in 2024

2024 international theatrical & festival releases - features, shorts, documentaries, TV shows, animation and more.

THE QUEEN OF MY DREAMS (2023) 

dir. Fawzia Mirza | Canada, Pakistan 

VIỆT AND NAM (2024) dir. Trương Minh Quý Philippines, France, Singapore, Italy, Vietnam ​​

‎QUEEN SIZE (2023) dir. Avril Besson | France 

LAYLA (2024) dir. Amrou Al-Kadhi | UK

GOODBYE FIRST LOVE (2024) 

dir. Shuli Huang | China

FULL LIST on Letterboxd

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