FILM FESTIVALS IN FOCUS 2025

MIX NYC 

QUEER EXPERIMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL 

NOVEMBER 20-22, 2025｜NEW YORK, NY USA

QUEER ECOLOGIES

11/20 6:00 PM Quad Cinema NYC

REZBOTANIK (2025) Brazil, Portugal, Spain | dir. Pedro Gonçalves Ribeiro

Post-clubbing comedown in the serene milieu of the Lisbon Botanical Garden. 

A RIVER HOLDS A PERFECT MEMORY (2025) UK, Jamaica | dir. Hope Strickland 

An immersive meditation on labor, exploitation, and leisure where water becomes a reservoir of histories. 

HEART SHAPED (2024) USA | dir. Grace Mitchell & Sofia Theodore-Pierce

Guests explore their desires in the campy  fantasy suites of a themed Wisconsin hotel.

THE THIRD WORLD AFTER THE SUN (2024) Colombia | dir. Analú Laferal & Tiagx Vélez

The Colombian jungle as a multivarious site of extraction, divinity, and transformation.

PAN & SYRINX (2024) Canada

 dir. A. Laurel Lawrence

Dancers enact the entangled dynamics of power, love, and betrayal in this imaginative adaptation of the classic Greek myth.

MORE HERE

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Image © REZBOTANIK  (2025) dir. Pedro Gonçalves Ribeiro

MELBOURNE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL 

NOVEMBER 13-23, 2025 / MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

THE LITTLE SISTER (2025) France

dir. Hafsia Herzi

This Queer Palm winner at Cannes (2025) was 

adapted from Fatima Daas's novel The Last One (2020) and tells the story of a young, Muslim-French-Algerian woman who must reconcile her  homosexuality with her traditional family and religious upbringing. 

PICKING CREW (2025) Aotearoa, New Zealand｜dir. Tanu Gago

Amid the isolation of a rural apple orchard, two young men navigate the pressures of masculinity, vulnerability, and a deep desire for acceptance. A subtle exploration of queer Pasifika experiences. Program: Indigiqueer Voices

THE CROWD (2025) Iran｜dir. Sahand Kabiri

Based on the filmmaker’s own experiences, The Crowd is a defiant and brave portrait of queer youth resisting oppressive rules by daring to throw a farewell party, which in Tehran can be a dangerous affair. Program: Centerpiece 

IF/ WHEN (2025) Australia

dir. Courtney Westbrook 

A surreal exploration of love, fate, and resilience and of what holding on truly means when everything is slipping away. Program: Fully Animated

BEAUTIFUL EVENING, BEAUTIFUL DAY (2024) Croatia, Bosnia And Herzegovina, Poland, Canada, Cyprus｜dir. Ivona Juka

In post-WWII Communist Yugoslavia two filmmakers navigate love and fear and the absurd rules of a forbidding regime while trying to hold on to each other and their artistic freedom. 

FULL LINEUP

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Image © THE LITTLE SISTER (2025) France

dir. Hafsia Herzi

BEIJING QUEER FILM FESTIVAL

OCTOBER 31- NOVEMBER 9｜BEIJING, CHINA  

NEW BEIJING, NEW MARRIAGE (2009) China

dir. Popo Fan

This gem from the Chinese queer retrospective program titled 404: Found! is an exciting visual record of a Valentine’s Day wedding photo shoot of two queer couples in the streets of Beijing and what passers by had to say about it. 

Program: 404: Found! 11/2/1:30PM

GIRL-BOY (2025) Nigeria｜dir. Ajay Abalaka

Four women navigate life as masculine-presenting women in Nigeria where the heteronormative gender binary is the law. Program: Communities for Queer 11/9/5:45PM

COLORED UMBILICAL CORD (2025) China

dir. Zixiang Lü

An inspiring look at the difficult journey of Song Jiale from suffocating gender dysphoria to finding community while navigating her family, acceptance, rejection, and everything else in between. Program: Queer New Voices 11/9/1PM 

LEFT HAND TURNS INTO A RAINBOW (2025) China, UK, Japan｜dir. Yi Hou, Xhou Guo

An exciting documentary which traces the hidden presence of queer characters in an early Chinese cinema. Drawing on traditional opera and martial arts novels, it uncovers images that transferred queer potential into films. Program: A Bit Abstract 11/5/5:45PM 

I ONLY REST IN THE STORM (2025) Portugal

dir. Pedro Pinho

Expat life and neo-colonial dynamics at play as a Portuguese environmental engineer takes an NGO job in West Africa and gets tangled up in a complicated relationship with two locals. 

Program: Queer New Voices 11/7/5:45PM 

FULL LINEUP 

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Image © NEW BEIJING, NEW MARRIAGE 

dir. Popo Fan

37TH NEW YORK LGBTQ+ FILM FESTIVAL 

OCTOBER 9-21 NEW YORK, USA 

IN PERSON & VIRTUAL (USA)

A DEEPER LOVE: THE STORY OF MISS PEPPERMINT (2025) USA｜dir. Oriel Pe'er

An intimate documentary about radiant NYC nightlife icon and rising trans activist, Miss Peppermint. New York Centerpiece 

In person October 12, 6:30PM @svatheatre

WE ARE FAHEEM & KARUN (2024) India

dir. Onir Dhar

When a border patrol guard accepts an apple from a man crossing from Kashmir into India, a forbidden romance begins across borders and against tradition.

In person October 17, 7:15PM @svatheatre 

Virtual (USA) October 9-21

ONLY GOOD THINGS (2025) Brazil

dir. Daniel Nolasco 

A farmer and a lonely motorcyclist cross paths in 1980s Brazil igniting a transformative romance. Bold queer (hi)stories from Brazil. 

Virtual exclusive / streaming (USA) October 9-21

SUMMER’S CAMERA (2025) South Korea

dir. Divine Sung

Coming-of-age romance about loss, first love and a camera that brings it all together. A first crush, a camera, and a hidden past that changes everything. In person October 12, 12:45 PM at 

TWO BLACK BOYS IN PARADISE (2025) UK

dir. Baz Sells

This inspiring animation based on Dean Atta’s eponymous poem follows the blossoming relationship of two unapologetic Black queer teens. SHORTS: AVANT QUEER / In person October 15, 7:30 PM @bamfilmbrooklyn  / Virtual (USA) October 9-21

FULL LINEUP 

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Image © A DEEPER LOVE dir. Oriel Pe'er

HONG KONG LESBIAN & GAY FILM FESTIVAL

SEPTEMBER 12-27

HONG KONG

CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG (2025) Germany, USA

dir. Zhou Hao

Can a grandmother’s rituals purge the “demon girl” living in her grandson? A deeply personal documentary about the filmmaker’s family struggling to accept their sexuality.

 International Gay Shorts: Mirage de Noir

CAVE (2025) Hong Kong

dir. Owen Tang Kwan Yeung 

Two young men connect in the steamy dark hues of a sauna: one is struggling with his queerness, the other with sex addiction. Neither wants to go home, so they talk. Program: Hong Kong Stories

WHEN THE PETALS FALL (2025) Hong Kong

dir. Tsoi Ka Hin

A compelling short about an elderly man struggling with pedophilia who takes in the boy next door left alone by his working single mom. Program: Hong Kong Stories

ABRAHAM (2024) Iran

dir. Elnaz Ghaderpour, Reza Gamini

A quietly suspenseful story of the brutal murder of a trans youth in rural Iran, the main suspect being his religious father. International Queer Shorts: Bitter Sweet Symphony 

CONCERNING MY DAUGHTER (2024) South Korea dir. Lee Mi-Rang

A muted yet profound exploration of queering family and the complexities of coexistence. In this case, a mother, her daughter and her lover. Program: Asian Focus

FULL LINEUP 

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Image © CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG dir. Zhou Hao

PRIDEFULL FEST

SEPTEMBER 5-14

NEW YORK, NY & VIRTUAL (USA)

A BIRD CALLED MEMORY (2024) Brazil, UK

dir. Leonardo Martinelli

A trans woman’s poetic quest for a missing bird called Memory turns into a transcendent urban journey of discovery. Shorts: Radical Acceptance 

Virtual Only / Streaming in the US 9/8-14 

TWO SIDES (2025) Myanmar｜dir. Mi Ni Ni Aung 

Documentary about a transgender man navigating his past and present in the bustling city of Yangon. Shorts: Radical Acceptance 

Virtual Only / Streaming in the US 9/8-14 

MY THERAPIST SAID, I AM FULL OF SADNESS (2024) Indonesia｜dir. Monica Vanesa Tedja

Documentary short about the filmmaker’s struggle to find their place in between their identity as a queer, non-binary person and their relationship with their devout Christian parents. 

Shorts: Radical Acceptance 

Virtual Only / Streaming in the US 9/8-14 

NEO NAHDA (2023) UK, Lebanon ｜dir. May Ziadé

A dreamy short highlighting queer and feminist Arab histories via a photo archive of Arab women cross-dressing in the 1920s. 

Shorts: Queering the Dreamscape 

In-person 9/5 9:30 PM & Streaming in the US 9/8-14

FAREWELL, SARANGHAE, FAREWELL (2025) 

Japan｜dir. Hong Sunhye

Heartwarming lesbian high school romance complete with dreams of K-pop stardom in South Korea and careful what you wish for realities. Shorts: Queering the Dreamscape 

In-person 9/5 9:30 PM & Streaming in the US 9/8-14

FULL LINEUP 

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Image © A BIRD CALLED MEMORY (2024) dir. Leonardo Martinelli

5 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS AT

CINEMA QUEER MÉXICO

SEPTEMBER 3-12  MEXICO CITY 

BALLROOM BY TREMENDA (2024) Mexico

dir. Omar Mejía Robles

An intimate look into the life of Sebas who discovers the liberating space of ballroom dancing. Shorts

INTERVAL (2025) Mexico

dir. Roberto Fiesco 

An uneasy night ride across Mexico City as Carlos desperately searches for his disappeared boyfriend in the company of a cab driver. Shorts 

TRANS MEMORIA (2024) Sweden

dir. Victoria Verseau 

In this poetic journey of exploration and self-discovery, the filmmaker and her friends reflect on their transition and navigate womanhood while weaving past regrets and future aspirations. International Features

MY AUNT PEQUE (2025) Mexico 

dir. Claudia Loredo

A personal documentary about the filmmaker’s aunt, writer and screenwriter Josefina Vicens or "Peque" whose legacy contributed to building the country's film and literary industry. Mexican Features

LET THE BODY GROW (2018) Mexico

dir. Andrea Gudiño

A visually original stop-motion animation/ documentary exploring sexual binarism via six testimonies of people with non-binary identities. Shorts

FULL LINEUP 

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Image © BALLROOM BY TREMENDA 

dir. Omar Mejía Robles

QUEER SCREEN FILM FEST

AUGUST 27-31 SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

DANDELION (2025) USA｜dir. Fiona Obertinca 

In 1970s Los Angeles, rebellious queer teen Margaret thrown out of yet another foster placement and finds herself in the company of a mysterious social worker. Queer foster parenting for real. Mixed Shorts

MANOK (2025) South Korea｜dir. Lee Yu-jin

A brash comedy about a middle-aged lesbian bar owner who, after learning that the Pride afterparty she’s hosted for decades is moving to a rival bar, moves back to her hometown and stirs things up. Intergenerational queer friendship and allyship at its best. 

NIÑXS (2025) Mexico, Germany

dir. Kani Lapuerta

Eight years of footage weaved into a complex and inspiring coming-of-age story and journey of self-discovery of Mexican teen Karla. Trans stories by trans filmmakers.

SABAR BONDA (2025) India, UK, Canada｜dir. Rohan Parashuram Kanawade

When a young man returns to his rural hometown to mourn his father, he reconnects with a childhood friend and as their  romance blossoms, they bond over grief, tradition, and societal pressures. Emerging Narrative Feature Competition

A BIRD HIT MY WINDOW AND NOW I'M A LESBIAN (2024) USA｜dir. AJ Dubler & Carmela Murphy

A heartwarming stop motion animation about a dead pigeon, an impromptu bird funeral, and a chance encounter that changes everything. 

Mixed Shorts

FULL LINEUP 

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Image © DANDELION (2025) dir. Fiona Obertinca 

NEW YORK ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL

JULY 11-27

NEW YORK, NY, USA

FLOWER GIRL (2025) the Philippines 

dir. Fatrick Tabada 

This candy-colored queer extravaganza from the Philippines is one woman's hilarious journey to learning how to be whole without her, well, hole or "poochy", as she calls it, magicked away by a trans fairy for being a bathroom bitch.

1 GIRL INFINITE (2024) USA｜dir. Lilly Hu

A color-drenched portrait of queer desire following a relationship transformed by opportunity, jealousy and the ever-consuming obsession to hold on to the illusion of someone. 

BEL AMI (2024) France｜dir. Geng Jun

Black comedy about queer realities in frozen northeast China: a closeted husband; a lesbian couple who recruits a gay hairdresser as a sperm donor and a restaurant owner who dreams of uniting all the town's gays. 

THE RED ENVELOPE (2025) Thailand

dir. Chayanop Boonprakob

A hilarious Thai remake of Taiwanese hit ”Marry My Dead Body”  about an ex-mugger turned police informant who is accidentally betrothed to a ghost. 

SKIN OF YOUTH (2025) Vietnam, Singapore, Japan, USA｜dir. Ash Mayfair

This gritty romance set in Saigon in the 1990s follows a transgender woman and her devoted cage fighter lover who get tangled up with a manipulative oligarch infatuated with her. 

QUEERPANORAMA (2025) USA, Hong Kong

dir. Jun Li

A candid and provocative exploration of identity and intimacy about a gay man who impersonates men he has had sex with. Urban alienation and Hong Kong hookup culture in poetic monochrome. 

FULL LINEUP 

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Image © FLOWER GIRL dir. Fatrick Tabada 

XPOSED QUEER FILM FESTIVAL

MAY 29-JUNE 1, 2025

BERLIN, GERMANY

WE WILL BE WHO WE ARE (2025) Sierra Leone 

dir. Priscillia Kounkou Hoveyda

A poetic, visually captivating experimental short about two friends who decide to marry each other in an attempt to escape society's pressures to conform. OPENING SHORTS

PONAY (OR YOU ARE NOT F***ING WELCOME) (2024) Thailand dir. Hesome Chamamah

In order to get a gender identity exemption from military draft, Cherry has to travel from Bangkok to their family home in Thailand’s deep south to get a document and face their conservative family. SHORTS 7 – IT’S NOT SO EASY

HOW TO LIVE (2025) Kenya 

dir. Njoroge Muthoni 

An inspiring documentary feature debut which explores Nairobi's vibrant ballroom scene and the thriving queer spaces of the Kenyan capital.  OPENING FEATURE

TRIPOLI / A TALE OF THREE CITIES  

(2024) Lebanon  dir. Raed Rafei

A queer filmmaker returns to Tripoli, Lebanon to reconnect  with the hometown that once rejected him. Through conversations with locals, he learns and unlearns the memory of this vibrant, forbidding yet welcoming city. 

TCHINDAS / (2015) Cape Verde & Spain

dir. Pablo García Perez de Lara & Marc Serena

A touching portrait of Tchinda Andrade, queer icon, activist and the first trans woman (tchinda) in Cape Verde to come out publicly.

FULL LINEUP 

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Image © We Will Be Who We Are  

Priscillia Kounkou Hoveyda