FILM FESTIVALS IN FOCUS 2025

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 program. 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 program. 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 program. 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 program. In-person & Virtual 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 program. In-person & Virtual streaming in the US 9/8-14 

FULL LINEUP 

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

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

SUNNY BUNNY FILM FESTIVAL

APRIL 18-25, 2025

KYIV, UKRAINE

LESBIAN SPACE PRINCESS (2025) Australia 

dir. Emma Hough Hobbs & Leela Varghese

A candy-coloured, animated queer space adventure about an introverted princess on a galactic quest to save her bounty hunter girlfriend. NEW COLORS

QUEENS OF JOY (2024) Ukraine 

dir . Olga Gibelinda

An inspiring story of drag, war and glamour about three Ukrainian drag queens who courageously fight for the freedom of their country and their community. OPENING FEATURE

ENDLESS (2024) Poland｜dir. Wojciech Puś

An experimental dreamscape of performance, music, and sex exploring non-binary, transgender, and queer experiences via a complicated affair and a game of emotions. A uniquely hypnotic visual, sensory sound(e)scape. COMPETITION

THE BELLE FROM GAZA (2024) France

dir. Yolande Zauberman 

This documentary follows a group of Arab trans women in Tel Aviv, Israel while investigating the story of  a trans girl who, in fear for her life, walked on foot from Gaza to Tel Aviv. PANORAMA

A BIT OF SCARLET (1997) UK｜dir. Andrea Weiss

Narrated by Sir Ian McKellen, this documentary explores how gay and lesbian people have been depicted (yes, the cliches and the stereotypes) in mainstream British film and television. UK QUEER RETROSPECTIVE

FULL LINEUP 

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Image © @lesbianspaceprincessfilm

BFI FLARE 

LONDON LGBTQIA+ FILM FESTIVAL

MARCH 19-30, 2025 LONDON, UK

AFTER THE SNOWMELT (2024) 

Taiwan-Japan｜dir. Yi-Shan Lo

The filmmaker investigates the death of a close friend, delivering a moving testament to their life and legacy amongst their chosen family.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE (2024) Taiwan

dir. Deborah Devyn Chuang

Reality and dreamscape become increasingly blurred in an uncomfortable, Lynchian and violent Freudian loop for teenage Lolo and her mother.

IF I DIE, IT’LL BE OF JOY (2024) France

dir. Alexis Taillant

Following the lives of three elderly activists, this moving documentary gives a voice to members of the queer community who are often invisible.

POWER ALLEY (2023) Brazil｜dir. Lillah Halla

Queer sisterhood and collective power lie at the heart of this arresting Brazilian debut, in which a promising volleyball player faces an unwanted pregnancy.

THE ASTRONAUT LOVERS (2024) Argentina-Spain dir. Marco Berger

Argentinian filmmaker Marco Berger explores contemporary masculinity, sexuality and sexual curiosity in this comedy-drama about two men who enter into a fauxmance.

FULL LINEUP HERE

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Image © STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE (2024) 

5 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS AT 

SOUTHEAST ASIA QUEER CULTURAL FESTIVAL / SEAQCF 2.0 

DEC 16, 2024 - MAR 30, 2025

CAMBODIA / VIETNAM / INDONESIA / THAILAND / THE PHILIPPINES

CALABAI WILL ALWAYS DANCE (2023) Indonesia

dir. Kerukunan Waria Bissu Sulawesi Selatan 

A documentary about the journey of a transgender woman (calabai) as she traces the legacy of Pajoge Angkong, a folk dance performed traditionally by calabai.

WE (2024) Thailand ｜dir. Oat Montien 

Shot on a hot summer day in Bangkok, this visual collage - inspired by a poem by Sammy Kim - explores polyamorous desire.

THE SAPPHO PROJECT: FRAGMENT 147 (2024) The Philippines

dir. Sari Katharyn

A collaborative project of queer women from around the world, this animated short evokes one of the most famous lyrical poems of ancient Greek poet Sappho of Lesbos: Fragment 147.

OUT (2023) Malaysia｜dir. Justice Khor 

Expelled from Malaysia, the first person to receive asylum in the UK on the grounds of LGBTQ+ identity recounts a journey marked by ousting, disownment, and a quest for acceptance.

THE VISIBLE (2024)  Brunei｜dir. Atikah Zainidi 

Three women share queer realities in Brunei where same-sex relationships are a criminal offense.

WATCH all films HERE

EXPLORE OTHER PROGRAMS at SEAQCF 2.0 

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 Image © CALABAI WILL ALWAYS DANCE (2024)

TEDDY AWARD, BERLINALE

FEB 13-23, 2025

BERLIN, GERMANY

STARS (2025) UK, Germany | dir. STARS Collective

An Afrofuturist space odyssey about the Nommo - extra-terrestrial Afro-hermaphrodite anthro-amphibian migrants. Forum Expanded

DREAMERS dir. (2025) UK｜dir. Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor

While battling the labyrinthine UK asylum system, a Nigerian migrant finds a kindred spirit whose support and affection offers a glimpse of hope for a new life. Panorama

HOUSES (2025) Germany, Israel｜dir. Veronica Nicole Tetelbaum

Haunted by memories of transient homes, a non-binary teen revisits the houses they used to live in before they moved to Israel from the Soviet Union. A soulful meditation on home as a house and a body. Forum

QUEERPANORAMA (2025) USA｜dir. Jun Li

A gay man impersonates men he has had sex with and adopts a new persona for each new hook-up. By pretending to be someone else, he can he be truly himself. Panorama

SILENT SPARKS (2024) Taiwan | dir. Ping Chu

Freshly released from prison, a young man plunges back into the world of gangsters and his much-awaited reunion with his former cellmate also falls short of his expectations. Can they start a new life and hold on to each other? Panorama

FULL LINEUP HERE

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Image © STARS (2025)

MARDI GRAS FILM FESTIVAL

FEB 13-27 (cinemas) FEB 28-MAR 10 (online) 

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

AMMA'S PRIDE (2024) India｜dir. Shiva Krish

A trans woman’s fight to claim her right to marry her partner in Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India.​​ QueerDOC Shorts

THE PARADISE OF THORNS (2024) Thailand｜dir. Boss Kuno

When a young man’s partner suddenly dies and he finds himself unprotected by laws that do not recognize same sex relationships, he decides to fight for their love and their cherished durian orchard. Features

BLOOD LIKE WATER (2023) Palestine｜dir. Dima Hamdan

The turmoil of a Palestinian family as the closeted son’s secret affair drags them into a trap where they face impossible choices. Gay Shorts

THREE KILOMETRES TO THE END OF THE WORLD (2024) Romania

dir. Emanuel Pârvu

Winner of the Queer Palm at Cannes, this feature is the touching story of a gay teen navigating the aftermath of a homophobic assault in a conservative community in Romania. Features

DRAGFOX (2024) UK｜dir. Lisa Ott

A moving stop-motion animation about a child struggling with their identity and a charismatic fox (voiced by Ian McKellen) who learn to embrace their differences. Trans & Gender Diverse Shorts

FULL LINEUP HERE

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Image © Amma's Pride (2024) dir. Shiva Krish

5 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS AT SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

JAN 23-FEB 2, 2025 

PARK CITY & SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, USA

INKWO FOR WHEN THE STARVING RETURN (2024) Canada

dir. Amanda Strong

A stop-motion animation about Dove, a gender-shifting warrior who uses  Indigenous medicine (Inkwo) to protect their community from terrifying creatures. / Animated Shorts

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. World Cinema Dramatic Competition

STRANGER, BROTHER. (2024) Australia｜dir. Annelise Hickey

When a self-absorbed, queer millennial finds his estranged little brother on his doorstep one morning, he must face the family he’s been running away from. / Short Film Program 4

THE WEDDING BANQUET  (2024) USA｜dir. Andrew Ahn

In this remake of Ang Lee’s 1993 film of the same title, a gay man makes a deal with his lesbian friend: a green-card marriage in exchange for IVF treatments. Things get complicated when the grandmother surprises them with a Korean wedding banquet. / Premieres

GRANDMA NAI WHO PLAYED FAVORITES (2025) Cambodia / France

dir. Chheangkea

A dead grandmother sneaks back from the afterlife when she learns that her queer grandson is about to get engaged to a woman. / Short Film Program 2

Explore MORE QUEER CINEMA at Sundance

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 Image © Inkwo For When The Starving Return