Film fest Faves
5+1 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS AT NEWFEST
5 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS AT SOURA FILM FESTIVAL
5+1 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS At the IRIS PRIZE
5+1 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS
NEWFEST
15 - 25 OCTOBER｜NEW YORK, USA
LA BOLA NEGRA (2026) Spain
dir. Javier Calvo, Javier Ambrossi
Inspired by four pages of Federico García Lorca's unfinished final work written in 1936, La Bola Negra weaves together the stories of three generations of gay men as they navigate desire, stigma, and the devastation of war through turbulent years of Spanish history.
OPENING FILM Oct 15 7:30 PM SVA
5+1 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS At the IRIS PRIZE
5 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS AT SOURA FILM FESTIVAL
5+1 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS At the IRIS PRIZE
5 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS
IRIS PRIZE
12 - 14 OCTOBER｜CARDIFF, WALES, UK
COYOTES (2025)
France, Jordan, Palestine, UK
dir. Said Zagha
A neo-noir thriller about a Palestinian woman with a secret whose life is upended by a (not quite)chance encounter with an enigmatic stranger. A story of weaponized vulnerability and the desperate choices it forces.
Image © COYOTES (2025) dir. Said Zagha
5 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS AT SOURA FILM FESTIVAL
5 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS AT SOURA FILM FESTIVAL
5 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS AT SOURA FILM FESTIVAL
5 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS
SOURA FILM FESTIVAL
2-4 OCTOBER｜BERLIN, GERMANY
WHERE THE WIND COMES FROM (2025) Tunisia, France, Qatar｜dir. Amel Guellaty
A Tunisian road movie about two best friends in their early twenties who set out to imagine a future beyond societal expectations and inherited traditions. A childhood friendship, an art competition, and a dare for a new life. OPENING FILM
Image © WHERE THE WIND COMES FROM (2025) dir. Amel Guellaty
QUEER FILM FESTIVALS / OCTOBER
NEWFEST
SOURA FILM FESTIVAL
IRIS PRIZE
NEWFEST
15 - 25 OCTOBER
NEW YORK, NY, USA
New York’s premier LGBTQ+ film festival returns with its 38th edition with a rich program of 144 films from 23 countries. The lineup features US and international features, documentaries, queer cinema classics, short programs, including the New Voices Filmmaker Grant and the Sound & Scene showcase as well as virtual exclusives, panels, parties and more. The opening film is Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi’s La Bola Negra (2026) and the Closing Night feature is Ira Sachs’ new drama The Man I Love (2026). NewFest’s 2026 Voice & Visibility Award goes to Cynthia Nixon. A select lineup is also available to watch online in the USA.
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IRIS PRIZE
SOURA FILM FESTIVAL
IRIS PRIZE
IRIS PRIZE
12 - 14 OCTOBER
CARDIFF, WALES, UK
The Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival celebrates queer storytelling from around the world and offers the prestigious £40,000 Iris Prize, the world's largest short film prize. This year’s landmark 20th edition brings outstanding LGBTQ+ cinema, special guests, Q&As, industry and community events as well as a special BAFTA Cymru gala championing excellence in Welsh cinema. The lineup features a selection of international features, queer cinema classics, Best British, Iris Prize shorts, a Student Award and education programs. Iris Online offers a selection of festival films to audiences across the UK from 13-31 October.
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SOURA FILM FESTIVAL
SOURA FILM FESTIVAL
SOURA FILM FESTIVAL
SOURA FILM FESTIVAL
2 - 4 OCTOBER
BERLIN, GERMANY
Berlin-based SOURA FF celebrates queer cinema from across the SWANA region (Southwest Asia and North Africa). The festival whose name means "image" in Arabic almost didn't happen this year. Funding difficulties, which increasingly affect queer programming worldwide, put the festival at risk. Thanks to the perseverance of its organizers, Soura FF is back for a 7th edition with a diverse selection of features and shorts. Program highlights include the opening feature Where The Wind Comes From (2025) directed by Amel Guellaty and special guest: Raed Rafei who will be presenting two of his recent documentaries: Tripoli – A Tale of Three Cities (2024) and We Will Haunt Your Archive (2026).
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in focus @GlobalQueerCinema
FILM FEST SPOTLIGHT
FILM FEST SPOTLIGHT
FILM FEST SPOTLIGHT
FEST FAVES AT NEWFEST
15 - 25 OCTOBER ｜NEW YORK, USA
THE RIVERBANK (2026) Brazil, Germany
dir. Enock Carvalho, Matheus Farias
Magical realism and queer erotica rendezvous in this surreal thriller in which two men’s passionate encounter takes them on a journey deep into the dark mangroves of Recife and the soul of Brazil. A tale of seduction and violence where the riverbank and the evangelical church converge.
Oct 24 8:45 PM SVA
MORE HERE
FREE WATCH
FILM FEST SPOTLIGHT
FILM FEST SPOTLIGHT
SPRING WILL COME (2025)
USA, Vietnam｜dir. Marion Hoàng Ngọc Hill
A sensual metropolitan tale of connect and disconnect as three women’s fate collide in Saigon, Vietnam. The story follows a DJ and her girlfriend confronting the inevitable end of their relationship while a desperate stranger searching for her roots is trying to free her father’s spirit from their apartment. A compelling exploration of longing and belonging in a vibrant city that loves you, breaks you, then moves on fast.
WATCH HERE
FILM FEST SPOTLIGHT
FILM FEST SPOTLIGHT
FILM FEST SPOTLIGHT
IRIS PRIZE
12 - 14 OCTOBER｜CARDIFF, WALES, UK
LABRADOR: AUTOPSY OF SILENCE (2026) Canada｜dir. Rodrigue Jean
Based on a true story, this gripping thriller set on a cargo ship in the Arctic North is the autopsy of a murder told from the perspective of a queer Indigenous Inuk mechanic – the friend (and secret lover) of the cook found dead on board. As the events unfold in reverse, the story becomes a powerful exploration of race, class, and sexuality. In a quietly resounding debut, Christopher Angatookalook brings searing depth to questions of truth, justice and queer Indigenous realities today.
MORE HERE
@GlobalQueerCinema on Letterboxd
Check us out on Letterboxd
Check us out on Letterboxd
Check us out on Letterboxd
@GLOBALQUEERCINEMA
on LETTERBOXD
Check out our genre- and geography-diverse curated film lists on Letterboxd.
FREE GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA
Check us out on Letterboxd
Check us out on Letterboxd
FREE GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA
curated by @globalqueercinema
In an ocean of content, check out our curated selection of brilliant global queer cinema available FREE (legally) on platforms like VIMEO, NOWNESS, YOUTUBE, SHORTOFTHEWEEK, BANG BANG, etc. We find these gems and share them here and via curated, thematic lists on Letterboxd.
QUEER METROPOLIS
Check us out on Letterboxd
QUEER METROPOLIS
QUEER METROPOLIS
curated by @globalqueercinema
Beirut, Lahore, Montréal, Istanbul, Chengdu, Buenos Aires, Lagos, New York, Nairobi, Mumbai, Moscow, Paris, Santiago, Mexico City, Tokyo, Hong Kong. Which METROPOLIS tells your favorite queer story? Check out our genre- and geography-diverse curated lists on LETTERBOXD.
Content / creators we love
MARK PEREGRINO or @mick.pilgrim
MARK PEREGRINO or @mick.pilgrim
MARK PEREGRINO or @mick.pilgrim
MARK PEREGRINO or @mick.pilgrim
Creative producer by day, movie hypeman after dark
Based in Manila, @mick.pilgrim’s platform is one of the most eloquent and fun movie micro universes on any social media. Beyond ambitious, month-long marathon movie recs and reviews like the brilliantly curated 30 DAYS OF ASIAN HORROR FILMS, @mick.pilgrim curates ASIAN QUEER CINEMA with a unique touch.
Don't miss @mick.pilgrim's amazing film merch finds either!
🫶🌏🏳️🌈🎥
Image© @mick.pilgrim
Accented Cinema
MARK PEREGRINO or @mick.pilgrim
MARK PEREGRINO or @mick.pilgrim
ACCENTED CINEMA
Asian and world cinema
Run by Chinese-Canadian filmmaker and photographer Yang Zhang, Accented Cinema is a rich and diverse platform for insightful film essays focusing on Asian and world cinema, including some real queer gems. Check out the channel's excellent essay on Leslie Cheung & Hong Kong LGBTQ+ Cinema or 3 LGBTQ+ Films from Conservative Countries.
🫶🌏🏳️🌈🎥
Image© @AccentedCinema
THE QUEER MOVIE PODCAST
MARK PEREGRINO or @mick.pilgrim
THE QUEER MOVIE PODCAST
THE QUEER MOVIE PODCAST
The best (and worst) of LGBTQ+ cinema - one genre at a time
Hosted by Rowan Ellis and Jazza John, The Queer Movie Podcast explores the queer film canon one genre at a time from rom-coms to slashers, contemporary arthouse cinema to comedy classics. New episodes every other Thursday.
Nimona - Queer Animation
🫶🌍🏳️🌈🎥
Image© @QueerMoviePod
FREE WATCH
CURMUDGEONS (2016)
CURMUDGEONS (2016)
CURMUDGEONS (2016)
CURMUDGEONS (2016)
DIR. DANNY DEVITO
Vimeo's first official Staff Pick Premiere, this endearing short from Danny DeVito is about the best part of getting older: no longer caring what anyone thinks, and finally choosing to be exactly who you want to be. Ralphie is eighty, in assisted living, in love with another man – and in for the surprise of his life. A revelation, a tuxedo as two grumpy old men reunite on a cold winter day to take a chance on happily ever after.
WATCH HERE
THE ORPHAN (2018)
CURMUDGEONS (2016)
CURMUDGEONS (2016)
THE ORPHAN (2018)
DIR. CAROLINA MARKOWICZ
This Cannes Queer Palm winning short was inspired by true events and follows the story of Jonathas, a young Brazilian orphan navigating the adoption system, traditional family “rules” and their burgeoning sexuality. Adopted and returned multiple times, Jonathas’ sexuality and mannerisms are unwelcome by the adoptive families. Despite the devastating effects of rejection, Jonathas’ story is an inspiring tribute to the resilience and bravery of queer children.
WATCH HERE
WARSHA (2022)
CURMUDGEONS (2016)
WARSHA (2022)
WARSHA (2022)
DIR. DANIA BDEIR
A Syrian migrant working as a crane operator in Beirut, Lebanon, experiences a spectacular moment of freedom. Visually stunning with a captivating performance by Khansa, this short is about the many freedoms we yearn for. “If you're feeling like you can't breathe and all you want is that little moment where you can just be, then that's what the film is about” - Dania Bdeir.
WATCH HERE