in focus @GlobalQueerCinema
10 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS WE LOVED IN 2025
10 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS WE LOVED IN 2025
10 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS WE LOVED IN 2025
10 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS WE LOVED IN 2025
Each year we are excited to share a genre- and geography-diverse selection of 10 queer feature films, shorts, documentaries, and animated queer stories we absolutely loved from around the world. All films are 2025 international theatrical & festival releases.
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Check out the global queer cinema gems we loved in 2024 HERE
10 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS WE LOVED IN 2025
10 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS WE LOVED IN 2025
10 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS WE LOVED IN 2025
BOUCHRA (2025)
dir. Orian Barki, Meriem Bennani
Italy, Morocco, USA
A queer Moroccan coyote navigating the immigrant experience (and her complicated relationship with her mother) between New York City and Casablanca. This visually singular CG feature set in a world of anthropomorphic animals blends the queer immigrant narrative with inventive CG animation bridging animation and live action. A deeply personal film, Bouchra explores the queer immigrant experience with unique character and world building. It’s like nothing you’ve seen before. An absolute must see.
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10 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS WE LOVED IN 2025
CHECK US OUT ON LETTERBOXD
@GLOBALQUEERCINEMA
on LETTERBOXD
Check out our genre- and geography-diverse curated film lists on Letterboxd.
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?
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 Singapore, @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!
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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.
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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
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Image© @QueerMoviePod
Watch FREE GQC
DOUBLE SEXY (2019)
EGÚNGÚN / MASQUERADE (2021)
EGÚNGÚN / MASQUERADE (2021)
DOUBLE SEXY (2019)
DIR. BEN MULLINKOSSON
An exhilarating look at the underground party scene of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, China. This pulsating yet intimate short follows the regulars of an underground club called Funky Town over one weekend. Skaters, DJs, drag performers, and floaters get wild, fall in love, explore their sexuality, and throw up if they must, while holding on to each other through neon-lit nights and bleak mornings. This short is a prequel to Ben Mullinkosson’s feature length documentary, The Last Year of Darkness (2023).
WATCH IT HERE
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QUEERING MEN on Letterboxd
EGÚNGÚN / MASQUERADE (2021)
EGÚNGÚN / MASQUERADE (2021)
EGÚNGÚN / MASQUERADE (2021)
EGÚNGÚN / MASQUERADE (2021)
DIR. OLIVE NWOSU
A poignant short about a young woman who returns from London to her ancestral village in Nigeria for the funeral of her mother. She finds old dreams and loves, but also traumas and lies in the place where she grew up. Egúngún means masquerade: it is roots and tradition. It is also layering and masquerading - the hiding that societal norms and pressures impose on people’s feelings and lives. Beautifully photographed with subtly intense performances, this soulful short is the physical and emotional journey of two women reconnecting in space and time, past and present and egúngún.
WATCH HERE
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More QUEERING WOMEN
CHRISTOPHER AT SEA (2022)
EGÚNGÚN / MASQUERADE (2021)
CHRISTOPHER AT SEA (2022)
CHRISTOPHER AT SEA (2022)
DIR. TOM CJ BROWN
A surreal journey of queer desire and fantasy, this animated short follows a young man as he navigates his emotions and fears literally and figuratively at sea. Christopher embarks on a transatlantic voyage as a passenger on a cargo ship where his encounter with a ship crew lures him into a dreamlike world of erotic fantasy and obsession. A visually singular work, this short animation submerges into Christopher’s inner turmoil as he slowly descends into the surreal realm of his desires and fears.
WATCH HERE
🌎🏳️🌈🎥
More QUEERING MEN
Film fest Faves
5 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS @ LJUBLJANA LGBT Film Fest
5 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS @ LJUBLJANA LGBT Film Fest
5 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS @ LJUBLJANA LGBT Film Fest
LJUBLJANA LGBT FILM FESTIVAL
DECEMBER 8-15, 2025
LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA
QUIR (2024) Switzerland｜dir. Nicola Bellucci
Massimo and Gino have been together for forty-two years and their small handbag shop in Palermo, Sicily, called Quir is the gathering spot for the local LGBTQ+ scene.
QUEER AS PUNK (2025) Malaysia, Indonesia｜dir. Yihwen Chen
A punky documentary about Shh..Diam!, an openly queer punk band in Malaysia who use their music to fight for LGBTQ+ rights in a conservative Muslim society.
CHICO (2024) France｜dir. Théo Abadie
A broken washing machine sends shy Jojo on a frantic quest across Brussels to fix it and satisfy his crush, Lucien. Program Short Film Series II
Image © QUIR dir. Nicola Bellucci
FEST FAVES @MIX NYC
5 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS @ LJUBLJANA LGBT Film Fest
5 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS @ LJUBLJANA LGBT Film Fest
FEST FAVES @MIX NYC
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.
Image © REZBOTANIK dir. Pedro Gonçalves Ribeiro
FEST FAVES @BLACK QUEER FESTIVAL
5 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS @ LJUBLJANA LGBT Film Fest
FEST FAVES @BLACK QUEER FESTIVAL
FEST FAVES @BLACK QUEER FESTIVAL
NOVEMBER 24-29, 2025 RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL
THE GENTLE FLUTTER OF THE BUTTERFLIES (2025) Brazil
dir. Leandro Fasoli
After the loss of his love, an older man finds himself immersed in the silence of a house that once overflowed with life. When he finds his lover's old butterfly collection, with an empty space reserved for a rare blue butterfly, he sets out to find it.
KALUNGA The Return of Those Who Haven't Said Goodbye Yet
(2025) Brazil｜dir. Kauan O. dos Santos
A fashion film that celebrates Afro-Latin Brazilian culture focusing on the experiences of Black and Latino models recreating famous works of art.
Image © THE GENTLE FLUTTER OF THE BUTTERFLIES dir. Leandro Fasoli
@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.
QUEER METROPOLIS
Check us out on Letterboxd
Check us out on Letterboxd
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.
FREE GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA
Check us out on Letterboxd
FREE GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA
FREE GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA
curated by @globalqueercinema
Check out our curated selection of brilliant global queer cinema available FREE (& legally) on platforms like VIMEO, NOWNESS, YOUTUBE, SHORTOFTHEWEEK, BANG BANG, etc.
QUEER FILM FESTIVALS / DECEMBER
LJUBLJANA LGBT FILM FESTIVAL
ANDALESGAI CICLO DE CINE QUEER CÁDIZ
ANDALESGAI CICLO DE CINE QUEER CÁDIZ
LJUBLJANA LGBT FILM FESTIVAL
DECEMBER 8-15, 2025
LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA
The oldest LGBTQ+ film festival in Europe, The Ljubljana LGBT Film Festival’s 41st edition is hosted by the Slovenian Cinematheque and other venues across Ljubljana. The lineup includes 23 features and documentaries and 24 shorts from over 30 countries.
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ANDALESGAI CICLO DE CINE QUEER CÁDIZ
ANDALESGAI CICLO DE CINE QUEER CÁDIZ
ANDALESGAI CICLO DE CINE QUEER CÁDIZ
ANDALESGAI CICLO DE CINE QUEER CÁDIZ
DECEMBER 11-13, 2025
CÁDIZ, SPAIN
Andalesgai, the International Queer Film Festival of Andalusia, goes to Cádiz to bring three days of queer cinema, conversation and activism to Multicines Al-Andalus Cádiz Centro and Cinesur MK2 Bahía de Cádiz. The lineup includes a curated selection of recent queer cinema gems like Agniia Galdanova’s Queendom (2023), Wanuri Kahiu’s Rafiki (2018) as well as a special program of international short films.
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KANSAI QUEER FILM FESTIVAL
ANDALESGAI CICLO DE CINE QUEER CÁDIZ
KANSAI QUEER FILM FESTIVAL
KANSAI QUEER FILM FESTIVAL
NOVEMBER 28-DECEMBER 7, 2025
KYOTO & OSAKA, JAPAN
The 17th Kansai Queer Film Festival runs in two cities, Kyoto & Osaka, showcasing films from Japan and around the world. The lineup includes over 30 features, documentaries, and short films from 13 different countries. The opening film is Alejandro Zuno’s Newborn (2024), the first Mexican film to address intersexuality.
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