in focus @GlobalQueerCinema
QUEER CINEMA WE LOVE: CACTUS PEARS (2025)
QUEER CINEMA WE LOVE: CACTUS PEARS (2025)
QUEER CINEMA WE LOVE: CACTUS PEARS (2025)
CACTUS PEARS (2025)
India, UK, Canada｜dir. Rohan Kanawade
In UK and Ireland cinemas on 19 June, 2026. Don't miss the ten-day Q&A tour with the filmmaker, Rohan Kanawade, kicking off on 16th June at BFI Southbank, London.
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, this quietly resounding Marathi-language drama is a soulful and patient exploration of family, tradition, queer desire and resilience in rural India.
QUEER SHORTS WATCH @GLOBALQUEERCINEMA
QUEER CINEMA WE LOVE: CACTUS PEARS (2025)
QUEER CINEMA WE LOVE: CACTUS PEARS (2025)
QUEER SHORTS WATCH @GlobalQueerCinema
Free virtual short film showcase amplifying the visibility of genre- and geography-diverse queer cinema. We spotlight 5 films/ filmmakers each season.
NEXT QUEER SHORTS WATCH
May 2-3, 2026
Stay tuned!
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QUEER CINEMA WE LOVE: TAXI MOTO (2026)
QUEER CINEMA WE LOVE: CACTUS PEARS (2025)
QUEER CINEMA WE LOVE: TAXI MOTO (2026)
TAXI MOTO (2026)
SWITZERLAND, FRANCE DIR. GAËL KAMILINDI
A filmmaker is denied funding for his film at the last minute because of its queer theme — a love story between two men. Unable to shoot in the original location (country), he reimagines it in a new place and with a new lead. As the project develops and reality merges with fiction, the film becomes an alluring visual exploration of intimacy, longing and love.
Film fest Faves
5+1 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS AT SUNNY BUNNY FILM FESTIVAL
5+1 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS AT SUNNY BUNNY FILM FESTIVAL
5+1 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS AT SUNNY BUNNY FILM FESTIVAL
5+1 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS AT SUNNY BUNNY
17-24 APRIL｜KYIV, UKRAINE
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. COMPETITION
THE WONDERFUL YEARS (2018) Ukraine
dir. Svitlana Shymko, Galina Yarmanova
An archival research documentary which explores the lives of queer women in Ukraine in the Soviet Union. LGBTQ+ histories from behind the Iron Curtain. UA RETROSPECTIVE
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Image © BEAUTIFUL EVENING, BEAUTIFUL DAY (2024) dir. Ivona Juka
5 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS AT BFI FLARE
5+1 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS AT SUNNY BUNNY FILM FESTIVAL
5+1 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS AT SUNNY BUNNY FILM FESTIVAL
5 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS AT BFI FLARE
18-29 MARCH｜LONDON, UK
10S ACROSS THE BORDERS (2025) Philippines, Singapore, Germany｜dir. Sze-Wei Chan
An uninhibited glimpse of the ballroom scene of Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand. BODIES
BABY (2024) Brazil｜dir. Marcelo Caetano
Recently released from juvenile prison and nowhere to go, a young man finds love and family in the company of an older hustler and São Paulo’s vibrant queer scene. BEST OF THE YEAR
Image © 10S ACROSS THE BORDERS dir. Sze-Wei Chan
5 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS AT MARDI GRAS FILM FESTIVAL
5+1 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS AT SUNNY BUNNY FILM FESTIVAL
5 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS AT MARDI GRAS FILM FESTIVAL
5 GLOBAL QUEER CINEMA GEMS AT MARDI GRAS FILM FESTIVAL
12-26 FEBRUARY｜SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
MASPALOMAS (2025) Spain｜dir. Aitor Arregi, Jose Mari Goenaga
A senior queer man's vibrant life in Gran Canaria turns into a disillusioned déjà vu when he suffers a stroke and wakes up in a nursing home - and back in the closet. OUT IN EUROPE
A USEFUL GHOST (2025) Thailand, France, Singapore, Germany
dir. Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke
Retro-futurist romance horror about ghosts, the spirit of a vacuum cleaner, convoluted family dynamics and queer relationships. QUEER ASIA
Image © A USEFUL GHOST (2025)
dir. Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke
QUEER FILM FESTIVALS / APRIL
LOVERS FILM FESTIVAL
LOVERS FILM FESTIVAL
LOVERS FILM FESTIVAL
LOVERS FILM FESTIVAL
16-21 APRIL
TORINO, ITALY
Lovers Film Festival (formerly known as Torino Gay & Lesbian Film Festival) is a competitive festival with an international competition for features, shorts and documentaries. The motto of the 41st edition is “Chi guarda chi – Who’s watching who”. Curated programs include ALL THE LOVERS - a selection of fresh international features; REAL LOVERS - new docs; FUTURE LOVERS - a selection of fresh international shorts.
SUNNY BUNNY
LOVERS FILM FESTIVAL
LOVERS FILM FESTIVAL
SUNNY BUNNY
17-24 APRIL
KYIV, UKRAINE
Sunny Bunny film festival is a competitive festival with an international competition for feature-length and short films. The 4th edition features a rich selection of international features, documentaries, shorts, and queer classics. Curated programs include UA SHORTS - new short films by Ukrainian filmmakers; PANORAMA - a selection of festival faves; NEW COLORS - debuts from around the world and much more.
PINK APPLE
LOVERS FILM FESTIVAL
PINK APPLE
PINK APPLE FILM FESTIVAL
28 APRIL-10 MAY
ZÜRICH & FRAUENFELD, SWITZERLAND
The largest LGBTQ+ film festival in Switzerland, Pink Apple film festival’s 29th edition brings 120 films from all over the world to the cities of Zürich (28 April-7 May) and Frauenfeld (8 -10 May). Features, shorts, docs, local and international classics as well as dozens of accompanying events with filmmakers and industry in attendance make this year’s edition full of queer film spotlights and conversation.
@GlobalQueerCinema on Letterboxd
TRANS & GENDER DIVERSE CINEMA
TRANS & GENDER DIVERSE CINEMA
TRANS & GENDER DIVERSE CINEMA
TRANS & GENDER DIVERSE CINEMA
curated by @globalqueercinema
Check out our curated selection of trans and gender-diverse features, docs, shorts, animated films from around the world, including many gems available to watch online for free. Look for the WATCH HERE links.
Check us out on Letterboxd
TRANS & GENDER DIVERSE CINEMA
TRANS & GENDER DIVERSE CINEMA
@GLOBALQUEERCINEMA
on LETTERBOXD
Check out our genre- and geography-diverse curated film lists on Letterboxd.
QUEER METROPOLIS
TRANS & GENDER DIVERSE CINEMA
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.
FREE WATCH
HOLY CURSE (2024)
TWO PEOPLE EXCHANGING SALIVA (2024)
TWO PEOPLE EXCHANGING SALIVA (2024)
HOLY CURSE (2024)
DIR. SNIGDHA KAPOOR
A poignant short about an Indian preteen whose queerness causes a family crisis and becomes an imminent problem that needs fixing via a ritual cleansing. But how do you fix what was never really broken in the first place? Mrunal Kashid delivers a powerful performance as 11-year-old Radha grappling with their gender identity yet unapologetically standing up for themselves.
WATCH HERE
TWO PEOPLE EXCHANGING SALIVA (2024)
TWO PEOPLE EXCHANGING SALIVA (2024)
TWO PEOPLE EXCHANGING SALIVA (2024)
TWO PEOPLE EXCHANGING SALIVA (2024) DIR. NATALIE MUSTEATA & ALEXANDRE SINGH
In a world where kissing is punishable by death and face slaps are the core currency, two women connect for a fleeting moment of intimacy in a department store. The violence of oppression, consumerism, and alienation has rarely been so devastatingly aesthetic as in this 36-minute crisp black and white short film narrated by Vicky Krieps. An absurdist must see about one our most basic human needs: intimacy.
WATCH HERE
Warsha (2022)
TWO PEOPLE EXCHANGING SALIVA (2024)
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
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!
🫶🌏🏳️🌈🎥
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
QUEER SHORTS WATCH / MAR-APR 2026
QUEER SHORTS WATCH FEATURED FILM: DANDELION (2024)
QUEER SHORTS WATCH FEATURED FILMMAKER: FIONA OBERTINCA
QUEER SHORTS WATCH FEATURED FILMMAKER: FIONA OBERTINCA
QUEER SHORTS WATCH | APRIL 18-19
FEATURED FILM:
DANDELION (2024)
dir. Fiona Obertinca | USA
Set in the 1970’s LA (& inspired by true events), Dandelion follows rebellious teen Margaret (Ava Lalezarzadeh) who is kicked out of yet another foster placement and thus posing a real challenge to her social worker (Vic Michaelis) to find her a new home. When unsuccessful, she comes up with a desperate last minute solution offering Margaret a flicker of hope that running might not be her only option.
QUEER SHORTS WATCH FEATURED FILMMAKER: FIONA OBERTINCA
QUEER SHORTS WATCH FEATURED FILMMAKER: FIONA OBERTINCA
QUEER SHORTS WATCH FEATURED FILMMAKER: FIONA OBERTINCA
QUEER SHORTS WATCH
FEATURED FILMMAKER:
FIONA OBERTINCA
Fiona Obertinca is a Swedish-Albanian writer and director whose stories spotlight the lives of complex, resilient women who triumph against the odds, delivering narratives rich with both humor and heart. Growing up as a refugee in Sweden, the daughter of a single mother of four, she witnessed firsthand the harsh realities faced by society’s most marginalized. Her debut short film, Sheptimi, a portrayal of her family’s escape from the war in Kosovo, earned her the Bronze Prize at the Pixel Short Film Festival. Dandelion is her thesis film at the American Film Institute Conservatory and is currently being developed into a feature. (source)
QUEER SHORTS WATCH @GLOBALQUEERCINEMA
QUEER SHORTS WATCH FEATURED FILMMAKER: FIONA OBERTINCA
QUEER SHORTS WATCH @GLOBALQUEERCINEMA
QUEER SHORTS WATCH @GlobalQueerCinema
FREE VIRTUAL SHORT FILM
showcase amplifying the visibility of genre- and geography-diverse queer cinema. We spotlight 5 films/ filmmakers each season.
CURRENT QUEER SHORTS WATCH
28 MARCH - 3 MAY, 2026
@GlobalQueerCinema would like to THANK all the filmmakers and collaborating partners who participate in QUEER SHORTS WATCH.
MORE ABOUT
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