The 39th edition of BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival, one of the world’s most significant and long-standing queer film events in the LGBTQIA+ calendar, today reveals its full programme. BFI Flare will take place at BFI Southbank which, alongside packed screenings, will be buzzing with special events and DJ nights during the festival. Now in its 11th year, in partnership with the British Council, Five Films For Freedom presents five shorts selected from the festival line-up to audiences globally for the duration of the festival. Five Films For Freedom is promoted across the British Council’s global digital networks as well as on BFI Player for UK-wide audiences. BFI Flare is divided into three thematic programme strands: HEARTS, BODIES and MINDS and this year presents 34 World Premieres (across features and shorts) with 56 features, 1 series and 81 shorts from 41 countries. Tickets go on sale on 25 February for BFI Members and on general sale from 27 February via bfi.org.uk/flare.
As previously announced, BFI Flare opens with the International Premiere of THE WEDDING BANQUET, Andrew Ahn’s joyful comedy of errors which recently had its World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. With a pitch-perfect cast of multigenerational talent that includes Bowen Yang, Academy Award nominee Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Han Gi-Chan, Joan Chen, and Academy Award winner Youn Yuh-Jung, this fresh reimagining of Ang Lee’s beloved rom-com teems with humour and heart is a poignant reminder that being part of a family means learning to both accept and forgive.
The festival’s Closing Night film is the UK premiere of multi award-winning writer-directors Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon’s NIGHT STAGE. This thrilling tale follows an actor and a politician who begin a secret affair and discover they both have a fetish for having sex in public places. However, the closer they get to their dream of fame, the more they feel the urge to put themselves at risk.
The BFI Flare 2025 Programming team are Grace Barber-Plentie, Diana Cipriano, Zorian Clayton, Jaye Hudson, Rhianna Ilube, Darren Jones, Wema Mumma.
BFI Flare Programmers said: “Flare is a place for community, thought and discussion through film and this year we have an abundance of cinematic riches and events to spark endless conversation. We can’t wait to welcome talents from the UK and across the globe to share these incredible stories with audiences this March.”
Exciting World Premieres presented at the festival include Divine Sung’s dreamy and beautifully shot coming-of-age drama SUMMER’S CAMERA following a teenage girl experiencing her first crush and uncovering revelations about her recently deceased father. A gynecologist’s drug-fuelled escape and a trans club manager’s legal battles merge into an unlikely alliance against society’s control of women’s bodies in WHERE YOU FIND ME by Willi Andrick, Juan Bermúdez, Isis Rampf and Anna Schröder. Two seemingly mismatched men form an unexpected connection over the course of one cold London night, in Liam Calvert’s warm-hearted debut A NIGHT LIKE THIS starring Alexander Lincoln (Emmerdale, Doctors), Jack Brett Anderson and David Bradley (Harry Potter, Game of Thrones). In his heartwarming documentary feature debut HOW TO LIVE, Kenyan filmmaker Njoroge Muthoni explores Nairobi’s vibrant ballroom scene and celebrates queer African joy. The pull of hook-up apps becomes a double-edged sword for a young man looking for connection in captivating Buenos Aires-set comedy-drama A FEW FEET AWAY by Tadeo Pestaña Caro. In Yu-jin Lee’s moving comedy MANOK the owner of a South Korean lesbian bar must return to her small hometown after clashing with the city’s younger queer community.
As previously announced, DREAMS IN NIGHTMARES – the second feature from award-winning writer-director Shatara Michelle Ford – screens at the festival as a Special Presentation. Starring Denée Benton (UnREAL, The Gilded Age) and Charlie Barnett (Russian Doll), the film follows three Black queer femmes in their mid 30s as they take a road trip across the Midwestern United States in search of their friend who has seemingly disappeared off the grid.
Alongside DREAMS IN NIGHTMARES, the programme features a variety of queer Black stories across genres. In Laurie Townshend’s intimate documentary A MOTHER APART, Jamaican poet Staceyann Chin begins a journey to find the mother who abandoned her whilst solo-parenting her own nine-year old daughter. BLACK FRUIT is a hilarious, heartbreaking web series created by and starring Lamin Leroy Gibba about two queer Afro-German friends who are forced to confront tensions at the heart of their friendship after the death of a parent. From artist Rashaad Newsome and filmmaker and professor Jonny Symons comes ASSEMBLY, an immersive, multimedia documentary that pays tribute to vogueing and Black queer culture. A gorgeous depiction of Black queer women’s love, DRIP LIKE COFFEE is the feature debut of Anaiis Cisco in which two New York baristas embark on a sensual love affair.
Other highlights include Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s directorial debut HOT MILK – an atmospheric adaptation of Deborah Levy’s Booker Prize-nominated novel, starring Emma Mackey, Fiona Shaw and Vicky Krieps. A gripping, queer twist on the crime thriller PONYBOI directed by Esteban Arango and written by River Gallo who also stars alongside Dylan O’Brien (The Maze Runner trilogy) and Victoria Pedretti (The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, You). Based on actual events, must-see northern comedy drama DEPARTURES dissects a toxic relationship from all angles by Lloyd Eyre-Morgan and Neil Ely and starring Eyre-Morgan, David Tag (Hollyoaks, Emmerdale), Liam Boyle (Coronation Street, Emmerdale) and Bafta nominated stars Kerry Howard (Him & Her) and Lorraine Stanley (London to Brighton, Eastenders).
The BFI Flare programme includes a wide range of global perspectives including a number of East Asian titles. Trýõng Minh Quý’s Un Certain Regard nominated VIET AND NAM, which also featured at the BFI London Film Festival, is the hypnotic tale of two star-crossed Vietnamese miners. The stable life of a lesbian couple is rocked when a mysterious odour emerges from the flat below in Kangyu Garam’s compelling portrayal of Korean residential politics LUCKY, APARTMENT. Exploring grief, life and legacy, documentary filmmaker Yi Shan’s AFTER THE SNOWMELT follows her investigation into her best friend’s death, taking her on a journey into Nepal’s misty mountains.
Canadian filmmaking is also highlighted in this year’s programme. Director-screenwriter Tara Thorne’s joyous dramedy LAKEVIEW is a testament to messy queer friendship groups, as bisexual Darcy holds a party weekend to celebrate her divorce from her husband. David Secter’s 1965 homo-romantic college drama WINTER KEPT US WARM has been recently restored and is a pillar of queer filmmaking from a time before homosexuality was decriminalised. Director-screenwriter Devin Shears’ CHERUB is a poignant, dialogue-free character study of Harvey, a lonely and overweight man who submits a photo of himself to a gay magazine in an attempt to build his own confidence. A promising young trans stage musical star finds his chances tested as his transition changes his precious singing voice in J Stevens’ REALLY HAPPY SOMEDAY.
The programme showcases a number of authentic trans and non-binary narratives including the deeply personal and candid TRANS MEMORIA, in which director Victoria Verseau retraces the steps of a dearly departed friend whilst remembering her own transition journey. Emmy-nominated Zackary Drucker’s ENIGMA follows the two very different journeys of disco queen Amanda Lear and British trans legend April Ashley, who allegedly transitioned at the same time in the 1950s. OUTERLANDS, the feature debut from Elena Oxman starring Orange Is The New Black duo Asia Kate Dillon and Lea DeLaria, follows a non-binary nanny who is forced to tackle addiction and childhood trauma.
Documentaries have a strong showing at this year’s festival, with a number of titles recognising the fight for justice and LGBTQ+ rights across the globe. Sam Feder, the director behind award winning Disclosure, follows trans civil rights lawyer Chase Strangio in HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY as he actively fights against anti-trans legislation and media bias. Deborah Craig pays homage to the legendary lesbian activist Sally Gearhart in SALLY!, revealing the radical and sometimes controversial sides of her 70s-era politics. Giving a voice to elderly activists, Alexis Taillant’s IF I DIE, IT’LL BE OF JOY follows three members of GreyPRIDE, a French organisation targeting ageism in the LGBTQIA+ community. MEA CULPA traces the personal journey of director Patrick Tass’ complex family history across Lebanon and Belgium, leading him to discover the intersections between sexuality and nationality.
The festival programme celebrates the queer music and performance arts scene in all its glory with QUEENS OF DRAMA, Alexis Langlois’ unabashedly camp satire of stan culture as a pop princess and a punk rebel embark on a tumultuous love affair. Marie Losier’s PEACHES GOES BANANAS and Alexis Manya Spraic’s THE WORLD ACCORDING TO ALLEE WILLIS both honour the titular trailblazing musicians who have shattered taboos and lit up the world with their colourful careers. I’M YOUR VENUS pays tribute to ballroom legend and Paris Is Burning star Venus Xtravaganza as her family seek justice for her murder and gain an understanding of her life and legacy. A BODY TO LIVE IN by Angelo Madsen traces the life and work of legendary photographer, performer and “Gender Flex” cultural icon, Fakir Musafar.
The road trip movie is a staple of this year’s festival, with two films taking a very different approach. In Michael Clowater’s DRIVE BACK HOME, starring Alan Cumming and Charlie Creed-Miles, two brothers are forced to confront their tense relationship on a 1000-mile drive to get one of them out of jail. Peter Vargas’ SOME NIGHTS I FEEL LIKE WALKING is a story of queer belonging and chosen family as a group of Manila’s hustlers embark on a road trip to return their friend’s body to his home after he tragically dies of a drug overdose.
Parenthood is represented in the programme in all of its different forms. FOUR MOTHERS from Irish director Darren Thornton and starring James McArdle and Fionnula Flanagan, winner of the BFI London FIlm Festival Best Feature Audience Award, is a delightful dramedy about a budding novelist who gets stuck for a whole weekend in Dublin with four demanding mothers. SAD JOKES follows gay filmmaker Joseph who, after having a child with his best friend Sonya, must learn to juggle fatherhood alone while Sonya deals with mental health issues. Isabel Cristina Fregoso’s entrancing THE MULEETER focuses on a daring young woman in 1930s Mexico who flees into the Jalisco mountains on the hunt for her biological father after her adoptive family discover her true sexuality. In August B Hanssen and Even G Benestad’s FATHERHOOD, a gay throuple in rural Norway are excitedly expecting their first child, but the path to LGBTQ+ parenthood rarely runs smooth.
BFI Flare will also screen four of the best queer films from the past 12 months. Daniel Craig gives a career-best performance in acclaimed filmmaker Luca Guadanigno’s QUEER. In 1950s Mexico, expat writer Lee falls for the young and elusive Allerton and is an evocative depiction of loneliness and infatuation. Having garnered multiple awards and nominations on the 2024 festival circuit including the Panorama Audience Award and Teddy Award at Berlin International Film Festival, Jane Schoenbrun’s mesmerising sophomore feature I SAW THE TV GLOW follows a lonely teenager who gets drawn into a surreal obsession with a late-night TV show. POWER ALLEY, Lillah Halla’s arresting debut feature which received multiple nominations at the Cannes Film Festival and won the FIPRESCI Prize in Parallel Sections, follows the star player of a gender fluid volleyball team who finds herself in a difficult position when she discovers she’s pregnant before a life-changing championship match. The BAFTA nominated WILL & HARPER sees Will Ferrell and SNL writer Harper Steele hit the road in this hilarious and moving tribute to the importance of allyship.
This year’s BFI Shorts programme is split across over a dozen thematic selections and features with themes including Queer Africa: New Visions, Sporty Spice! and Let Trans Kids Bloom. Further breakdown below.
As previously announced, this year’s Festival marks the 11th year of #FiveFilmsForFreedom in partnership with the British Council. This landmark international initiative presents five films from the BFI Flare shorts programme, available for free online to audiences globally for the duration of the festival and invites everyone everywhere to show solidarity with LGBTQIA+ communities in countries where freedom and equal rights are limited. The 2024 LGBTQIA+ digital campaign attracted over three million views from around the world with a quarter of views coming from parts of the world where freedom and equal rights are limited. The project allows audiences worldwide to show solidarity with LGBTQIA+ communities and the 2024 selection spanned films from the Philippines, India, Spain, USA and the UK with each story celebrating love as a human right.
Since its launch in 2015, Five Films for Freedom films has been viewed by 26 million people, in over 202 countries and principalities, including significant numbers in the 11 countries where LGBTQIA+ lives are punishable by the death penalty. The Five Films for Freedom shorts will be available to watch for free UK-wide on BFI Player. This year’s #FiveFilmsForFreedom selection is, DRAGFOX (d. Lisa Ott, UK), IF I MAKE IT TO THE MORNING (d. Andre Shen, USA), NO!!! / NGGAK!!! (D. Oktania Hamdani, Winner Wijaya, Indonesia), WAIT, WAIT, NOW! (d. Ramon Te Wake, New Zealand) and WE’LL GO DOWN IN HISTORY (d. Cameron Richards, Charlie Tidmas, UK). Further details of this year’s line-up to follow in a separate release.
The BFI NETWORK & BAFTA Mentoring in partnership with BFI Flare returns for the 10th year. Supporting the next generation of LGBTQIA+ creatives to progress in their career, the programme is for UK based writers, directors and producers who are working towards a debut feature length project, television pilot or online commission. A cohort of up to six creatives will benefit from a year-round programme of industry mentorship, wellbeing and career coaching and a series of bespoke events at BAFTA and BFI. The cohort will also receive accreditation to BFI Flare and BFI London Film Festivals as well as access to BAFTA Connect, the academy’s membership programme for emerging and mid-level talent. Alumni from the programme over the last decade include writer/director Amrou Al-Kadhi and producer Savannah James-Bayly, the team behind Layla (2024); Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor, producer of Blue Story (2019) and writer/director of Dreamers (2025); Kayleigh Llewellyn BAFTA-winning writer of In My Skin (2018-2021); Georgi Banks Davies, BAFTA-winning director of I Hate Suzie (2021); and Aleem Khan, BAFTA-nominated director and writer of After Love (2020).
For professionals working in the film and screen industries, this year’s BFI Flare industry programme will return with delegate networking and dedicated events. Press and Industry screenings will be back in venue at BFI Southbank. The full BFI Flare industry programme line-up will be announced in the coming weeks and accreditation opens on 19th February.
