The 39th edition of BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival taking place March 19 – 30, 2025, unveiled its full program. BFI Flare is divided into three thematic program strands: Hearts, Bodies and Minds and presents 34 World Premieres (across features and shorts) with 56 features, 1 series and 81 shorts from 41 countries.

BFI Flare opens with the International Premiere of Andrew Ahn’s The Wedding Banquet starring Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Han Gi-Chan, Joan Chen, and Youn Yuh-Jung; and the Closing Night film is the UK premiere of Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon’s Night Stage.

Dreams in Nightmares from Shatara Michelle Ford, starring Denée Benton and Charlie Barnett, screens at the festival as a Special Presentation.

World Premieres at the festival include Divine Sung’s 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-fueled 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 debut A Night Like This starring Alexander Lincoln (Emmerdale, Doctors), Jack Brett Anderson and David Bradley (Harry Potter, Game of Thrones). In his 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.

The program 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 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 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 and Victoria Pedretti. Based on actual events, northern comedy drama Departures dissects a toxic relationship from all angles by Lloyd Eyre-Morgan and Neil Ely and starring Eyre-Morgan, David Tag, Liam Boyle, Kerry Howard and Lorraine Stanley.

East Asian titles include Trương Minh Quý’s Un Certain Regard nominated Viet and Nam, the hypnotic tale of two star-crossed Vietnamese miners. The stable life of a lesbian couple is rocked when a mysterious odor 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 program. Director-screenwriter Tara Thorne’s 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 decriminalized. 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 program 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. 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 include Sam Feder, the director behind award winning Disclosure, following 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 organization 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 program celebrates the queer music and performance arts scene 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 honor the titular trailblazing musicians who have shattered taboos and lit up the world with their colorful 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 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 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 The Muleteer 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 stars in filmmaker Luca Guadanigno’s Queer, Jane Schoenbrun’s 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 debut feature 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, and 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 program is split across over a dozen thematic selections and features with themes including Queer Africa: New Visions, Sporty Spice! and Let Trans Kids Bloom.

BFI FLARE: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival 2025 Program

BFI Flare is divided into three thematic strands: HEARTS, BODIES and MINDS.

HEARTS

HEARTS includes films about love, romance and friendship. The films screening in HEARTS are:

THE ASTRONAUT LOVERS – Argentinian filmmaker Marco Berger explores contemporary masculinity, sexuality and sexual curiosity in this comedy-drama about two men who embark on a fauxmance.

HIGH TIDE – Marco Calvani’s impressive and assured directorial feature debut is a moving exploration of the fragility and beauty of human connection.

SANDBAG DAM – The relationship between two young men causes upset in a small Croatian village with a very traditional outlook on life.

TO OUR FRIENDS – That precious summer between adolescence and adulthood is documented in this nostalgic combination of documentary and fiction.

WE ARE FAHEEM AND KARUN – A sensitively told story from Flare alumni Onir, detailing a relationship that struggles amid political and social turmoil.

I LIKE WHO I LIKE – Bisexual crises, mayhem at a gender reveal, late-night millennial reckonings and more – these shorts explore the ups and downs of those with fluid attractions and desires.

KARMA’S A B*TCH! – When revenge gets deliciously wicked… Six darkly comic shorts about those who take justice into their own hands – sometimes with deadly results.

LET TRANS KIDS BLOOM – In spite of parents, teachers and the government, trans kids blossom and bloom in all their glory in this collection of life-affirming shorts.

TO YOUR SOULS: LGBTQIA+ SHORTS FROM THE UK & IRELAND – From the comic to the tragic, these films beautifully capture the breadth of LGBTQIA+ experiences in the UK and Ireland.

Also screening in HEARTS are the previously mentioned: DEPARTURES, A NIGHT LIKE THIS, MANOK, LUCKY, APARTMENT, SUMMER’S CAMERA, DRIVE BACK HOME, DRIP LIKE COFFEE, LAKEVIEW, FATHERHOOD, FOUR MOTHERS and WINTER KEPT US WARM

BODIES

BODIES includes stories of sex, identity and transformation. The films screening in BODIES are: •

MEMORABILIA – A lifetime of sexual encounters is celebrated in this art-porn odyssey, inspired by the late Charles Lum’s cruising diaries

ONDA NOVA – An explosion of colour and eroticism, this transgressive comedy looks at a women’s football team opposing prejudice in dictatorship-led Brazil.

RENT FREE – Two broke best friends attempt to live ‘rent free’ in Austin for a year after a series of terrible decisions, in this laugh – and cringe – out-loud comedy.

THE PLEASURE IS MINE – This irreverent, compelling and sexually charged debut explores the life of a confident young bisexual man whose firm grasp on desire contrasts with his ineptitude at love.

THE SILENCE OF MY HANDS – The tender love story of Rosa and Saira, two deaf Mexicans navigating their lives and relationships within a hearing world and across national borders.

TRUTH OR DARE – Lust, love, kinks, consent and community are all explored in this experimental documentary, set across Berlin’s sex-positive spaces and private homes.

BRIEF ENCOUNTERS – A series of fleeting moments capturing the intimacy, connection and vulnerability of men, which explores passion, desire and the complexities of transient encounters.

FOR THE GIRLS – Trans-femmes are front and centre in this captivating collection of shorts that traverse genres, from dating to sex work to becoming the supreme witch, grab a ticket diva.

QUEER AND NOW – A collection of stories exploring modern gay life, including tales of homelessness, obsession and the journey of coming out to stories of domestic violence, illicit affairs and love amongst thieves.

SPORTY SPICE! – Witness the fitness with 90 minutes of athletic action, ranging from lesbian horse-whisperers to fantasy footballers and heartwarming tales of trans-inclusive teams.

Also screening in BODIES are the previously mentioned: WHERE YOU FIND ME, TRANS MEMORIA, SOME NIGHTS I FEEL LIKE WALKING, REALLY HAPPY SOMEDAY, PONYBOI, CHERUB, A BODY TO LIVE IN and A FEW FEET AWAY

MINDS

MINDS includes reflections on art, politics and community. The films screening in MINDS are:

BETWEEN WORLDS – Unearthly and chilling visions lie in the intersections between past and present, reality and imagination, and sleep and consciousness, in this selection of horror shorts.

DAY DREAMERS – Fantasies, hopes and visions of flying away – these films all focus on the people amongst us who spend their waking hours dreaming and desiring.

THE FLAME OF MY RESISTANCE – In this program of short films from the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey, queer resistance and resilience shines bright like an inextinguishable flame.

QUEER AFRICA: NEW VISIONS – Experience queer Africa through authentic African lenses with this vibrant collection of stories told by and for the community.

Also screening in MINDS are the previously mentioned: AFTER THE SNOWMELT, ASSEMBLY, BLACK FRUIT, ENIGMA, HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY, HOW TO LIVE, IF I DIE IT WILL BE OF JOY, I’M YOUR VENUS, MEA CULPA, A MOTHER APART, THE MULETEER, OUTERLANDS, PEACHES GOES BANANAS, QUEENS OF DRAMAS, SAD JOKES, SALLY!, VIET AND NAM and THE WORLD ACCORDING TO ALEE WILLIS