Next month, BFI Southbank will once again be hosting the most significant and long-standing queer film festival in the world, BFI Flare. Playing a significant part in queer cinema and LGBTQIA+ culture since its foundations, the festival has announced the full programme which is jam-packed with unmissable screenings and events throughout.
The screenings are divided into three thematic programme strands: HEARTS, BODIES, and MINDS, with this year’s festival boasting 33 world premieres in both features and shorts, with so many more spectacular films to check out on top of these exclusives.
Opening the festival is the European Premiere of Layla, Amrou Al-Kadhi’s gorgeous debut which recently received rave reviews at the Sundance Film Festival. Layla tells the story of a struggling Arab drag queen whose confident façade hides their desperate desire for love.
As for other noteworthy screenings, the World Premiere of the docu-fiction Lady Like by director/producer Luke Willis. The film follows the life of London-born, San Francisco-based drag queen Lady Camden, who also appeared on the fourteenth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race across the pond.
A representative from the BFI programmers said, “This year’s BFI FLARE offers something new and refreshing to audiences – film gems aimed to inspire and celebrate the sheer diversity of queer communities around the world. We’ve got a packed programme of screenings, talks and events. Whether you want to make badges, forge friendships or have a boogie, there’s something for all in this Festival.”
BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival will be taking place at BFI Southbank, but you can also available to UK-wide audiences on BFI Player and to international audiences online via Five Films for Freedom – now celebrating its 10th year, in partnership with The British Council.
For the full line-up, tickets, and more information on the festival, click here. BFI Flare will be running from 13-24 March, making it the perfect thing to do if you didn’t get the chance to celebrate LGBT+ History Month.