BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival Presents

A Latino barber embarks on an erotically charged odyssey of self-discovery over one hot summer in Brooklyn.

A married tailor falls for his younger apprentice in Maryam Touzani’s richly textured and sweepingly beautiful exploration of love, desire and tradition.

A filmmaker escapes the pain of a break-up through casual sex and meets a closeted lawyer in this deeply personal work from Ira Sachs.

This remarkable debut from Jane Schoenbrun is destined to be a cult classic.

Francis Lee follows up God’s Own Country with a film that is every bit as immersive, tactile and emotionally powerful, aided by the devastatingly good Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan.

An immersive profile of ground-breaking and influential choreographer and founder of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

A trans and non-binary cast explore the incarnations of Virginia Woolf’s enigmatic protagonist.

Simmering apprehensions surround a family get-together as Elliot Page’s Sam returns home for the first time since transitioning, in this highly collaborative feature.

Gemma Arterton stars in acclaimed theatre director Jessica Swale’s moving Second World War drama, as a woman rediscovering her ability to love.

The lines of seduction, revenge and power are blurred in this tense and stylish thriller about desire and self-loathing, starring Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and George MacKay.

An Asian Canadian teenager grapples with his identity when he falls for the boy next door in this sweet rites-of-passage drama.

Uplifting documentary tracing the power of lesbian visibility from the early ‘90s to the present day through the story of Franco Stevens' best-selling lesbian magazine, Curve.

A bold first feature about Black trans sex workers that buzzes with passion, energy and intelligence.

A scintillating portrait of a young man coming to terms with life, love, sex and relationships in contemporary Berlin.

Two teenage girls from a close-knit Roma community fall in love in this fresh and affecting coming-of-age romance from Spanish director Arantxa Echevarría.

Winner of the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at Sundance Film Festival, Flee is a testament to friendship, family and acceptance.

A compilation of new gay short films showcasing unashamedly positive stories of love, sex and romance to move, inspire and uplift.

A lyrical and romantic biopic of the beloved creator of the Moomins featuring an incredible central performance by Alma Pöysti.

Drill sergeant Eismayer has a reputation as the toughest training officer in the Austrian military, but when he starts to fall in love with a new recruit, his closeted existence is shaken to the core.

Paul Oremland’s impassioned drama is a searing critique of the church’s attitude towards the LGBTQI+ community.

Tender exploration of family relationships and identity as Lola, a young transgender girl, embarks on a journey with her estranged father to scatter her mother’s ashes.

New Zealand filmmaker Welby Ings’ powerful film is a beautifully shot and moving story about finding queer love and identity in the face of overwhelming odds.

Sally El Hosaini and James Krishna Floyd have created a moving romance between an Essex mechanic and a South Asian drag queen.

An elite swimmer competing for a place on the Olympic team encounters intense rivalry and lust during training.

The simmering sexual tensions of a group of old friends come to the boil in this sizzling psychological drama, which playfully evokes the spirit of François Ozon.

Documenting the testimonies from those who dared to challenge the world and helped create the modern gay community.

The sudden death of a young man has a profound impact on those around him in this experiential contemplation of grief and loss.

Alex Lawther is outstanding as a teenage rebel in this tale of an unrepentant high-school outsider, directed by Trudie Styler.

This invigorating and inspiring Chilean drama from Sebastián Lelio (Gloria) follows a trans woman’s quest for a little respect. Winner of the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film 2018.

Olivier Peyon’s captivating drama finds an author experiencing powerful emotions as he looks back to his first, youthful love affair.

When an adventurous trio set off for the secluded island of Amen, they're blissfully unaware of the horrors that lie in wait, in this indie bisexual riff on The Wicker Man.

After being released from prison, a young African American woman goes in search of her father.

As a young man embarks on a new relationship, he is forced to face the traumas of his past in this remarkable debut feature.

Telling the historic story of whistleblower Chelsea Manning; the journey of her fight for survival and dignity, and her transition from prisoner to a free woman.

Past mistakes haunt the present and threaten a new love affair between an older woman and her patient in this compelling melodrama.

The debut feature from acclaimed short filmmaker Claire Oakley is a riveting psycho-sexual drama in which nothing is quite what it seems.

Chloë Sevigny and Kristen Stewart captivate in this bodice-ripping retelling of the strange and fascinating case of Lizzie Borden.

A quiet, tender romance blossoms in this story of love and courage between two men in search of freedom.

When Jaime is sent to live in a Jehovah’s Witness community, she falls hard for a devout Witness girl and the two embark on an intense affair with consequences that will reshape the rest of their lives.

An Argentine teenager finds life and love difficult following the death of his gay best friend, in this powerful recreation of adolescence.

When a couple experiencing conception problems find a potential surrogate mother they're overjoyed, until Nina falls in love with her...

A blind student’s relationship with his best friend is tested when he falls for the new boy in school, in Daniel Ribeiro’s beautifully realised romance.

Two young men meet on the sports field and fall in love. But there’s a family secret which resurfaces and threatens to tear them apart.

A gay couple overcomes the odds in Christophe Honoré's mature and deeply emotional reflection on love and loss.

Russell Tovey stars as a Premier League footballer who shares a fumbled pass (of the sexual kind) with a teammate (Arinzé Kene), changing everything - both on and off the pitch.

In scintillating fashion, this compelling documentary explores the dark dreams that drove the brilliant, lamented designer, Alexander McQueen.

On the pitch Mario and Leon are teammates; off the pitch they are becoming so much more.

Lukas Dhont's breathtaking debut feature encompasses the heartache, courage, and punishing training of a ballerina transitioning in her teenage years.

The daily misfortunes of a lonesome rent boy are laid bare in this tough but tender portrait of life on the fringes of society.

Dry, sarcastic, maddening Mary must find a date for her best friend’s wedding in this Irish feel-good hit for misfits everywhere.

Ten uplifting and powerful tales of everyday heroes, each striving for their own identities whether gay, bi or transgender, and fighting for the right to be themselves.

A groundbreaking documentary about saying those few little words that have the power to change your life.

This hit New Zealand drama is a moving and entertaining account of a trans man’s attempts to reconnect with his Māori roots and to rebuild the relationships he had left behind.

An electric collection of 11 award-winning, lesbian and feminist short films exploring fantasies, dreams, desires, love and transgression.

A young man falls for the new boy at school in this energetic and inventive adaptation of Andreas Steinhoefel’s acclaimed YA novel.

After his 1986 album Keyboard Fantasies is rediscovered, a black trans musician recounts his life, from the lonely 1960s to the joy of witnessing the present.

Starring Elliot Page and Kate Mara, this sophomore feature from Tali Shalom-Ezer is a beautiful and poignant love story between two women from vastly different backgrounds and opposing political views.

A pair of teenage skateboarders find themselves drawn into a murky criminal underworld in this distinctive thriller.

An ageing Glaswegian psychoanalyst finds his lust for life renewed following an encounter with the charismatic partner of a young patient.

Young factory manager Elias finds distraction in some of his fellow workers, but is he getting too close?

A heartfelt exploration of one man’s struggle to reconcile with his Israeli family, while finding a new ‘family’ in London Gay Men’s Chorus.

Delightfully unexpected buddy movie about a heartbroken TV weatherman's relationship with a migrant worker.

In this deliciously entertaining thriller, a gay couple return to a B&B to bait its Christian owner, only to run into trouble when an altogether more imposing guest arrives.

A troubled teen finds love during a summer spent at a horse ranch, in this captivating lesbian drama from cult director Monika Treut.

Lush retelling of the story of lesbian monarch Queen Christina of Sweden, combining period drama with a deeply personal love story.

Ira Sachs’s refined Manhattan-set drama sees Alfred Molina’s Ben and John Lithgow’s George in the latter days of a tender, loving 39-year relationship.

Rupert Everett astounds as Oscar Wilde, depicting the fallen star in the final years of his life, in this heartfelt and captivating passion project.

A German baker moves to Israel to learn more about the life of his mysterious dead lover, encroaching into the life of his widowed wife.

An intoxicating and entrancing selection of gay short films from around the globe.

Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara illuminate Todd Haynes’ intoxicating adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s beloved novel.

A gorgeously photographed, teasingly libidinous exercise in latent homoeroticism set over a long hot summer in Buenos Aires.

As Berlin shimmers in the summer heat, Nora finds herself experiencing a world that's changing faster than she can keep up with, in this powerful coming-of-age story.

Effortlessly charming romantic comedy about two young men from mixed backgrounds who fall in love... and their clashes with their overbearing mothers.

Pulsating with life and pounding with urgency, Robin Campillo’s extraordinary account of 1990s AIDS activism is a rousing, sensual and heart-breaking celebration of personal and political resistance.

A chance encounter between a Moroccan boy and a Spanish teen alters the course of their lives.

An unflinching and sometimes graphic account of the life, art and legacy of the legendary photographer Robert Mapplethorpe.

Sweetly swaying houseboat comedy about a couple whose river-bound existence is upended by the arrival of an old friend.

An assured and authentic lesbian coming-of-age drama, boasting a mesmerising and heartfelt lead performance.

Differing cultures collide and pent up feelings explored in this exquisite melodrama from Japan.

The classic high-school coming-out story gets a smart revision in this sharply perceptive teen drama.

Lisa Gornick's funny and frank drama sketches the relationship between a sex-obsessed lesbian illustrator and a randy hetero author, who bond over their favourite subject.

Anna Paquin and Holliday Grainger star as two very different women who fall in love in this 1950s-set romantic drama.

The journey of a true English eccentric, from his 1960s experiments with gay erotica to a reappraisal 40 years later as an LGBT pioneer.

Telling the true story of Timothy Conigrave and John Caleo, whose AIDS-afflicted relationship became the basis of bestselling gay memoir, Holding the Man.

A Boy George-obsessed smalltown boy joins the South African Defence Force army choir, in this quirky Apartheid-era musical drama.

James Franco stars in this provocative film about Michael Glatze, a pioneering gay rights activist who later denounced his homosexuality.

Matt Smith stars as legendary photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in this full-frontal homage to the devilish bad boy, whose sex life fuelled his career.

This powerful tale of love behind bars won the Queer Lion at the 2019 Venice Film Festival.

A dream-like encounter between two ex-lovers becomes a meditation on love, life and loss in this hauntingly beautiful film.

The private life of a renowned gay porn legend is laid bare in this intimate and insightful documentary.

Kristen Stewart and Laura Dern's towering tall story hoaxes the world.

David gets a taste of freedom whilst living in 1980’s New York City when he develops a close friendship with his grandfather’s neighbours, two elderly closeted men.

Lingadevaru’s unforgettable drama, based on an empowering true story of a young boy who travels to Bangalore to follow his dream of becoming a woman.

In one desperate night, four disparate gay men cruise Philadelphia in pursuit of ever-elusive human connection.

Celebrated cabaret artist David Hoyle’s debut film is a typically acerbic drama about the disturbing relationship between an uncle and his nephew.

Writer-director Philipp Garner also stars in this refreshing gay drama, a portrait of a couple trying to make it work in the film world of Los Angeles.

A thrilling and disturbing exploration of the perils of illicit sexual encounters, beginning when a teacher initiates a tryst with one of his pupils.

An astonishing behind-the-scenes documentary following the famed fashion house’s new artistic director as he prepares his first collection.

Kanchi Wichmann's feature adaptation of her hit web series follows Ren (Alana Lake) as she hunts for romance in world of Tinder and zero commitment.

Adrian (Björn Elgerd) and Hampus (Jonathan Andersson) seem to be in the midst of a fairy tale romance, they seem destined to be together, but do all fairy tales have a happy end?

In Simon Amstell’s affecting, bittersweet comedy, a rising young filmmaker is thrown into emotional turmoil by a burgeoning romance and the upcoming premiere of his second feature.

A sweepingly romantic adaptation of Timothy Conigrave’s best-selling memoir, an impassioned love letter to his partner, John Caleo.

Stunningly shot drama following a closeted advertising executive who tries to reconnect with his family during the first wave of the AIDS crisis.

An obsessive-compulsive hotel cleaner (Vicky Krieps) who harbours a fetishistic fascination with her hotel's guests meets an enigmatic dominatrix who changes her world.