How Europe's Biggest LGBTQ+ Festival Helped Shape 40 Years of Queer Cinema

"I started as a volunteer at Flare in 2015, and it was a magical experience of watching films by and for our community. I felt so held. We went on to create four shorts and a feature together, all centring queer people of colour. Without Flare, I would not have a filmmaking career."

"What began in 1986 as Gays' Own Pictures - nine features screened at London's National Film Theatre over seven days - has blossomed into Europe's biggest and most dynamic queer film festival. It's a nourishing hub for budding directors and queer cinephiles alike, as well as a vital platform for diverse LGBTQ+ stories across the world."

"Among the many other programme highlights are punky, trans-led horror romp The Serpent's Skin, a 30th anniversary screening of Cheryl Dunye's The Watermelon Woman - the first feature to be directed by a Black queer woman - and the world premiere of Madfabulous, an unabashedly campy biopic of a transgressive 19th-century aristocrat."

BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival marks its 40th anniversary this year, having evolved from Gays' Own Pictures in 1986—nine features screened over seven days—into Europe's biggest and most dynamic queer film festival. Operating from BFI Southbank since its inception, the festival serves as a vital hub for emerging directors and queer cinema enthusiasts, championing diverse LGBTQ+ narratives globally. The festival's mentorship programs have launched successful filmmaking careers, including filmmaker Amrou Al-Kadhi, who credits BFI Flare with enabling their career in cinema. This year's program features diverse works including documentaries, horror films, historical retrospectives, and contemporary pieces exploring queer identity, trauma, and cultural experiences across multiple continents and perspectives.

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