Queer East

Queer East is a cross-disciplinary festival that showcases boundary-pushing LGBTQ+ cinema, moving image work and live arts from, and about, East and Southeast Asia and its diaspora communities.

The festival was established in response to the systemic lack of Asian representation on the big screen, onstage, and behind the scenes. Global events over the past few years have once again reminded us that fair and authentic racial and sexual representation is crucial for our society. The richness of Asian and queer heritage forms a vital part of this country’s identity. Through a diverse and forward-thinking programme, the festival aims to amplify the voices of Asian communities and challenge the conventional norms, labels, and stereotypes associated with queer Asian portrayals.

Working collaboratively with allies across the film, arts, and cultural sectors, we hope to join the forces bringing about change in screen culture and to enable an open space for everyone to explore the contemporary queer landscape across East and Southeast Asia.

Upcoming Screenings

Love and Videotapes (UK Premiere) 18

In the summer of 2001, in a small town in the Philippines, 16-year-old Andoy searches for his long-lost father: in VHS… Read More
Ryan Machado, Philippines, 2024, 97m.
Fri 09 May
18:20

How (Not) To Be Seen 18

Invisibility has often been a key survival technique for queer individuals, allowing them to blend seamlessly into a straight world by… Read More
Various Directors , Various Countries, Various Years, 94m.
Fri 09 May
20:30

Under Scales, Beyond Skin 18

In celebration of the Year of the Snake, this programme coils itself around the serpent as a symbol of transformation and… Read More
Various Directors, Various Countries, Various Years, 79m.
Sun 11 May
16:30

This is not a promise, but a prayer 18

In a world plagued by genocides, the climate crisis, and the erasure of cultures, this short film programme explores how queer… Read More
Various Directors, Various Countries, Various Years, 81m.
Sat 17 May
12:30

Dancing in Your Wake 18

We’re all haunted – by lost loves, past selves, secrets and societal demands. In this dynamic programme, queer characters and communities… Read More
Various Directors , Various Years, Various Countries, 97m.
Sat 17 May
14:30

Kuch Sapney Apne (Dreams Such As Ours) 18

This heartwarming Indian drama is about the struggles of a loving gay couple, Kartik and Aman, who live in Mumbai. Their… Read More
Sridhar Rangayan, India, Sweden, 2024, 120m.
Sat 17 May
16:45

Past Screenings

Madame 18

Presented by the Chinese Cinema Project, in partnership with Queer East, this screening will be followed by an online Q&A with… Read More
Qiu Jiongjiong , China, 2010, 120m.
This screening has now passed.

Growing Pains 18

All too often, we’re forced to grow up without taking the time to explore who we are. Torn between fitting in… Read More
Various Directors, Various Countries, Various Years, 93m.
This screening has now passed.

Silence Will Not Protect You + Q&A 18

This documentary shorts programme offers an unfiltered look into invisible and unspoken aspects of LGBTQ+ experience: the daily routine of a… Read More
Various Directors, Various Countries, Various Years, 76m.
This screening has now passed.

The Last Year of Darkness 18

As the city of Chengdu changes, the future of Funky Town, a beloved queer-friendly techno club, is unclear. For a vibrant… Read More
Ben Mullinkosson, China, US, 2023, 95m.
This screening has now passed.

Queer East Presents: Home Ground 18

In the mid-1990s, the first openly lesbian bar in South Korea, LesBos, opened its doors in Sinchon, Seoul. This documentary follows… Read More
Kwon Aram , South Korea, 2022, 78m.
This screening has now passed.

Queer East Presents: You and I 18

What is it like to meet your soulmate in a hopeless place? Kusdalini and Kaminah by no means met under ideal… Read More
Fanny Chotimah, Indonesia, 2020, 72m.
This screening has now passed.

Queer East Presents: Life Unrehearsed 18

In 1986, Soo-hyun met In-sun at a Korean Christian retreat in Germany and gifted her flowers. Despite threats from her then-husband… Read More
Jieun Banpark, South Korea, Germany, 2022, 80m.
This screening has now passed.

Queer East Shorts: A Kind of Queer Utopia + Q&A 18

Queer East Festival presents Shorts: A Kind of Queer Utopia + Q&A. Programmed and presented in partnership with Sine Screen.  … Read More
Various, Various, Various, 107m.
This screening has now passed.

Queer East: Stateless Things 18

Queer East Festival presents Stateless Things.   The second instalment in Kim Kyung-Mook's acclaimed ‘Things’ trilogy, this arthouse drama follows two… Read More
Kim Kyung-Mook, South Korea, 2011, 120m.
This screening has now passed.

Queer East Shorts: In Between Seasons 18

Queer East Festival presents Shorts: In Between Seasons.   Spring, summer, autumn and winter: each new season marks a beginning, an… Read More
Various, Various, Various, 84m.
This screening has now passed.