BFI Flare celebrates 40 years of championing LGBTQIA+ cinema
The iconic festival in London features 31 world premieres and stories from across the globe
Last updated 22 hours ago
The UK’s biggest LGBTQIA+ film festival is well underway in London - as we enter the second week of BFI Flare.
2026 is a landmark year, with the event marking its 40th anniversary with a vibrant programme featuring 31 world premieres and a variety of events at BFI Southbank.
Running until March 29th March, it's showcasing films across four thematic strands: HEARTS, BODIES, MINDS, and TREASURES.
Among the highlights, Russell T Davies hosted a screen talk on Monday (23/3), celebrating his career and his upcoming Channel 4 project, Tip Toe, focusing on challenges facing the LGBTQIA+ community.
The festival's opening and closing films were announced as the world premiere of "Hunky Jesus" by Jennifer Kroot and the UK premiere of "Black Burns Fast" by Sandulela Asanda, respectively. Sister Roma from the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will participate in a talk exploring their history and activism.
Preserving LGBTQIA+ classics, the festival is also premiering the 4K restoration of "Pink Narcissus," which will also show in cinemas across the UK.
This landmark event not only celebrates cinematic storytelling but also champions authentic representation and community visibility.
'An absolute treat'
Layla McCay, author of The Queer Bookshelf was joined over the weekend by screenwriters and authors to explore the journey from page to screen - and she is a bit of a self-confessed BFI Flare superfan - going attending nearly every year since moving to the capital.
Layla told Hits Radio Pride: "As ever, I have a huge list of things I've booked to see!
"Because I'm such a fan of BFI Flare, it was super exciting that I was invited to chair a panel, looking at LGBTQ+ books that have been converted into films.
"It's such a joy to be a part of something that I go to so often.
"The BFI Flare is such an institution in London's LGBTQ+ life - in fact, a lot of us call it 'Queer Christmas!'
"We go along, we see dozens of films, and hang out together in the bar - it's an absolute treat."
'An incredibly beautiful experience'
Another person to have attended the BFI Flare festival for many years is Tim Spoor, from Queerwell - an LGBTQ+ mental health and wellness charity.
For 2026, they're getting involved with the festivities by hosting workshops and playshops, as well as wellness and wellbeing sessions.
Tim said: "What I love about Flare is that it brings together an incredible group of people that really represent the diversity and intergenerational aspect of our community.
"There's just such a buzz - I was talking to someone who's made a film in Japan with a 93-year-old out gay activist... where else are you going to get that?"
He's been involved with BFI Flare for the best part of a decade, but it wasn't until last year when Queerwell immersed themselves in the experience.
"We met a hundred new people through those workshops last year who wouldn't have heard of us, and needed a but of support, so it was the perfect opportunity for us," Tim said.
"I hate to use the word 'beautiful' for things like this - but that's exactly what it was, an incredibly beautiful experience."
The mission of the charity's workshops and events at this year's festival can be described in one word: 'Togetherness'.
Tim added: "It's really important for us that people who need support can get it, and what's really sweet is how the BFI have given us an extra discount on tickets, so many people who come to our other groups outside of this are also able to come and see these films and explore the stories of people around the world.
"It's about making sure there's equity there too.
"Aside from this, I can tell you it's a really fun experience, and the BFI really have gone all out for their 40th anniversary!"
'The atmosphere is always celebratory'
Darren Jones is one of the programmers for this year's festival - he's the man who's selected some of the landmark screenings for the big anniversary year, and has described the BFI Southbank as 'coming alive', with thousands descending for 12 days of film celebration.
He told Hits Radio Pride: "The festival started with just nine films - eight gay movies and one lesbian feature - 40 years ago over the course of a weekend, and we've grown so much since then, and evolved too, telling so many more stories, covering the whole gamut of the LGBTQ+ community - the breadth of films is far much wider.
"And it's been tremendous how it's all been received, too.
"When we curate the programme, it's very important to us that there are films being shown from all around the world and telling stories from countries where people don't have the same freedoms as we do here.
"2026 is showing that some of our hard-fought freedoms internationally are being slowly withdrawn or are under threat, so it's more important than ever for people to see themselves on screen.
"The atmosphere at Flare is always celebratory, even though many of the stories are heart-breaking and so powerful, but it's all about celebrating queer lives and queer stories.
"In the time that I've worked on the festival, it's the sheer breadth of stories which has expanded so much.
"Go back just a decade and there were largely gay movies being made, but that's completely different now, as we see more and more films from more and more people.
"I think that will continue, and as a festival, we are seeing more works from other parts of the world as we look forward to the next ten years.
"And if we keep going in that direction, that can only be a great thing."
'A time for huge celebration and reflection'
Kristy Matheson, Festivals Director, said: "Milestone birthdays are a time for huge celebration and reflection.
"Over the past four decades, our beloved festival that we now know as BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival has been a site of community and culture.
"Starting life in 1986 as a seven-day season of films called Gays’ Own Pictures, then renamed the BFI London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival in 1988, the festival’s mission to centre community and artistic expression has been shaped by many brilliant and dedicated individuals, to whom we all owe a great debt.
"And this year is no exception.
"My deepest thanks to all my festival colleagues and the programming team of Grace Barber-Plentie, Diana Cipriano, Zorian Clayton, Jaye Hudson, Darren Jones and Wema Mumma, who together spent the winter crafting a programme that will bloom this spring at BFI Southbank, across the UK on BFI Player and globally with Five Films for Freedom – in partnership with the British Council.
"As we prepare to stride into our next decade, we’re excited to invite friends old and new to join us in celebrating the joy and breadth of the LGBTQIA+ experience."
The packed programme continues in the capital until the end of the week - and you can find out more about BFI Flare on their website.