The full programme for the first Queer East Film Festival is announced. The curated series of screenings across London, with accompanying panel events, will explore identity, religion, family, adulthood and politics through queer relationships on screen, specifically from East and Southeast Asia.

Many have seen the significant progress of LGBTQ + rights across the world, but progress in Asia has been mixed. The festival invites everyone in the UK to be part of the discussion and celebrate diverse identities, cultures, and heritages of Asian and Asian diasporic communities who’ve often been excluded from mainstream discourse.

The programme is a mix of classic films and new releases, exploring how culture, law, history, and social norms have affected and built the current Asian queer landscape over 50 years of cinema.

Twenty-nine films (feature, documentary and short), including 6 UK Premieres and 2 London Premieres, from 13 countries across Asia will be screened in cinemas across the capital to foster and promote a cultural understanding of what it means to live in Asia and be queer today. Tickets are on sale now here

Tracey

FULL PROGRAMME

Opening Film: Tracey

by Jun Li | Hong Kong | 2018 | 119 min

Sunday 19 April

The Shepherds (UK Premiere)

by Elvis Lu | Taiwan | 2018 | 70 min

Preceded by Lupah Sug | Dir Rhadem Camlian Morados | Philippines | 2018 | 30 min

Monday 20 April

Panel Discussion: Queer Movements: Fighting for LGBTQ+ Rights in Asia

Tuesday 21 April

Between the Seasons (UK Premiere)

by Jun-Sik Kim | South Korea | 2018 | 98 min

Preceded by Catch the Light | Dir Siddharth Chauhan | India | 2019 | 22 min

Wednesday 22 April

Memories of My Body (UK Premiere)

by Garin Nugroho | Indonesia | 2018 | 106 min

Funeral Parade of Roses

Funeral Parade of Roses

by Toshio Matsumoto | Japan | 1969 | 105 min

Preceded by Alienation | Dir Kang-chien Chiu | Taiwan | 1966 | 6 min

Thursday 23 April

Malila: The Farewell Flower

by Anucha Boonyawatana | Thailand | 2017 | 97 min

Preceded by The Last Letter | Dir Vishal Jejurkar | India | 2018 | 15min

Friday 24 April

Sisterhood (UK Premiere) + Director Q&A

by Tracy Choi | Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan | 2016 | 97 min

Saturday 25 April

Panel Discussion: Female Gazes: Queer Women in East Asian Cinema

Girlfriend Boyfriend

by Ya-Che Yang | Taiwan | 2012 | 105 min

Sunday 26 April

A Dog Barking at the Moon

by Zi Xiang | China, Spain | 2019 | 107 min

Preceded by A Woman’s Wife | Dir Ahlam Jang | South Korea | 2018 | 20 min

Spider Lilies + Director Q&A

by Zero Chou | Taiwan | 2006 | 97 min

Monday 27 April

Lilting

Dir Hong Khaou | UK | 2013 | 86 min

Turning 18

by Chao-Ti Ho | Taiwan | 2018 | 87 min

Tuesday 28 April

The Wedding Banquet

by Ang Lee | Taiwan, US | 1993 | 106 min

Wednesday 29 April

Queer Japan

by Graham Kolbeins | Japan, US | 2019 | 100 min

Preceded by Military Dog | Dir Ping-Wen Wang | Taiwan| 2018 | 11 min

Song Lang

Thursday 30 April

Song Lang

by Leon Le | Vietnam | 2018 | 101 min

Friday 1 May

The Teacher (UK Premiere)

by Ming-Lang Chen | Taiwan | 2019 | 92 min

Preceded by Langit Budak Biru | Dir Kean-Hian Lim | Malaysia | 2018 | 23 min

Saturday 2 May

Looking For? (UK Premiere) + Director Q&A

by Tung-Yen Chou | Taiwan | 2017 | 60 min

Preceded by Beer! Beer! | Dir Popo Fan | Germany | 2019 | 17 min

Preceded by Adorable | Dir Cheng-Hsu Chung | Taiwan, UK | 2018 | 6 min

Closing Film: Blue Gate Crossing (35 mm)

byChih-Yen Yee | Taiwan | 2002 | 85 min