SATURATE
Scottish queer cinema goes DIY with 9 world premieres of subversive and irreverent shorts made in this years’ SQIFF queer filmmaking course: SATURATE. Positioning queer filmmaking in Scotland as cinematic counterculture, SATURATE was a Glasgow based filmmaking course that brought together 31 emerging LGBTQIA+ Scotland-based directors to develop zero-budget short films over the summer of 2026.
This eclectic programme of unconventional shorts offers a window into queer imaginaries across Glasgow in 2026, positioning LGBTQIA+ cinema at the forefront of Scotland’s indie filmmaking culture. Local filmmakers explored everything from camp horror on AI data centres taking over Glasgow flats, sensorial documentary on the relationship between the queer body and the city centre, performative reimaginings of the reproductive cycle in a trans revision of Frankenstein, to magical realist drama exploring migration in the UK, Chinese folklore, the endurance of queer love, and more.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with this year’s SATURATE participants and Erica Monde, Glasgow based filmmaker and leader of this year’s SATURATE course.
Curated by Erica Monde & Indigo Korres.
Click here to book your ticket for this event.
Tickets are on a pay what you can sliding scale of FREE, £4, £8, £12, £16, or £20, in order to make SQIFF more accessible to those on a low income. You can choose what you pay based on your circumstances – you won’t be asked for any proof/ID. We just ask that you are honest! Please find the ‘What Should I Pay?’ guidance here.
Accessibility
This event has:
- English-BSL interpretation for the introduction and Q&A. The interpreter for this event is TBC.
- English audio with English language Descriptive Subtitles.
- Live Captioning for the introduction and Q&A.
- An induction loop is available at the GFT Box Office. Enhanced Audio (EA) is available in their screening rooms via headset.
This screening is 66 minutes long and has an age recommendation of N/C 15+
If you require access seating please get in touch. Access seating includes: wheelchair spaces, sitting in the front row / in the aisle / at the back. If you need any other provisions, please let us know by emailing [email protected] with your name, ticket information and access request. We will do our best to work with you whilst also managing the capacity of the venue. Thank you for working with us on this.
You can find out more information about accessibility at SQIFF 2026 here. If you have any questions about accessibility at SQIFF, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
Films in this programme include:
MADE THINGS, Dirs. April Stewart, Jo Hauge, Betty/Chaoying Rao 饶超颖 / Femme Castratrice, 2026, United Kingdom, 7min.
Discover the reproductive process of the species Homo dykefagicus…
A speculative, camp mingling of the horror trope of re-animation and the heterosexual marriage plot, where Mummy, Daddy and Baby are part of a delicious and slimy circular reproductive cycle that doesn’t progress but goes around and around and around.
Content notes: Depiction of nudity, references of sex.
Building Bodies, Dirs. Lish Adam, Ilaria Lipperi, Priscila Froes, 2026, United Kingdom, 11 min.
Sounds, sights, touch and memory come together in this sensory and emotional reflection on experiences living in and passing through the City Centre of Glasgow. This experimental documentary uses real testimonies, voiceover, footage and sound from the City Centre to convey an experience shared by residents and the built environment itself.
Content notes: Depiction of religious march. Discussion of capitalism, racism, violence.
Help! My Room8te is Trying to Kill Me!, Dirs. Andy Neilson Smith, Ophelia Steele Davis, Yexabel Rivero, 2026, United Kingdom, 10 min.
Sam is anxious around their flatmate Jordan’s imminent move and whether their friendship will survive beyond it. The arrival of Big Tech’s latest invention changes the dynamic in the flat even more so in strange and mysterious ways. Through resisting this physical cyber-attack, unspoken feelings finally come to the surface.
Content notes: Depiction of action fighting, cigarette use. Discussion of data centres.
A Matter of Record, Dir. Eleanor Capaldi, 2026, United Kingdom, 8 min.
From early crushes on Hollywood stars to lesbian discos in 1970s Glasgow, anchored by a 40 year love story at its heart, Elizabeth Elliott brings to life lesbian experiences that are too easily lost. Through receipts to photographs, to recollection, the film questions the archival process, while becoming a record itself.
Content notes: Discussion of homophobia, police violence.
In Transit, Dir. AAidan (A-A. W. Summers), Jessica Payne, Zebib K. Abraham, 2026, United Kingdom, 6 min.
A journey through leather, warmth and light, and the disembodied fear of catching the last train home. Our film has taken shape through a mix of live action, stop motion, and visual programming that connects the rural and the digital to form a journey in transit, flicking between both spatial planes in this search for home.
Access notes: Flashing Imagery, Flashing Lights.
How To Be A Better Serial Killer, Dirs. Joe Dunn, Leah Francisco, Louis Utieyin, Muratiwa Chinake, 2026, United Kingdom, 6 min.
It’s 2026, the job market is shit. Someone calls into a radio show, The Unemployment Line, where you can get tips on how to improve your skills and get help seeking a job. However, when a bizarre call throws the host off kilter, the unsuspecting host gives helpful tips and motivates an aspiring serial killer to achieve their dream. Will the caller succeed, who will be their next victim?
Access notes: Depiction of a dead body.
Why (Do U) Care?, Dir. Cameron Prince, Sara Bucheeri, Ashley Wolf, 2026, United Kingdom, 6 min.
On the run after battering a couple of bigots with his skateboard, Bo climbs through a window into the flat of his ex-lover, who holds resentment towards him since their messy separation. She is now a trad-wife, and he is a rogue transsexual. Why (Do U) Care? explores lost queerness.
Content notes: Depiction of deadnaming, strong language.
Drift, Dirs. ACE V!S!ON, Elsa Kerscher, Jo Lee, 2026, United Kingdom, 6 min.
Drift is an intimate exploration of what it means to be trapped in the sick body. This collaborative film tries to make the edges of the body visible and gesture towards the in-between state of sickness, loneliness and the domestic.
Access notes: Flickering TV Screen.
Across the Magpie Bridge, Dirs. Angela/Anqi Sun, Fatima, Matin Cheng, Shivani Krishna, 2026, United Kingdom, 6 min.
In a retelling of old Chinese folklore about two lovers separated by the Gods, Kuhu, a queer immigrant, navigates her way through Glasgow and the UK immigration system, dreaming of reuniting with her lover, Qiqi.
Access notes: Distorted Imagery.
Content notes: Depiction of police, strong language use. Discussion of home office bureaucracy.
Donate:
Donate to SQIFF via PayPal or sign up to one of our four Patreon tiers to support our work and show us you’re a big SQIFF fan 🌈✨
Supported by Screen Scotland, the BFI Audience Projects Fund and Film Hub Scotland (part of the BFI Film Audience Network), all awarding National Lottery funding.
Image Credit: Made Things, Dirs. April Stewart, Jo Hauge, Betty/Chaoying Rao 饶超颖 / Femme Castratrice, 2026