SQIFF

SQIFF Queer Filmmakers Group
2024-08-03 16:00 - 18:00 UTC | Centre for Contemporary Arts, 350 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, G2 3JD, United Kingdom
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Do you have information about free, open source editing software? Perhaps you know of an incredibly helpful way of memorising scripts? Or maybe you use a particular template to develop film ideas?
Come share with your peers in this Queer Filmmakers Group session!
The August session will be very member focused. We will collectively discuss advice we have picked along the way and different techniques used to make the filmmaking process less tiresome.
This is also a great opportunity to discuss any ongoing projects you need support with. Sharing with the group might get an audio designer interested in helping out with the foley you’re struggling with or get people to review a script you’ve been working on.

About the group
The SQIFF Queer Filmmakers Group is an initiative to bring local queer filmmakers together for monthly two-hour group sessions to network and support each other in the development of film projects.
The group is open for any level of filmmaking or film supporting arts (acting, prop making, music and sound design…) and we really encourage people just starting out in these mediums to come along.
Join a very friendly and supportive cohort of queer artists in Scotland making films!

This session is delivered thanks to support from See Me Scotland, No Drama, Glasgow Filmmakers Alliance, Transmission.
Tickets are on a pay what you can sliding scale of FREE, £2, £4, £6, £8, £10, or £12. To book, click here or call the CCA Box Office on 0141 352 4900.

Accessibility:
BSL-English interpretation for the whole event.
Relaxed event.
Wheelchair Access.
We have an Audience Access Fund for travel costs. If you would like to take this up, please contact info@sqiff.org.
We ask that you wear a mask if possible and please don’t attend the event if you have any symptoms of Covid-19 or have been in recent contact with a confirmed case. FFP2 masks are available for this event.
If you have any other access needs you would like to discuss with us, please get in touch with us at info@sqiff.org.

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 🌈✨Patre

Filming Our World: Queer Ecologies and Rewilding BSL (Showcase)
2024-08-13 13:00 - 15:30 | Deaf Action, Deaf Action - GEIKIE SUITE - 49 Albany St, EDINBURGH, EH1 3QY, United Kingdom
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What does it mean for our world to be truly ‘ours’? Join Take One Action, SQIFF and Edinburgh Deaf Festival for a special lunchtime showcase of short films by emerging deaf filmmakers created in response to the Scottish Sensory Centre’s ‘Rewilding BSL’ project.
Exploring the intersections between Deafness, queer ecologies and climate justice, this short film programme celebrates the power in our collectivity, and how we can centre wildness in our intertwined struggles.
Featuring food and informal networking as an opportunity to meet other folk interested in climate storytelling on film.
Tickets are FREE (optional £5 or £10 donation). To book, click here.

ACCESSIBLITY
This screening has an age recommendation of N/C 12+.
Screening with introduction and Q&A.
English and British Sing Language with English language descriptive subtitles. BSL-English interpretation provided. Induction Loop available.
If you have any questions about accessibility at for this event, please get in touch with us at info@sqiff.org.
We ask that you wear a mask if possible and please don’t attend the screening if you have any symptoms of Covid-19 or have been in recent contact with a confirmed case.

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 🌈✨

Making Masculinities with Take One Action and Pillow Talk Scotland - SOLD OUT
2024-11-22 19:00 - 21:30 | Centre for Contemporary Arts, 350 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, G2 3JD, United Kingdom
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**Please note this event is now sold out – we may be able to release more tickets nearer the screening.**

A compelling evening of short films exploring the complexities of masculinity today – from harm to love.

What does it mean to be masculine today? Young men face increasing pressures, grappling with toxic stereotypes and the “loneliness epidemic,” often feeling isolated and inadequate. Data shows that young men are veering to the right globally, underscoring the urgent need to address these issues. However, masculinity is far more fluid and diverse than commonly portrayed, and we invite audiences to reflect on these nuances through a broader, more intersectional lens.

Featuring short films from Glasgow artist Trackie McLeod, filmmakers Miles Warren and Campbell X, director and writer Daniel Bailey and others, Making Masculinities takes us on a journey through masculinity’s many facets.

The event encourages attendees to participate as men or people who identify in some way with masculinity, to bring friends with them, and to bring the men in their lives. Together we’ll have meaningful conversations about male identity’s positive and negative aspects. Hosted by Take One Action, the Scottish Queer International Film Festival, and Pillow Talk Scotland, the screening will take place on 22nd November, shortly after International Men’s Day and just ahead of this year’s 16 Days of Activism. This event provides an opportunity to challenge traditional narratives and promote a healthier understanding of masculinity today.

Curated by Iris Pase, Rachel Hamada, and Zeo Fawcett, with support from Indigo Korres.

Tickets are FREE. To book, click here and you’ll be redirected to the Take One Action website.

Understanding Masculinity Trackie McLeod, 2018, UK, 5 minutes
​Trackie McLeod is a Scottish artist based in Glasgow. Best known for his text-based work, Trackie recontextualises our relationship with everyday colloquialisms. His punchy take on sculpture, textiles and print mixed with his love of Scottish patter creates a visual best described as ‘one part tongue-in-cheek, an ounce of sarcasm and a pint of Tennent’s Lager’. Here, in an early piece of his work, he explores experiences of masculinity.

I Love Hooligans Jan-Dirk Bouw, 2013, Netherlands, 13 minutes
In this animated short, a football hooligan feels unconditional love for his club. However, being gay, he has to hide his identity in order to survive in this world that is so precious to him.

Father and Son Mitchell Lazar, 2018, US, 7 minutes
An up and coming writer competes against his father for a prestigious book award. This portrait of male insecurity and psychological cruelty shows that violence doesn’t have to be physical to maim – but who will triumph?

Des!re Campbell X, 2017, UK, 9 minutes Trailer
DES!RE is an experimental film exploring desire for transmasc, transmen, butch, stud, aggressives, masculine of centre (MOC) people assigned female at birth. Stunning black and white images drift across the screen while transmen, femme women and butch and MOC people speak about the complexity of their desire.

Bruiser Miles Warren, 2022, USA, 10 minutes
After his father gets into a fight at a bowling alley, Darious begins to investigate the limitations of his own manhood. Inspired by Worldstar fight videos, this Sundance and SXSW selected short film interrogates the emotional fallout of macho violence, and inspired a later feature debut by the director.

Soft Bwoi Daniel Bailey, 2022, UK, 5 minutes
In yardie culture, “yuh too soft” can mark you from childhood, the equivocation of gentleness and sensitivity with weakness and irrelevance. This ensemble production refuses such sentiment and Babylon itself, using folklore and imagery from Caribbean carnival culture and queerness to redefine this misconception. The concealment of emotion, embracing norms, and the repression of femininity are no longer signs of power and strength. Instead, it is in seeking the divine feminine, deep connections with one another and the rejection of toxicity that will unite Black men to find better ways to survive in this harsh but limitless world. Yes lawd!

You Can’t Always Get What You Want But You Can Get Me Samira Elagoz/Z Walsh, 2023, Canada, 13 minutes
A unique slideshow documenting two longhaired trans men falling in love. Over the course of one year, the artist couple gathered photographs from real-life events such as their first kiss, meeting each other’s parents, long distance thirst traps, a beach wedding, and top surgery. A sweet and steamy celebration of T4T love with life and art all tangled up.

La Vita Semplice Lucas Tielke, 2022, Italy, 3 minutes
Pedro and Flavio live a simple and beautiful life together, filled to the brim with love, away from the distractions of the outside world. For the past 30 years, they have poured their heart and soul into their scenic property situated in the rolling hills of Bologna. The instant you meet them their commitment to “The Beautiful Life” becomes apparent.

BEYOND THE SCREEN: Following the films, a panel and interactive audience discussion will further explore the themes presented. The discussion will be hosted by Zeo Fawcett, and will feature actor, writer and storyteller Adam Kashmiry and Isaac Hoff from the University of Glasgow. We’ll also be asking the audience to share their experiences, good and bad, of masculinity and your ideas about what positive masculinity looks like.
Adam Kashmiry is a neurodivergent Egyptian-born and Glasgow-raised performer, storyteller, experimental mover and writer, and queer activist. Some of the projects Adam has worked on include autobiographical BAFTA-winning film Adam; As You Like It with Northern Broadsides; Tako Taal’s After Kinte; Where Are You From? at the Children’s Festival; Everyman and Who I am now? from Bombito Productions; Walter Sholto Douglas; and the exhibition The Untold Stories of People Who Shaped Scotland.
Isaac Hoff is a lecturer in media and sociology at the University of Glasgow with interests in masculinities, youth, culture and class. He has written about masculinities, transitions to adulthood and leisure. He completed his PhD at the University of Leicester’s research institute for cultural and media economies in 2021 and has been at Glasgow since September 2022.

Accessibility:

BSL-English interpretation for introduction and discussions.
English Descriptive Subtitles.
Wheelchair Access.
Content Notes:

I Love Hooligans: Depictions of physical violence, homophobia, strobing lights.
Bruiser: Depictions of physical violence
You Can’t Always Get What You Want But You Can Get Me: Discussion of surgery, sex, genitalia. Depiction of nudity, sex, bodily fluids, hospitalisation, surgical drains, needles, blood, stitches, fresh top surgery scars, pain medication, scabbing wounds.

If you have any other access needs you would like to discuss with us, please get in touch with us at info@sqiff.org.

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 🌈✨

Image Credit: La Vita Semplice (2022, Dir Lukas Tielke)

Fantasy Field Recording with Nat Lall
2025-02-18 14:00 - 16:00 | Project Space 2, 2nd floor, Assembly Building/GSA Students' Association, 20 Scott Street, Glasgow, G3 6RJ, United Kingdom
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Expect an intro to Foley, Spatial Audio and my own concept of ‘IRL field recording’.
Foley lets you create a range of textural sound effects to add into films. Spatial Audio lets you create a physical space with your recordings. It lets your audience transport to vast otherworldly dimensions… without you having to leave the comfort of your home or studio.
IRL Field Recording is a concept. I coined during my BA in Sound Arts. The soundscapes are dreamed up and carefully devised. The name represents my skeptical views towards the ‘facts’ of science, reality, and notably gender. Who constructed these ‘facts’ anyway? Is everything not sci-fi to an extent?
Facilitated by Nat Lall.
Venue: Project Space 2, 2nd floor, Assembly Building/GSA Students’ Association, 20 Scott Street.
Presented in partnership with GSA Students’ Association.
Tickets are FREE. To book, click here and you’ll be redirected to the GSA Students’ Association website.

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 🌈✨

Image Credit: Tiu Makkonen

D.I.Why? (Filmmaking Workshops for QTIPOC+)
2025-03-02 14:00 - 18:00 | Transmission Gallery, 28 King Street, Glasgow, G1 5QP, United Kingdom
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Are you LGBTQIA+ and Black/a Person of Colour and would like to learn how to make your own short films?
SQIFF and Exhale Group C.I.C. are bringing you 4x filmmaking workshop sessions, making film an accessible medium to get into. All sessions will be facilitated by Nat Lall and hosted at Transmission Gallery.
Nat Lall is a Glasgow-based film curator, known for their work with the SQIFF. Nat is also an artist and DJ. Notable works include the film Pink Excavation (2018) and their musical alias is DJ FLUFFIE.
Each workshop will focus on a different aspect of filmmaking. It’d be great if you could attend all four sessions, but don’t be discouraged to come if you can only come for a couple of sessions that you’re really excited about!

Information on this session (1/4):
In our first session together we are going to look into why DIY(Do It Yourself) filmmaking is such a fun and accessible way to make film. What if we used our limitations as a starting point for our creativity? That’s what I did!
We’re going to play around with cheap, camp objects from our homes and pound shops. I personally love the look of cheap bits of tatt, they tend to be colourful, childish and inventive. They’re often not fit for purpose and how/why they could actually be used gets my creative juices flowing. We are going to use these objects as a starting point for our narratives. We will imagine new worlds from these precious, and cost-friendly wonders.
With a bit of observation, free-writing and plenty of imagination… we will think up conceptual bases for our films. We’ll do a bit of improvised narration as we ponder on our objects. And by the end of the session, each filmmaker will have a some clips about a fantastical world in which these objects exist.
PS. No equipment, or prior filmmaking knowledge is necessary. Everything will be shot on our phone cameras. If you do not have one to use, please be in touch and we will organise a camera for you to borrow. Also, be in touch if you have any access needs.

Tickets are FREE. To book a spot, click here.

Accessibility:

Wheelchair Access Including Accessible Bathroom.
Snacks and Drinks will be provided.
Quiet Space – A designated quiet space will be available during these workshop sessions.
Audience Travel and Access Fund – We have an Audience Access Fund that can support any audience member with costs within Scotland to be able to attend our events (ie. travel or childcare costs). Please get in touch by emailing info@sqiff.org or speak to our team at the event if you require this. You do not need to give a reason for accessing the fund.
Face Masks – FFP2 masks will be available for free around the venue.
Support Animals – Support animals and service animals such as guide dogs are welcome at Transmission Gallery.
The SQIFF Team will be available to support with navigating the venue for anyone that needs it.

If you have any other access needs you would like to discuss with us, please get in touch with us at info@sqiff.org.

Supported by Screen Scotland and National Lottery funding from the BFI.

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 🌈✨

Image Credit: SQIFF

Acting is just me hanging out with my friends (Filmmaking Workshops for QTIPOC+)
2025-03-09 14:00 - 18:00 | Transmission Gallery, 28 King Street, Glasgow, G1 5QP, United Kingdom
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Are you LGBTQIA+ and Black/a Person of Colour and would like to learn how to make your own short films?
SQIFF and Exhale Group C.I.C. are bringing you 4x filmmaking workshop sessions, making film an accessible medium to get into. All sessions will be facilitated by Nat Lall and hosted at Transmission Gallery.
Nat Lall is a Glasgow-based film curator, known for their work with the SQIFF. Nat is also an artist and DJ. Notable works include the film Pink Excavation (2018) and their musical alias is DJ FLUFFIE.
Each workshop will focus on a different aspect of filmmaking. It’d be great if you could attend all four sessions, but don’t be discouraged to come if you can only come for a couple of sessions that you’re really excited about!

Information on this session (2/4):
Don’t have the time or money or energy to write a script and cast actors? Don’t worry… just have a fun silly day with your pals and film it. Once again, that’s what I did.
We’ll chat about filming dialogue on the fly, making filming your friends into a fun hang out instead of a job, and ways to repay your pals in other ways than money.
I’ll be honest with you, you’re probably not going to earn loadsa cash from your DIY films, you could, but it’s unlikely. So make it fun and worth your time. Be honest, and kind, to yourself about it. I struggle with the awkwardness of asking for favours too, but maybe your pals/community actually love you..? Or if not at least maybe you could return the favour.
We’ll hang out together as a group, we’ll have tea and chat, and then we’ll devise rough ideas for acting in each others’ films. Then we’ll record our footage and help each other out. It won’t be too planned, it won’t be scripted, but it will be fun.
PS. No equipment, or prior filmmaking knowledge is necessary. Everything will be shot on our phone cameras. If you do not have one to use, please be in touch and we will organise a camera for you to borrow. Also, be in touch if you have any access needs.

Tickets are FREE. To book a spot, click here.

Accessibility:

Wheelchair Access Including Accessible Bathroom.
Snacks and Drinks will be provided.
Quiet Space – A designated quiet space will be available during these workshop sessions.
Audience Travel and Access Fund – We have an Audience Access Fund that can support any audience member with costs within Scotland to be able to attend our events (ie. travel or childcare costs). Please get in touch by emailing info@sqiff.org or speak to our team at the event if you require this. You do not need to give a reason for accessing the fund.
Face Masks – FFP2 masks will be available for free around the venue.
Support Animals – Support animals and service animals such as guide dogs are welcome at Transmission Gallery.
The SQIFF Team will be available to support with navigating the venue for anyone that needs it.

If you have any other access needs you would like to discuss with us, please get in touch with us at info@sqiff.org.

Supported by Screen Scotland and National Lottery funding from the BFI.

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 🌈✨

Image Credit: SQIFF

Fantasy Field Recording (Filmmaking Workshops for QTIPOC+)
2025-03-15 14:00 - 18:00 | Transmission Gallery, 28 King Street, Glasgow, G1 5QP, United Kingdom
Listen to this Event Page

Are you LGBTQIA+ and Black/a Person of Colour and would like to learn how to make your own short films?
SQIFF and Exhale Group C.I.C. are bringing you 4x filmmaking workshop sessions, making film an accessible medium to get into. All sessions will be facilitated by Nat Lall and hosted at Transmission Gallery.
Nat Lall is a Glasgow-based film curator, known for their work with the SQIFF. Nat is also an artist and DJ. Notable works include the film Pink Excavation (2018) and their musical alias is DJ FLUFFIE.
Each workshop will focus on a different aspect of filmmaking. It’d be great if you could attend all four sessions, but don’t be discouraged to come if you can only come for a couple of sessions that you’re really excited about!

Information on this session (3/4):
We’re going to get creative and make immersive, otherworldly soundscapes, from the comfort of the gallery space. Expect an intro to Foley, Spatial Audio and my own concept of ‘IRL field recording’.
Foley lets you create a range of textural sound effects to add into films. You can create big, gory, explosive, slimy sounds simply with some everyday items and a microphone.
Spatial Audio lets you create a physical space with your recordings. Rather than flat mono sounds, you can place your sounds left or right, up or down and forwards or back. It lets your audience transport to vast otherworldly dimensions… without you having to leave the comfort of your home or studio.
IRL Field Recording is a concept I coined during my BA in Sound Arts. The soundscapes are not at all recorded ‘In Real Life’, rather they are dreamed up and carefully devised. The name represents my skeptical views towards the ‘facts’ of science, reality, and notably gender. Who constructed these ‘facts’ anyway? Is everything not sci-fi to an extent?
PS. No equipment, or prior audio recording knowledge is necessary. Also, be in touch if you have any access needs.

Tickets are FREE. To book a spot, click here.

Accessibility:

Wheelchair Access Including Accessible Bathroom.
Snacks and Drinks will be provided.
Quiet Space – A designated quiet space will be available during these workshop sessions.
Audience Travel and Access Fund – We have an Audience Access Fund that can support any audience member with costs within Scotland to be able to attend our events (ie. travel or childcare costs). Please get in touch by emailing info@sqiff.org or speak to our team at the event if you require this. You do not need to give a reason for accessing the fund.
Face Masks – FFP2 masks will be available for free around the venue.
Support Animals – Support animals and service animals such as guide dogs are welcome at Transmission Gallery.
The SQIFF Team will be available to support with navigating the venue for anyone that needs it.

If you have any other access needs you would like to discuss with us, please get in touch with us at info@sqiff.org.

Supported by Screen Scotland and National Lottery funding from the BFI.

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 🌈✨

Image Credit: SQIFF

SQIFF Queer Screening: Edinburgh Takeover with Edinburgh Arts Festival & Rhubaba - SOLD OUT
2025-03-18 19:00 - 21:00 | French Institute, West Parliament Sq, Edinburgh, EH1 1RF, United Kingdom
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**Please note this event is now sold out – we may be able to release more tickets nearer the screening. Edinburgh Arts Festival are operating a waiting list for sold out events – please contact elle@edinburghartfestival.com to be added to this!**

SQIFF are very excited to announce our collaboration with Rhubaba for the Edinburgh Art Festival. The evening will consist of a screening of short films, a panel discussion with Scottish QTIPOC filmmakers and food. The event will take place on the 18th March 2025 in the French Institute, Edinburgh.
All of the short films in the screening are taken from the SQIFF 2024 programme and with this we aim to bring a bit of the queer magic we experienced in Glasgow to Edinburgh. The selected films include works from our Scottish Shorts, Sci-Fi Meets Reality, Queer Asia, ★,。·::·ﾟ☆ “The Real Internet Is Inside You” ·ﾟ✧*:·ﾟ✧ and Drag & Performance Through Censorship events. The selection highlights a range of techniques and genres in queer filmmaking including digital animation, text-based film, collage and live-action. It also explores a diverse range of topics such as young trans girlhood, intimate friendships between men of colour, medical drag-satire and more.
All of the selected films are either directed by and/or have a central focus on QTIPOC. This event aims to spotlight and celebrate queer people of colour in film. We will explore filmmaking techniques, community initiatives and future hopes for people of colour in queer film with a panel discussion after the screenings. And after that, we will end by chatting over food and drink provided by the festival.
Curated by Nat Lall.
Tickets are FREE. To book, click here and you’ll be redirected to the Edinburgh Arts Festival website.

Films in this programme include:
A Float, Dir. Isabel Barfod, 2023, United Kingdom, 3 min

A Float explores subtle modes of refusal through the lens of a Black Queer swimmer in a hostile environment. Set in a Victorian era public swimming pool, A Float follows our protagonist as they access alternate realities, speculated futures and enact small acts of revenge.

Content Notes: Depiction of racism.

Access Notes: Contains flashing imagery.

Dr. XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology, Dir. El Jones, 2023, United Kingdom, 14 min

Dr. XYZ is a community-made trans+ healthcare training film and ethnofiction. It is an exercise in queering the public information film genre, shot in 16mm. The film weaves ethnographic healthcare accounts from Birmingham’s trans+ community with moments of drag-satire re-enactment to depict a collective vision of the UK’s healthcare system.

Content notes: Discussion of suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, mental health issues, medical neglect within NHS, transphobia, ableism, racism, passing culture, self-medicating, gender dysphoria, medical waiting lists, explicit language. Depiction of animated genitalia.

Scrapped Fabric, Dir. Jake Muñoz Consing, 2024, Philippines, 11 min

Fearing her mother’s disapproval, a teenage trans girl secretly sews a prom dress from her mother’s scrap fabric (“retaso”).

Content notes: Discussion of transphobia.

Farewell, Dir. Soham Kundu, 2024, United Kingdom, 15 min

Two friends: one with a broken heart, the other on the brink of marriage. Together they set out on a day’s journey that leads them to confront their past amidst shared grief and hopes for a brighter future. Centred around intimate friendships between men of colour, Farewell presents evolving expressions of modern masculinity.

Content notes: Depiction of cigarette use.

Diffused in Marginalised Orders, Dir. Florence To, 2024, United Kingdom, 3 min

Words have a powerful role in shaping identity and transforming our lived experiences. The Scottish-born Hong Kong artist uses texts that ignite deep connections and solidarity. Their work confronts the dispossessions wrought by imperialism and challenges complicity in public amnesia about ongoing injustices, redefining our relationship within social barriers and power struggles in public spaces.

Access notes: Flashing light and rapid visual effects.

Bellydance Vogue, Dir. Hadi Moussally, 2020, Lebanon, 5 min

“My birthday was on the 3rd of April 2020 during lockdown, and for the first time, I celebrated it all by myself. But even if I was alone, I decided to celebrate it as if it’s the last one”

The film was made during quarantine.

Accessibility:

BSL-English interpretation for introduction and discussions.
English Descriptive Subtitles.
This event is located upstairs in the Salle Emilienne Moreau-Evrard space at the French Institute of Scotland, accessible via stairs or lift.
You will enter the building at street level via the entrance on George IV Bridge, where a reception desk is available for directions to the space or the lift.
Accessing this venue is an uphill walk from Waverley Station. For a step-free journey, travel along Market Street, left along North Bank Street towards the Bank of Scotland, and find the French Institute across the road.
If travel costs would be a barrier to attending this workshop, please contact Rhubaba (admin@rhubaba.org) or EAF (info@edinburghartfestival.com) to arrange travel reimbursement.

If you have any other access needs you would like to discuss with us, please get in touch with us at info@sqiff.org.

This event is part of Refractions: New Conceptions of Film + Photography (15 Jan—18 Mar). Co-created by the EAF Civic Programme and Rhubaba, this free event series aims to connect marginalised people with creativity through film, ceramics, writing, and more. Find out more here.

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 🌈✨

Image Credit: Tiu Makkonen

Collaging our Films (Filmmaking Workshops for QTIPOC+)
2025-03-30 14:00 - 18:00 | Transmission Gallery, 28 King Street, Glasgow, G1 5QP, United Kingdom
Listen to this Event Page

Are you LGBTQIA+ and Black/a Person of Colour and would like to learn how to make your own short films?
SQIFF and Exhale Group C.I.C. are bringing you 4x filmmaking workshop sessions, making film an accessible medium to get into. All sessions will be facilitated by Nat Lall and hosted at Transmission Gallery.
Nat Lall is a Glasgow-based film curator, known for their work with the SQIFF. Nat is also an artist and DJ. Notable works include the film Pink Excavation (2018) and their musical alias is DJ FLUFFIE.
Each workshop will focus on a different aspect of filmmaking. It’d be great if you could attend all four sessions, but don’t be discouraged to come if you can only come for a couple of sessions that you’re really excited about!

Information on this session (4/4):
In our final session, we will edit the film and sound clips from previous sessions into a finished film.
I’ll show you where and how you can download free film editing software. then I’ll give you a little demonstration of how I edit films.
I treat the editing process the same way I would treat a paper collage. I start editing when I have all my materials to hand and then I cut, copy and paste the clips in and around each other.
For me, this is really when the whole narrative comes together. I don’t start with a clear structure. Using the clips of improvised sound and image, I piece together a story and add in a little bits narration of when needed.
PS. No existing software licenses or experience of film software is necessary. I will show you free-to-use options and help you install them on your own laptops. If you do not own laptop, please be in touch and we will organise one for you to borrow.

Tickets are FREE. To book a spot, click here.

Accessibility:

Wheelchair Access Including Accessible Bathroom.
Snacks and Drinks will be provided.
Quiet Space – A designated quiet space will be available during these workshop sessions.
Audience Travel and Access Fund – We have an Audience Access Fund that can support any audience member with costs within Scotland to be able to attend our events (ie. travel or childcare costs). Please get in touch by emailing info@sqiff.org or speak to our team at the event if you require this. You do not need to give a reason for accessing the fund.
Face Masks – FFP2 masks will be available for free around the venue.
Support Animals – Support animals and service animals such as guide dogs are welcome at Transmission Gallery.
The SQIFF Team will be available to support with navigating the venue for anyone that needs it.

If you have any other access needs you would like to discuss with us, please get in touch with us at info@sqiff.org.

Supported by Screen Scotland and National Lottery funding from the BFI.

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 🌈✨

Image Credit: SQIFF

Queer Families: Direct Animation Activity
2025-04-05 10:30 - 12:30 | Rumpus Room, Langside Lane, Govanhill, Glasgow, G42 8BH, United Kingdom
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Come along to the next Queer Families family group! On Saturday the 5th April we’ll be in the Rumpus Room studio from 10.30am to 12.30. Indigo, Director of SQIFF, is helping the session with some fun, all-ages hands-on animation by drawing & sticking things onto recycled film!
Feel free to just come along, or send Queer Families a message us if you need any more info or have any access requests. It’s a friendly drop-in space, where you can join for as long as you like, and make friends or do some relaxed art and crafts.
Queer Families would like to remind that new people to the group are always welcome! The family group events are for all forms of LGBTQIA+ family with a child/baby, and people waiting for one’s arrival. They’re sometimes asked if single parents and parents in a relationship that doesn’t ‘look’ queer from the outside are welcome – yes, absolutely! People with older children and people who don’t call themselves parents but care for a child (fosterers, grandparents, queer chosen family, etc) are all part of our community too. Non-LGBTQ+ members (partners, siblings, children, etc) of a queer family are also welcome – being in a LGBTQ-led family space can be supportive and inclusive for the whole family. If you want to come along without your child, you’re also invited.
We will have coffee, tea and nice conversations 🌈

Accessibility:

Rumpus Room has an accessibility page providing access information for their venue. Please find this here.
Coffee and Tea will be provided.

If you have any other access needs you would like to discuss with us, please get in touch with us at info@sqiff.org.

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 🌈✨

Image Credit: Queer Families Group

How a film can be found: Ideation//Process (Filmmaking Workshops for Trans and Non-Binary People) - SOLD OUT
2025-04-06 14:00 - 18:00 | Transmission Gallery, 28 King Street, Glasgow, G1 5QP, United Kingdom
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**Please note this event is now sold out – we may be able to release more tickets nearer the event. We are operating a waiting list for sold out events – please go to the ticket link to be added to this!**

Are you trans and/or non-binary and would like to learn how to make your own short films?
SQIFF and Scottish Trans are bringing you 4x filmmaking workshop sessions, making film an accessible medium to get into. All sessions will be facilitated by Erica Monde and hosted at Transmission Gallery.
Erica Monde is a filmmaker, academic and educator working as a writer and director across documentary, experimental, and fiction film. They currently run IMPRINT Documentary Collective, teach on film courses at the University of Edinburgh and are completing their Short Circuit funded film, This Desert Will Rust Your Bones. Their recent documentary There’s Not Much We Can Do was funded by the Scottish Documentary Institute’s Bridging the Gap scheme, and they have also worked as a producer and story consultant on award winning short films.
Each workshop will focus on a different aspect of filmmaking. It’d be great if you could attend all four sessions, but don’t be discouraged to come if you can only come for a couple of sessions that you’re really excited about!

Information on this session (1/4):
What makes a compelling idea for a short film? How can a short film be created in one month? In week 1 we will explore what type of film (documentary, fiction, experimental or hybrid) we want to make and why we want to make it. This session will focus on short filmmaking as a creative process, finding potential layers to explore within our film and understanding in more depth the stories we want to tell. Touching briefly on the short film landscape, participants will walk away from this session with a draft film treatment and production plan for the next few weeks. Filmmaking teams will be organised as needed based on interest, skill, and desire to collaborate.
Please bring either: a general idea for a film you want to make, or an idea of the kind of film you may want to work on with others.
All roles (directors, producers, cinematographers, sound designers, composers, editors, production designers, costume designers, etc.) and levels of experience (from none to advanced) are welcome!

Tickets are FREE. To book a spot, click here.

Accessibility:

Wheelchair Access Including Accessible Bathroom.
Snacks and Drinks will be provided.
Quiet Space – A designated quiet space will be available during these workshop sessions.
Audience Travel and Access Fund – We have an Audience Access Fund that can support any audience member with costs within Scotland to be able to attend our events (ie. travel or childcare costs). Please get in touch by emailing info@sqiff.org or speak to our team at the event if you require this. You do not need to give a reason for accessing the fund.
Face Masks – FFP2 masks will be available for free around the venue.
Support Animals – Support animals and service animals such as guide dogs are welcome at Transmission Gallery.
The SQIFF Team will be available to support with navigating the venue for anyone that needs it.

If you have any other access needs you would like to discuss with us, please get in touch with us at info@sqiff.org.

Supported by Screen Scotland and National Lottery funding from the BFI.

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 🌈✨

Image Credit: SQIFF

The parts that make a film whole: Directing//Shooting (Filmmaking Workshops for Trans and Non-Binary People) - SOLD OUT
2025-04-13 14:00 - 18:00 | Transmission Gallery, 28 King Street, Glasgow, G1 5QP, United Kingdom
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**Please note this event is now sold out – we may be able to release more tickets nearer the event. We are operating a waiting list for sold out events – please go to the ticket link to be added to this!**

Are you trans and/or non-binary and would like to learn how to make your own short films?
SQIFF and Scottish Trans are bringing you 4x filmmaking workshop sessions, making film an accessible medium to get into. All sessions will be facilitated by Erica Monde and hosted at Transmission Gallery.
Erica Monde is a filmmaker, academic and educator working as a writer and director across documentary, experimental, and fiction film. They currently run IMPRINT Documentary Collective, teach on film courses at the University of Edinburgh and are completing their Short Circuit funded film, This Desert Will Rust Your Bones. Their recent documentary There’s Not Much We Can Do was funded by the Scottish Documentary Institute’s Bridging the Gap scheme, and they have also worked as a producer and story consultant on award winning short films.
Each workshop will focus on a different aspect of filmmaking. It’d be great if you could attend all four sessions, but don’t be discouraged to come if you can only come for a couple of sessions that you’re really excited about!

Information on this session (2/4):
How do we want to tell our film’s story? What elements of filmmaking can we use to capture material for our short? In week 2 we will focus on various approaches to directing and methods of creating footage and capturing sound. Drawing on the concept of developing a visual language, we will explore how different creative elements in film can be designed to craft emotion and tell our stories. Participants will leave this session with a practical plan (whether with a crew, alone, or using found/archive footage) to shoot their film over the following week. Skills in camera and sound will be collaboratively explored depending on the interests of the group.
Please bring any film equipment (camera, phone, audio recorder, etc.) you may want to work with to this session.
All roles (directors, producers, cinematographers, sound designers, composers, editors, production designers, costume designers, etc.) and levels of experience (from none to advanced) are welcome!

Tickets are FREE. To book a spot, click here.

Accessibility:

Wheelchair Access Including Accessible Bathroom.
Snacks and Drinks will be provided.
Quiet Space – A designated quiet space will be available during these workshop sessions.
Audience Travel and Access Fund – We have an Audience Access Fund that can support any audience member with costs within Scotland to be able to attend our events (ie. travel or childcare costs). Please get in touch by emailing info@sqiff.org or speak to our team at the event if you require this. You do not need to give a reason for accessing the fund.
Face Masks – FFP2 masks will be available for free around the venue.
Support Animals – Support animals and service animals such as guide dogs are welcome at Transmission Gallery.
The SQIFF Team will be available to support with navigating the venue for anyone that needs it.

If you have any other access needs you would like to discuss with us, please get in touch with us at info@sqiff.org.

Supported by Screen Scotland and National Lottery funding from the BFI.

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 🌈✨

Image Credit: SQIFF

The shape a film holds: Editing//Story (Filmmaking Workshops for Trans and Non-Binary People) - SOLD OUT
2025-04-20 14:00 - 18:00 | Transmission Gallery, 28 King Street, Glasgow, G1 5QP, United Kingdom
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**Please note this event is now sold out – we may be able to release more tickets nearer the event. We are operating a waiting list for sold out events – please go to the ticket link to be added to this!**

Are you trans and/or non-binary and would like to learn how to make your own short films?
SQIFF and Scottish Trans are bringing you 4x filmmaking workshop sessions, making film an accessible medium to get into. All sessions will be facilitated by Erica Monde and hosted at Transmission Gallery.
Erica Monde is a filmmaker, academic and educator working as a writer and director across documentary, experimental, and fiction film. They currently run IMPRINT Documentary Collective, teach on film courses at the University of Edinburgh and are completing their Short Circuit funded film, This Desert Will Rust Your Bones. Their recent documentary There’s Not Much We Can Do was funded by the Scottish Documentary Institute’s Bridging the Gap scheme, and they have also worked as a producer and story consultant on award winning short films.
Each workshop will focus on a different aspect of filmmaking. It’d be great if you could attend all four sessions, but don’t be discouraged to come if you can only come for a couple of sessions that you’re really excited about!

Information on this session (3/4):
How can we work creatively with our footage to design our films? How can we use specific techniques of editing and sound design to add depth and emotion to our stories? In week 3 we will begin our hands-on work with the footage shot over the previous week. Building on traditional methods of storytelling and moving into more experimental and conceptual approaches, this session will focus on working with and developing story structure through editing. Participants will leave this session with a rough cut of their films and a plan for further editing over the following week. Skills in using editing software such as Davinci Resolve will be explored as needed depending on the interest of the group.
Please bring your footage and a laptop (if you have one you’d like to use) to this session.
All roles (directors, producers, cinematographers, sound designers, composers, editors, production designers, costume designers, etc.) and levels of experience (from none to advanced) are welcome!

Tickets are FREE. To book a spot, click here.

Accessibility:

Wheelchair Access Including Accessible Bathroom.
Snacks and Drinks will be provided.
Quiet Space – A designated quiet space will be available during these workshop sessions.
Audience Travel and Access Fund – We have an Audience Access Fund that can support any audience member with costs within Scotland to be able to attend our events (ie. travel or childcare costs). Please get in touch by emailing info@sqiff.org or speak to our team at the event if you require this. You do not need to give a reason for accessing the fund.
Face Masks – FFP2 masks will be available for free around the venue.
Support Animals – Support animals and service animals such as guide dogs are welcome at Transmission Gallery.
The SQIFF Team will be available to support with navigating the venue for anyone that needs it.

If you have any other access needs you would like to discuss with us, please get in touch with us at info@sqiff.org.

Supported by Screen Scotland and National Lottery funding from the BFI.

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 🌈✨

Image Credit: SQIFF

Where a film lives: Screening//Distribution (Filmmaking Workshops for Trans and Non-Binary People) - SOLD OUT
2025-04-27 14:00 - 18:00 | Transmission Gallery, 28 King Street, Glasgow, G1 5QP, United Kingdom
Listen to this Event Page
**Please note this event is now sold out – we may be able to release more tickets nearer the event. We are operating a waiting list for sold out events – please go to the ticket link to be added to this!**

Are you trans and/or non-binary and would like to learn how to make your own short films?
SQIFF and Scottish Trans are bringing you 4x filmmaking workshop sessions, making film an accessible medium to get into. All sessions will be facilitated by Erica Monde and hosted at Transmission Gallery.
Erica Monde is a filmmaker, academic and educator working as a writer and director across documentary, experimental, and fiction film. They currently run IMPRINT Documentary Collective, teach on film courses at the University of Edinburgh and are completing their Short Circuit funded film, This Desert Will Rust Your Bones. Their recent documentary There’s Not Much We Can Do was funded by the Scottish Documentary Institute’s Bridging the Gap scheme, and they have also worked as a producer and story consultant on award winning short films.
Each workshop will focus on a different aspect of filmmaking. It’d be great if you could attend all four sessions, but don’t be discouraged to come if you can only come for a couple of sessions that you’re really excited about!

Information on this session (4/4):
How are our films experienced by others? Where do we want our films to be seen and what impact do we want them to have? In week 4 we will share our films with the wider group, and each filmmaker will have a chance to discuss their process with fellow participants. This session will be a space for creative feedback and ideation, exploring if and how we may want to develop our films further, whether on our own or in collaboration with other members of the group. We will also focus on the concept of distribution and the places and ways we want our films to be seen, as well as the idea of impact, or what place we want our film to inhabit in the world. Finally, we will discuss opportunities for further development as independent filmmakers.
Please bring your completed film to this session.
All roles (directors, producers, cinematographers, sound designers, composers, editors, production designers, costume designers, etc.) and levels of experience (from none to advanced) are welcome!

Tickets are FREE. To book a spot, click here.

Accessibility:

Wheelchair Access Including Accessible Bathroom.
Snacks and Drinks will be provided.
Quiet Space – A designated quiet space will be available during these workshop sessions.
Audience Travel and Access Fund – We have an Audience Access Fund that can support any audience member with costs within Scotland to be able to attend our events (ie. travel or childcare costs). Please get in touch by emailing info@sqiff.org or speak to our team at the event if you require this. You do not need to give a reason for accessing the fund.
Face Masks – FFP2 masks will be available for free around the venue.
Support Animals – Support animals and service animals such as guide dogs are welcome at Transmission Gallery.
The SQIFF Team will be available to support with navigating the venue for anyone that needs it.

If you have any other access needs you would like to discuss with us, please get in touch with us at info@sqiff.org.

Supported by Screen Scotland and National Lottery funding from the BFI.

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 🌈✨

Image Credit: SQIFF

Fun Family Event!
2025-05-17 10:30 - 13:30 | The Deep End, The Deep End 21 Nithsdale Street, Glasgow, G41 2PZ, United Kingdom
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Queer Families and SQIFF (Scottish Queer International Film Festival) have worked together to plan a fun, inclusive film event for all families with children! 🌈🦕🌞
You can drop in on the day, or send us a message or comment (so we know how many people will join)!
It’ll be a relaxed event, with some fun child-friendly (all ages) films to watch, fun creative activities, toys and storybooks, snacks and hot drinks, and space to meet other families and make friends.
Nat Lall (SQIFF curator) has selected lovely films for us to watch, including short animations with LGBTIQ+ families.
We’re holding this event because people who come to Queer Families have talked about not seeing many families like them in children’s films. So we’re trying to create more space for LGBTIQ+ families to feel more seen and valued.
All families with children are invited and welcome to join! The event is planned to meet the needs of LGBTIQ+ families especially, but every family is welcome. So please invite your friends and more people in your communities along! And of course wider family, chosen family, grandparents, and anyone else who matters to you too.
Send us a message (or email Leon@otbds.org) if you have any questions, or if we can help you feel welcome and take part.

Accessibility:

The Deep End is a wheelchair accessible venue.
Snacks, Coffee and Tea will be provided.

If you have any other access needs you would like to discuss with us, please get in touch with us at info@sqiff.org.

Films in this programme include:
Dear Nana, Dir. Han Nguyen, 2023
Dear Nana is a deeply personal work that reflects my own childhood memory of living as a queer kid in a small, conservative town in North Central Coast, Vietnam. It is made in memory of my maternal grandmother who passed away in 2011. She was the first person to teach me that there is no shame in being myself and doing whatever makes me happy instead of trying to conform to the norm and doing what is expected of me. This work is both about remembering her and reassuring myself that she would still be supportive of me now that I have come so far in my journey of self-expression. The film also features aspects of Vietnamese culture, such as the tradition to venerate our ancestors and pray for their blessings.

Forza, Rea!, Dirs. Isabel Pahud, Isabel Clerici, Laura Zimmermann, Polina Tyrsa, 2023, Switzerland, 3 min
In a hillside village in Ticino, Rea sets out to deliver a love letter to her crush while roller skating. As she heads to the house, the letter is swept away downhill, sending Rea on a frantic chase through the village. Navigating obstacles on the rough old town streets, she races to catch the letter before finally delivering it.

Little One, Dir. John Clister Santos, 2023, Philippines, 9 min
In Manila, Ili-Ili follows Joy, a pregnant mother seeking advice from her gay dads, Iko and Tino. When Iko has a heart attack, Tino reflects on their family’s journey through old footage. Joy learns that true parenting is defined by love and support, not gender, as the film’s painterly visuals convey a timeless message of parental devotion.
Content notes: Depiction of hospitalisation.

Alwan, Dir. Qais Sarhan, 2024, United Kingdom, 3 min
Meet Alwan, a cheerful child longing for a friend. After a series of disappointments, a box of crayons unexpectedly brings magic into his life. The crayons come alive, creating a magical world filled with joy and friendship. Here, Alwan discovers that his imagination holds the key to happiness, celebrating the power of creativity and the simple joys found within our imagination.

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 🌈✨

Image Credit: Forza Rea!, Dirs. Isabel Pahud, Isabel Clerici, Laura Zimmermann, Polina Tyrsa, 2023

Building Solidarity & Kinship: Short Film Screenings + Panel Discussion (Glasgow)
2025-06-22 13:00 - 15:00 | Kelvin Hall, 1445 Argyle Street, Glasgow, G3 8AW, United Kingdom
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This event is part of the Building Solidarity & Kinship programme curated by Esraa Husain at the Refugee Festival Scotland 2025.
We are featuring a selection of short films followed by a panel discussion exploring the Festival’s theme Milestones and elements connected to finding refuge and belonging and the importance of community building.
After the screening we are joined by the directors Adéráyọ̀ Adenekan and Theo Panagopoulos, community organisers Mahasin from Exhale Group, Solidarity Screenings, and Xuanlin Tham the author of Revolutionary Desires: The Political Power of the Sex Scene to discuss the themes mentioned and share reflections.
Tickets are FREE. To book, click here.

Accessibility
This programme has:

English language descriptive subtitles
English-BSL interpretation for the introduction and panel discussion
Live Captioning for the introduction and panel discussion
Kelvin Hall is a wheelchair accessible venue

Films in this programme include:

Mark Thomas, Permissible Beauty (2023)
Baz Sells, Two Black Boys in Paradise (2025)
Theo Panagopoulos, The Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing (2024)
Adéráyọ̀, DISSONANCE (2025)

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 🌈✨

Image Credit: Permissible Beauty, Dir. Mark Thomas, 2023

Pride Hub - SQIFF x Excuse My Beauty Movie Night
2025-07-15 06:00 - 21:30 | The Social Hub, The Social Hub, Candleriggs Square, Glasgow, G1 1TQ
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Join us for a movie night curated by SQIFF and Excuse My Beauty, with a special screening of Hot Young Geek Seeks Blood Sucking Freak by Heath Virgoe and Tops by Ames Pennington and Jos Bitelli.
Following the film screenings there will be a panel with members of trans collectives Excuse My Beauty, Trans Healthcare Access Glasgow, and Glasgow Electrolysis Project. All money raised from this event will be split between the three collectives.
This event is open to all, and is run by and for trans people to celebrate our community’s creativity and resilience. If you are an ally planning to attend we ask that you come with respect and awareness of how your privileges might show up in the space, and encourage you to pay the maximum donation of £12.

Excuse My Beauty is a trans artist/activist collective that organises events to fundraise for their database of trans healthcare and survival GoFundMes. Follow us and support our work @excusemybeauty.gla
Trans Healthcare Access Glasgow are a group of trans people working to improve access to blood tests for HRT monitoring through community-led research and direct provision of services.
Glasgow Electrolysis Project are a group of trans women fundraising to equip and train a transfem electrolysis in Glasgow.

Tickets are free with a sliding scale donation of £2, £4, £6, £8, £10, or £12. To book, click here.

Accessibility:

An age recommendation of N/C 16+.
English language descriptive subtitles.
BSL-English interpretation provided for the introduction and panel discussion.
The Social Hub is wheelchair accessible, with gender neutral toilets.
Please let us know at check in if you don’t want to be in pictures or video.

This screening is 82 minutes long with an introduction and panel discussion.
If you have any other access needs you would like to discuss with us, please get in touch with us at info@sqiff.org.

Films in this programme include:
Hot Young Geek Seeks Bloodsucking Freak, Dir. Heath Virgoe, 2024, United Kingdom, 12 min
When best friends Max and Ricky find themselves the prey of an angry vampire, they must ditch their Halloween plans to hide out at home. But when a forgotten pizza delivery shows up, can they risk letting the driver in? Can they stop arguing with each other? And can Max find the courage to face the one thing worse than death – coming out?
Content Notes: Discussion of sex, role-play. Depiction of death.
Access Notes: Contains flashing imagery.

TOPS, Dir. Ames Pennington and Jos Bitelli, 2024, United Kingdom, 70 min
Fun, satirical and a pastiche of the chaotic, brash, self-deprecating and clueless 1990s/2000s British reality TV, TOPS sees self-proclaimed future award winning filmmaker Ames Pennington present their landmark faux-documentary. Casting themselves as an invasive TV presenter, Ames goes on a satirical odyssey through the lives and homes of four unique individuals, exploring the crucial question that defines trans masc experience, “What TOP did you wanna wear after TOP surgery?”.
Content notes: Discussions of gender dysphoria, sex toys, surgery.

How to get there:
Address: The Social Hub, Candleriggs Square, Glasgow, G1 1TQ
Train: the venue is only a 10 minute walk from Queen Street Station or Central station
Driving: parking is a 4 minute walk at NCP Glassford Street – The Glasshouse NCP Car Park
Subway: the nearest subway station is a 10 minute walk from St Enoch station
Bikes: bike racks are available just outside the venue

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 🌈✨

Image Credit: TOPS, Dir. Ames Pennington and Jos Bitelli, 2024, United Kingdom

SQIFF Filmmakers Group - SOLD OUT
2025-07-22 18:30 - 20:30 | GMAC Film, 103 Trongate, Glasgow, Scotland, G1 5HD, United Kingdom
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**Please note this event is now sold out – we may be able to release more tickets nearer the event.**

We’re so back (for one session for now)! Our July 2025 session has been developed in partnership with the GMAC Film.
During this session, GMAC will showcase some of their Little Pictures short film projects: Caha; Shrapnel; and First Step Swim. Filmmakers behind these projects, Holly Barbour, Cailtin McMullan, and Chak Hin Leung will talk about their experiences in the Little Pictures programme and the making of their short films. You’ll get a chance to meet and ask the filmmakers as well as the Little Pictures team on how to get into the programme as well as get your short film ideas off the ground.
GMAC Film is a Glasgow-based charity and arts organisation, who are dedicated to opening access to filmmaking. Little Pictures is their short film commissioning scheme for first time or emerging filmmakers, offering them a budget and mentorship to make a film. With applications opening soon, Little Pictures is looking for or people aged 18 and over who are interested in writing, directing or producing films and are yet to receive their first short film commission.
This is a great opportunity to learn more about Little Pictures, the types of films they make and understanding what the process is like. You can also learn more about GMAC and the wider support they offer.

About the group
The SQIFF Queer Filmmakers Group is an initiative to bring local queer filmmakers together for two-hour group sessions to network and support each other in the development of film projects.
The group is open for any level of filmmaking or film supporting arts (acting, prop making, music and sound design…) and we really encourage people just starting out in these mediums to come along.
Join a very friendly and supportive cohort of queer artists in Scotland making films!
Tickets are free. To book, click here.

Films included in this event are:
Caha, Dir. Chak Hin Leung, 2025, 10 minutes
Synopsis: In a bustling London tea house, an Indian and Bruneian immigrants share their desires over a cup of chai.
Language: English
Content Notes: discussion of transphobia, homophobia, violence, death

Shrapnel, Dir. Holly Barbour, 2025, 15 minutes
Synopsis: Exes Layla and Jamie haven’t seen each other since their relationship catastrophically ended 5 years ago. Things were said, objects were thrown. When the two women find themselves trapped in a room at Layla’s dads funeral, they are forced to confront the ghosts of their pasts.
Language: English
Content Notes: discussion of parental death, terminal illness, grief, vaping, smoking mentions, anxiety attack

First Step Swim, Dir. Cailtin McMullan, 2021, 7 minutes
Synopsis: First Step Swim follows Caitlin on a journey of wild swimming as she navigates not only her relationship to her body, but also to the water and space in which she inhabits throughout the film.
Language: No dialogue

Accessibility:

BSL-English interpretation for the whole event.
English Descriptive Subtitles for all films.
Relaxed event.
Wheelchair Access.

Total runtime: 31 minutes

Venue access note:
The GMAC Film space has capacity for one wheelchair user at any given time. If this applies to you, please let us know when you plan on visiting so that we can ensure you are able to access the space comfortably and safely. Our email is hello@gmacfilm.com.
There are two lifts to gain access to GMAC on 5th floor.
In the unlikely event of a fire, both lifts will be out of use, and everyone will exit the building via five flights of stairs. If a disabled person is in the building and cannot evacuate using the stairs, the fire rescue team will be called immediately to recover them.
You can use our access form to let us know what adjustments or support we can provide to ensure you can take part. We recognise that our space is not as accessible as we would like it to be. With this in mind, please know that we are reviewing our next steps towards a more accessible experience for all.

FFP2 masks are available for this event. We ask that you wear a mask if possible and please don’t attend the event if you have any symptoms of Covid-19 or have been in recent contact with a confirmed case.
If you have any other access needs you would like to discuss with us, please get in touch with us at info@sqiff.org.

Credit: GMAC Film Little Pictures

SQIFF x The Social Hub Movie Night: Nina's Heavenly Delights (20th Anniversary)
2026-07-14 18:00 - 21:00 | The Social Hub, The Social Hub, Candleriggs Square, Glasgow, G1 1TQ
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SQIFF are excited to announce another collaboration with the Social Hub for this year’s Pride Hub event. This year we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of a queer, South Asian classic set right here in Glasgow, Nina’s Heavenly Delights. The film follows Nina’s return to her hometown of Glasgow to save her late father’s struggling curry house. Nina pairs up with childhood friend and chef Lisa to save the business and let’s just say things get a bit ‘spicy’. Expect laughs, bright colours and a celebration of Scottish Asian cuisine.

Alongside this feature we will be screening the short Bhangra Jig also by director Pratibha Parmar. This short film captures the high energy music genre of Bhangra being enjoyed, again, right here in Glasgow.

The films will be followed by a pre-recorded Q&A with Pratibha and SQIFF curator Nat Lall. We would love for you to join us for a celebration of the rich culture right here on our doorstep.

Tickets are Free with a donation option. To book your ticket for this event, click here.

Accessibility
We aim to be as accessible as possible, please get in touch if there’s anything we can do to make this event more accessible to you. This programme has:

An age recommendation of N/C 16+.
English language descriptive subtitles for the films and pre-recorded Q&A.
Text on screen provided for the introduction.
The Social Hub is wheelchair accessible, with gender neutral toilets.
Please let us know at check in if you don’t want to be in pictures or video.

This screening is 98 minutes long with an introduction and pre-recorded Q&A.

Films in this programme include:
Bhangra Jig, Dir. Pratibha Parmar, 1990, United Kingdom, 4 min
A young South Asian woman walks through the city of Glasgow, once the second largest city of the British Empire. Her eyes reflect on the wealth symbolised in the textures of the city’s architecture. Signs of Empire ever present in the stone freizes, imposing cast iron statues of dead colonialists, ornate pillars and the opulence of marble. Against histories of colonial carnage, Asian people build our communities and cultures, forging identities of self-affirmation. Against echoes of colonial memories is the living memory of today’s cultures of resistance: through dance and music, young Asian people celebrate desire and self pride. Bhangra Jig disrupts dominant notions of European culture and offers new meanings of what constitutes national cultures and identities, of what it means to be Asian, British and European. It was a four-minute television intervention piece, commissioned by Channel 4 celebrating Glasgow as the European cultural capital for 1990.

Nina’s Heavenly Delights, Dir. Pratibha Parmar, 2006, United Kingdom, 94 min
A feisty young woman returns to Glasgow to run her deceased father’s curry house.

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 🌈✨

Image Credit: Nina’s Heavenly Delights, Dir. Pratibha Parmar, 2006

Fun films with Queer Families
2026-09-05 13:00 - 16:00 | Hidden Gardens, 25A Albert Dr, Glasgow, G41 2PE, United Kingdom
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Queer Families and welcomes you to the 3rd year of this fun family film event! With short films for children and LGBTIQ+ families and community.

A relaxed film event hosted by the Queer Families community group. Join us for short films, snacks and creative activities for all ages around storytelling, film, and community!
In The Boilerhouse room, at the Hidden Gardens. 1-4pm.
Films for children 1-3pm
Inclusive animated shorts for children (0-8) and their families, curated by Nat Lall. All families welcome!
Short films: queer parenting 3-4pm
A selection of 3 short films exploring queer parenting and starting families. Everyone welcome!

About this event
The Queer Families Glasgow group hosts an annual film event celebrating short films that include LGBTIQ+ families – and give their children a chance to see families like theirs on screen! We’ll also have short films about animals, the sea, childhood, myths, magic and more.
We hold the event as a very relaxed film screening – you can drop in any time, and everyone’s free to move around, play and chat during the event. You can also try out DIY stop-motion and direct animation, make paper puppets, and share your ideas about the kinds of films you’d like to see!
Setting up: as this is a community event, we’ll spend the first 10 minutes setting up, and the last 15 minutes tidying up. We welcome people helping out with this at the start and end!

Tickets are free, get your tickets here!

Programme
FOR CHILDREN 1-3pm
Seaside Escape
Sea/Shore
The Penguin Who Couldn’t Swim
Sea Scouts’ Regatta
Edinburgh Zoo penguins livestream
Grand Dandy (For Ezra)
In Nature
Toti
Astral
Stop motion animations by children of the Queer Families group
And more!
These shorts are chosen to be interesting for children 0-8+ years old – with a range of stories and styles, and themes and characters to spark imagination. And we’ve included as many films as we could find that support belonging by showing LGBTQ parents, carers, grandparents (and lions, penguins, etc…) in positive, everyday ways that’ll resonate with young viewers!

FOR PARENTS, CARERS, AND EVERYONE ELSE 3pm
How to Make a Rainbow (16 mins)
Saturnrania (5 mins)
Lunchboxes (17 mins)
These shorts are chosen especially for LGBTIQ+ parents, carers and people starting families. You’re welcome to have your children with you at this screening, though the films aren’t chosen for children. Content warnings: How to Make a Rainbow mentions not being accepted by wider family. Lunchboxes talks about a parent’s fear of bullying. The overall tone of these short films is heart-warming, engaging, thoughtful – showing the joy and strength in LGBTIQ+ parenting.
Hosted by the Queer Families community groups, with support from Outside the Box and in partnership with SQIFF (Scottish Queer International Film Festival. Made possible by an award from the National Lottery Community Fund.

Accessibility:

The Boilerhouse room at the Hidden Gardens is a wheelchair accessible space.

If you have any other access needs you would like to discuss with us, please get in touch with us at info@sqiff.org.

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 🌈✨

Image Credit: Queer Families
