Queer as Punk + intro + pre-recorded Q&A
2026-05-13 20:30 - 22:30 UTC | Edinburgh Filmhouse, 88 Lothian Road, Edinburgh, EH3 9BZ
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Cinetopia:DOC in collaboration with SQIFF presents this Scottish special preview of Queer As Punk ahead of its wider UK release with T A P E Collective. The screening will have an introduction by artist Kai Khidir Hassan (fka Aki Hassan) and the film will be followed by a 20-minute pre-recorded Q&A.

Faris is a transman and the lead singer of “Shh..Diam!” (meaning “shut up!” in Malay), an openly queer punk band in Malaysia. Together with his bandmates Yon and Yoyo, they use their music to fight for LGBTQI+ rights in a country where conservative Muslim policies and society severely curtail human rights and freedom of expression. As discrimination against them intensifies, Yoyo chooses to leave the country. However in the face of the many challenges, Faris opts to stay, determined to continue using their music as a platform to advocate for freedom and equality, refusing to let the pressures of society silence their voice.
Director Yihwen Chen followed the trio for several years as they toured, documenting their gigs, experiences, and wide-ranging discussions. Queer As Punk continue to use their nonconformist live performances to fight for justice, in the face of intense pressure to and threats to silence their voices.
Kai Khidir Hassan (fka Aki Hassan) is a visual artist, researcher and organiser who primarily works with expanded sculpture, drawing and self-publishing. Rooted in collaborative inquiry and community-building, Aki’s practice extends beyond the studio into organising spaces that foreground collective knowledge, mutual support, and slower modes of active engagement.
Cinetopia:DOC is a monthly club bringing audiences together around exceptional documentary films alongside filmmaker Q&As or conversations, followed by continued discussion and networking in the Filmhouse Bar. Cinetopia:DOC is supported by Film Hub Scotland, part of the BFI’s Film Audience Network, and funded by Screen Scotland and National Lottery funding from the BFI and the Scottish Documentary Institute and produced by Cinetopia, a hub of activity around filmgoing and filmmaking based in Edinburgh.
SQIFF (Scottish Queer International Film Festival) is a charity formed with the aim of showcasing diverse queer cinema and uplifting creative voices from the LGBTQIA+ community in Scotland and beyond. The organisation runs an annual film festival in Glasgow, pop-up and year-round events, and community-focused programmes across Scotland.
T A P E Collective: Reppin’ could-be-cult classics, T A P E is a UK-based film company working across exhibition and distribution to platform the works of global majority filmmakers. Cross-curatorial, but firmly rooted in film, T A P E creates ties with art, music, talks and more, to bring exciting and subversive filmmaking to new and established audiences. With a focus on representation, identity and heritage, we champion the forgotten could-be cult films of the festival circuit.
Tickets are on a pay what you can sliding scale of FREE, £4, £8, £12, £16, or £20. To book your ticket for this event, click here.

Accessibility
This programme has:

English and Malay audio with English language Descriptive Subtitles
Text on Screen for the introduction

This screening is 88 minutes long.

Supported by Film Hub Scotland, part of the BFI’s Film Audience Network, awarding funding on behalf of Screen Scotland and the BFI National Lottery.

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Image Credit: Queer as Punk, Dir. Yihwen Chen, 2025
