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 UTC | 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

Do you think Memory will ever land on the statue of someone like you and me?
2025-04-11 12:00 - 2025-06-30 00:00 | Curate-It
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This screening features four films that explore the distinct ways in which we build relationships with one another as trans people. These relationships can be romantic, platonic, familial, or even that mutual feeling of care between strangers. The programme starts with I Feel (For) You, an euphoric documentary about a group of queer and trans friends. This is followed by A Bird Called Memory, Les garçons dans l’eau, and Dismantle Me; three narrative fiction films delving into the various ways we give and receive love. This trans-focused programme is an opportunity to reflect on the importance of love within our community.
Curated by Indigo Korres.

SQIFF is working with Curate-It to bring this programme online and wide. You can watch it by signing up to the Curate-It platform here.

Accessibility
This programme has:

English, French, Portuguese, Spanish audio with English language descriptive subtitles

This screening is 75 minutes long and has an age recommendation of N/C 15+.

Films in this programme include:

I Feel (For) You, Dir. Bella Cintra, 2023, Spain, 7 min
We embark on a journey in which the deepest feelings of a group of trans individuals will guide an intimate and emotional relationship between two trans people through their experiences.
Content notes: Discussion of homophobic slur, transmisogyny.

A Bird Called Memory, Dir. Leonardo Martinelli, 2023, Brazil, 15 min
A bird called Memory has forgotten how to come back home. Lua, a trans woman, tries to find Memory in the streets, but the city can be a hostile place.
Content notes: Depiction of transphobia.

Les garçons dans l’eau, Dir. Pawel Thomas Larue, 2023, France, 40 min
End of summer on the Breton coast. Oscar invites his group of friends to spend a week’s vacation at his grandparents’ house. He hasn’t been back to his childhood home for years – not since he came out as a trans boy. On the beach, the gang meets Malo, a handsome local guy, also trans. The story is about their meeting, which will turn everything upside down.
Content notes: Depiction of sex, alcohol use, cigarette use. Discussion of internalised homophobia.

Dismantle Me, Dir. Max Disgrace, 2023, United Kingdom, 13 min
A comical proposition turns into an arousing powerplay when a smoldering-hot trans woman helps a heartbroken trans man tidy his messy bedroom.
Associate produced by Lilly Wachowski, Dismantle Me is a dark comedy-romance by trans people of colour, and created with a majority transgender and non-binary cast and crew. Made in collaboration with Trans+ On Screen.
Content notes: Depiction of sex, cuts, blood. Discussion of sex, sexual language.

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: Les garçons dans l’eau, Dir. Pawel Thomas Larue, 2023

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
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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 (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

Floating in Ecosystems
2025-05-03 13:00 - 15:00 | Rio Cinema, 107 Kingsland High Street, London, E8 2PB, United Kingdom
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This screening brings together the work of queer East and Southeast Asian artists based in Scotland, showcasing bold explorations of identity, transformation, and community. The films in this programme experiment with dynamic visual narratives that challenge cultural and bodily boundaries, blurring the lines between reality and fiction, self and other. From fictional work to artist moving image work, these films offer a range of experiences where body and identity intersect with culture and memory.
Florence To will introduce this event by presenting an expansive overview of queer East and Southeast Asian filmmaking in Scotland today.
Curated by Indigo Korres.

Tickets are on a pay what you can sliding scale of £3, £6, £9, £12, £15. To book, click here or call the Rio Cinema Box Office on 020 7241 9410.

Accessibility
This programme has:

British Sign Language, Chinese, and English audio with English language descriptive subtitles
English-BSL interpretation for the introduction.
Rio Cinema is a wheelchair accessible venue.

This screening is 90 minutes long.

Films in this programme include:

Strangers, Dir. Klarissa Webster, 2023, United Kingdom, 4 min
2 peoples worlds collide in a graveyard. One dealing with a near loss, another still harbouring the pain after many years.

In the penumbra, the strange wave, Dir. Wei Zhang, 2022, United Kingdom, 11 min
This 11-minute collage film explores Zhang’s personal trauma through a blend of various media forms and techniques, creating an alternate reality with symbolic characters representing complex emotions.
Access notes: Distorted voice.

Fluid, Dir. Wei Zhou, 2016, United Kingdom, 13 min
An autobiographical story traces the filmmaker’s very own personal growing-up experiences of love and desire as a Chinese born and raised queer woman.
Access notes: Static imagery.
Content notes: Discussion of porn, self harm.

body is/as landscape, Dir. Joanne Lee, 2020, United Kingdom, 13 min
‘Body as/is Landscape’ shows the landscapes of St Andrews, Dunoon, a human body and the now demolished site of the Red Road flats in Glasgow. Lee asks what frames of references we are using to understand and relate to these landscapes? Attempting to situate the self among these places of privilege, absence, ruin and industry by observing in front and behind the camera. Questioning how we relate to and consume these landscapes – through the frame of the phone, the lens of the digital camera.

In Conversation with, Dir. Eye Suriyanon, 2024, United Kingdom, 11 min
‘In Conversation with ‘ (2024) is an animated film in collaboration with Members of the Children’s Parliament (MCP) from Stirling and Eye Suriyanon. As part of the ‘Fairness and Bias in AI’ workshop for the ‘Exploring Children’s Rights and AI’ project by Children’s Parliament Scotland. Featuring elements of graphic scores created by MCP and sound effects from DIY instruments, animated in Processing, additional music by Eye Suriyanon.
Access notes: Flashing imagery.

Narratives and Counternarratives, Dir. Chaoying Rao, 2022, United Kingdom, 9 min
This work examines representations of the self, dissecting the persistent fetishisation of Asian women through collaging and reviewing memorable moments in Western culture. Questioning the ideas of the ‘Asian mystique’ and how it manifests in popular culture, this film examines how the legacy of orientalism continues to manifest in spaces both physical and digital.
Content notes: Depiction of nudity, physical violence, body modification, fetishisation, racism, sex, sensual dancing, death, gun violence, knife violence, sword violence, decapitated head, blood. Discussion of harassment, violence.

Wah Yen, Dir. Wei Zhang, 2024, United Kingdom, 29 min
Set in 1970s Glasgow, the film explores the rich inner world of young, queer, and neurodivergent Chinese immigrant Chen through their emerging kinship with Scottish shipbuilder, James. Wah Yen employs a non-linear narrative, underpinned by Wei’s interweaving of 3D animation, archival footage, and drag performances, creating a dynamic and compelling visual language. The visually diverse film highlights the intimate relationships and struggles of marginalised identities, resonating particularly with Glasgow’s Chinese and queer residents.

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: Wah Yen, Dir. Wei Zhang, 2024

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

SQIFF x Porty Pride Film Night
2025-06-06 19:00 - 22:00 | Portobello Town Hall, 147-149 Portobello High Street, Edinburgh, EH15 1AF
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This year, SQIFF and Porty Pride team up once again to present a bold and eclectic mix of queer short films from around the world, screening at the beautiful Portobello Town Hall!
This vibrant programme spans narrative, documentary, and experimental work, delving into themes of memory, transformation, identity, and history. A Bird Called Memory is a striking meditation on love, loss, and the haunting nature of recollection. (Untitled)2025 is an incantation to our Indigenous ancestors from the Global Majority who experienced enforced binary genders, colonialism and the theft of land and resources. Twenty Something offers intimate glimpses into queer youth, as João writes a personal letter about the past, the future, love, friendship, fears and personal growth. In Cornelius, a powerful documentary that delves into the inspiring life and work of Cornelius Wilson, a dedicated community health advocate who has tirelessly fought against the AIDS epidemic within the Black LGBTQIA+ community for over four decades. Dr. XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology brings together drag, medical history, and trans narratives in a wildly original documentary format. Finally, Hot Young Geek Seeks Blood Sucking Freak is a comedy-horror short about the two scariest things on earth: vampires, and coming out. You don’t want to miss it!
Stick around after the screening for a lively discussion with special guest Heath Virgoe, Director of Hot Young Geek Seeks Blood Sucking Freak, hosted by Indigo Korres.
Curated by Indigo Korres.
Tickets are on a pay what you can sliding scale of £5, £10, £15. To book, click here.

Accessibility
This programme has:

An age recommendation of N/C 16+.
English language descriptive subtitles.
BSL-English interpretation provided for the introduction and panel discussion.

This screening is 72 minutes long with a introduction and panel discussion.

Films in this programme include:
A Bird Called Memory, Dir. Leonardo Martinelli, 2023, Brazil, 15 min
A bird called Memory has forgotten how to come back home. Lua, a trans woman, tries to find Memory in the streets, but the city can be a hostile place.
Content notes: Depiction of transphobia.

Twenty Something, Dir. João Nunes, 2024, Portugal, 14 min
After the end of a 3-year relationship, João writes a letter about the past, the future, love, friendship, fears and personal growth.
Content notes: Discussion of relationship grief.

Cornelius, Dir. Ken Gregory, 2024, United States, 7 min
“Cornelius” is a powerful documentary about Cornelius Wilson, who has been a tireless advocate for AIDS awareness in the black LGBTQ community for over forty years. It highlights his dedication through personal interviews and showcases his impact on health and education. Celebrating his significant contributions, “Cornelius” is a tribute to his enduring influence and the importance of compassionate community advocacy.
Content notes: Discussion of HIV stigmatisation, racism.

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.

(Untitled)2025, Dir. Campbell X, 2025, United Kingdom, 8 min
(Untitled)2025 is an incantation to our Indigenous ancestors from the Global Majority who experienced enforced binary genders, colonialism and the theft of land and resources. Campbell X explores these themes through a lyrical script, innovative camera techniques which explore the human form in close detail, a haunting soundscape and visuals from lush and devastating extraction from both countries and bodies.
Content notes: Discussion of colonialism. Depiction of bombing.

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.

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: Cornelius, Dir. Ken Gregory, 2024

Building Solidarity & Kinship: Short Film Screenings + Panel Discussion (Inverness)
2025-06-21 15:00 - 17:30 | Eden Court, Bishops Road, Inverness, IV3 5SA, 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 will feature 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 will be joined by local creatives and community organisers in Inverness who come from migrant backgrounds to discuss the themes mentioned and share reflections.
Tickets are on a pay what you can sliding scale of FREE, £3, £5, £10. To book, click here or call the Eden Court Box Office on 01463 234 234 or email at boxoffice@eden-court.co.uk.

Accessibility
This programme has:

English language descriptive subtitles
Live Captioning for the introduction and panel discussion
Glasgow Film Theatre is a wheelchair accessible venue

This screening is 93 minutes long.

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

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

Reas + Post Screening Discussion
2025-08-13 18:00 - 20:00 | Edinburgh Filmhouse, 88 Lothian Road, Edinburgh, EH3 9BZ
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In collaboration with Scottish Documentary Institute, we’re proud to present REAS: a ground-breaking documentary-musical by Lola Arias that explores queer solidarity and kinship within the carceral system. The screening will be enriched by a post-film relaxed 30-minute workshop with filmmaker Erica Monde.
Yoseli has a tattoo of the Eiffel Tower on her back and has always wanted to travel, but she was arrested at the airport for drug trafficking. Nacho is a trans man who was arrested for swindling and started a rock band in jail. Gentle or rough, blonde or shaved, cis or trans, long-term inmates or newly admitted: in this hybrid musical, they all re-enact their lives in a Buenos Aires prison.
Reas is a collective work that reinvents the musical genre: the performers dance and sing about their past in prison, relive their life as fiction, and invent, through fantasy and imagination, a possible future for themselves.
Tickets are on a pay what you can sliding scale. To book, click here.

Accessibility:

An age recommendation of BBFC 15.
Content Notes: Contains mentions of drug and people trafficking.
Spanish language audio with English language descriptive subtitles.
Filmhouse is wheelchair accessible, with gender neutral toilets.

This screening is 79 minutes long with an introduction and post-film workshop.
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: Reas, Dir. Lola Arias, 2024, Argentina, Germany, Switzerland

Neirud (Edinburgh) - SOLD OUT
2025-09-13 18:15 - 20:15 | Edinburgh Filmhouse, 88 Lothian Road, Edinburgh, EH3 9BZ
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Neirud died shrouded in mystery, leaving behind no trace of her past. Confronting family secrets, the filmmaker pieces together the mysterious life of her enigmatic “aunt”. In doing so, she discovers Neirud’s colourful life as a pioneering black lesbian wrestler in an all-female circus troupe through the 60s and 80s. As she investigates Neirud’s controversial ring persona, the filmmaker paints a fascinating story touching on race, identity and queer life through changing Brazilian society.

To book your ticket for this event, click here.

Accessibility
This programme has:

Portuguese audio with English language Descriptive Subtitles
English-BSL interpretation for introduction and panel discussion

This screening is 72 minutes long and has a BBFC U age rating.

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: Neirud, Dir. Fernanda Faya, 2023

Neirud (Glasgow)
2025-09-19 18:00 - 20:00 | GMAC Film, 103 Trongate, Glasgow, Scotland, G1 5HD, United Kingdom
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Neirud died shrouded in mystery, leaving behind no trace of her past. Confronting family secrets, the filmmaker pieces together the mysterious life of her enigmatic “aunt”. In doing so, she discovers Neirud’s colourful life as a pioneering black lesbian wrestler in an all-female circus troupe through the 60s and 80s. As she investigates Neirud’s controversial ring persona, the filmmaker paints a fascinating story touching on race, identity and queer life through changing Brazilian society.

To book your ticket for this event, click here.

Accessibility
This programme has:

Portuguese audio with English language Descriptive Subtitles
English-BSL interpretation for introduction

This screening is 72 minutes long and has a BBFC U age rating.

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: Neirud, Dir. Fernanda Faya, 2023

NIÑXS (Edinburgh) - SOLD OUT
2025-09-21 17:45 - 20:15 | Edinburgh Filmhouse, 88 Lothian Road, Edinburgh, EH3 9BZ
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In the rural small town of Tepoztlán, Mexico, fifteen-year-old Karla gets to tell her own coming-of-age story as she navigates the joys and complexities of trans adolescence. Irresistibly warm and funny, NIÑXS bursts the seams of documentary convention by dissolving the distance between filmmaker and subject. Director Kani Lapuerta and Karla reflect together on their transness as they watch eight years’ worth of footage documenting this formative period of Karla’s life: from trying out for the cheer team, playing with makeup, to being embarrassed by her loving and supportive parents. In an era where trans kids are spoken over and spoken for, NIÑXS sparkles with confidence, wit, and magic: a joyous demand that trans youth get to narrate their own stories. Presented as part of Take One Action Film Festivals 2025!
Join Listen Gallery’s Riah for a sounding workshop where we will collectively create sounds and explore sonic inspirations drawn from the film Niñxs. Together, we’ll move through vocal exercises designed to open a shared space for auditory imagination in response to the film. This workshop welcomes people of all backgrounds and mobilities. If there’s anything that would help make it easier for you to take part, just let Riah know — no musical experience needed.

Tickets are on a pay what you can sliding scale of FREE, £5, £10, £15, or £20. To book your ticket for this event, click here.

Accessibility
This programme has:

Content Notes: Discussions of transphobia, gender dysphoria, death and surgery. Contains two brief depictions of fake blood.
Access Notes: Mix of explanatory dialogue (in Spanish) and visual storytelling. Mainly bright images, with a short sequence of darker images towards the end of the film.
Spanish audio with English language Descriptive Subtitles
English-BSL interpretation for introduction and workshop
Live Captioning for introduction

This screening is 86 minutes long and has an age recommendation of N/C 15+.

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: NINXS, Dir. Kani Lapuerta, 2025

NIÑXS (Glasgow)
2025-09-27 20:00 - 22:30 | GMAC Film, 103 Trongate, Glasgow, Scotland, G1 5HD, United Kingdom
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In the rural small town of Tepoztlán, Mexico, fifteen-year-old Karla gets to tell her own coming-of-age story as she navigates the joys and complexities of trans adolescence. Irresistibly warm and funny, NIÑXS bursts the seams of documentary convention by dissolving the distance between filmmaker and subject. Director Kani Lapuerta and Karla reflect together on their transness as they watch eight years’ worth of footage documenting this formative period of Karla’s life: from trying out for the cheer team, playing with makeup, to being embarrassed by her loving and supportive parents. In an era where trans kids are spoken over and spoken for, NIÑXS sparkles with confidence, wit, and magic: a joyous demand that trans youth get to narrate their own stories. Presented as part of Take One Action Film Festivals 2025!
Grasping with both hands the joy, tenderness and tenacity that jumps through the screen in NIÑXS, stay on after the screening to learn all about the amazing trans mutual aid initiatives flourishing in Glasgow, how you can access their resources, and how you can get involved.

Tickets are on a pay what you can sliding scale of FREE, £5, £10, £15, or £20. To book your ticket for this event, click here.

Accessibility
This programme has:

Content Notes: Discussions of transphobia, gender dysphoria, death and surgery. Contains two brief depictions of fake blood.
Access Notes: Mix of explanatory dialogue (in Spanish) and visual storytelling. Mainly bright images, with a short sequence of darker images towards the end of the film.
Spanish audio with English language Descriptive Subtitles
English-BSL interpretation for introduction and workshop
Live Captioning for introduction

This screening is 86 minutes long and has an age recommendation of N/C 15+.

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: NINXS, Dir. Kani Lapuerta, 2025

NIÑXS (Inverness)
2025-10-12 17:30 - 20:00 | Eden Court, Bishops Road, Inverness, IV3 5SA, United Kingdom
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In the rural small town of Tepoztlán, Mexico, fifteen-year-old Karla gets to tell her own coming-of-age story as she navigates the joys and complexities of trans adolescence. Irresistibly warm and funny, NIÑXS bursts the seams of documentary convention by dissolving the distance between filmmaker and subject. Director Kani Lapuerta and Karla reflect together on their transness as they watch eight years’ worth of footage documenting this formative period of Karla’s life: from trying out for the cheer team, playing with makeup, to being embarrassed by her loving and supportive parents. In an era where trans kids are spoken over and spoken for, NIÑXS sparkles with confidence, wit, and magic: a joyous demand that trans youth get to narrate their own stories. Presented as part of Take One Action Film Festivals 2025!
Grasping with both hands the joy, tenderness and tenacity that jumps through the screen in NIÑXS, stay on after the screening for a celebration of trans life lived to its fullest.

Tickets are on a pay what you can sliding scale of FREE, £5, £10, £15, or £20. To book your ticket for this event, click here.

Accessibility
This programme has:

Content Notes: Discussions of transphobia, gender dysphoria, death and surgery. Contains two brief depictions of fake blood.
Access Notes: Mix of explanatory dialogue (in Spanish) and visual storytelling. Mainly bright images, with a short sequence of darker images towards the end of the film.
Spanish audio with English language Descriptive Subtitles
English-BSL interpretation for introduction and workshop
Live Captioning for introduction

This screening is 86 minutes long and has an age recommendation of N/C 15+.

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: NINXS, Dir. Kani Lapuerta, 2025

The River and The Glen, Camp Trans Scotland: The Exhibition
2025-10-27 14:00 - 2025-10-31 19:00 | Listen Gallery, 60 York Street, Glasgow, G2 8JX
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Cradled by the mountains, refreshed by the clear river, walk into the deep magic of Camp Trans Scotland. This exhibition holds its viewers in a moment of peace, pausing the chaos outside. It leads the audience into a time and space built on and by nature, community care and trans ancestry.
Photographs from 2024 and 2025 take the viewer into a world still vibrating within the camp trans folks. It invites the viewer under its green shield, to breathe the golden air, heal, and restore the strength we need to face the relentless attacks on trans people.
Stones, and other objects from the Camp will be in the space, available to touch, smell, creating a palpable, alive, archive. The stones will be returned to the glen, taking with them those who touched them.
The film made at the first camp, The River and The Glen, will play every hour.
Curated by Jules Lacave-Fontourcy.

This is a FREE exhibition.
2pm-7pm daily from 27th October – 1st November.

Accessibility
This exhibition has English Language descriptive subtitles.
You can find out more information about accessibility at SQIFF 2025 here. If you have any questions about accessibility at SQIFF 2025, please get in touch with us at info@sqiff.org or by phone on 07873 331 036.

This exhibition features the film:
The River and The Glen, Dir. Jules Lacave-Fontourcy, 2025, United Kingdom, 30 min
The first Scottish Camp Trans happened in September 2024, near Aberfeldy. Cradled by the mountains, far away from cis-society for a weekend, we existed on our own terms. Far from being a commodified retreat, Camp Trans was a coming together of trans people to rest and restore our strength.
Content notes: Depiction of one image of naked people (chest up) & seen from behind from feet up to head. Discussions of ableism, alcohol use, current trans panic, drug use, racism, transphobia.

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: The River and The Glen, Dir. Jules Lacave-Fontourcy, 2025

Swipe Right on Your Next Film Collab
2025-10-27 17:00 - 19:00 | The Social Hub, The Social Hub, Candleriggs Square, Glasgow, G1 1TQ
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Join SQIFF and Trans on Screen for an exciting speed-filmmaking event exclusively for queer and trans filmmakers. Designed in a fast-paced “speed dating” format, this session connects queer and trans directors, producers and HODs looking to spark new collaborations and bring fresh stories to life. Whether you’re an emerging filmmaker or already working in the industry, this is a unique opportunity to meet potential creative partners, share ideas, and build community in a focused, time-efficient setting.
Each short round of conversation allows participants to introduce their work, explore shared interests, and discover new possibilities for partnership. Expect a warm, welcoming space centred on creative exchange and mutual support, where trans voices lead the conversation.
Bring your project ideas, passion, and curiosity! This is your chance to connect with the next wave of queer and trans filmmaking talent and maybe even meet your next collaborator.
Curated by Trans on Screen.

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 programme has:

English-BSL interpretation throughout the event
Live Captioning throughout the event

If you require access seating please get in touch. Access seating includes: wheelchair spaces, bean bag seating, sitting in the front row / in the aisle / at the back. If you need any other provisions, please let us know by emailing info@sqiff.org with your name, ticket information and access request. If you are attending with companions and they need seating with you please also let us know. We will provide one free PA ticket for people who require any type of assistance (all tickets are pay what you can). We will do our best to work with you whilst also managing the capacity of each venue. Thank you for working with us on this.
You can find out more information about accessibility at SQIFF 2025 here. If you have any questions about accessibility at SQIFF 2025, please get in touch with us at info@sqiff.org or by phone on 07873 331 036.

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: Tiu Makkonen

SQIFF 2025 Opening Night Scottish Shorts - SOLD OUT
2025-10-27 20:00 - 22:00 | The Social Hub, The Social Hub, Candleriggs Square, Glasgow, G1 1TQ
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**Please note this event is now sold out – we may be able to release more tickets nearer the screening. We are operating a waiting list for sold out events on the platform Ticket Tailor, where we sell our tickets for SQIFF 2025 – please add your name to the waitlist and you’ll be notified by Ticket Tailor if any tickets become available!**
We are once again back with an opening event celebrating Scottish queer cinema! This screening exclusively contains short films by artists based in Scotland. The selected short films highlight the diversity of LGBTQIA+ films being made right here in Scotland. Before we spend the week enjoying cinematic treats from across the globe, let’s take a moment to appreciate the talented and close-knit queer community we are so grateful to have right here. Expect bright colours, lovely creatures, big laughs and plenty of fun informal chat in our post-screening Q&A with the filmmakers.
All filmmakers in this screening and ‘Scottish Shorts 2’ are automatically entered into a competition to win the title of Best Scottish Short. The winner will be announced at the closing screening of SQIFF 2025.
Curated by Nat Lall and Huss.

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 programme has:

Audio Description
English audio with English language Descriptive Subtitles
English-BSL interpretation for introduction and panel discussion
Live Captioning for introduction and panel discussion

This screening is 75 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, bean bag seating, sitting in the front row / in the aisle / at the back. If you need any other provisions, please let us know by emailing info@sqiff.org with your name, ticket information and access request. If you are attending with companions and they need seating with you please also let us know. We will provide one free PA ticket for people who require any type of assistance (all tickets are pay what you can). We will do our best to work with you whilst also managing the capacity of each venue. Thank you for working with us on this.
You can find out more information about accessibility at SQIFF 2025 here. If you have any questions about accessibility at SQIFF 2025, please get in touch with us at info@sqiff.org or by phone on 07873 331 036.

Films in this programme include:
This Werewolf Complex, Dir. Heather E Andrews, 2024, United Kingdom, 15 min
Moving portrait explores brain auras through personal voices, examining seizure warnings, social stigma, and their positive impact on artistic expression.

TWISTED PAIR, Dir. Edward Gwyn Jones, 2023, United Kingdom, 13 min
Two characters engage in erotic, absurdist phone calls that invert power dynamics, sampling 1975-1985 queer cinema and pop culture.

Late Bloomers, Dir. Axel Gutapfel, 2024, United Kingdom, 6 min
Late Bloomers depicts a post-nature world where Glasgow’s queer community creates reality through mimicking wilderness they’ve never known.

Three Act Structure, Dir. Iona Rose Wheeler, 2025, United Kingdom, 3 min
Iona recounts and imagines experiences discussing gender with doctors.
Content notes: Discussion of difficulties in accessing trans healthcare, medical conversations, transphobia.

TAPS, Dir. Louis O. Utieyin, 2025, United Kingdom, 7 min
When Max unknowingly summons a demon on Grindr, he must do whatever it takes to survive.
Content notes: Discussion of drug use, sex.
Access notes: Flashing imagery.

Taxonomy, Dir. Ren Leverentz, 2025, United Kingdom, 11 min
Using a combination of movement art and conversation, Taxonomy is a short documentary that explores the relationship between language and gender for trans and non-binary people.
Content notes: Discussion of dysphoria, misgendering.

The Figure in the Carpet, Dir. Fibi Cowley, 2024, United Kingdom, 7 min
Personal reflection on living with hallucinations, told through experimental puppetry and informed by the director’s lived sensory experiences.

Well … Actually, Dir. Zyra Evangelista, 2025, United Kingdom, 13 min
When xeir best friend pulls a prank that goes terribly wrong, an agoraphobic doomsday pepper becomes the world’s last hope for survival… or so they think.
Content notes: Depiction of misgendering, strong language use. Discussion of climate change, genocide, homelessness, intense fears and phobias.

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: TAPS, Dir. Louis O. Utieyin, 2025

Scottish Shorts 1 - SOLD OUT
2025-10-28 15:30 - 17:30 | The Boardwalk, The Boardwalk, 105 Brunswick St, Glasgow, G1 1TF
🔊 Listen to this Event Page

**Please note this event is now sold out – we may be able to release more tickets nearer the screening. We are operating a waiting list for sold out events on the platform Ticket Tailor, where we sell our tickets for SQIFF 2025 – please add your name to the waitlist and you’ll be notified by Ticket Tailor if any tickets become available!**

We are once again back with an opening event celebrating Scottish queer cinema! This screening exclusively contains short films by artists based in Scotland. The selected short films highlight the diversity of LGBTQIA+ films being made right here in Scotland. Before we spend the week enjoying cinematic treats from across the globe, let’s take a moment to appreciate the talented and close-knit queer community we are so grateful to have right here. Expect bright colours, lovely creatures, big laughs and plenty of fun informal chat in our post-screening Q&A with the filmmakers.
All filmmakers in this screening and ‘Scottish Shorts 2’ are automatically entered into a competition to win the title of Best Scottish Short. The winner will be announced at the closing screening of SQIFF 2025.
Curated by Nat Lall and Huss.

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 programme has:

Audio Description
English audio with English language Descriptive Subtitles
English-BSL interpretation for introduction and panel discussion. The interpreter for this event is Lou Hanson.
Live Captioning for introduction and panel discussion

This screening is 75 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, bean bag seating, sitting in the front row / in the aisle / at the back. If you need any other provisions, please let us know by emailing info@sqiff.org with your name, ticket information and access request. If you are attending with companions and they need seating with you please also let us know. We will provide one free PA ticket for people who require any type of assistance (all tickets are pay what you can). We will do our best to work with you whilst also managing the capacity of each venue. Thank you for working with us on this.
You can find out more information about accessibility at SQIFF 2025 here. If you have any questions about accessibility at SQIFF 2025, please get in touch with us at info@sqiff.org or by phone on 07873 331 036.

Films in this programme include:
This Werewolf Complex, Dir. Heather E Andrews, 2024, United Kingdom, 15 min
Moving portrait explores brain auras through personal voices, examining seizure warnings, social stigma, and their positive impact on artistic expression.

TWISTED PAIR, Dir. Edward Gwyn Jones, 2023, United Kingdom, 13 min
Two characters engage in erotic, absurdist phone calls that invert power dynamics, sampling 1975-1985 queer cinema and pop culture.

Late Bloomers, Dir. Axel Gutapfel, 2024, United Kingdom, 6 min
Late Bloomers depicts a post-nature world where Glasgow’s queer community creates reality through mimicking wilderness they’ve never known.

Three Act Structure, Dir. Iona Rose Wheeler, 2025, United Kingdom, 3 min
Iona recounts and imagines experiences discussing gender with doctors.
Content notes: Discussion of difficulties in accessing trans healthcare, medical conversations, transphobia.

TAPS, Dir. Louis O. Utieyin, 2025, United Kingdom, 7 min
When Max unknowingly summons a demon on Grindr, he must do whatever it takes to survive.
Content notes: Discussion of drug use, sex.
Access notes: Flashing imagery.

Taxonomy, Dir. Ren Leverentz, 2025, United Kingdom, 11 min
Using a combination of movement art and conversation, Taxonomy is a short documentary that explores the relationship between language and gender for trans and non-binary people.
Content notes: Discussion of dysphoria, misgendering.

The Figure in the Carpet, Dir. Fibi Cowley, 2024, United Kingdom, 7 min
Personal reflection on living with hallucinations, told through experimental puppetry and informed by the director’s lived sensory experiences.

Well … Actually, Dir. Zyra Evangelista, 2025, United Kingdom, 13 min
When xeir best friend pulls a prank that goes terribly wrong, an agoraphobic doomsday pepper becomes the world’s last hope for survival… or so they think.
Content notes: Depiction of misgendering, strong language use. Discussion of climate change, genocide, homelessness, intense fears and phobias.

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: TAPS, Dir. Louis O. Utieyin, 2025

How We Loved, How We Broke - SOLD OUT
2025-10-28 18:00 - 20:00 | The Boardwalk, The Boardwalk, 105 Brunswick St, Glasgow, G1 1TF
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**Please note this event is now sold out – we may be able to release more tickets nearer the screening. We are operating a waiting list for sold out events on the platform Ticket Tailor, where we sell our tickets for SQIFF 2025 – please add your name to the waitlist and you’ll be notified by Ticket Tailor if any tickets become available!**
Love arrives in many forms, and heartbreak rarely leaves without a trace. How We Loved, How We Broke brings together six short films that explore intimacy, longing, separation, and survival. Each story reveals a different facet of queer connection, from fleeting encounters and deep ruptures to surreal escapes and quiet acts of care.
Spanning cities, languages, and emotional landscapes, this programme offers a tender and vivid reflection on the ways queer people love, lose, remember, and move forward. Whether anchored in reality or slipping into fantasy, these films speak to the complexity of queer relationships and the echoes they leave behind.
Following the screening, join us for a live performance by Glasgow-based artists Simone Seales and Mele Broomes, sharing new music from their upcoming album inspired by experiences of first love.
Curated by Huss.

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 programme has:

Arabic, English, French, Mandarin Chinese, Persian, Tagalog, Yue Chinese (Cantonese) audio with English language Descriptive Subtitles
English-BSL interpretation for introduction and performance. The interpreter for this event is Lisa Li.
Live Captioning for introduction and performance

This screening is 98 minutes long and has an age recommendation of N/C 18+.
If you require access seating please get in touch. Access seating includes: wheelchair spaces, bean bag seating, sitting in the front row / in the aisle / at the back. If you need any other provisions, please let us know by emailing info@sqiff.org with your name, ticket information and access request. If you are attending with companions and they need seating with you please also let us know. We will provide one free PA ticket for people who require any type of assistance (all tickets are pay what you can). We will do our best to work with you whilst also managing the capacity of each venue. Thank you for working with us on this.
You can find out more information about accessibility at SQIFF 2025 here. If you have any questions about accessibility at SQIFF 2025, please get in touch with us at info@sqiff.org or by phone on 07873 331 036.

Films in this programme include:
Aliens In Beirut, Dir. Raghed Charabaty, 2025, Lebanon, 17 min
A Lebanese immigrant returns to Beirut for the first time in a decade, only to find love and horror by the sea, in the alleyways, and on the elusive rooftops of the city – right before the 2020 Beirut Port Explosion.
Content notes: Depiction of cigarette use, destruction, explosion. Discussion of homophobia, war.

At Least We Had This Moment, Dir. Joshua de Vera, 2025, Philippines, 20 min
In his quest to capture the aged architecture of Manila, film photographer Dino seeks the company of a local stranger, Vince. But as the city noises grew, their stories stood out.
Content notes: Depiction of cigarette use.

Earworm, Dir. Ilias Merabiha, 2025, France, Germany, 11 min
Tormented Gaspard battles a parasitic worm feeding on his grief after romance ends, undergoing cathartic metamorphosis through healing rituals.

EDEN (باغ عدن), Dir. Rustin Zam-Zam Madadi, 2024, United States of America, 10 min
In the sun-soaked suburbs of Orange County, CA, Roya returns home seeking a fresh start, only to become entangled in a web of desire at an all-women’s yoga studio with their trans masculine counterpart. As loyalties shift and old wounds resurface, the studio transforms into a battleground where love and hate collide.

Fortune Favours the Fantabulous, Dir. Em Li, 2023, United Kingdom, 25 min
Non-binary fortune teller Fei Liu’s marsh tent becomes invaded by phantoms over three days, threatening their reality and future.

Purebred, Dir. Caleb J. Roberts, 2025, Ireland, United Kingdom, 15 min
During a heatwave in Belfast, transgender man Owen returns to the flat of his on-off-again lover Seán after taking a pregnancy test.
Content notes: Depiction of non-explicit nudity, sex scenes, strong language use. Discussion of pregnancy.

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: Aliens In Beirut, Dir. Raghed Charabaty, 2025

Rookie - SOLD OUT
2025-10-28 18:30 - 20:30 | The Boardwalk, The Boardwalk, 105 Brunswick St, Glasgow, G1 1TF
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**Please note this event is now sold out – we may be able to release more tickets nearer the screening. We are operating a waiting list for sold out events on the platform Ticket Tailor, where we sell our tickets for SQIFF 2025 – please add your name to the waitlist and you’ll be notified by Ticket Tailor if any tickets become available!**

Ace is a tall, awkward teenager who moves to an all-girls Catholic high school in the Philippines. The volleyball coach spots Ace on her first day, and invites her to try out for the team. She is initially no good at the sport and socially ostracised, but things begin to change when she falls for the highly motivated team captain, Jana, who dislikes her because she sees her as a threat. But the girls and their teammates must nonetheless join forces: not only to successfully compete in competitions, but also to face up against a more disturbing, insidious threat. Powered by authentic performances, Samantha Lee’s heartfelt film captures the resilience of the young athlete as she struggles for acceptance, and the strength of female solidarity in a society rigged against women.
Curated by Queer East.

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 programme has:

Philippines, English and Tagalog audio with English language Descriptive Subtitles
English-BSL interpretation for introduction. The interpreter for this event is Lou Hanson.
Live Captioning for introduction
Content notes: Depiction of sexual assault. Discussion of distressing themes.

This screening is 94 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, bean bag seating, sitting in the front row / in the aisle / at the back. If you need any other provisions, please let us know by emailing info@sqiff.org with your name, ticket information and access request. If you are attending with companions and they need seating with you please also let us know. We will provide one free PA ticket for people who require any type of assistance (all tickets are pay what you can). We will do our best to work with you whilst also managing the capacity of each venue. Thank you for working with us on this.
You can find out more information about accessibility at SQIFF 2025 here. If you have any questions about accessibility at SQIFF 2025, please get in touch with us at info@sqiff.org or by phone on 07873 331 036.

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: Rookie, Dir. Samantha Lee, 2023

Scottish Shorts 2 - SOLD OUT
2025-10-28 21:00 - 23:00 | The Boardwalk, The Boardwalk, 105 Brunswick St, Glasgow, G1 1TF
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**Please note this event is now sold out – we may be able to release more tickets nearer the screening. We are operating a waiting list for sold out events on the platform Ticket Tailor, where we sell our tickets for SQIFF 2025 – please add your name to the waitlist and you’ll be notified by Ticket Tailor if any tickets become available!**

Returning for another year at the festival, Scottish Shorts 2 is a bold and intimate programme of short films by queer filmmakers working across Scotland. This selection continues to explore the queer Scottish experience through stories shaped by displacement, desire, care, survival, and play.
These films move between personal documentary, narrative storytelling, and experimental textures. Some reflect on home and migration, others explore relationships, identity, and transformation. These films reveal queer lives in all their depth and nuance, telling stories with humour and heart.
At its core, this programme brings forward voices and perspectives too often absent from Scottish screens. It celebrates a growing queer cinema that is rooted, restless, and unapologetically present.
All filmmakers in this screening and in ‘Scottish Shorts 1’ are automatically entered into a competition to win the title of Best Scottish Short. The winner will be announced at the closing screening of SQIFF 2025.
Following the screening, we’ll be joined by the filmmakers for a Q&A to reflect on their work, share insights, and open up space for conversation.
Curated by Nat Lall and Huss.

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 programme has:

Chinese, English, Mandarin audio with English language Descriptive Subtitles
English-BSL interpretation for introduction and panel discussion. The interpreter for this event is Louise Rodgers.
Live Captioning for introduction and panel discussion

This screening is 76 minutes long and has an age recommendation of N/C 18+.
If you require access seating please get in touch. Access seating includes: wheelchair spaces, bean bag seating, sitting in the front row / in the aisle / at the back. If you need any other provisions, please let us know by emailing info@sqiff.org with your name, ticket information and access request. If you are attending with companions and they need seating with you please also let us know. We will provide one free PA ticket for people who require any type of assistance (all tickets are pay what you can). We will do our best to work with you whilst also managing the capacity of each venue. Thank you for working with us on this.
You can find out more information about accessibility at SQIFF 2025 here. If you have any questions about accessibility at SQIFF 2025, please get in touch with us at info@sqiff.org or by phone on 07873 331 036.

Films in this programme include:
A Journey Of The Leaves, Dir. Yash Zhang, 2024, United Kingdom, 11 min
When memories of his father’s violence chase him from China, a queer filmmaker drifts into an autumn-touched Estonian town. There, a wandering traveler, a bookstore owner, a poet’s living statue, and another queer Chinese soul carrying similar wounds guide him through the scattered pieces of his past.
Content notes: Discussion of violence.

Be Honest!, Dir. Alice Harper, 2025, United Kingdom, 11 min
With a chance to win £100,000 for their ailing child, a couple enter a game show where they must face the most brutal challenge of all — being honest.

Before You Leave, Dir. Louise Thomas, 2024, United Kingdom, 12 min
On the day before her move to Australia, Innes, a veterinarian in her mid-twenties, grapples with mounting uncertainty as she and her sister, Saoirse, navigate the streets of Edinburgh. On this journey, they deliver the last of her belongings to a coworker, an ex-boyfriend, and a childhood friend. Each encounter becomes a poignant reminder of what she’s leaving behind.

Keith, Dir. Steven Fraser, 2024, United Kingdom, 8 min
A Glasgow filmmaker discovers a dead body behind bins and embarks on a phone-based investigation to identify the victim. Using animation techniques exploring social media, apps, and blogs, the film examines neurodiversity and autistic communication styles while building tension toward revealing the deceased person’s name.
Content notes: Depiction of animated nudity, drug use.

Bowl, Dir. John Kelbie, 2025, United Kingdom, 10 min
Arthur is an elderly, quick-witted, gay man who has recently been diagnosed with arthritis. Upon finding out that his old foe and competitor Norma is playing in the upcoming lawn bowls charity match, Arthur seeks the chance to prove himself. He faces many challenges along the way as he bickers with Norma and comes to terms with his illness and the losses he has faced, but with a little help from Norma’s granddaughter Jenn, he is able to confront his past and learn what is truly important to him.
Content notes: Discussion of death, grief, illness, loss.

Cahā, Dir. Chak Hin Leung, 2024, United Kingdom, 10 min
Intimate documentary capturing two immigrants—Indian and Bruneian—meeting in a London teahouse. Over tea (“cahā”), their casual conversation reveals profound stories of sacrifice, identity, and adaptation. The film explores immigrant experiences and colonial tea legacy, showing how this simple ritual creates unexpected connection and understanding across borders.
Content notes: Discussion of colonialism, transphobia.

Changing Homes, Dir. Mano Mandal, 2025, United Kingdom, 6 min
An Indian nonbinary transmasculine person goes to a European beach for the first time since their top surgery. As they sit and read about a historical trans person, they navigate the idea of being shirtless in public for the very first time. While doing so, they reflect on Eurocentric body standards and on their sense of home — in their own body and amidst bodies of water.

First Contact, Dir. James Crang, 2025, United Kingdom, 8 min
In isolation on the moon, a gardener tends to his small patch of life. When another person appears, he is forced to confront his fears of connection. Will he nurture a bond that could bring light to his lonely existence, or will his anxiety keep him in darkness?

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: Keith, Dir. Steven Fraser, 2024

NO PRIDE IN GENOCIDE - SOLD OUT
2025-10-29 15:30 - 17:30 | The Boardwalk, The Boardwalk, 105 Brunswick St, Glasgow, G1 1TF
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**Please note this event is now sold out – we may be able to release more tickets nearer the screening. We are operating a waiting list for sold out events on the platform Ticket Tailor, where we sell our tickets for SQIFF 2025 – please add your name to the waitlist and you’ll be notified by Ticket Tailor if any tickets become available!**

“I’ve always imagined you and me sitting out in the sun, hand in hand, free at last. We spoke of all the places we would go if we could. Yet you are gone now. If I had known the bombs falling around us would take you from me, I would have told the world how I adored you more than anything.  I’m sorry I was a coward.”  – Words of a queer Palestinian, submitted to Queering the Map
NO PRIDE IN GENOCIDE confronts a brutal truth. While queer lives are celebrated and marketed in some parts of the world, elsewhere they are being bombed, silenced, and erased.
As Palestine is reduced to rubble and its people fight for survival, this programme stands in unwavering solidarity. It amplifies queer voices that refuse to be erased by genocide, pinkwashing, or complicity.
Featuring urgent works from Palestine, the diaspora, and Lebanon, this programme gathers stories of queer love, loss, resistance, and survival. Each film defies erasure, insisting on presence over silence. These works reject the idea that queerness can be separated from the violence, displacement, and repression that shapes the lives of those it affects. Some of these stories emerge from exile, tracing the long shadows of conflict and the quiet resilience of those still carrying memory across oceans.
Rooted in the Palestinian struggle, NO PRIDE IN GENOCIDE also reflects broader realities of queer Arab life under occupation, exile, and authoritarian rule. Across borders and identities, these films speak to the endurance of those living under systems of state violence and to the radical imagination it takes to survive them.
In a time when visibility is weaponised, we refuse silence.  There is no queer liberation without the liberation of Palestine.  There is no pride in genocide.  Liberation for Palestine is liberation for us all.
Following the screening, there will be a discussion with No Pride in Genocide Glasgow and Solidarity Screenings Glasgow, inviting audiences to engage with these urgent issues and reflect on the power of solidarity.
Curated by Huss.

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 programme has:

Arabic and English audio with English language Descriptive Subtitles
English-BSL interpretation for introduction and panel discussion. The interpreter for this event is Lucy Niven.
Live Captioning for introduction and panel discussion

This screening is 74 minutes long and has an age recommendation of N/C 18+.
If you require access seating please get in touch. Access seating includes: wheelchair spaces, bean bag seating, sitting in the front row / in the aisle / at the back. If you need any other provisions, please let us know by emailing info@sqiff.org with your name, ticket information and access request. If you are attending with companions and they need seating with you please also let us know. We will provide one free PA ticket for people who require any type of assistance (all tickets are pay what you can). We will do our best to work with you whilst also managing the capacity of each venue. Thank you for working with us on this.
You can find out more information about accessibility at SQIFF 2025 here. If you have any questions about accessibility at SQIFF 2025, please get in touch with us at info@sqiff.org or by phone on 07873 331 036.

Films in this programme include:
Blood Like Water, Dir. Dima Hamdan, 2023, Palestine, 13 min
When a Palestinian man is blackmailed with footage of him having sex with another man, he and his family are forced to make a terrible decision: collaborate with the Israeli occupation or be publicly shamed. Based on true stories.
Content notes: Depiction of homophobia, physical assault, strong language. Discussion of harassment, illegal Israeli occupation, murder.

I Never Promised You a Jasmine Garden, Dir. Teyama Alkamli, 2023, Canada, 20 min
Tara, a queer Arab woman in her late 20s, attempts to suppress her internal emotional turbulence during a phone call with her best friend Sarab, with whom she is in love.
Content notes: Depiction of cigarette use.

Cinema Fouad, Dir. Mohamed Soueid, 1993, Lebanon, 41 min
Documentary portrait of Oscar Al-Halabiye, a Syrian trans woman in Beirut working as domestic worker and belly dancer. Through intimate scenes of daily life, she reflects on gender reassignment desires, mourning her Palestinian lover’s death, and facing societal aggressions that echo even in the filmmaker’s provocative interview style.
Content notes: Discussion of transphobia, violence.

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: Cinema Fouad, Dir. Mohamed Soueid, 1993

A Nova Era
2025-10-29 18:00 - 20:00 | The Boardwalk, The Boardwalk, 105 Brunswick St, Glasgow, G1 1TF
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Curated in collaboration with Mostra Queer Brasil, this vibrant programme of short films offers a window into queer life and imagination across Brazil. From poetic documentary to sci-fi, magical realism to tender coming-of-age, the selection celebrates how fluidity, resistance, and reinvention shape queer identities and experiences in Brazilian contexts.
These stories reflect a country where transformation is constant and identity is expansive. Whether through ancient landscapes, futuristic visions, or intimate connections, the films explore how queer Brazilians carve out space to live, feel, and dream on their own terms.
The screening includes a surprise short, winner of Best Brazilian Short Film from Mostra Luminosa in Bahia, and will be followed by a conversation on Brazilian queer cinema between filmmaker and Mostra Queer Brasil founder Ricky Mastro and Amazônia EcoQueer curator Danilo Baraúna.
Curated by Indigo Korres and Ricky Mastro.

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 programme has:

Portuguese audio with English language Descriptive Subtitles
English-BSL interpretation for introduction and panel discussion. The interpreter for this event is Lou Hanson.
Live Captioning for introduction and panel discussion

This screening is 72 minutes long and has an age recommendation of N/C 18+.
If you require access seating please get in touch. Access seating includes: wheelchair spaces, bean bag seating, sitting in the front row / in the aisle / at the back. If you need any other provisions, please let us know by emailing info@sqiff.org with your name, ticket information and access request. If you are attending with companions and they need seating with you please also let us know. We will provide one free PA ticket for people who require any type of assistance (all tickets are pay what you can). We will do our best to work with you whilst also managing the capacity of each venue. Thank you for working with us on this.
You can find out more information about accessibility at SQIFF 2025 here. If you have any questions about accessibility at SQIFF 2025, please get in touch with us at info@sqiff.org or by phone on 07873 331 036.

Films in this programme include:
How a river is born, Dir. Luma Flôres, 2025, Brazil, 9 min
Ayla wakes up in a mountainous landscape, surrounded only by vegetation and a river. Driven by curiosity and a desire to get to know the place, she goes on a journey of discovery and diving. As she discovers where she is, she also discovers herself.
Content notes: Depiction of animated nudity.

Telepathic Encounters, Dir. Henfil, 2025, Brazil, 5 min,
A love at first sight between two young girls unveils an unexpected telepathic community amid a silent library.

If I’m Here It Is By Mystery, Dir. Clari Ribeiro, 2024, Brazil, 22 min
New Rio, 2054. Renowned witch Dahlia arrives at the port with a mission: to found the most powerful Clan that has ever existed and thus defeat the Order of Truth. In the future, many people are trans — but only a few are witches.
Content notes: Depiction of blood, death, knife.

Vollúpya, Dirs. Éri Sarmet, Jocimar Dias Jr., 2024, Brazil, 21 min
In a post-apocalyptic future, an intergalactic explorer lands at an abandoned museum on a quest to find traces of his long-lost ancestors, and ends up being teleported to the dance floor of a Brazilian queer nightclub in the 1990s.
Content notes: Depiction of alcohol use, cigarette use, sensual dancing, sexual language use.
Access notes: Flashing imagery, flashing lights.

Kings, Dir. Juliana Pamplona, 2024, Brazil, 15 min
A poetic documentary on a diverse group, identified with the dyke-queer culture, that spends a day experimenting as drag kings at a bar in the borough of Santa Teresa, Rio de Janeiro.
Content notes: Depiction of alcohol use.

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. Also supported by Instituto Guimarães Rosa, via the Consulate General of Brazil in Edinburgh.

Image Credit: Kings, Dir. Juliana Pamplona, 2024

For Real? - SOLD OUT
2025-10-29 18:30 - 20:30 | The Boardwalk, The Boardwalk, 105 Brunswick St, Glasgow, G1 1TF
🔊 Listen to this Event Page

**Please note this event is now sold out – we may be able to release more tickets nearer the screening. We are operating a waiting list for sold out events on the platform Ticket Tailor, where we sell our tickets for SQIFF 2025 – please add your name to the waitlist and you’ll be notified by Ticket Tailor if any tickets become available!**

Did that really happen? What kind of world are we living in? ‘For Real’ explores sci-fi worlds, dark fantasies, technological possibilities and shocking but real science and history. Expect alienesque costumes, body scanners, crocodile chromosomes and lesbian telepathy.
This screening will be followed by a performance from Carle Gent and Linda Stupart exploring the world of Ecco the Dolphin.
Curated by Nat Lall.

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 programme has:

English, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, Yue Chinese (Cantonese), Japanese audio with English language Descriptive Subtitles
English-BSL interpretation for introduction and performance. The interpreter for this event is Lisa Li.
Live Captioning for introduction and performance

This screening is 81 minutes long and has an age recommendation of N/C 18+.
If you require access seating please get in touch. Access seating includes: wheelchair spaces, bean bag seating, sitting in the front row / in the aisle / at the back. If you need any other provisions, please let us know by emailing info@sqiff.org with your name, ticket information and access request. If you are attending with companions and they need seating with you please also let us know. We will provide one free PA ticket for people who require any type of assistance (all tickets are pay what you can). We will do our best to work with you whilst also managing the capacity of each venue. Thank you for working with us on this.
You can find out more information about accessibility at SQIFF 2025 here. If you have any questions about accessibility at SQIFF 2025, please get in touch with us at info@sqiff.org or by phone on 07873 331 036.

Films in this programme include:
Skinless, Dirs. Estibaliz Villa, Erik Campos, 2024, Spain, 11 min
After an environmental catastrophe, the only survivors left live sheltered wearing the biodermis, a suit they can survive with but doesn’t allow them to feel touch. After years of lockdown, Nora and Dani go outside.
Content notes: Depiction of nudity. Discussion of loss.

Just above the tear duct on each side, Dirs. Cáit McClay, Éiméar McClay, 2024, United Kingdom, Ireland, 20 min
Using St. Conal’s Hospital archives, this film examines Ireland’s 1950s psychiatric institutions and their carceral, therapeutic, and socioeconomic influences.
Content notes: Discussion of death, hospitalisation, mental health.
Access notes: Flashing imagery.

The Xenogender, Dir. Masataka Ishizaki, 2025, United Kingdom, United States of America, 15 min
Japanese immigrant Kenzo in New York confesses his crocodile identity to date Jack, but becomes more absorbed in videos afterward.
Content notes: Depiction of racism.

The Martial Forest, Dir. J Triangular, 2025, Colombia, Taiwan, 9 min
Exiled Kung Fu master Big Sister 13 leads trans fighters in creating the Martial Forest, where care equals combat power.
Content notes: Discussion of death.

The Generators, Dir. Georgie Cowan-Turner, 2024, Ireland, 14 min
In a future drained of colour, Oscar and his ailing husband struggle with a medical system where energy credits are the new currency. When a hospital visit reveals a zero credit balance, Oscar must join the human generators and physically power Alex’s treatment himself. But as his energy fades, so does the possibility of a future together.
Content notes: Depiction of hospitalisation.
Access notes: Flashing lights.

Hide and Seek, Dir. Junjie Xu, 2024, United Kingdom, 6 min
Hide and Seek is a 3D animated short film that takes viewers on a bittersweet journey. It presents a story of a person hiding their queer identity from their parents at different stages of life. The film highlights the struggles faced by the queer community as they grow up and explores the fantasy of queer spaces with queer phenomenology.
Access notes: Flashing lights.

Clear, Dir. Hogan Seidel, 2024, United States of America, 6 min
Clear is a visceral confrontation with the illusion of “safety,” where altered 16mm footage and layered audio reveal the quiet violence surveillance imposes on trans and gender-nonconforming bodies.
Content notes: Discussion of bodily surveillance.
Access notes: Light strobing images.

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: Hide and Seek, Dir. Junjie Xu, 2024

Squad Goals
2025-10-29 21:00 - 23:00 | The Boardwalk, The Boardwalk, 105 Brunswick St, Glasgow, G1 1TF
🔊 Listen to this Event Page

There’s strength in numbers, packs, families, squads or whatever you call them. Squad Goals celebrates chosen families with a vibrant sense of identity and culture. The screening consists of three films documenting some very different squads. These are trans footballers, Brazilian beach vendors and leather gays.
The screening will be followed by an informal Q&A with local trans football team Gender Goals and Glasgow Leather Dykes.
Curated by Nat Lall.

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 programme has:

English and Portuguese audio with English language Descriptive Subtitles
English-BSL interpretation for introduction and panel discussion. The interpreter for this event is Louise Rodgers.
Live Captioning for introduction and panel discussion

This screening is 79 minutes long and has an age recommendation of N/C 18+.
If you require access seating please get in touch. Access seating includes: wheelchair spaces, bean bag seating, sitting in the front row / in the aisle / at the back. If you need any other provisions, please let us know by emailing info@sqiff.org with your name, ticket information and access request. If you are attending with companions and they need seating with you please also let us know. We will provide one free PA ticket for people who require any type of assistance (all tickets are pay what you can). We will do our best to work with you whilst also managing the capacity of each venue. Thank you for working with us on this.
You can find out more information about accessibility at SQIFF 2025 here. If you have any questions about accessibility at SQIFF 2025, please get in touch with us at info@sqiff.org or by phone on 07873 331 036.

Films in this programme include:
We’ll Go Down In History, Dirs. Cameron Richards, Charlie Tidmas, 2025, United Kingdom, 25 min
We’ll Go Down In History tells the story of TRUK United, a grassroots, proudly trans football club. Filmed over two years, it captures the team’s highs and lows on and off the pitch as they create a safe haven for their community in the face of rising transphobia.
Content notes: Discussion of death, transphobia, violence.

Three Vendors of Ipanema, Dir. Jonathan S. Lee, 2024, United States of America, 25 min
Three street vendors from Rio’s favelas sell homemade food on Ipanema Beach, embodying dignity and beloved by LGBTQ+ community.
Content notes: Depiction of alcohol use.

The Backstreet, Dir. Romain Beck, 2024, United Kingdom, 29 min
London’s legendary leather club The Backstreet faces closure after 37 years. Regulars share intimate memories while curators preserve relics of this secret haven’s legacy.
Content notes: Depiction of sex. Discussion of death, HIV stigma, homophobia, sex, sexual fantasy.

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: We’ll Go Down In History, Dirs. Cameron Richards, Charlie Tidmas, 2025

Legacies
2025-10-30 15:00 - 17:00 | GMAC Film, 103 Trongate, Glasgow, Scotland, G1 5HD, United Kingdom
🔊 Listen to this Event Page

What shapes us? How do the stories of our families, the legacies we inherit, and the struggles of those before us live on in who we become? Legacies brings together films that gently unravel the complex and often tender realities of queer upbringings. These stories speak to the love, pain, hope, and resilience woven through generations, reminding us that identity is not just inherited, but felt deeply and continuously reshaped.
This programme is an invitation to connect with the intimate moments that define us, the memories that haunt us, and the courage it takes to claim our place in a world that often tries to erase us.
Curated by Nat Lall and Huss.

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 programme has:

English, Portuguese and Turkish audio with English language Descriptive Subtitles
English-BSL interpretation for introduction. The interpreter for this event is Lou Hanson.
Live Captioning for introduction

This screening is 119 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, bean bag seating, sitting in the front row / in the aisle / at the back. If you need any other provisions, please let us know by emailing info@sqiff.org with your name, ticket information and access request. If you are attending with companions and they need seating with you please also let us know. We will provide one free PA ticket for people who require any type of assistance (all tickets are pay what you can). We will do our best to work with you whilst also managing the capacity of each venue. Thank you for working with us on this.
You can find out more information about accessibility at SQIFF 2025 here. If you have any questions about accessibility at SQIFF 2025, please get in touch with us at info@sqiff.org or by phone on 07873 331 036.

Films in this programme include:
Birthdays, Dir. Adrian Jalily, 2024, Denmark, 19 min
Second-grader Bruno faces social isolation for being different, forcing his Iranian father Marlon to confront his son’s otherness and exclusion.
Access notes: Flashing imagery.

Oceania, Dir. Valentin Noujaïm, 2024, Lebanon, 24 min
Najib, 16, spends his summer on a video game, until his mother, Asma, discovers the death of their elderly and lonely neighbor. He steals the keys to the apartment, and dives into an unexpected world.
Content notes: Discussion of death, HIV stigma.
Access notes: Flashing imagery, flashing lights.

Burcu’s Angels (Preview Screening), Dir. Özgün Gündüz, 2025, Canada, 20 min
Turkish queer elder Burcu Özdemir’s Vancouver vintage store has served as a sanctuary and “coming out center” for thirty years.
Content notes: Discussion of racism.

While We Still Have Time, Dir. Ava Grimshaw-Hall, 2024, Australia, 15 min
A daughter reconciles with her distant sperm-donor father as he manages an aggressive prostate cancer, with little indication of how much time there is left to find out who he really is.

Find The Boy, Dir. Paulin.e Goasmat, 2025, France, 18min
As Charly, a young trans man, is laid to rest under his birth name, Tom, Louise and BB, his queer pals, decide to pay their last respects in his own image in a place where they used to meet, Charly’s childhood home. But Victor, his brother, had the same idea.
Content notes: Depiction of alcohol use, cigarette use, dead naming, misgendering, queerphobia. Discussion of death, loss.

Scattered Pictures, Dirs. Ibai Vigil-Escalera, Jose André Sibaja, 2025, United States of America, 8 min
Through the grainy nostalgia of 8mm film and the intimacy of voice-over narration, Gabriel takes us on a deeply personal journey of self-discovery.
Content notes: Discussion of death, sex.

Sole, Dir. Ana Berdeja, 2024, Mexico, 15 min
Veteran embalmer Sole faces a dilemma: honor a transgender man’s wishes or his family’s demands while hiding her own secret.
Content notes: Depiction of a dead body.

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: Oceania, Dir. Valentin Noujaïm, 2024
