The LGBTQIA+ film festival will return in 2026 on 18 March
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY MILLIE TURNER
BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival will be officially celebrating its 40th year in 2026. The UK’s largest queer film event will be running from 18–29 March at the iconic BFI Southbank once again, bringing together some of the most exciting LGBTQIA+ stories from around the world.
Earlier this year, BFI Flare welcomed stars like Lily Gladstone and Bowen Yang to celebrate the diversity of queer narratives. Films like The Wedding Banquet, Dreams In Nightmares and Manok all reached new audiences, with half of cinema-goers being new to the Flare in 2025.
2026 will see the return of #FiveFilmsForFreedom in partnership with the British Council; a landmark initiative which presents five films for free to audiences globally. These films invite audiences everywhere to show solidarity with LGBTQIA+ people in countries where they are at risk. In 2025, #FiveFilmsForFreedom touched over three million viewers globally, reaching audiences that spanned from Indonesia to the US. Next year’s Flare will mark the 12th year of this initiative.
This year the BFI Flare saw 56 features, one series and 81 shorts from 41 countries at screenings at the BFI Southbank. Of these, BFI Flare hosted 34 World Premieres, 18 International Premieres, seven European Premieres and 47 UK Premieres.
BFI Flare 2025 also saw industry talks with superstars like Wicked’s Bowen Yang and Hot Milk director Rebecca Lenkiewicz.
Submissions for the 2026 BFI Flare will open on 5 December at 5 pm GMT. Learn more about submissions here.
Further details will be revealed in the coming months, with the full programme being announced on Tuesday 17 February 2026.
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