Queer Screen Film Fest will be a week-long celebration of LGBTQIA+ stories on the big screen this September, followed by a curated, on-demand season for the whole community nationwide.
The 2026 programme features 28 films (made up of 12 features and 16 shorts), the return of Queer Screen Pitch Off and Emerging Narrative Feature competitions, and for the first time, Queer Screen Studio: a high-octane day of masterclasses, practical panels, and elite networking.
Opening proceedings is ‘Jim Queen’, fresh off the Cannes and Sydney Film Festivals, directed by Marco Nguyen and Nicolas Athane. ‘Jim Queen’ is a neon-soaked, animated French/Belgian odyssey weaponising queer iconography in a hilarious, disco-fuelled apocalypse, where a virus is threatening to turn queer people straight.
Then, wrapping things up is the New South Wales premiere of ‘Sweet Milk Lake’. It’s a tender, one-of-a-kind journey of Australian drama exploring brotherhood, belonging, and trans identity, in a hyper-masculine rural town. It’s written and directed by Harvey Zielinski, who also stars. . . And features an exceptional local cast including Hunter Page-Lochard, Kieran Darcy-Smith and Nic Cassim.
Peppered throughout this year’s programme are bold new voices, global gems, sweet, cheeky and fearless shorts, panels, and more.
There’s ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’, the Sundance hit from Paloma Schneideman delivering a dose of nostalgia and queer angst. . . And ’Test’ starring Brock Yurich and Tammy Blanchard in a sexy, visceral drama about bodybuilding, faith and suppressed desire.
Plus, ‘La Bola Negra’ starring Penelope Cruz and Glenn Close spanning 85 years of Spanish history and interweaving three generations bound by desire, memory and poetry. . . And our own ‘Body Blow’ from Sydney director Dean Francis, who returns with an erotic, neon-soaked thriller.
The shorts programme brings such gems as ‘Dr Poppers’ from France, ‘Kiloran Bay’ from the UK, ‘Talk Me’ from Spain/USA. . . And ‘G.O.A.T’, ‘Souvenir’, ‘Spiders On My Lashline’, ‘SUPERCOCKERS’, ‘Lesbian Mud Wresting’, ‘Lin’s Laundromat’ and ‘Queering Sydney’ from down under.
“It’s an exciting, strong year for LGBTIQ+ cinema,” Benson Wu, CEO of Queer Screen says. “From major festival hits straight out of Cannes and Sydney Film Festival to groundbreaking Australian debuts, Queer Screen is showcasing a wealth of new, creative LGBTIQ+ cinematic styles and storytelling. We want audiences to walk away with a lasting impact and a genuine excitement for what’s next. ”
Check out the full programme.
The 2026 Queer Screen Film Fest is on from 2-8 September at Event Cinemas George Street, and 9-16 September on-demand.
