BFI Flare 2026 | Our Most Anticipated
Once again, we've assembled a diverse team of contributors to cover the festival far and wide this year, bringing you the best and most interesting Queer Cinema of the year!
Photo captured by Juanita Prieto at the launch event for the BFI Flare Programme!
Queen of Coal – UMNIA
I saw the trailer for this film (starring Lux Pascal) a very long time ago, and have been praying it would show up at the festivals or in cinemas/streaming sometime soon – that time is now! So excited to watch this film
The Last Guest of the Holloway Motel – Holly
I think this documentary portrait is going to be both incredibly moving and interesting! The cross between queer history and sport-centred fame is one difficult to both navigate and display - I am excited to see how the directors explore facing your past and pain through a real story.
Big Girls Don't Cry – Aaminah
I love coming-of-age cinema, and this film stood out to me because it's not only about the messy period when your identity is put into question, and you change radically, but also about wanting to belong and grappling with who you are and who you love.
Washed Up – Lucie
I love folk tales, and this sounds like such a sweet and charming film! I feel like we could all use more whimsy in this life, and what's more whimsical than a love story between a young woman and a selkie?
Mysterious Skin – Isla
I am super excited to see Mysterious Skin on the big screen, twenty-two years after its release - I’ve only ever seen it on television. I think seeing it in the cinema will be a totally different experience: incredibly moving and emotional.
The Serpent's Skin – Ali
I'm particularly excited to see work by trans filmmakers, and I'm a slut for more artsy stuff – so A Sweetness from Nowhere and Uchronia were strong contenders for my most anticipated, but the pitch for Alice Maio Mackay's trans, goth-punk vampire movie has me in a vice grip.
Love Letters - Juanita
Umnia, you need to stop asking me to choose only one. There's SUCH a great lineup this year, I genuinely can't. I'm GREATLY surprised by the number of Latin films on the programme, so I'm kinda gutted to say my most anticipated is actually French, but as someone who's started an IVF journey with my partner, seeing lesbian maternity on screen feels deeply personal. I know this one will make me laugh and cry a lot.
