BFI Flare 2026 - OBSCURAE (Page 3)

Four shirtless people crawling through dense green undergrowth in a forest, their backs visible, facing away from camera.

Film

TO DANCE IS TO RESIST | BFI Flare 2026

Just as Kyiv is divided by the Dnipro River, the hearts of so many queer people in Ukraine seem to be split in two.

Young woman with long wavy brown hair, floral headband, teardrop face gems, dangling earrings, and striped outfit, smiling softly.

Film

Miss Carbón (Queen of Coal) | BFI Flare 2026

Based on true events, Queen of Coal is a story about how one woman survived long enough to pierce through that veil of uncertainty and realise herself.

Two smiling women in nun habits sitting on grass, one reclining in the other's lap, in a black and white photograph.

Film

Impure Nuns: The Black and White Ages of Queer Cinema | BFI Flare 2026

BFI Flare offered up an unusual film for this screening - from 1958 Japan, Impure Nuns has been translated and brought to England for the very first time. This film encapsulates a perspective on queer cinema that is well ahead of its time - capturing a love that is frowned

Person in gold and red saree getting makeup done at a beauty salon, with headband holding hair back, another woman standing behind.

Film

Body of our Own: Exploring culture, dreams, and expression through the Hijra | BFI Flare 2026

Used correctly, cinema can be a powerful tool. It has the power to reach estranged audiences - those who lie outside of our algorithm and are in need of a fresh and empathetic perspective. Body of Our Own, a new short documentary, lends its hand in promoting culture globally, encouraging

Close-up of a person's lower face with a slight smile, wearing a black headset microphone near their chin.

Film

Castration Movie Chapter iii. Junior Ghosts—Premorphic Drift; a fragmentary passage | BFI Flare 2026

Umnia? Early? It really must be the apocalypse - in this relatively "quick" burst of Castration Movie goodness, Weard does the impossible.

Composite image: woman in gray cap with hand on face, black-and-white angel illustration smoking, blonde woman in leather jacket

SOPHISTICULTURE

BONUS: Louise Weard talks DIY Cinema, Castration Movie Chapter iii, and how it all comes together | Sophisticulture at BFI Flare 2026

Sophisticulture is a podcast for people who care a lot about stories and storytellers, and can be found on all major Podcast platforms.

Young man in green sweater over plaid shirt stands among a crowd of students in what appears to be an Indian school setting.

Film

Hills Don’t Dance Alone | BFI Flare 2026

A remarkable insight into the journey of a young man’s self-discovery, set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Himalayan mountains.

Liz, our protagonist, looks anxiously over her shoulder. She is in a dilapidated public bathroom and her reflection is visble in the dirty mirror.

Film

Don’t Come Out | BFI Flare 2026

Don’t Come Out follows Liz (Cecile van Welie), a lesbian medical student who, following the gruesome murders of first her friend Victoria, then her secret girlfriend Wendy, decides to retreat further into the closet.

BFI Flare 2026

BFI Flare Daily Dispatch

A collection of our coverage from the festival today!

Black and white photo of marchers at a Japanese Lesbian & Gay Pride Parade holding a banner with Japanese text celebrating coming out.

Film

Beyond The Fire: The Life of Japan’s First Pride Parade Pioneer | BFI Flare 2026

An informative, important documentary, serving as an open window into an experience not yet shared with the wider world.

Two people looking at a laptop screen together, one leaning over the other's shoulder affectionately, bookshelves behind them.

Film

Julian: Love, Loss, and Legacy | BFI Flare 2026

There is much to be said about the lack of queer female relationships on screen. As cinema becomes more diverse, it is pertinent to open that space for the representation of love in all forms. Julian brings this love to life with a raw story that refuses to sensationalise devastation

Person with blonde wig, blue eyeshadow, pink lipstick, and fedora hat peeks through tropical palm fronds in a jungle setting.

Film

Lady Champagne | BFI Flare 2026

A madcap love letter to San Francisco, 70’s exploitation films, and farce, this Champagne is bubbling over with fun