NOTICE: Due to UK Government Guidelines, in-person events up to the 3rd December 2020 have been cancelled.

Starting from 22 October, the previously postponed Queer East Film Festival returns to cinemas across the UK with 36 films from 12 countries. The festival opens its first cinema screening with a special 35mm presentation of Taiwan’s Blue Gate Crossing, a coming-of-age drama which explores the relationship between two high school students. This bittersweet tale of love and sexuality has remained timeless since its release in the early 2000s.

Supported by the Ministry of Culture, the festival highlights Taiwan as the country of focus this year, celebrating Taiwan’s landmark same-sex marriage law - the first and only in Asia. The special strand showcases the country’s rich tradition of LGBTQ+ filmmaking, including the three-time Oscar winner Ang Lee and his 1993 classic, The Wedding Banquet. Other award-winning films joining Queer East include winners of Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards, Alifu, the Prince/ss (Dir Yu-Lin Wang) and Girlfriend Boyfriend (Dir Ya-Che Yang). A strong selection of short films made by emerging talent explore a wide range of queer subjects within the Taiwanese history and society, including The Glamorous Boys of Tang (Dir Hui-Yu Su), The Summer of 12 (Dir Kuan-Ling Kuo) and Military Dog (Dir Ping-Wen Wang).