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BFI Flare presents

The UK’s premier LGBTQ+ festival is now as accessible as it is inclusive – offering the latest films and coverage direct from the event itself.

Bold, diverse, exhilarating and unapologetic – the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival earned its reputation for adventurous programming over 28 years. Newly rebranded as BFI Flare, the festival now brings you a BFI Player collection including features and shorts from current and previous festivals, alongside coverage of the latest talks and events to bring you closer to the experience, wherever you are.

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The HandmaidenThe Handmaiden

Crime 2016 146 minsDirector: Park Chan-wook

Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, Stoker) channels Sarah Waters’ novel Fingersmith, to create a sumptuous twisty psychological thriller full of erotic intrigue.

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Real BoyReal Boy

Documentary 2016 72 minsDirector: Shaleece Haas

A 19-year-old trans man navigates family, friendships, and the challenges of young adulthood.

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Tom of FinlandTom of Finland

Biopic 2017 116 minsDirector: Dome Karukoski

The story of a gay icon is brought to life in Dome Karukoski’s handsome biopic of Touko Laaksonen, the artist whose homoerotic drawings gave visual expression to a growing gay culture.

Currently unavailable

MoonlightMoonlight

Drama 2016 111 minsDirector: Barry Jenkins

Winner of the 2017 Oscar for Best Picture (eventually!), Barry Jenkins’ intoxicating drama follows the furtive life of a gay black boy through 80s Miami.

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TaekwondoTaekwondo

Drama 2016 108 minsDirector: Marco Berger and Martin Farina

A gorgeously photographed, teasingly libidinous exercise in latent homoeroticism set over a long hot summer in Buenos Aires.

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AkronAkron

Romance 2015 88 minsDirector: Brian O'Donnell and Sasha King

Two young men meet on the sports field and fall in love. But there’s a family secret which resurfaces and threatens to tear them apart.

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A Date For Mad MaryA Date For Mad Mary

2016 83 minsDirector: Darren Thornton

Dry, sarcastic, maddening Mary must find a date for her best friend’s wedding in this Irish feel-good hit for misfits everywhere.

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Boys on Film 16: PossessionBoys on Film 16: Possession

Anthology 2017 125 minsDirector: Kai Stänicke, Christopher Manning and 7 more

Golden boys, teenage lust, self-conscious dolls, chance encounters and a vengeful creature - in the latest gay shorts compilation from Peccadillo Pictures.

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Girls on Film 2: Before DawnGirls on Film 2: Before Dawn

Anthology 2017 111 minsDirector: Lorelei Pepi, Anne Claire Jaulin and 8 more

An electric collection of 11 award-winning, lesbian and feminist short films exploring fantasies, dreams, desires, love and transgression.

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The PassThe Pass

Drama 2016 86 minsDirector: Ben A. Williams

Russell Tovey stars as a Premier League footballer who shares a fumbled pass (of the sexual kind) with a teammate (Arinzé Kene), changing everything - both on and off the pitch.

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I Am MichaelI Am Michael

Drama 102 minsDirector: Justin Kelly

James Franco stars in this provocative film about Michael Glatze, a pioneering gay rights activist who later denounced his homosexuality.

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Who's Gonna Love Me Now?Who's Gonna Love Me Now?

Documentary 2017 86 minsDirector: Tomer Heymann and Barak Heymann

A heartfelt exploration of one man’s struggle to reconcile with his Israeli family, while finding a new ‘family’ in London Gay Men’s Chorus.

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La NocheLa Noche

Drama 2016 141 minsDirector: Edgardo Castro

A gritty journey through the sexual underbelly of Buenos Aires, with graphic depictions of the highs and lows in one man’s quest for intimacy.

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The Chambermaid LynnThe Chambermaid Lynn

2014 90 minsDirector: Ingo Haeb

An obsessive-compulsive hotel cleaner (Vicky Krieps) who harbours a fetishistic fascination with her hotel's guests meets an enigmatic dominatrix who changes her world.

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Floating SkyscrapersFloating Skyscrapers

Drama 2013 89 minsDirector: Tomasz Wasilewski

Hailed as ‘Poland’s first LGBT film’, Tomasz Wasilewski’s striking drama follows a champion swimmer whose gay relationship causes ripples.

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I Promise You AnarchyI Promise You Anarchy

2015 86 minsDirector: Julio Hernández Cordón

A pair of teenage skateboarders find themselves drawn into a murky criminal underworld in this distinctive thriller.

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Hidden AwayHidden Away

Drama 2014 92 minsDirector: Mikel Rueda

A chance encounter between a Moroccan boy and a Spanish teen alters the course of their lives.

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Tiger OrangeTiger Orange

Drama 2014 76 minsDirector: Wade Gasque

Big city morality and sex culture clash with small town values in this sweet tale of two gay brothers.

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DepartureDeparture

Drama 2016 108 minsDirector: Andrew Steggall

Andrew Steggall’s deft and delicate drama about a teenage dreamer who falls for the rough beauty of a local boy while staying in France.

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BlushBlush

Drama 2015 85 minsDirector: Michal Vinik

An assured and authentic lesbian coming-of-age drama, boasting a mesmerising and heartfelt lead performance.

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Théo and HugoThéo and Hugo

Romance 2016 97 minsDirector: Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau

A brief encounter at a naked sex club in Paris seems to be going well for Theo and Hugo, but a sudden realisation changes everything.

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The Girl KingThe Girl King

Historical drama 2015 106 minsDirector: Mika Kaurismäki

Lush retelling of the story of lesbian monarch Queen Christina of Sweden, combining period drama with a deeply personal love story.

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Remembering the ManRemembering the Man

Documentary 2015 83 minsDirector: Nickolas Bird and Eleanor Sharpe

Telling the true story of Timothy Conigrave and John Caleo, whose AIDS-afflicted relationship became the basis of bestselling gay memoir, Holding the Man.

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Holding the ManHolding the Man

Biopic 2015 128 minsDirector: Neil Armfield

A sweepingly romantic adaptation of Timothy Conigrave’s best-selling memoir, an impassioned love letter to his partner, John Caleo.

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I Am Not He... SheI Am Not He... She

Drama 2015 108 minsDirector: B.S. Lingadevaru

Lingadevaru’s unforgettable drama, based on an empowering true story of a young boy who travels to Bangalore to follow his dream of becoming a woman.

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Amen IslandAmen Island

Thriller 2010 91 minsDirector: Mark Harriott and Mike Matthews

When an adventurous trio set off for the secluded island of Amen, they're blissfully unaware of the horrors that lie in wait, in this indie bisexual riff on The Wicker Man.

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Uncle DavidUncle David

Comedy 2009 95 minsDirector: Gary Reich, Mike Nicholls and 1 more

Celebrated cabaret artist David Hoyle’s debut film is a typically acerbic drama about the disturbing relationship between an uncle and his nephew.

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TangerineTangerine

Comedy 2015 88 minsDirector: Sean Baker

A big-hearted film shot on a small phone, this LA tale of two transgender working girls out for vengeance fizzes with wild energy.

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CarolCarol

Drama 2015 119 minsDirector: Todd Haynes

Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara illuminate Todd Haynes’ intoxicating adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s beloved novel.

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ChemsexChemsex

Documentary 2015 80 minsDirector: William Fairman and Max Gogarty

A hard-hitting and often graphic documentary about the 'chemsex' sub-scene in London’s gay community.

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Mapplethorpe: Look at the PicturesMapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures

Documentary 2016 109 minsDirector: Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato

An unflinching and sometimes graphic account of the life, art and legacy of the legendary photographer Robert Mapplethorpe.

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Like You Mean ItLike You Mean It

Drama 2016 90 minsDirector: Philipp Karner

Writer-director Philipp Garner also stars in this refreshing gay drama, a portrait of a couple trying to make it work in the film world of Los Angeles.

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Nasty BabyNasty Baby

Drama 2015 101 minsDirector: Sebastián Silva

Kristen Wiig plays a woman trying to start a family with a gay couple, in this biting black comedy set among a diverse Brooklyn community.

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Dressed as a GirlDressed as a Girl

Documentary 2015 101 minsDirector: Colin Rothbart

An in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at London’s finest drag performers. Warning: extreme use of make-up and glitter.

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FreeheldFreeheld

Drama 2016 103 minsDirector: Peter Sollett

Julianne Moore plays the cancer-stricken police officer who must fight on a second front to secure the transfer of her pension to her partner (Ellen Page).

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It's All So QuietIt's All So Quiet

Drama 2013 91 minsDirector: Nanouk Leopold

Reflective calm and ambient beauty suffuse this tale of silent sexuality, as a lonely farmer’s quiet existence is interrupted by desire.

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Everlasting LoveEverlasting Love

Drama 2014 69 minsDirector: Marçal Forés

A thrilling and disturbing exploration of the perils of illicit sexual encounters, beginning when a teacher initiates a tryst with one of his pupils.

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FulboyFulboy

Documentary 2015 81 minsDirector: Martin Farina

This deeply intimate portrait of an Argentine football club is a forensic, fetishistic expose of soccer’s clandestine dressing-room culture.

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Stories of Our LivesStories of Our Lives

Documentary 2014 61 minsDirector: Jim Chuchu

Five stories of forbidden desire, courageously collected to tell the hidden truths of LGBT life in Kenya.

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52 Tuesdays52 Tuesdays

Drama 2013 110 minsDirector: Sophie Hyde

A mother undergoing a gender transition meets his estranged daughter every Tuesday, changing gradually each time they meet. An intelligent indie hit about modern identity.

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Peter de Rome: Grandfather of Gay PornPeter de Rome: Grandfather of Gay Porn

Documentary 2014 96 minsDirector: Ethan Reid

The journey of a true English eccentric, from his 1960s experiments with gay erotica to a reappraisal 40 years later as an LGBT pioneer.

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Futuro BeachFuturo Beach

Thriller 2014 107 minsDirector: Karim Aïnouz

A tragic event brings together a Brazilian lifeguard and a German tourist in Karim Aïnouz’s hypnotic melodrama.

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Love Is StrangeLove Is Strange

Drama 2014 95 minsDirector: Ira Sachs

Ira Sachs’s refined Manhattan-set drama sees Alfred Molina’s Ben and John Lithgow’s George in the latter days of a tender, loving 39-year relationship.

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Appropriate BehaviourAppropriate Behaviour

Comedy 2015 86 minsDirector: Desiree Akhavan

Desiree Akhavan directs and stars in this witty, razor-sharp and fearless comedy following the sexual misadventures of a bisexual Brooklynite.

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Of Girls and HorsesOf Girls and Horses

Drama 2014 83 minsDirector: Monika Treut

A troubled teen finds love during a summer spent at a horse ranch, in this captivating lesbian drama from cult director Monika Treut.

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Something Must BreakSomething Must Break

Drama 2014 85 minsDirector: Ester Martin Bergsmark

A striking 21st-century love story about the passionate relationship between a transgendered teen and a straight man.

Currently unavailable

Behind the CandelabraBehind the Candelabra

Biopic 2013 119 minsDirector: Steven Soderbergh

Michael Douglas dazzles as the flamboyant virtuoso pianist Liberace in this fascinating biopic by Steven Soderbergh.

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Dior and IDior and I

Documentary 2014 90 minsDirector: Frederic Tcheng

An astonishing behind-the-scenes documentary following the famed fashion house’s new artistic director as he prepares his first collection.

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You and the NightYou and the Night

Drama 2013 89 minsDirector: Yann Gonzalez

Eric Cantona and Beatrice Dalle star in an outrageous erotic fever dream about a couple who invite four diverse guests to their midnight orgy.

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I Love You Phillip MorrisI Love You Phillip Morris

Comedy 2009 94 minsDirector: John Requa and Glenn Ficarra

Jim Carrey’s irrepressible performance drives the incredible true story of a con man who repeatedly escapes from prison to be with his lover.

Currently unavailable

Breakfast on Pluto Breakfast on Pluto

Drama 2006 129 minsDirector: Neil Jordan

Cillian Murphy is extraordinary as a transgender foundling searching for her lost mother, in Neil Jordan’s runaway romp.

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The Way He LooksThe Way He Looks

Drama 2014 92 minsDirector: Daniel Ribeiro

A blind student’s relationship with his best friend is tested when he falls for the new boy in school, in Daniel Ribeiro’s beautifully realised romance.

Currently unavailable

Reaching for the MoonReaching for the Moon

Biopic 2013 114 minsDirector: Bruno Barreto

Beautifully told true story of the love affair between American poet Elizabeth Bishop and Brazilian architect Lola de Macedo Soares.

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TestTest

Drama 2013 89 minsDirector: Chris Mason Johnson

A wonderfully evocative period drama exploring the telling details of gay life in San Francisco in 1985 with a fantastically upbeat 80s soundtrack.

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The Duke of BurgundyThe Duke of Burgundy

Drama 2015 104 minsDirector: Peter Strickland

Peter Strickland’s visually and aurally intoxicating tale of sadomasochistic power-play is a daringly erotic sensory feast.

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G.B.F.G.B.F.

Comedy 2013 93 minsDirector: Darren Stein

Three high-school girls wage war to win the latest must-have social accessory - a Gay Best Friend.

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Kiss MeKiss Me

Romance 2011 107 minsDirector: Alexandre-Therese Keining

Mia is engaged to marry a man, but finds herself falling for Frida, who happens to be her new stepmother's daughter.

Currently unavailable

Eastern BoysEastern Boys

Drama 2012 124 minsDirector: Robin Campillo

A gay pick-up turns into a dangerous game of betrayal and violence in this slyly subversive and compelling thriller.

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LiltingLilting

Drama 2014 86 minsDirector: Hong Khaou

Ben Whishaw stars in an intimate portrait of two strangers brought together by the common language of grief.

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The New GirlfriendThe New Girlfriend

Melodrama 2014 108 minsDirector: François Ozon

Ruth Rendell provides the source novel for this delicious tale of deception and identity, from the master of mischievous melodrama, François Ozon.

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Blue is the Warmest ColourBlue is the Warmest Colour

Romance 2013 180 minsDirector: Abdel Kechiche

The epic, passionate and strikingly naturalistic Palme d'Or-winning romance.

Currently unavailable

MargaritaMargarita

Drama 2012 90 minsDirector: Laurie Colbert and Dominique Cardona

When a cash-strapped yuppie couple fire their teenage daughter’s nanny they set off a chain of unexpected events.

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Who’s Afraid of Vagina Wolf?Who’s Afraid of Vagina Wolf?

Comedy 2013 79 minsDirector: Anna Margarita Albelo

In order to impress an girl, a struggling filmmaker agrees to write an all-female retelling of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

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Stranger by the LakeStranger by the Lake

Drama 2013 100 minsDirector: Alain Guiraudie

A young man witnesses a violent crime at a gay cruising ground and becomes obsessed with the killer in Alain Guiraudie’s acclaimed mystery-thriller.

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The Passion of MichelangeloThe Passion of Michelangelo

Drama 2013 100 minsDirector: Esteban Larraín

In Pinochet's Chile, a 14-year-old boy becomes a media sensation after claiming to have witnessed visions of the Virgin Mary.

Currently unavailable

Yellow FeverYellow Fever

Comedy 1998 27 minsDirector: Raymond Yeung

A gay British-Chinese man refuses to date Chinese men. But then Jai Ming moves in next door.

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SpeechlessSpeechless

Drama 2012 93 minsDirector: Simon Chung

A mysterious, exotic and riveting drama about a nameless man discovered naked on a riverbank, who forms a bond with the hospital assistant who can communicate with him.

Currently unavailable

BeautyBeauty

Drama 2011 105 minsDirector: Oliver Hermanus

Oliver Hermanus' unblinking look at homophobia, hypocrisy and repressed desire in today's South Africa is tough, troubling and impressive

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The ComedianThe Comedian

Drama 2013 79 minsDirector: Tom Shkolnik

Touching drama about a thirtysomething comedian looking for happiness.

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Tom at the FarmTom at the Farm

Drama 2013 103 minsDirector: Xavier Dolan-Tadros

Dark psychosexual thriller from prodigious Canadian director Xavier Dolan, following a young man who finds himself embroiled in a dangerous game of deception.

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Eyes Wide OpenEyes Wide Open

Drama 2009 93 minsDirector: Haim Tabakman

A married butcher in Jerusalem’s ultra-orthodox Jewish quarter falls for a beautiful young man in this outstanding Israeli feature.

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Keep the Lights onKeep the Lights on

Drama 2012 102 minsDirector: Ira Sachs

A filmmaker escapes the pain of a break-up through casual sex and meets a closeted lawyer in this deeply personal work from Ira Sachs.

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Greek PeteGreek Pete

Drama 2009 70 minsDirector: Andrew Haigh

Acclaimed filmmaker Andrew Haigh (Weekend, 45 Years) made his feature debut with this bold, sexually explicit drama-documentary about London rent boys.

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WeekendWeekend

Drama 2011 97 minsDirector: Andrew Haigh

Andrew Haigh's internationally acclaimed tale of a brief encounter between two gay men.

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White Bird in a BlizzardWhite Bird in a Blizzard

Drama 2014 91 minsDirector: Gregg Araki

Shailene Woodley and Eva Green star in Gregg Araki’s lyrical and impressionistic adaptation of Laura Kasischke’s novel.