'Manok'

Source: Uncommon Pictures

‘Manok’

BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival (March 19-30) has unveiled its full line-up, with 56 features across three strands, exploring subjects such as Kenya’s ballroom scene and the appeal of dating apps.

The programme has films and shorts from 41 countries, with six world premiere features. These include Kenyan filmmaker Njoroge Muthoni’s documentary How To Live, which explores Nairobi’s vibrant ballroom scene and celebrates queer African joy.

In Yu-jin Lee’s Manok, the owner of a South Korean lesbian bar must return to her small hometown after clashing with the city’s younger queer community.

Buenos Aires-set comedy drama Few Feet Away from Tadeo Pestaña Caro sees one man’s use of dating apps for casual hook-ups turn into a double-edged sword.

Where You Find Me examines the unlikely connection between a gynaecologist’s drug-fuelled escape and a trans club manager’s legal battle, directed and produced by a German collective of Willi Andrick, Juan Bermúdez, Isis Rampf and Anna Schröder.

Films coming to the festival after debuts further afield include Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s Berlinale competition title Hot Milk, starring Emma Mackey, Fiona Shaw and Vicky Krieps. Esteban Arango’s Ponyboi comes to Flare after Sundance, in which a gender non-conforming sex worker tries to escape their pimp and some Italian gangsters.

As previously announced, Andrew Ahn’s Sundance world premiere, comedy of errors The Wedding Banquet starring Lily Gladstone, will open the festival. Closing night film is Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon’s Night Tales – an erotic Brazilian feature which world premiered at the Berlinale.

The BFI Flare 2025 programming team includes Grace Barber-Plentie, Diana Cipriano, Zorian Clayton, Jaye Hudson, Rhianna Ilube, Darren Jones and Wema Mumma. 

The full industry programme line-up will be announced in the coming weeks.

BFI Flare 2025 line-up

*denotes world premiere

The Wedding Gala (US) – opening night

Dir. Andrew Ahn



Night Stage (Bra) – closing night

Dirs. Filipe Matzembacher, Marcio Reolon 


Dreams In Nightmares (US-UK) – special presentation 

Dir. Shatara Michelle Ford


Hearts strand

The Astronaut Lovers (Arg-Sp)

Dir. Marco Berger



Departures (UK)

Dirs. Lloyd Eyre-Morgan, Neil Ely



Drip Like Coffee (US)

Dir. Anaiis Cisco

Drive Back Home (Can)

Dir. Michael Clowater

Fatherhood (Nor-Ice-Ge)

Dirs. August B Hanssen, Even G Benestad


Four Mothers (Ire-UK)

Dir. Darren Thornton



High Tide (US)

Dir. Marco Calvani

Lakeview (Can)

Dir. Tara Thorne

Lucky, Apartment (S Kor)
Dir. Kangyu Garam

Manok* (S Kor)

Dir. Yu-jin Lee

A Night Like This* (US)
Dir. Liam Calvert

Sandbag Dam (Cro-Lithuania-Slovenia)

Dir. Čejen Černić Čanak

Summer’s Camera* (S Kor)
Dir. Divine Sung

To Our Friends (Sp-Port)

Dir. Adrián Orr



We Are Faheem & Karun (India)
Dir. Onir

Winter Kept Us Warm (Can)

Dir. David Secter

Bodies strand



Cherub (Can)

Dir. Devin Shears

A Few Feet Away* (Arg)

Dir. Tadeo Pestaña Caro

Hot Milk (UK-Greece)

Dir. Rebecca Lenkiewicz

Memorabilia (US)

Dirs. Charles Lum, Todd Verow

Onda Nova (Bra)

Dirs. Ícaro (Francisco C) Martins, José Antonio Garcia

The Pleasure Is Mine (Arg-Bra-Fr)

Dir. Sacha Amaral

Ponyboi (US)

Dir. Esteban Arango


Really Happy Someday (Can)

Dir. J Stevens

Rent Free (US)

Dir. Fernando Andrés

The Silence Of My Hands (Mex)

Dir. Fernando Andrés


Some Nights I Feel Like Walking (Phil-Sing-It)

Dir. Petersen Vargas

Trans Memoria (Swe-Fr)
Dir. Victoria Verseau

Truth Or Dare (Ger)

Dir. Maja Classen

Where You Find Me* (Ger)

Dirs. Willi Andrick, Juan Bermúdez, Isis Rampf, Anna Schröder

Minds strand

After The Snowmelt (Tai-Japan)

Dir. Yi-Shan Lo

Assembly (US)

Dirs. Johnny Symons, Rashaad Newsome

Black Fruit (Ger) – series 

Dirs, Elisha Smith-Leverock, David Ụzọchukwu

Enigma (US-Fr-Sp-UK)

Dir. Zackary Drucker

Heightened Scrutiny (US)
Dir. Sam Feder


How To Live* (Kenya)
Dir. Njoroge Muthoni

If I Die, It’ll Be of Joy (Fr)

Dir. Alexis Taillant


I’m Your Venus (US)

Dir. Hansen Bursic

Mea Culpa (Belg)

Dir. Patrick Tass

A Mother Apart (Can)

Dir. Laurie Townshend

The Muleteer (Mex)

Dir. Isabel Cristina Fregoso


Outerlands (US)

Dir. Elena Oxman

Peaches Goes Bananas (Fr-Belg)
Dir. Marie Losier


Queens Of Drama (Fr-Belg)

Dir. Alexis Langlois

Sad Jokes (Ger)

Dir. Fabian Stumm


Sally! (US)
Dirs. Deborah Craig, Jörg Fockele, Ondine Rarey


Viêt and Nam (Phil-Fr-Sing-Neth)

Dir. Trương Minh Quý

The World According to Allee Willis (US) 

Dir. Alexis Manya Spraic 

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