Five LGBTQIA+ movies not to miss at BFI Flare 2022

Today, the 36^th edition of the BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival kicks off. The long-running festival has made a name for itself in the UK and internationally for celebrating and providing a platform for queer cinema. This year, you can catch screenings of over 100 features, documentaries and short films from more than 40 countries either in person at London’s BFI Southbank – for the first time since 2019 (hallelujah!) – or via BFI Player from around the UK or even on Five Films for Freedom if you are based outside the UK. Plus there are panel talks and DJ nights aplenty to tuck into if you can make it to London.

For this edition there is a focus on unearthing untold stories of trailblazers of the past, as Michael Blyth, BFI Flare’s senior programmer highlights: “In reflecting on the past, we can better understand the present, appreciating how far we have come, whilst acknowledging how much is still left to do. At the heart of this year’s Festival is a glorious celebration of a collective queer history we cannot take for granted.”

We’ve picked out five films we’re looking forward to seeing this year.

Girl Picture

Opening the festival is the UK premiere of Finnish coming-of-age drama Girl Picture from Alli Haapasalo. Following three girls on three consecutive Fridays, the film explores the edge of womanhood, friendship and queerness all in a messy, fun-loving package. It already won Sundance Film Festival’s World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award, has just screened at the Berlinale and will no doubt go down a storm at Flare too.

Framing Agnes

Framing Agnes is the new film from Chase Joynt, whose acclaimed breakout documentary No Ordinary Man screened at BFI Flare last year, co-written with artist and performer Morgan M Page. It features a cast of trans actors, including Zackary Drucker, Angelica Ross and Silas Howard, who blend fact and fiction to reenact the stories of those who participated in a 1950s UCLA gender health study. On the way, many an insight on race, class and politics are revealed, and questions are raised over the lens through which trans lives are told.

Gateways Grind

Gateways Grind finds filmmaker Jacquie Lawrence joining Sandi Toksvig on a mission to celebrate London’s longest-surviving lesbian club, the legendary Gateways club. It takes a deep dive into all aspects of the club’s history, from the owner who won it in a bet to its iconic green door, from its position as a safe space to the dance move that gives the film its name, plus all those who’ve stepped inside its doors for a drink and a boogie.

Sirens

Want to know more about Lebanon’s only all-female queer heavy metal band? Then look no further than Rita Baghdadi’s Sirens, which takes an intimate peek inside the highs and lows of being in band Slave to Sirens, from jam sessions to performing at Glastonbury, clashes between bandmates to the unstable political situation in Beirut. It delves into the difficulties they face in breaking down tradition and challenging the patriarchy but also is an inspiring tale of friendship and the bonding power of music.

This Is Not Me

This documentary from Saeed Gholipour offers a window into life for trans youth in Iran, the only country in the region to recognise trans people, while any other LGBQ+ identity is banned. It follows Shervin and Samar as they attempt to find their way through a complex legal and social maze in order to start their journey of transition. Although their parents are supportive, the hidden lives they are forced to lead make them consider emigration so they can be who they really are. This Is Not Me looks to set to be an important and compelling watch.

Sarah Bradbury

The BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival will take place from 16^th until 26^th March 2022. For more information or to book tickets, visit their website here.