There has never been a more important time for the BFI Flare & British Council annual joint project #FiveFilmsForFreedom .  It is a global, online short film program in support of LGBTIQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer) rights.

It is an opportunity  for audiences everywhere to watch the five films  online and FREE  in solidarity with LGBTIQ+ communities in places where freedom and equal rights are limited, and to spread the word using the hashtag #FiveFilmsForFreedom.

With the 2020 edition of BDI Flare Film Festival cancelled this year because of Covid-19 getting these films in front of the audience they deserve takes on a greater significance 

Self-expression, homophobia in rural communities, coming out as a teenager, and finding love later in life – this year’s short films look at an intersection of LGBTIQ+ perspectives to explore love and acceptance.

Take note these films will only be available until March 29th . Over the last five years, almost 14 million people have watched the #FiveFilmsForFreedom in over 200 countries and principalities, sharing the tagline Love is a Human Right.

 

134 (IRELAND)
Directed by Sarah-Jane Drummey

Jack prepares to take the stage at an Irish dancing competition as family members come to terms with their feelings around their child’s gender identity.

 

 

AFTER THAT PARTY (BRAZIL)
Directed by Caio Scot

“Why would he hide something like that from me?”
Leo struggles to approach his father after discovering a secret.

 

 

PXSSY PALACE (UK)
Directed by Laura Kirwan-Ashman

“It is more than clubbing. It’s that sense of community where people actually care about each other.”
Writer-director Laura Kirwan-Ashman welcomes you into the world of Pxssy Palace, a London based QTIPOC (queer trans intersex people of colour) collective and club night.

 

SOMETHING IN THE CLOSET (UK)
Directed by Nosa Eke

” Maddie what about you, which boy do you like?”
This short film tells the story of a queer teenager struggling with her sexuality as her desires manifest their way from the depths of her eerie closet into reality.

 

WHEN PRIDE CAME TO TOWN (NORWAY)
Directed by Julia Dahr and Julie Lunde Lillesæte

“Growing up gay in a small town wasn’t easy”
Bjørn-Tore left his rural hometown to escape the everyday homophobia he experienced growing up. Decades later he returns for Norway’s first-ever rural Pride celebration. Thrilled to see his neighbors hoisting a pride flag, he hopes that the turn out for Pride is higher than the numbers of anti-pride demonstrators from the local church group.