OUTERLANDS

Short

A masculine-presenting young woman travels back to her rural hometown to care for her estranged father, a former rancher, after a car accident. She soon realizes that mending their relationship is complicated when her sense of identity challenges her father's understanding.

Short

A film celebrating the resilience of queer people of colour, reflecting on the journey to nonbinary identity and the courage to embrace oneself fully.

Short

After yet another after-party, Mia faces an identity crisis. With the support of her two best friends, she navigates a pivotal moment in her life, confronting herself and finding the courage to embrace who she truly is.

Documentary

In Muslim-majority Malaysia, a queer punk band led by a transman are outliers of the system —carving out spaces to exist through their music while challenging conservative traditions and religious extremism. Brash, defiant and wickedly funny, punk rockers Shh…Diam! are an underground sensation in Kuala Lumpur. An all-queer band led by charismatic trans man Farris Saad, they’ve won devoted fans with playful anthems like “I Woke Up Gay” and “Lonely Lesbian.” Even their name (“Shut up!” in Malay) is a joke, poking fun at those who’d rather queer folks just kept quiet. Malaysia’s harsh laws are no laughing matter, however, and they put Farris and his bandmates at real risk of state persecution. Filming over six years, director Yihwen Chen follows them to practices, gigs and protests, capturing their irreverent advocacy amid a spate of anti-LGBTQ+ raids and arrests. She also documents major developments in their personal lives and relationships, including Farris’s preparations for his surgical transition. Both an iconic portrait of fearless activism and an intimate chronicle of chosen family, Queer as Punk is an instant entry in the queer cult canon.

Short

A radiant superhero faces off against a MAGA mob while navigating personal struggles. Alongside a group of youth, they embody trans joy, resistance, and chosen family, using courage and connection to build community and confront adversity.

FeatureVIRTUAL EXCLUSIVE

FRENCH + FLEMISH • ENGLISH ST | Fifteen-year-old Malou is a competitive rower living in a tiny Belgian village with her brothers and divorced mother. A shy tomboy, Malou’s teammates bully her for her non-conforming gender identity, but she’s accepted by her brother Max—until he finds himself in competition with her over his girlfriend Nouria. Skiff is the sweet sixteen and summer fling story that we have been waiting for. Forget cars, pink dresses, and pining over boys—how about scooters, polo shirts, and … falling for your brother’s girlfriend? Director Cecilia Verheyden delivers a poignant coming-of-age story about first love with its many risks and dilemmas, on top of questioning sexuality and gender identity while dealing with a familial love triangle and a sense of social alienation. Though lighthearted with plenty of laughs, especially for the oblivious heteronormativity of small-town life, Skiff is a film that moves you, makes you remember, shows you how despite all of the world’s social progress of the twenty-first century, some things never change—gender will always define who we are and our humanity. It is anything but trivial. Also, the importance of a young person’s right to define their gender for themselves.

FeatureVIRTUAL EXCLUSIVE

FRENCH + FLEMISH • FRENCH ST | Fifteen-year-old Malou is a competitive rower living in a tiny Belgian village with her brothers and divorced mother. A shy tomboy, Malou’s teammates bully her for her non-conforming gender identity, but she’s accepted by her brother Max—until he finds himself in competition with her over his girlfriend Nouria. Skiff is the sweet sixteen and summer fling story that we have been waiting for. Forget cars, pink dresses, and pining over boys—how about scooters, polo shirts, and … falling for your brother’s girlfriend? Director Cecilia Verheyden delivers a poignant coming-of-age story about first love with its many risks and dilemmas, on top of questioning sexuality and gender identity while dealing with a familial love triangle and a sense of social alienation. Though lighthearted with plenty of laughs, especially for the oblivious heteronormativity of small-town life, Skiff is a film that moves you, makes you remember, shows you how despite all of the world’s social progress of the twenty-first century, some things never change—gender will always define who we are and our humanity. It is anything but trivial. Also, the importance of a young person’s right to define their gender for themselves.

Feature

Frances, feeling boxed in by their Australian high school, plunges into their self-centred grandpa Jim’s queer milieu in Amsterdam. There, with their mother’s strained attempts at soft counsel, they face unfamiliar experiences and Jim’s prodding to both justify themselves and evolve, learning that what is brave is invariably uncomfortable. Jimpa (John Lithgow) may be a grandpa, but he’s also a gay activist who loves getting naked; someone who believes conversation is a “collision of opinions”; a man who needs to feel useful but keeps loved ones at arm’s length. And Hannah (Olivia Colman) is more than just his daughter. She’s a filmmaker; a mother of a non-binary 16-year-old (Aud Mason-Hyde); a woman who some consider conflict-averse. But is she? Or is Hannah’s radical acceptance and belief in “working towards agreement” a healthy approach to complexity? A way of rejecting a culture that stews in its traumas? This stance will be tested by unlikely desires and inflections of the past, which soak into the fabric of the present. Dynamized by stellar performances, Jimpa is an empathetic masterpiece that subverts expectations and cliches, illuminating the pleasures and pain points of intergenerational attachment.

Short

Exploring gender identity and societal expectations, the film follows non-binary lesbians navigating acceptance, cultural pressures, and homophobia. Through dance and costumes as symbols of liberation, it celebrates diverse identities, challenges societal norms, and portrays the ongoing quest for selfhood and recognition of varied gender expressions.

Short

Sam's search for identity is interrupted by a mysterious neighborhood fox. Together, they embark on a magical journey to the attic, discovering unexpected commonalities and how to celebrate their differences.