Vancouver Queer Film Festival Names Full 2025 Lineup

The Vancouver Queer Film Festival has revealed the full program for its 37th edition, running Sept. 11–21, 2025 in person and Sept. 22–28 online. This year’s slate features 100 films from 25 countries, with 12 world premieres, six international premieres, seven North American premieres and 21 Canadian premieres. The selection includes 26 features and 74 shorts, alongside parties, performances, filmmaker Q&As and an expanded industry section.

The festival marks its first year under the leadership of artistic director Mary Galloway, a Cowichan filmmaker who becomes the first Indigenous and Indigiqueer person to lead the event. Her programming centers Two Spirit and Indigiqueer stories, including the hometown premiere of “Starwalker,” an Indigenous feature-length musical drama directed by Corey Payette about a Two Spirit call boy who discovers family and identity through drag.

Galloway has introduced the Matriarch of the Year Award (MOTY Award), honoring an Indigiqueer or Two Spirit matriarchal leader in the film and television industry on Turtle Island who has significantly contributed to Indigenous and 2SLGBTQIA+ storytelling. The award carries a $5,000 cash prize. Festival artwork this year was designed by Vancouver-based Cowichan artist Charlene Johnny, combining Coast Salish traditions with queer and Indigenous symbolism.

The 2025 festival will open with “Then. Now. Forever.,” a program of seven shorts from across the 2SLGBTQIA+ spectrum, and close with Darren Thornton’s “Four Mothers,” a BFI London Film Festival audience award winner about a gay novelist tasked with caring for four strong-willed mothers during Pride weekend.

The centerpiece presentation, Gianna Toboni’s documentary “Just Kids,” follows three families living in U.S. states that have banned gender-affirming care, with Jacklyn Toboni (“The L Word: Generation Q”) appearing on screen. Other world premieres include local documentary “A Place Where I Belong,” Pantah Mosleh’s “Pride & Prayer,” French drama “Amantes” from Caroline Fournier, and Maritza Navarro’s industry exposé “Another Take.”

Notable appearances across the program include Vico Ortiz (“Our Flag Means Death”), Elliot Page and Laverne Cox in “Heightened Scrutiny,” Lea DeLaria and Asia Kate Dillon in “Outerlands,” and comedian Vic Michaelis in the opening short “Dandelion.” The festival also features “We Are Pat,” with Murray Hill, James Tom and Roz Hernandez.

Industry programming expands this year with the first VQFF Pitch Competition, a “Queer Horror with Yellowjackets” panel, speed-dating sessions for filmmakers, funding and distribution panels, and networking events. Free industry passes will be available to equity-deserving and emerging filmmakers, with complimentary tickets for Indigenous attendees.

The festival continues its collaboration with the Vancouver Latin American Film Festival on the queer Latine shorts program ‘Through Our Kaleidoscope' and the joint party ‘Fuego Fogo' on Sept. 13. Youth programming under ‘The Future is Queer,' co-presented with Out In Schools and The Cinematheque, returns with free screenings and workshops for students.

The program was curated by Galloway alongside Cole Forrest, Kathleen Mullen, Layla Cameron and Syriah Bailey, with Maiya Dexel as program coordinator.

Scroll down for full lineup details.

Feature Films (full list)

“Just Kids”

Vancouver Premiere (Centrepiece Presentation)

Director: Gianna Toboni

United States | 2024 | 93 min

“Four Mothers”

Vancouver Premiere (Closing Presentation)

Director: Darren Thornton

Ireland | 2024 | 89 min

“Amantes”

World Premiere

Director: Caroline Fournier

France | 2025 | 104 min

“Move Ya Body: The Birth of House”

British Columbia Premiere

Director: Elegance Bratton

United States | 2024 | 87 min

“Really Happy Someday”

Vancouver Premiere

Director: J Stevens

Canada | 2024 | 90 min

“To the Moon”

Vancouver Premiere

Director: Kevin Hartford

Canada | 2024 | 85 min

“Outerlands”

British Columbia Premiere

Director: Elena Oxman

United States | 2025 | 100 min | English with captions

“Starwalker”

British Columbia Premiere

Director: Corey Payette

Canada | 2025 | 116 mins

“Where You Find Me” (“Oben Ohne”)

North American Premiere

Directors: Willi Andrick, Juan Bermúdez, Isis Rampf, Anna Schröder

Germany | 2025 | 79 mins

“Sauna”

British Columbia Premiere

Director: Mathias Broe

Denmark | 2025 | 105 min

“La Cerrillana”

World Premiere

Director: Andrea Urquiola

Argentina | 2025 | 13 min

“Between Goodbyes”

Canadian Premiere

Director: Jota Mun

United States, South Korea | 2024 | 96 min

“A Place Where I Belong”

World Premiere

Director: Rheanna Toy

Canada | 2025 | 64 min

“Summer's Camera” (“여름의 카메라”)

Canadian Premiere

Director: Divine Sung

South Korea | 2024 | 82 mins

“Another Take”

World Premiere

Director: Maritza Navarro

United States | 2025 | 95 mins | English with captions

“Heightened Scrutiny”

Vancouver Premiere

Director: Sam Feder

United States | 2025 | 81 mins

“Queerpanorama” (“眾生相”)

British Columbia Premiere

Director: Jun Li

Hong Kong, United States, China | 2025 | 87 mins

“Speak”

Vancouver Premiere

Directors: Jennifer Tiexiera, Guy Mossman

United States | 2025 | 99 min

“The Nature of Invisible Things” (“A Natureza Das Coisas Inisivéis”)

British Columbia Premiere

Director: Rafaela Camelo

Brazil, Chile | 2025 | 92 min

“The Librarians”

Vancouver Premiere

Director: Kim A. Snyder

United States | 2025 | 92 min

“The Last First Time” (“El Fin de Las Primeras Veces”)

Canadian Premiere

Director: Rafael Ruíz Espejo

Mexico | 2024 | 76 mins

“Because of You: A History of Kilawin Kolektibo” (“Dahil Sa ‘Yo: Ang Storya Ng Kilawin Kolektibo”)

British Columbia Premiere

Directors: Barbara Malaran, Desireena Almoradie

United States | 2025 | 41 min

“Outliers and Outlaws”

Canadian Premiere

Director: Courtney Hermann

United States | 2024 | 65 mins

“We Are Pat”

British Columbia Premiere

Director: Rowan Haber

United States | 2025 | 92 min

“Pride & Prayer”

World Premiere

Director: Panta Mosleh

Canada | 2025 | 62 mins

“Row of Life”

British Columbia Premiere

Director: Soraya Simi

United States | 2025 | 82 min

“The Nest”

British Columbia Premiere

Directors: Chase Joynt, Julietta Singh

Canada | 2025 | 89 min

“Rains Over Babel” (“Llueve Sobre Babel”)

British Columbia Premiere

Director: Gala del Sol

Colombia, United States, Spain | 2025 | 111 min

World-premiering Short Films

“The Reveal”

World Premiere

Director: Jackie Hoffart

Canada | 2025 | 14 min

“Old Dykes”

World Premiere

Director: Ezra Rose

United States | 2025 | 19 min

“The Pleats of the Skirt” (“Pliegues de La Falda”)

World Premiere

Director: Blanca Muñoz Ávila

Colombia | 2025 | 20 min

“The Palace”

World Premiere

Director: Lauren Marsden

Canada | 2025 | 9 min

“Jeez Louise”

World Premiere

Director: Ana AJ Jimenez

Canada | 2025 | 4 min

“My Dearest Darling”

World Premiere

Director: Vahn Leinard C. Pascual

Philippines | 2025 | 20 min

“Fine”

World Premiere

Director: Kris von Kleist

Canada | 2024 | 3 min

“I Turn Grills On”

World Premiere

Director: Lizzy De Vita

United States | 2025 | 15 min