Rejoice, film fans, as the Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival returns, and it’s got some absolutely unmissable queer films in store. Launched today, tickets will soon be available for a triumphant online version of the fest.

The Opening Gala film is the rapturously received Supernova, starring Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci as a gay couple who struggle to cope when one of them is diagnosed with dementia. It’s a heartbreaker. Firth and Tucci will also take part in a post show discussion – which basically demands you buy a ticket.

Sure to be a big favourite is the critically acclaimed Ammonite. A period drama starring Kate Winslet as fossil hunter Mary Anning and Saoirse Ronan as a young woman whom she begins to have feelings for, it’s a gentle love story directed by Frances Lee, who also made the wonderful God’s Own Country.

Irish director Paul Rice’s documentary about the LGBTQ+ experience in Russia, A Worm in the Heart, is bound to be a conversation starter. And speaking of conversations, the iconic filmmaker Steve McQueen (Small Axe, Twelve Years A Slave) will share with the wonderfully creative Mark O’Halloran a fantastic insight into his artistic process.

There’s also a feast of home-grown features, with the dark comedy Deadly Cuts, about vigilante Dublin hairdressers, as the festival’s Closing Gala movie. And while not LGBTQ+ themed, the gorgeous Minari about Korean immigrants trying to build a new life in the US is Oscar-tipped.

Festival Director, Gráinne Humphreys, shared, “It has been a very different selection process this year, but as we finally announce the programme I’m extremely proud of this year’s line-up – there are some lovely premieres and previews, some old favourites and some wonderful discoveries and debuts from around the world. There is depth and diversity in the new world cinema programme, exciting new talent in the Irish programme and a dynamic documentary section. We have reached out to old and new friends to join us for our online presentation and the guest list is growing every day.

“I hope that this year’s programme will excite and delight both our regular attendees and attract new audiences to this year’s celebration of the best of independent cinema. It’s been a long climb to get here – but we believe the view is worth it.”

Check out the full line up at the Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival here.