The GAZE International LGBTQIA Film Festival has announced its full programme for 2026, marking its 34th edition with an ambitious and emotionally rich line-up of Irish and international cinema. Running from July 28 to August 3 across the Light House Cinema, Irish Film Institute (IFI), and the outdoor Living Canvas at IMMA, the festival continues its long-standing mission to amplify LGBTQ+ voices on screen.
Established in 1992, GAZE has grown into a vital cultural platform celebrating queer storytelling. This year’s programme features 14 feature films, Irish and international shorts, panel discussions, and talent development initiatives.
Among the headline titles is the latest film from cinema great Pedro Almodóvar, Bitter Christmas, which will open the festival. The auto-fiction feature traces two parallel worlds unfolding, asking big questions around creative licence.
The hotly anticipated Stop! That! Train! promises high-camp chaos and queer comedy gold, featuring a star-studded cast including RuPaul, Ginger Minj and Jujubee as they race to save the Glamazonian Express. Meanwhile, sporting icon Billie Jean King takes centre stage in the documentary Give Me The Ball!, a compelling portrait weaving archive footage and interviews with figures such as Elton John and Serena Williams.
Irish filmmaking is front and centre with Cara Holmes’ Lesbian Lines, a moving and often humorous look at the volunteers who supported women across Ireland from the 1970s to the 1990s. The programme also highlights powerful international stories, including the romantic drama Iván & Hadoum, the sensual rodeo-set Jaripeo, and the experimental tribute Joy Boy: A Tribute to Julius Eastman. Bold, provocative works such as The Passion According to GHB and the Mexican thriller On The Road sit alongside cult classic Bound and the electrifying shorts programme Testing Limits.
GAZE’s 2026 programme also introduces five thematic strands: THRILL ME!, MOVE ME!, PUSH ME!, WATCH ME! and BEGUILE ME!.
The MOVE ME! strand invites emotional connection through films like Lesbian Lines and Iván & Hadoum, while THRILL ME! delivers edge-of-your-seat storytelling with titles such as On The Road and Testing Limits. PUSH ME! challenges audiences with works like Joy Boy: A Tribute to Julius Eastman, Jaripeo, and The Passion According to GHB, alongside urgent and heartfelt New Irish Shorts.
WATCH ME! turns its gaze toward identity and visibility, featuring Barbara Forever, Trial of Hein, and the shorts collection Somebody’s Watching Me, as well as Give Me The Ball!. Meanwhile, BEGUILE ME! explores fantasy and imagination through visually striking works like At The Place of Ghosts, The Serpent’s Skin, and the haunting shorts block Under My Skin. Brazilian cinema is also spotlighted through the New Brazilian Shorts programme and the fierce, physicality-driven Close Contact.
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Beyond screenings, the festival continues its commitment to industry and talent development. Café au GAZE returns as a one-day skills forum featuring leading filmmakers and industry voices, while the starGAZE initiative supports emerging Irish talent through mentorship and networking opportunities.
Festival Director Sam Ahern, presenting their first programme in the role, said: “It means the world to present my first programme as festival director at GAZE in collaboration with my brilliant colleague, programmer, James Hudson. Opening the festival with Almodóvar and diving straight into some of the very best that Irish and International LGBTQIA cinema has to offer this year.”
GAZE Co-Chairs Vickey Curtis and Evan Horan added: “We are hugely proud of the work that has gone into this iteration, which cannot happen without the support of the Arts Council and our funders, who help with the work we do. Our Festival Friends and Audiences mean the world to us, and we’re very excited for GAZE 2026.”
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With 14 feature films, multiple short film programmes, satellite screenings, and a highly anticipated Mystery Film yet to be revealed, GAZE 2026 offers a bold, timely response to the world around us. Tickets are on sale now, with audiences invited to dive into a programme bursting with energy, passion, and unforgettable stories. This year’s GAZE isn’t just a festival—it’s a powerful reflection of queer cinema meeting the moment.
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