Queer Spectrum Film Festival has announced the programme for 2026, promising a three-day celebration of LGBTQ+ migrant voices and queer people of colour. The event takes place in the Irish Film Institute (IFI) in Dublin from June 12 to 14.
As Ireland’s first film festival dedicated to LGBTQ+ people of colour and migrant communities, Queer Spectrum Film Festival returns in 2026 with a programme of international feature films, shorts, panel discussions and workshops exploring themes of migration, identity, intimacy, resilience and transformation.
This year’s festival theme, ‘Tender Migrations: Queer Journeys Through Desire, Transition, and Healing’, will bring together filmmakers and audiences for screenings at the IFI in Temple Bar.
Opening the festival on Friday, June 12, is the Irish premiere of Treat Me Like Your Mother, a documentary by Lebanese filmmaker Mohamad Abdouni examining transfeminine experiences in post-war Beirut. Combining archival photography and personal storytelling, the film traces decades of queer survival and visibility in Lebanon. The screening will be followed by a discussion with the director.
Among the festival highlights is Out Laws, directed by James Lewis and Lexi Powner, which follows Namibian activist Friedel Dausab’s campaign for LGBTQ+ rights amid growing hostility and political pressure. The documentary connects queer struggles across Namibia, Sri Lanka and Barbados and will screen on Saturday, June 13, followed by a panel discussion with Lewis.
Japanese director Anshul Chauhan’s acclaimed drama TIGER will also receive its Irish premiere during the festival. The film tells the story of a gay masseuse returning to his hometown after his father falls critically ill, forcing him to confront family expectations, identity and belonging.
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Closing the festival on Sunday night is Montréal, ma belle, directed by Xiaodan He. The Canadian drama follows a middle-aged Chinese immigrant in Montreal who embarks on a journey of self-discovery and forbidden love after years spent trapped between duty, exile and personal sacrifice.
In addition to its feature films, the festival includes three specially curated shorts programmes showcasing emerging and established queer filmmakers from around the world.
The Living with HIV programme, presented in partnership with Poz Vibe Tribe, explores HIV stigma, activism and queer survival through a short strand of documentaries and experimental works from Tunisia, Ireland and the UK. Other short strands included in the programme are Intimate Colours, examining race, migration, drag culture and queer desire, and Tender Migration, which focuses on chosen family, self-expression and resilience across borders and generations.
Alongside the screenings, the festival will host Spectrum Lab, an industry initiative supported by Screen Ireland aimed at supporting underrepresented filmmakers and creative producers. Participants will take part in workshops, mentoring sessions and discussions with international filmmakers and industry professionals.
The festival is organised by Queer Asian Pride Ireland (QAPI) in partnership with Screen Ireland and several LGBTQ+ community organisations. Festival founder and programmer Pradeep Mahadeshwar said the event seeks to centre stories often overlooked in mainstream cinema, while reflecting Ireland’s changing role as a place of refuge and possibility for LGBTQ+ migrants.
Tickets and the full festival listing for Queer Spectrum Film Festival 2026 are available online through the IFI.
© 2026 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.
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