Founded in 2020 with the aim of elevating queer and Asian voices in the UK, Queer East has become one of the most important activities in the country’s cultural calendar. Throughout November four films from the festival will be shown at Showroom.
Following a record-breaking sixth edition in London this May, the organisation will commence its ambitious On the Road touring project this autumn, bringing some of the best work from this year’s programme to an ever-expanding roster of sites across the country, including Sheffield.
Isobel Harrop, Assistant Programmer: Young Audiences said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Queer East back to Showroom as part of its nationwide tour: a vibrant celebration of boundary-pushing queer cinema from East and Southeast Asia, along with their diaspora communities.
“This programme shines a light on voices and stories that challenge, inspire, and expand how we understand identity and community on screen.”
Beginning on the 6 November and capturing the bittersweet essence of youth, Lin Cheng-Sheng’s Murmur of Youth will open the festival and it will close on 29 November with legendary director Takeshi Kitano’s mesmerising historical epic Kubi.
The festival was established in response to the systemic lack of Asian representation on the big screen, onstage, and behind the scenes. Global events over the past few years have again reminded us that fair and authentic racial and sexual representation is crucial for our society. The richness of Asian and queer heritage forms a vital part of this country’s identity. Through a diverse and forward-thinking programme, the festival aims to amplify the voices of Asian communities and challenge the conventional norms, labels, and stereotypes associated with queer Asian portrayals.
Working collaboratively with allies across the film, arts, and cultural sectors, the festival hopes to join the forces bringing about change in screen culture and to enable an open space for everyone to explore the contemporary queer landscape across East and Southeast Asia.
Queer East Festival Director Yi Wang said: I always wanted to bring these films to a broader sort of geographical reach, to a different audience. I also believe that it is quite important for people to actually see these films.
It’s quite cliché, but cinema does provide a window for people to understand things that they probably haven’t encountered before, and the power of seeing these films can definitely create something different.”
You can look at the festival’s line-up and buy tickets here. Queer East – On the Road 2025 | Showroom Cinema
Image credit – The Movie DB, Showroom Cinema
