!! OMG BFI Flare, London’s LGBTQ film festival, is back !!

It’s time for Flare, the British Film Institute‘s LGBTQ+ film festival, taking place in London until March 26th.

Even if you’re not in London, the festival is a great opportunity to learn about upcoming LGBTQ releases from around the world.

We’ve highlighted a few films that have caught our attention after the jump!

Drifter

Moritz is excited to be moving to Berlin with his boyfriend. But the relationship falls apart when his partner wants the freedom to explore other bodies and experiences without the encumbrance of a live-in lover. So begins an odyssey of new relationships in a city full of possibilities. His circle of arty friends are energetic consumers of everything the city has to offer – drugs, sex, clubs and each other. Although broken-hearted, Moritz goes with the flow of the city, discovering the joys of sexual abandon. With each new encounter – straight, gay and a flirtation with S&M – he understands more of himself and how to fulfil people’s desires. A coming-of-age story with a difference, Drifter is a revelatory portrait of an individual becoming sexually and emotionally confident, learning about friendship, sex and the thrill of living in the moment. Hannes Hirsch’s hugely impressive feature debut is a refreshing and authentic look at queer lives, imbued with the excitement of this generation’s ways of being.

Horseplay

As Christmas approaches, Artur gathers his friends at his family’s luxury villa. Away from the everyday responsibilities of home, the young men fill their days with idle chit-chat and afternoon naps, although nothing gives this boisterous bunch more pleasure than playing risqué pranks on one another – mischievously testing the limits of their supposed heterosexuality. But as the games continue, personal boundaries are slowly breached, and soon the innocent high jinks and easy atmosphere give way to growing unease. As with much of his work, director Marco Berger (Plan B, Taekwondo) takes great delight in amplifying the homoerotic undercurrents of male friendships, investing as much time exploring his characters’ toned physiques as he does their inner thoughts. But while the sensory pleasures of Horseplay are immediate, at its heart lies a far more challenging critique of consent, sexual misconduct and toxic masculinity.

Rule 34

Rule 34 – the belief that ‘If it exists, there is porn of it’. Simone is a young black Brazilian woman. Law student by day, camgirl by night. As her work with women in a legal clinic becomes increasingly harrowing, Simone’s desire to experiment sexually increases. She explores the world of BDSM with her online audience and friends. ‘I’m really sorry if my sexual desires aren’t political enough for you,’ she says to a friend. But sex is political in this film, asking what it really means to take control of your body. Directed with sensuality by Júlia Murat and featuring a knockout performance from Sol Miranda, Rule 34 received the Best Film award at the 2022 Locarno Film Festival.