QUEER COGNITION
QUEER COGNITION
A SEASON OF CINEMA BEYOND THE BINARY
Queer Cognition is a celebration of the radical, unbound spirit of queer lives across time and space. This season invites you to step into a cinematic archive of resilience, where every frame is an act of remembrance and every story a spark of revolution. Spanning decades and continents, these films capture the fierce, uncontainable essence of queer life, challenging erasure, reclaiming space, and igniting collective memory.
As we move towards Pride London, we honour those who have come before and those who continue to push the boundaries of identity, refusing to be silenced.
With more titles to be announced for Black Pride in August, these films will spotlight the intersection of Blackness and queerness, celebrating the unique cultural contributions of Black LGBTQIA+ communities.
“Queer cinema is rebellion on screen. A space where radical storytelling confronts, disrupts, and reimagines. We are inviting audiences to go beyond the binary, to witness the resilience of LGBTQIA+ communities, and to celebrate the radical creativity that has defined queer lives for generations.”
- Ebele Tate, filmmaker and founder of G.O.A.T Film Club
FEATURES PROGRAMME: MAY-AUG 2025
A powerful exploration of the life and legacy of Venus Xtravaganza, the beloved trans icon immortalised in the groundbreaking 1991 documentary Paris Is Burning. The film follows Venus’ biological and ballroom families as they come together to honour her memory, seek answers about her death, and find unexpected common ground.
Dir: Kimberly Reed
Date: 22nd May
A visually arresting love story between two Vietnamese miners working deep underground, exploring themes of identity, memory, and the lingering trauma of war against the backdrop of Vietnam’s coal industry.
Dir: Trương Minh Quý
Date: 19th June
A lesbian teenager, Alike, is quietly embracing her identity while searching for her first love. But with her parents’ marriage already under strain, she struggles to know how much of herself she can truly share at home. PARIAH is an intimate coming-of-age drama exploring identity politics, the search for belonging and chosen family.
Dir: Dee Rees
Date: 8th Aug
SHORT FILM PROGRAMME: 31ST JULY 2025
Programme supported by Film Hub London, managed by Film London. Proud to be a partner of the BFI Film Network, funded by the National Lottery.
