The BFI today announced the dates for the 2026 edition of BFI Flare. The festival, which screens the best in contemporary LGBTQIA+ cinema from around the globe—in addition to a rich selection of events and archive titles—is celebrating its 40th year and will run from 18th–29th March 2026 at BFI Southbank. This year’s festival sees the 12th year of #FiveFilmsForFreedom in partnership with the British Council. This landmark initiative presents five films for free to audiences globally and invites everyone everywhere to show solidarity with LGBT communities in countries where freedom and equal rights are limited.
The 2025 FFFF selection spanned from Indonesia, New Zealand, the USA/China, and the UK, and the digital campaign attracted over 3 million views. Since 2015, Five Films For Freedom has showcased 55 films over 132 days, reaching audiences of over 28 million in 220 countries and principalities. The 2026 Five Films for Freedom shorts will be available to watch for free UK-wide on BFI Player. Submissions for all film lengths for the 2026 edition of Flare are now open, and will close on Friday 5 December. Further details will be revealed in the coming months, with the full programme being announced in February.
