BFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival 2021 moves online
You'll be able to enjoy LGBTQ feature films and shorts from home on BFI Player from 17-28 March.
By Will Stroude
Following the success of its digital move amid the early days of the pandemic last March, BFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival has announced it will once again be going online in 2021.
The LGBTQ film festival, which usually plays host to the best queer cinema each year at its London Southbank home, will make this year’s line-up of feature films and shorts available to watch at home via BFI Player from 17-28 March.
Into the Dark: Midnight Kiss (2019) Image: supplied
The move to digital streaming has ironically helped extend the reach of the UK’s biggest LGBTQ film festival, with audiences across the length and breadth of the country able to view screenings and participate in virtual events from the comfort of their own homes.
“With this digital version of BFI Flare, we are excited to expand our reach outside of London, bringing the best in contemporary queer cinema to audiences across the UK,” said Michael Blyth, Senior Programmer, BFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival, in a statement.
BFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival 2021 will take place digitally from 17-28 March
“Over this past year, the need to build and support LGBTIQ+ communities has felt more vital than ever, and this edition of the Festival is an opportunity to bring more people together than ever before.”
The full programme for the BFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival 2021 is set to be announced on 23 February, but organisers have teased that approximately 25 feature films will be coming to BFI Player, with ticket holders about to watch at any time during the course of the 12-day festival.
Almost 35 short films will be available to watch free of charge via the streaming service for the duration of the festival, with five made available to watch worldwide as part of the Five Films For Freedom series, in partnership with The British Council.
BFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival takes place from 17-28 March. For more information click here.