This year two of my favourite things are coming together: a DIY festival and Live Art Bistro. If you’ve never been to the Leeds Queer Film Festival or to LAB then cancel what you’re doing next weekend and go. LAB will be hosting the film festival and both organisations are once again proving that Leeds has some exciting, resistive people working at the fringes of the cultural offer. If you’re asking how this is resistive and why that’s important then cancel what you’re doing next weekend and get to the Leeds Queer Film Festival.

The festival opens with the critically acclaimed film Moonlight. This is an opportunity to see this film through a specific lens. There are exclusive q&a sessions with the makers of Brown Queers and Mum, which illustrates how the festival is not just a chance to watch but also to be part of vital conversations and prioritising Queer identities and politics.

On Friday Like a Riot will set the tone by parodying film posters made by ‘white, straight dudes’ with finger puppets, and this is a good indication of the range of styles of films that will be on show. Another highlight will be the premier of anarchist anti-drag queen Christeene’s new music video. Christeene performed one of the best shows I have ever seen and this is something that shouldn’t be missed. Primavera Rosa en Mexico will be an exposing look into a country where there is marriage equality but high rates of murder against the LGBTQ community. For me, this highlights how well the festival’s programme is put together as we have a window into these issues/communities/experiences from around the world.

Alice Boulton-Breeze

Image courtesy of A24