The Vancouver Queer Film Festival (VQFF) has announced the entire lineup for their 37th annual edition, which will take place in person September 11-21, 2025 and online September 22-28, 2025. The program features 100 films from 25 countries centering 2SLGBTQIA+ creators and stories, including 12 world premieres, 6 international premieres, 7 North American premieres, and 21 Canadian premieres across 26 features and 74 short films. The Festival will also feature parties, performances, post-screening Q&A’s with filmmakers and special guests, and an exciting new slate of industry events. 

Led by new Artistic Director Mary Galloway, the Festival will kick off with the Opening Presentation: Then. Now. Forever., an electrifying collection of 7 short films from across 2SLGBTQIA+ communities that celebrate queer past, present, and futures.

A turning point towards Indigenous and Indigiqueer’s culture

This year signals a pivotal shift in leadership with Galloway, a Cowichan filmmaker, at the helm as the festival’s first Indigenous and Indigiqueer Artistic Director. 

Under Galloway’s direction, VQFF shifts to an Indigenized vision that highlights Two Spirit and Indigiqueer stories and artists. The 2025 Festival artwork is designed by Vancouver-based Cowichan artist Charlene Johnny, blending traditional Coast Salish art with contemporary queer and Indigenous symbolism. Galloway introduces the new Matriarch of the Year Award (MOTY Award) honouring an Indigiqueer or Two Spirit (2S) Matriarchal leader in the film and television industry across Turtle Island who has made a significant impact on Indigenous and 2SLGBTQIA+ storytelling with a $5,000 cash prize. VQFF also proudly presents the hometown premiere of the Indigenous feature-length musical drama Starwalker directed by Corey Payette, about an Indigiqueer Two Spirit call boy finding family and identity through drag. VQFF’s commitments to uplifting and championing Indigenous stories and voices are woven throughout the festival experience.

In focus

This year’s Centrepiece Presentation: Just kids is a timely and powerful documentary about three families living in states that have banned gender-affirming care. Directed by documentarian and journalist Gianna Toboni and featuring Jacklyn Toboni (The L Word: Generation Q), Just kids exposes the inhumane politicization of trans healthcare and its devastating impacts on trans youth and their families.

This year’s program includes 4 feature film world premieres: local documentary A place where I belong about a group of people fighting for queer disabled rights directed by Rheanna Toy; queer Muslim filmmaker and actor Pantah Mosleh’s (Eternity) deeply personal documentary Pride & Prayer; sapphic French drama Amantes directed by Caroline Fournier; and of LA filmmaker Maritza Navarro’s Another take which exposes a broken film industry. Eight short films will also world premiere, including two films in annual local shorts program The Coast is Queer: Lauren Marsden’s The palace and Ana AJ Jimenez’s Jeez Louise. 

The Festival’s Closing Presentation: Four mothers from Darren Thornton, is a heartwarming and moving Irish comedy and the Winner of the Audience Award at the BFI London Film Festival, about a gay novelist who is saddled with the care of his friends’ eccentric, strong-willed mothers over Pride weekend.

Attending

Actor and activist Vico Ortiz (Our Flag Means Death, The Sex Lives of College Girls) will be in attendance throughout the festival, moderating several post-screening Q&A’s with filmmakers and special guests, as well as performing as their drag king persona. Other familiar faces in this year’s programme include Elliot Page and Laverne Cox in documentary Heightened scrutiny about trans civil rights attorney Chase Strangio’s fight for gender-affirming care at the Supreme Court; Lea DeLaria (Orange Is the New Black) in feature drama Outerlands and the short Old dykes; Asia Kate Dillon (Billions, Orange Is the New Black) in Outerlands; comedians Murray Hill, James Tom, Roz Hernandez and others in We are Pat; comedian Vic Michaelis (Dropout TV) in the opening narrative short Dandelion; and beloved local stars including artist Phranc and business owner Burcu in their respective short documentaries Phranc: the butch closet and Burcu’s angels.

This year’s Festival boasts an array of exciting new Industry programs and initiatives, including the inaugural VQFF Pitch Competition, which is accepting applicants now until August 17, 2025. Special guests from the hit sapphic horror show Yellowjackets will feature in the panel “Eat You(r Heart) Out: Queer Horror with Yellowjackets”. VQFF will also offer 1:1 Industry Speed-Dating; panels with major Canadian film funding bodies (“Funding Your Project”) and Canada’s largest networks, broadcasters, and streaming platforms (“Selling Your Project”); and several industry networking socials. VQFF is once again offering a limited number of free all-access industry passes to equity-deserving and emerging 2SLGBTQIA+ filmmakers and students, as well as free ticketing for self-identified Indigenous folks.

And more…

VQFF has once again partnered with the Vancouver Latin American Film Festival (September 4-14, 2025) to co-present a queer Latine shorts program (“Through Our Kaleidoscope”) and the Opening Weekend Party: Fuego Fogo on September 13, 2025. VQFF is also bringing back The Future is Queer: Youth Programs co-presented by our sibling program Out In Schools and The Cinematheque, which includes two days of FREE youth programs and school-group screenings aimed at increasing young people’s access to transformative 2SLGBTQIA+ stories.

The 2025 Festival programme was curated by Artistic Director Mary Galloway; programmers Cole Forrest, Kathleen Mullen, Layla Cameron, and Syriah Bailey; VQFF Program Coordinator Maiya Dexel. The Future is Queer: Youth Programs at VQFF was curated with additional support from outgoing Education Director Gavin K Somers, Out In Schools Program Manager Danny Lybbert, and Chelsea Birk (Learning and Outreach Director at The Cinematheque).