Queer Animation overview

Queer was once used as a slur, and there are still those who consider queer people deranged and would do anything to restrict our existence. But we have been reclaiming the word queer for years, turning it into a symbol of resistance. We are still here. We are queer. And we aren’t going anywhere.

This retrospective carries that spirit forward by exploring queer animation. We aimed to bring together a diverse selection of films by LGBTQ+ filmmakers, films telling LGBTQ+ stories, and works that challenge traditional notions of gender, sexuality, and identity.

The retrospective unfolds across three themes: History, Pride, and Genderfuck. The first programme explores the evolution of queer animated worlds. The second is about the struggles and pleasures of becoming oneself. The last explores the endless possibilities of existing beyond binaries.

The retrospective also features Rainbows After Dark, a special midnight screening curated by Kate Jessop. This wild ride through sex positivity, club culture, and family relationships brings a colourful mix of flamboyance and filth to the more adult side of queer experience. Expect mystic lesbians, broken pipes and Howard Stern!

And perhaps animation itself has always been queer in spirit: weird, different, fluid, and shapeshifting. A third gender of its own. Unafraid to experiment, to deconstruct, to transform. To go beyond what is considered possible. This ability feels more important than ever in the face of today’s oppression and rising fascism. And if anyone thinks none of this concerns them, they are mistaken.

No one is free until everyone is free.
– Jakub Spevák and Kate Jessop

Dolžina: 81′

Črna fanta v raju / Two Black Boys in Paradise


Baz Sells (One6th Animation Studio)
Združeno kraljestvo, 2025, 9'00''

Stop animacija, ki je nastala po istoimenski pesmi Deana Atte, pripoveduje o dveh fantih, ki si ustvarita svoj raj. A tudi vanj vdre teža rasizma in homofobije, ki ju spet pahne nazaj v realnost, nasičeno s strahom, izključevanjem in sramom. Preplet lirične poezije in hipnotičnega ritma nas popelje na popotovanje, ki zamaje stereotipe in preraste v univerzalno vizijo.



Skrivalnice / Hide and Seek


Junjie Dinggo Xu (Royal College of Art)
Združeno kraljestvo, 2024, 6'00''

V različnih življenjskih obdobjih spremljamo osebo, ki pred starši prikriva svojo kvirovsko identiteto. Film govori o težavah, s katerimi se sooča kvirovska skupnost med odraščanjem, ter prek kvirovske fenomenologije raziskuje fantazijo kvirovskih prostorov. 



I Am a Flower / I Am A Flower


Ariel Victor Arthanto (Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf)
Nemčija, 2024, 13'15''

Deviantni umetnik Sam, ki je tik pred popolno preobrazbo v rožo, z mamo preživi še zadnji dan v rožnem velnesu. 



Lisica preobleke / Dragfox


Lisa Ott (National Film and TV School (NFTS))
Združeno kraljestvo, 2024, 8'10''

Samovo raziskovanje lastne identitete prekine skrivnostni lisjak. Pot ju vodi na čarobno popotovanje na podstrešje, da bi odkrila, kaj presenetljivega ju druži, in se morda naučila veseliti tudi tega, v čemer se razlikujeta.



Rdečilo: Osupljivo popotovanje / Blush – An Extraordinary Voyage


Iiti Yli-Harja (Side Stories)
Finska, 2022, 14'55''

Za osemnajstletnega Fatuja, ki prihaja iz finsko-kosovske družine, je preprost obisk trgovine nekaj tako zastrašujočega kot polet na luno: prvič v življenju je namreč v javnosti naličen. K sreči ga na tej poti spremlja in neomajno podpira najboljša prijateljica Rai, dekle z motnjo avtističnega spektra. 



Vsi ti občutki v trebuhu / All Those Sensations in My Belly


Marko Dješka (Adriatic Animation, BAP Studio)
Hrvaška, Portugalska, 2020, 13'19''

Matia ima med tranzicijo iz moškega v žensko težave pri vzpostavljanju pristnega intimnega odnosa s heteroseksualnim moškim.



You Are Not Part of the Cake / You Are Not Part of the Cake


Ting-Jui Chen (Royal College of Art)
Združeno kraljestvo, Tajvan, 2025, 4'33''

Dekle po imenu Ping se zaplete v konflikt s homofobnim, agresivnim očetom svojega dekleta Lale. V stopnjevanju napetosti ga je Ping prisiljena ubiti, da zaščiti sebe. Spremeni ga v torto, to dejanje pa postane obred preobrazbe – pretrganje vezi in korak v novo življenjsko obdobje.



Moms on Fire / Moms on Fire


Joanna Rytel (Altofilm)
Švedska, 2016, 12'00''

Kako je, če si visoko noseča in imaš do poroda le še štiri dni? Zrajcana si, pa se ne dosežeš, tvoj fant je neuporaben, dolgočasen lolek, ti pa bi se malo pozabavala, ampak si noseča. Spet. Groza!!!