BFI Flare: through the years 

Over four decades, BFI Flare has been a vital platform for LGBTQIA+ stories on screen and a cherished community space. From its beginnings in 1986 to its global standing today, the festival has championed bold filmmaking, nurtured new voices and created moments of connection, celebration and resistance. 

In its 40th anniversary year, we look back to trace the journey, decade by decade, alongside the wider social and political changes that have shaped the LGBTQIA+ community.

In 1986, programmers Peter Packer and Mark Finch created a season of gay and lesbian films called ‘Gays’ Own Pictures’ at the National Film Theatre. 

The season returned in 1987 under the title ‘Gay Lives 2’. 

The London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival officially launched in 1988, cementing its place in the BFI’s annual calendar. The festival subheading ‘A Queer Feeling When I Look at You’ was borrowed from filmmaker Andrea Weiss’s introspective documentary of the same name. 

The 1980s were marked by crisis and activism. 

In 1982, Terry Higgins became one of the first known British people to die of AIDS-related illness. The Terrence Higgins Trust was formed soon after – the UK’s first HIV and AIDS charity. 

Labour MP Chris Smith became the first openly gay member of Parliament in 1984. 

In 1988, the infamous piece of legislation, Section/Clause 28, was introduced into the local government bill by Margaret Thatcher. The clause stipulated that local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales “shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality”. Schools and educational institutions were no longer permitted to promote the “acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship”. 

The charity Stonewall UK was established in 1989 to challenge Section 28. 

Across the decade, cases of HIV and AIDS rose dramatically, reshaping queer life and community organising in the UK. After 17 cases were reported in 1983, the figures mushroomed to an estimated 2,536 by the end of 1989. 

After a fallow year in 1990, the 1991 edition of the festival featured over 80 films, earning its title as ‘the largest gay film festival in the world’. 

In 1992, the festival launched its official Opening and Closing Night Gala slots, with comedic provocateur Sandra Bernhard attending for Without You I’m Nothing and participating in a live on-stage interview. Another special appearance was by film academic Richard Dyer who gave a lecture on the screen history of closeted film star Rock Hudson. This edition featured a trans sidebar programme titled ‘Girls Will Be Boys’. 

Prominent filmmakers selected a favourite film or a deep cut in the 1994 sidebar ‘25 Years Since Stonewall’. Derek Jarman selected Giuseppe Patroni Griffi’s Il mare, Chantal Akerman selected Hector Babenco’s Kiss of the Spider Woman, Tom Kalin selected William Friedkin’s Cruising, Isaac Julien selected James Bidgood’s Pink Narcissus, Monika Treut selected Ulrike Ottinger’s Madame X: An Absolute Ruler and Barbara Hammer selected Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant. 

The festival gave out audience awards 1994 to 1996 for the most popular feature films. 

The 1995 edition was dedicated to co-founder Mark Finch, “a remarkably talented and revolutionary force”. The festival welcomed Pratibha Parmar in an event celebrating a prolific nine years of filmmaking. 

Emerging directors highlighted in the 1997 programme included Bavo Defurne, Joshua Oppenheimer, François Ozon and Annabelle Murphy. The Festival Pavilion was introduced: a marquee erected by the riverside hosting social events, panel discussions, Q&As and drinks. 

In 1998, the programmers noted the exhaustion of the boy-girl divide that marked the festival’s curatorial practices and programming team. In response, a major sidebar of cutting-edge work was introduced with an “emphasis on mixed programming for boys and girls”. As its programmers Briony Hanson and Robin Baker note in jest, “separatism is so 80s”. 

Throughout the 90s, gala screenings were held at MGM Shaftesbury Avenue, Odeon Cinema in Leicester Square and Curzon West End. 

In 1999, in addition to the London events and screenings, the festival went on tour, with highlights screening in a handful of independent cinemas across the UK. The 1999 edition hosted a legendary Sing-a-Long-a Sound of Music event. Audiences were encouraged to participate… Sources inform us they did. 

In protest against the unequal laws governing homosexual ages of consent, the 1999 edition featured a series of over 20 films exploring the experiences of queer youth around the world. 

Following a series of homophobic murders of gay men in 1990, hundreds marched towards Ealing Town Hall and held a candlelit vigil, near to where one victim, Michael Boothe, was killed. This march inspired the formation of OutRage (1990 to 2011), a political collective that exercised non-violent direct action and civil disobedience in their advocacy for rights for queer people. 

In 1992, film critic and scholar B. Ruby Rich published a highly influential article on ‘New Queer Cinema’ in The Village Voice (and subsequently Sight and Sound), addressing the sudden growth in lesbian and gay representation in the North American festival circuit, labelling it ”a watershed year”. While championing arrivals such as Gregg Araki’s The Living End, Derek Jarman’s Edward II, Tom Kalin’s Swoon and Christopher Münch’s The Hours and Times, she lamented the lack of lesbian-made and lesbian-centred material. 

Filmmaker, author, artist and polymath Derek Jarman died of AIDS-related illnesses in 1994. 

Future BFI Flare media partners Attitude and Diva magazines launched in 1994. 

In 1994, Conservative MP Edwina Currie proposed an amendment to lower the age of consent for homosexual men from 21 to 16. Although the amendment was defeated, the age of consent was lowered to 18. A lesbian age of consent – and its parliamentary significance – went entirely unacknowledged. 

In 1995, HAART – a breakthrough in AIDS treatment, found to delay the onset of AIDS for those living with HIV – became widely available in the UK.  

In 1995, landmark case P v S and Cornwall County Council expanded the judicial remit of sexual equality measures to include acts of discrimination against transsexual and transgender people. An anonymous UK-based employee (that went by ‘P’ in court documents) was found to have been wrongfully dismissed as information concerning her reassignment surgery came to light. 

Russell T Davies’ gay drama Queer as Folk debuted on Channel 4 in 1999. 

With a new millennium, programmers Briony Hanson, Stewart Turnbull and Brian Robinson enthusiastically announced the return of a successful event from the previous year: “Oh – and saving the best til last: get in the queue now for our follow-up to last year’s Singa-Long-a Sound of Music – use your wildest imagination and all say ‘Cine-oke’…” 

The 2001 edition went on tour again, hitting nationwide cinemas including The Electric in Birmingham, Duke of York’s in Brighton, Watershed in Bristol, Cornerhouse in Manchester, Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle, Broadway in Nottingham and Showroom in Sheffield. 

In 2002, the festival hosted a Cheryl Dunye retrospective and welcomed Richard Dyer to mark the 25 years since the ‘Images of Homosexuality’ season he programmed for the BFI in 1977. 

In 2004, a sidebar marking 10 years since the death of Derek Jarman featured a selection of documentaries and esoteric works he directed. In 2005, the festival’s UK-wide tour expanded to 40+ towns and cities. In London, an event titled ‘How to Make Lesbian Porn’ took place with journalist Manuela Kay showing a selection of pornographic clips “to be discussed and evaluated in terms of their authenticity, acting quality, production value, humour and the turn-on-factor!”

The 2006 edition marked the festival’s 20th anniversary. London Mayor Ken Livingstone noted: “The festival has seen significant landmarks: the repeal of Section 28 and, more recently, the civil partnerships legislation. The positive images of lesbian and gay life and presentation of the issues included in the festival have had far-reaching effects.” As part of the anniversary programme, former programmers each chose a favourite film. Brian Robinson selected Desperate Remedies on behalf of Mark Finch, Cherry Smyth selected Go Fish, Inge Blackman selected Looking for Langston, Robin Baker selected Beautiful Thing, Tricia Tuttle selected By Hook or by Crook and Briony Hanson selected See the Sea. 

The 2007 poster design featured an indigo pansy blooming in front of the London skyline. This design was implemented in response to the homophobic murder of David Roger Morley near Waterloo Station. Morley was a gay barman who was fatally stabbed by a group of young people on his way home from a shift at Bromptons in Earls Court. The pansy figured as an awareness raising act on behalf of festival organisers, as well as a means to commemorate the loss of a much-loved figure in London’s queer nightlife scene. As programmers noted in the brochure: “Our cover image is a collaboration with artist Paul Harfleet, whose beautiful and simple Pansy Project draws attention to the crimes still committed against us.” 

In 2008, a sidebar titled ‘Imagining Lesbian Desire’ featured films including Persona, Les Biches, Desperately Seeking Susan and 3 Women. Another sidebar ‘New Queer Cinema Now’ explored works by filmmakers who had inspired B. Ruby Rich’s pivotal 1992 article – including Mala Noche, I’m Not There, Savage Grace and Smiley Face. 

The 2000s brought significant legislative change. 

Laws restricting gay male sex were reconfigured in 2001. The Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act lowered the age of consent to 16 and consensual group sex was also decriminalised. 

In 2002, same-sex couples were granted equal rights to adopt. Section 28 was repealed in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2003. The Civil Partnership Act 2004 was introduced, granting same-sex couples rights equivalent to married heterosexual couples. The Gender Recognition Act 2004 was also introduced, allowing people to change their ‘sex’ on legal documents in accordance with their gender identity. A Gender Recognition Certificate would be granted as verification, applicable to the law in all purposes, including marriage. 

UK Black Pride was officially launched in 2006.  

In 2005, the UK’s first civil partnership was legally ordained by Matthew Roche and Christopher Cramp. Held at St Barnabas Hospice in Worthing, Roche died a day after it was formed, having suffered from a terminal illness. Over the following years, civil partnership figures increased exponentially, with estimates of over 8,000 conducted by the end of 2008. 

Treatment of lesbian parents and their children was amended and equalised in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008. Lesbians and their partners were granted equal access to legal presumptions of parentage in cases of IVF or assisted insemination from the moment the child is born. That same year, the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act was introduced, strengthening protections against those who experience homophobic hatred or discrimination. 

In 2009, Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown made an official public apology on behalf of the government for the way in which the pioneering mathematician and WWII codebreaker Alan Turing was chemically castrated for his homosexuality in the aftermath of WWII. That same year, David Cameron apologised on behalf of the Conservatives for the implementation of Section 28. 

The 2010 edition included special events at the V&A, Tate Modern and Curzon Soho. The programme featured an ‘LGBT Africa’ selection of shorts with films exploring the lives of queer people in Uganda, Nigeria and South Africa, as well as spotlighting the work of director Dee Rees. A Dorothy Arzner retrospective celebrated the life of one of Hollywood’s most prolific – if discreet – lesbian directors. 

In 2013, thematic strands Hearts, Bodies and Minds were introduced to help audiences navigate the diverse range of films on offer: “It’s all very moody and instinctive, and most importantly, it will help you find the films you like.” That same year marked the launch of BFI Player which would become the festival’s home year round, bringing LGBTQIA+ filmmaking to audiences across the UK.   

Having been a two-week event for many years, the festival was shortened to a week in 2011 due to funding cuts. This led to Liz Collier, Anna Leach and Alexander Karotsch founding Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Fest as a community response to arts cuts. 

The festival was extended to 10 days in 2012. An event titled ‘Transgender Representation – Are We Nearly There Yet?’ charted the developments in trans cinema since, five years prior, the festival hosted its ‘Recasting Gender’ panel discussion. 

In 2013, the festival consulted audiences on renaming. The team commissioned a video titled What’s in a Name? featuring T’Nia Miller and written and directed by Aleem Khan and Faryal to spark ideas. Audiences could share suggestions via email, social media and a pin board in the BFI Southbank foyer. 

The festival was renamed BFI Flare: London LGBT Film Festival in 2014, accommodating a more diverse and expansive array of queer identities. The name was selected to be “colourful, illustrative and evocative”, representing the light of a cinema projector, a guiding light or a firestarter. 

Five Films for Freedom was launched in 2015 in partnership with the British Council. This landmark digital initiative makes five films from the festival programme freely available online worldwide, including regions where LGBTQIA+ rights are limited. 

2016 marked the festival’s 30th anniversary and celebrations got off to a stylish start with the world premiere of The Pass, starring Russell Tovey and Arinzé Kene, screening at Odeon Leicester Square. 

In 2018, the festival’s acronym was changed to LGBTQ+, out of a desire for greater inclusivity and recognition of diverse sexual and gender identities that are not specifically covered by the original four letters. That same year, the Centrepiece Screening was former programmer Jason Barker’s A Deal with the Universe, charting his personal experience as a trans man experiencing pregnancy and childbirth. 

The Equality Act 2010 was introduced, legally prohibiting workplace discrimination on the basis of gender reassignment and sexual orientation. 

In 2013, same-sex marriage became legal in England and Wales under the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act. The first same-sex marriage took place in 2014 and was between Peter McGraith and David Cabreza, with campaigner Peter Tatchell in attendance. 

The London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard reached its 40th anniversary. Queen Elizabeth II sent “best wishes and congratulations to all concerned on this most special anniversary”. 

In 2015, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern was the first building in the UK to be granted Grade II listed status for its LGBTQ+ history and significance. That same year, the UK Parliament boasted 32 active LGB MPs, more than any other country in the world at the time (none of the four trans candidates who stood in 2015 won their seat). 

Prince William appeared on the cover of Attitude in 2016. 

The Policing and Crime Act 2017 pardoned all historic instances of criminal convictions of gross indecency against men in England and Wales, becoming colloquially known as Turing’s Law.  

In 2019, Laverne Cox was the first transgender actor to appear on the cover of Vogue.

Due to the onset of Covid-19, BFI Flare became one of the world’s first film festivals to pivot to an online format only a few days before the 2020 edition was due to start at BFI Southbank.  

In 2020, BFI Flare expanded the acronym to LGBTIQ+ to include intersex people.   

The 2021 edition took place on BFI Player and social media, attracting 37,516 attendances around the UK. Russell Tovey was the festival’s first-ever Screen Talk guest. 

The festival returned to BFI Southbank for the 2022 edition, joyfully reuniting the BFI Flare community in person. Highlights included intersex writer and activist Valentino Vecchietti’s event on intersex culture. That year, the acronym was updated to LGBTQIA+ to include asexual people. 

In 2023, audiences were introduced to immersive art and virtual reality works from boundary-pushing LGBTQIA+ artists. Guest programmer Tara Brown presented ‘We Have Always Been Here!’, a talk exploring representations of queer disability. 

In 2024, Elliot Page joined for a Screen Talk to discuss his career. During the talk, he notably challenged the idea that queer films are a “niche” market, citing statistics about the large percentage of young people who identify as LGBTQIA+. The festival opened with the European premiere of Layla, directed by Amrou Al-Kadhi — an alum of the BFI NETWORK & BAFTA Mentoring programme in partnership with BFI Flare. 

The 2025 festival opened with the international premiere of The Wedding Banquet, with Andrew Ahn, Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Han Gi-Chan and Joan Chen in attendance – and welcomed 29,831 audience attendances, with a record-breaking 92% occupancy and 50% new audiences. 

2026 marked the 40th anniversary edition of BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival – a landmark milestone for any LGBTQIA+ event. 

So far this decade has been marked by both progress and setbacks for LGBTQIA+ rights. 

The 2021 UK census included questions on gender identity and sexual orientation for the first time. 

Blackpool FC’s Jake Daniels came out publicly as gay in 2022, the UK’s first professional footballer to do so since Justin Fashanu in 1990.  

2022 marked the opening of Queer Britain, the first museum dedicated to LGBTQIA+ history and culture in the UK.  

In a January 2024 ruling, the High Court in London affirmed that the Gender Recognition Act 2004 only recognises binary genders and thus the Gender Recognition Panel cannot issue a certificate for non-binary identities. This means that UK law prohibits non-binary people from obtaining legal recognition of their non-binary identity through the GRP. The Cass Review was published in 2024. The findings, which some have criticised for their bias, are used to ground ensuant UK legislation that discriminates against gender recognition initiatives for those that do not identify with binary categories. 

The Supreme Court ruled in 2025 that the legal definition of a woman is based on ‘biological sex’ and that only biological and not trans women meet the definition of a woman under the Equality Act.