Madfabulous

Source: Simon Ridgway/Mad as Birds

‘Madfabulous’

BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival (March 18-29) has unveiled its 2026 line-up, which includes the world premieres of Celyn Jones’ period drama Madfabulous and Hiroaki Matsuoka’s documentary Beyond The Fire: The Life Of Japan’s First Pride Parade Pioneer.

Madfabulous stars Callum Scott Howells, Ruby Stokes and Rupert Everett. The drama is set in the late 19th century and shot in Wales. It follows the extraordinary life of the fifth Marquess of Anglesey, Henry Paget.

Beyond The Fire: The Life Of Japan’s First Pride Parade Pioneer dives into Japan’s queer history, and follows the life of Teishiro Minami, who pioneered the country’s first Pride march.

Also world premiering is Pamela Adie’s Nigerian feature ìfé: (The Sequel), which reunites former lovers ífé and Adaora years after their separation. Adie’s first film, short ìfé, is considered Nigeria’s first lesbian film.

UK writer-producer Russell T Davies, whose credits span Queer As Folk, It’s A Sin and upcoming Channel 4 series Tip Toe, will give this year’s BFI Flare Screen Talk.

The festival once again takes place at the BFI Southbank, with a programme including 65 features and 62 shorts from 47 countries. The three thematic programme strands of Hearts, Bodies and Minds return, alongside a new strand for the 40th edition celebrating the history of LGBTQIA+ films, Treasures.

As previously announced, the festival opens with the world premiere of Jennifer Kroot’s documentary Hunky Jesus and closes with the UK premiere of Sandulela Asanda’s romance Black Burns Fast.

BFI Flare 2026 world premieres  

Hunky Jesus, dir. Jennifer Kroot (US)

Can’t Go Over It, dir. Ethan Fuirst (US)

I Am Going To Miss You, dir. Daniel Ribeiro (Bra)

ìfé: (The Sequel), dir. Pamela Adie (Nigeria) 

Lady Champagne, dir. D’Arcy Drollinger (US) 

Lunar Sway, dir. Nick Butler (Can) 

Madfabulous, dir. Celyn Jones (UK) 

Washed Up, dir. Isabel Daly (UK) 

Beyond The Fire: The Life of Japan’s First Pride Parade Pioneer, dir. Hiroaki Matsuoka (Japan) 

Castration Movie Chapter iii. Junior Ghosts—Premorphic Drift; a fragmentary passage, dir. Louise Weard (Can)

Out Laws, dirs. Lexi Powner, James Lewis (UK-Nambia) 

To Dance Is To Resist, dir. Julian Lautenbacher (Ukr) 

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