The Vancouver Queer Film Festival (VQFF) is one of British Columbia’s most anticipated annual film events. Taking place annually, VQFF is a space to celebrate queer stories from around the globe, find community among audiences, and take part in industry events such as panels, workshops, parties, and special showcases meant to both develop a more equitable industry and satisfy the curiosity of film lovers.
VQFF is now in its 38th year of championing queer storytelling, running from September 10–20 in theatres and September 21–27 online. 87 feature and short films will be screened under the creative direction of “A Seat at the Table“. This theme imagines queer existence as a place of abundance, belonging, and possibility, reflecting the festival’s role as a gathering place, and inviting every generation to find their place and make room for those still to come.
Among its distinctive programming, the 38th VQFF features eleven short films from British Columbia’s 2SLGBTQIA+ filmmakers, showcasing the range and talent of B.C.’s emerging and established creators. Read on to discover them:
FADEAWAY (2026)
FADEAWAY (dir. Brendan Prost) | Vancouver Premiere
A closeted bisexual man grieves a lifeline connection after a fatal overdose. A performance-driven drama on loneliness starring Riley Davis and Matt Dejanovic.
SHE’S NONBINARY (dir. Jess McLeod) | Canadian Premiere
Produced by Bob Odenkirk and Jane Schoenbrun, SHE’S NOBINARY follows nonbinary Max who finally gets off the top surgery waitlist, prompting an identity crisis from Jake, their cis straight boyfriend.
THE DARLINGS – INTERLUDE (dir. Jesse Ray McEachern) | World Premiere
Filmed over six years, Ray McEachern charts the rise of The Darlings, a Vancouver-based drag quartet composed of Continental Breakfast, Maiden China, PM (season finalist from Season 6 of Canada’s Drag Race), and Rose Butch.
GALATEA (2026)
GALATEA (dir. Céline Ribard) | Canadian Premiere
A modern-day adaptation of a Greek myth in which the artist Pygmalion (Mya Lowe, Yellowjackets) falls in love with her beautiful statue.
NATURE GIRL (dir. Trent Maynard, Candace Campo) | Vancouver Premiere
Candace Campo (xets’emits’a), a shíshálh knowledge keeper, artist, and cultural educator, collaborates with the filmmaker to reimagine documentary filmmaking as a meditational practice of listening and relation-making.
MASCOTT (dir. Marilyne Lamontagne, Shane Savage) | World Premiere
A transmasculine actor finally gets his shot to be on live television, but only if he dons a bear costume.
I DO (2026)
I Do (願憶) (dir. Kimberly Ho, Cynthia Zhou) | World Premiere
Lifelong dreams manifest for Jacob, a queer Taiwanese man, on the day of his wedding. While every seat is filled, the presence of a family member points him to the space between them.
VICTORIA’S KING (VICTORIA KA RAJA) (dir. Ayilya Thampuran) | British Columbia Premiere
Ayilya Thampuran’s debut documentary follows Badshah, the first Bollywood drag king in Canada.
MIRTH CONTROL AKA “FAKING IT” (dir. Eva Grant, Yasmeen Grant) | World Premiere
A surreal feminist take on how patriarchy weaponizes laughter into a performance of pleasure.
NANCY (2026)
NANCY (dir. Eva Grant) | World Premiere
After being born in 1893 in a human zoo, Nancy Columbia Palmer Eneutseak became the first Indigenous screenwriter, writing and starring in the long-lost film THE WAY OF THE ESKIMO.
SUMMER FLING (dir. Krit Komkrichwarakool) | Vancouver Premiere
Two men reunite once again for the annual summer festival, but the nature of their breezy hook-ups comes into question.
To learn more about the Vancouver Queer Film Festival and purchase tickets for this year’s event, visit their website. For an insight into the organization and creative ethos of VQFF, read BC Creates’ interview with Mary Galloway, VQFF’s Artistic Director.
Cover image: GALATEA (dir. Céline Ribard)
