Taiwan makes a strong presentation at 2026 Queer East Festival

Supported by the Ministry of Culture, the Queer East Festival in the U.K., running from May 1st to June 6th. This year, it features several Taiwanese films, shorts, and writer; showcasing the lively LGBTQ+ culture in Taiwan.

This year’s Queer East Festival opened on May 1 at the Barbican Centre in the U.K. with a sold-out screening of "The Outsiders (孽子)”, a film directed by Yu Kan-ping (虞戡平) and adapted from Pai Hsien-yung (白先勇)'s novel of the same name. The event drew widespread attention and set an enthusiastic tone for the weeks ahead.

Running through June 6, the festival spans multiple venues, including Barbican Centre, BFI Southbank, Institute of Contemporary Arts, Museums of the Home, The Place, The Garden Cinema, and Battersea Arts Centre, presenting a rich program of films, literary works, performing arts, and industry forums.

With support from the Cultural Division of the Taipei Representative Office in the U.K., 11 Taiwanese productions are featured in this year's film lineup, including "The Spring Outside of the Fence (竹籬笆外的春天)”, “Girlfriends (女孩不平凡)”, “A Drop in the Ocean (臨淵入魚)”, and "The Fantasy of Deer Warrior (大俠梅花鹿)”.

The selection also highlights a range of Taiwanese short and art films, among them Deborah Devyn Chuang's "Strawberry Shortcake (草莓蛋糕)”, Etsen Chen's “Damp (春夢)”, and Eddy Wu's “Immature (我不是一個形狀)", offering U.K. audiences a diverse window into Taiwan's queer filmmaking landscape.

On June 2, author Kevin Chen (陳思宏) will join celebrated U.K. writer Adam Zmith for a conversation at The Common Press, focusing on Chen's novel "Ghost Town (鬼地方).”