2025 Queer East Festival features Taiwanese films and artists

Supported by the Ministry of Culture, the Queer East Festival in the U.K., running from Apr. 23 to May 18. This year, it features several Taiwanese films, shorts, artists, and writer; showcasing the lively LGBTQ+ culture in Taiwan.

The festival's feature film program includes nearly 20 Taiwanese works, with films by directors Lin Cheng-sheng (林正盛), Tsai Ming-liang (蔡明亮), Chen Jo-fei (陳若非), and Peng Tzu-hui (彭紫惠). This diverse lineup highlights Taiwan's cinematic exploration of themes such as gender identity, familial relationships, social movements, and power structures.

In the visual arts program, Taiwanese American video game creator Dri Chiu Tattersfield joins forces with international artists Bontyanak, Oscar Chan Yik Long, Clarinda Tse, and ZULAA for the exhibition "{guttural },,, {fleshless)." The exhibition invites audiences to engage sensorially and blur the lines between the spectator, witness, and participant through works across prose, drawing, computer games, sculptural installation, and painting.

In the literature program, Chi Ta-wei (紀大偉) will present his acclaimed novel "The Membranes (膜)” and take part in a forum alongside poet Eric Yip and writer Ewen Ma to discuss the evolution of Asian queer literature.

The Cultural Division of the Taipei Representative Office in the U.K. noted that the event highlights Taiwan's creativity and potential on the international stage, while strengthening cultural ties between Taiwan and the U.K.