Running from 12 – 26 February 2026, Queer Screen has announced the full program for the 33rd Mardi Gras Film Festival.
Presented in venues across Sydney including Event Cinemas George Street and Dendy Newtown, the festival will deliver two weeks of LGBTIQ+ cinema at the heart of Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras celebrations.
The 2026 program presents 139 outstanding films from 38 countries, including six World Premieres, five International Premieres, and 64 Australian Premieres, showcasing bold new works, celebrated international titles and standout queer storytelling across features, documentaries, and shorts.
Program highlights include Opening Night film: Jimpa from Australian director Sophie Hyde, starring Olivia Colman, John Lithgow and Aud Mason-Hyde. Inspired by Hyde’s relationship with her own late gay father and non-binary child, the film grew from the conversations she imagined they would have had about queer identity.
The Closing Night film She’s the He, starring Misha Osherovich (Freaky), Malia Pyles (Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin) and Nico Carney, is a bold reinvention of the high school teen comedy, joyfully reframed through a much-needed queer and trans lens.
Kristen Stewart’s directorial debut, The Chronology of Water, starring Imogen Poots (28 Days Later) and adapted from Lidia Yuknavitch’s best-selling memoir, also features in the program. Love Me Tender, starring Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread) and Antoine Reinartz (Anatomy of a Fall), is a stunning drama based on Constance Debré’s bestseller.
From writer-director Harry Lighton (Wren Boys) comes the acclaimed, kinky “dom-com” Pillion, starring Alexander Skarsgård (Big Little Lies) and Harry Melling (The Queen’s Gambit), while A Deeper Love: The Story of Miss Peppermint offers unprecedented access behind the scenes of the trans icon and RuPaul’s Drag Race runner-up’s rise to fame.
Also in the program is the classic High Art by Lisa Cholodenko, gloriously restored in 4K; the 30th anniversary of Australian classic Love and Other Catastrophes; the 50th anniversary of The Naked Civil Servant, starring John Hurt; and, for the first time, a partnership with Pink Flamingo to showcase Castration Movie Anthology II: The Best of Both Worlds, with underground trans director Louise Weard in attendance.
“This festival would not be possible without our generous partners, donors, members, community supporters, as well as the festival team and volunteers who have put in countless hours to make it happen. It’s an honour to be able to lead the team and carry forward Queer Screen’s legacy after 32 years. I warmly welcome you back to the cinema to experience the magic with us,” said Queer Screen CEO, Benson Wu.
“At a time when our community is facing increased persecution both here and abroad – particularly our trans siblings – seeing authentic LGBTIQ+ stories on our screens is more important than ever,” said Queer Screen Programming and Industry Manager, Andrew Wilkie.
“Our continued visibility in the face of bigotry sends a clear message: we refuse to hide or be silenced. And that’s the theme that permeates this entire program, films all about being unapologetically queer and finding community.”
The 33rd Mardi Gras Film Festival runs from 12 – 26 February 2026. For more information and full program, visit: www.queerscreen.org.au for details.
Images: Jimpa (supplied) | Pillion (supplied)