Queer Wave film festival opens tonight bringing 50 Cyprus premieres to Nicosia

Films Artcinemaculturegoing out NicosiaTop News Queer Wave film festival opens tonight bringing 50 Cyprus premieres to Nicosia Copy Of P2044569 Copy Relevant News Mavroyiannis says polls put him in first place ahead of 2028 presidential race 18 September 2026 Queer Wave film festival opens tonight bringing 50 Cyprus premieres to Nicosia 18 September 2026 Larnaca, Aradippou flooding turns roads into rivers as storm hits 18 September 2026 newsroom 18 September 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Queer Wave, Cyprus’s LGBTQIA+ film festival, opens tonight in Nicosia for its seventh edition and runs until 27 September, with more than 20 screenings, four workshops and over 50 Cyprus premieres at NiMAC. According to the organisers, the programme spans shorts, mid-length works and features across documentary, animation, essay film and historical titles, alongside two tributes and parallel events including DJ sets, runway shows and drag performances. Opening night The festival begins at 21:00 with a live audiovisual performance by φμδ, followed by the Cyprus premiere of Hafsia Herzi’s The Little Sister, a coming-of-age film that won the Queer Palm and the Best Actress award for Nadia Melliti at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. An opening party from Palestinian queer electronic collective DARAQ Crew, with DJs Youb and Sana Jamm, follows from 23:30. Highlights through the festival The ten-day programme includes Barbara Forever, a Teddy Award-winning documentary on queer cinema pioneer Barbara Hammer (19 September); Ivona Juka’s Croatian Oscar contender and Cyprus co-production Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day (20 September); and A Song Without Home by Rati Tsideladze, winner of the Mermaid Award at this year’s Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, following a trans woman from Georgia seeking asylum in Austria (26 September). Bearcave, the Venice-winning film by Stergios Dinopoulos and Krysianna Papadakis, screens on 25 September, after a planned screening in the Greek village of Paraskevi, Aigialeia, was cancelled following homophobic backlash. The festival closes on 27 September with a sing-along screening of Jim Sharman’s The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). Of the closing screening, the organisers said: “This one’s a must for first-timers and hardcore fans alike – it is not to be missed!” Two audiovisual installations, Paola and Karayan, will be on display at NiMAC for the festival’s duration, paying tribute to queer figures Paola Revenioti and Andreas Karayan. Tickets and access Tickets are available through more.com. The opening ceremony on 18 September requires a separate ticket, while a Festival Pass covers the remaining days; organisers advised booking in advance, as box-office tickets are limited. Queer Wave 2026 is organised by the non-profit Queer Wave LTD and funded by the Department of Contemporary Culture of the Deputy Ministry of Culture. The festival is supported by NiMAC, the British High Commission in Cyprus, the Goethe-Institut Cyprus, the French Institute of Cyprus, the Embassy of Sweden, the Embassy of Spain, Instituto Cervantes, Limassol Cinema Club, STYX Film Encounters, Cinobo, We Change, the AIDS Solidarity Movement/Cy Checkpoint, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, Queer Cinema for Palestine, Accept LGBTI Cyprus and Queer Collective. The full programme is available at queerwave.com and on the festival’s social media, @queerwavecyprus. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Queer Wave (@queerwavecyprus) Read more: Diego Armando Aparicio: Queer is what hasn’t arrived yet Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Mavroyiannis says polls put him in first place ahead of 2028 presidential race Larnaca, Aradippou flooding turns roads into rivers as storm hits Cyprus unveils nine Christmas Villages for the 2026 festive season Overnight pharmacies on Friday, September 18 CY-Alert “unnecessary” for many, Civil Defence says, as storms disrupt flights in west From Pentadaktylos to the forests of Wales No, DISY’s leadership didn’t fight fair Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.