Five Films for Freedom is a global, online short film programme in support of LGBTIQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer) rights.
We invite audiences everywhere to watch the five films online in solidarity with LGBTIQ+ communities in places where freedom and equal rights are limited, and to spread the word using the hashtag #FiveFilmsForFreedom.
Since the project began, 14 million people have viewed the films in over 200 countries and principalities, including parts of the world where homosexuality is punishable by the death penalty.
Five Films for Freedom is a partnership with the British Film Institute (BFI) and, specifically, BFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival. The five films featured in the Five Films for Freedom programme have been selected by the British Council from the main BFI Flare programme.
Watch the films online here.
Programme:
134 (IRELAND)
Directed by Sarah-Jane Drummey
Jack prepares to take the stage at an Irish dancing competition as family members come to terms with their feelings around their child's gender identity.
AFTER THAT PARTY (BRAZIL)
Directed by Caio Scot
"Why would he hide something like that from me?"
Leo struggles to approach his father after discovering a secret.
PXSSY PALACE (UK)
Directed by Laura Kirwan-Ashman
"It is more than clubbing. It's that sense of community where people actually care about each other. Writer-director Laura Kirwan-Ashman welcomes you into the world of Pxssy Palace, a London based QTIPOC (queer trans intersex people of colour) collective and club night.
SOMETHING IN THE CLOSET (UK)
Directed by Nosa Eke
" Maddie what about you, which boy do you like?"
This short film tells the story of a queer teenager struggling with her sexuality as her desires manifest their way from the depths of her eerie closet into reality.
WHEN PRIDE CAME TO TOWN (NORWAY)
Directed by Julia Dahr and Julie Lunde Lillesæte
“Growing up gay in a small town wasn’t easy”
Bjørn-Tore left his rural hometown to escape the everyday homophobia he experienced growing up. Decades later he returns for Norway’s first-ever rural Pride celebration. Thrilled to see his neighbours hoisting a pride flag, he hopes that the turn out for Pride is higher than the numbers of anti-pride demonstrators from the local church group.