Queer Screen has announced the full program for the 33rd Mardi Gras Film Festival, running from 12–26 February 2026 across Sydney venues including Event Cinemas George Street and Dendy Newtown, delivering 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; Closing Night film She’s the He starring Misha Osherovich (Freaky), Malia Pyles (Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin) and Nico Carney; and Pillion starring Alexander Skarsgård (Big Little Lies) and Harry Melling (The Queen’s Gambit).
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. 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 are 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. 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,” said Queer Screen Programming and Industry Manager Andrew Wilkie.
ABOUT QUEER SCREEN
Queer Screen is Australia’s leading organisation for LGBTIQ+ screen culture, presenting the Mardi Gras Film Festival and Queer Screen Film Fest, and organising screenings, events and industry initiatives to support diverse queer voices and stories on screen.
FESTIVAL PARTNERS
The 33rd Mardi Gras Film Festival is presented by Queer Screen, with the support of Major Partner Allianz and Government Partners Screen NSW, City of Sydney and Multicultural NSW.
TICKETS & SALES DATES
• General public sales open: 5:00pm on 16 January, 2026
Tickets and full session details will be available at https://queerscreen.org.au/