This November, here at Showroom we are pleased to welcome back Queer East Film Festival as they go On The Road around the UK! Queer East showcases boundary-pushing LGBTQ+ cinema from East and Southeast Asia and its diaspora communities.

The tour begins with Love Bound on Saturday 9 November. This British-Chinese documentary follows LGBTQ+ activist Qiuyan Chen who became an unexpected celebrity due to her courageous legal battle against homophobic university textbooks in the 2010s.
 
However, this newfound fame came at a price: she was outed and subjected to conversion therapy by her parents and monitored by the Chinese government, before relocating to London. The film examines this inspiring activist’s commitment to building a close-knit community designed to support queer East Asian people in the UK. We are also excited to be joined by the director for a live Q&A. 

The following Thursday 14 November comes Asog – a screwball tragicomedy set in the Philippines which stars a cast of real-life survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda, focusing on the adventures of Jaya, a non-binary schoolteacher and comedian. Picking up the pieces in their life, Jaya decides to travel across the country in the hopes of winning a drag beauty pageant. This special screening will feature a recorded introduction from Jaya themself! 

Queer East isn’t just about new releases – the second week of the festival features two cult classics; beginning with surreal Japanese drama Bye Bye Love on Saturday 16 November. 

Until the 2018 discovery of a film negative in a warehouse, this radical film was long considered lost: a new print gives audiences a rare chance to revisit this unique movie. Following two young people, Utamaro and Giko, on a doomed summer road trip, the story reflects on the dissipating promise of 1960s counterculture and free love. Celebrating the film's 50th anniversary, you can catch Bye Bye Love with a recorded introduction from director Isao Fujisawa. 

Finally, the festival closes with The River on Thursday 21 November. After screening Rebels of the Neon God at Queer East 2023, we return to the work of auteur director Tsai Ming-liang with this shockingly subversive family drama. Shot in Tsai’s signature minimalist style and starring his muse Lee Kang-sheng, this controversial work repelled some audiences and confirmed the director’s place as a uniquely rebellious voice in queer cinema. Context will be provided via a recorded introduction from Professor Chris Berry, King's College London. 

Book your tickets now at /queereast2024