Five Films For Freedom is a short film programme curated by the British Council in partnership with BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival, showcasing stories of LGBTQIA+ people (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer).
Each year, we select five queer-themed short films from around the world and make them available to watch online free of charge. Since their first screening in 2015, the films have been available for a total of 100 days, reaching an impressive audience — over 24 million views in more than 200 countries, including all 78 countries where homosexuality is currently criminalised and all 8 countries where it is punishable by death.
Learn more about Five Films For Freedom:
https://film.britishcouncil.org/about/work/fivefilmsforfreedom
This year, as part of a collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw (Kinomuzeum space), Kino Muza, and Massolit Books, we will present all five films from this year’s Five Films For Freedom programme.
Buy tickets:
Warsaw - Five Films for Freedom at MoMA on 19/3, 8pm
Kraków - Five Films for Freedom at Massolit on 20/03
Poznań - Five Films at Kino Muza 27-29/3
Friday | 27 March, 7.30 pm
Saturday | 28 March, 5.30 pm
Sunday | 29 March, 7.30 pm
Films presented as part of this year’s edition
I HATE HELEN
(Dir. Katie Lambert, 7 min, UK)
Priya hates Helen. She hates her in the canteen. Hates her in science. Especially hates her at swimming. Mostly, Priya hates the way Helen makes her feel. A short film about the tidal wave of gay lust some girls feel in school and letting those feelings just wash over you.
RAG DOLLS
(Dir. Amy Adler, 12 min, USA / Mexico)
Married couple Rosalinda (born with spina bifida) and Diana (who has cerebral palsy) navigate life in Puebla, Mexico, where disability intersects with discrimination and poverty. Abandoned by family, underserved by government support systems, and facing persistent homophobia, the women have built a life centred on mutual care and protection. Observing a single ordinary day, the film follows their routines, a romantic date, and moments of reflection on their enduring love.
ROOM 206
(Dir. Laurie Bisceglia, 16 min, France)
After undergoing gender-affirming surgery, Clair no longer cares what the world thinks. Reclaiming his body becomes a path toward self-recognition for the first time in his life. This documentary accompanies him not only through physical change, but towards emotional renewal and a new beginning.
SWEAT (Mô Hôi)
(Dir. Edward Nguyen, 15 min, Vietnam)
On the eve of leaving rural Vietnam, farm worker Hung prepares to illegally cross the border in search of refuge abroad. Defined by routine and labour, his final day with Hoang, a fellow worker, reshapes his understanding of desire, intimacy and selfhood.
THEO
(Dir. Monica Palazzo & Joana Galvão, 15 min, Brazil)
Brazil, 1986. During the World Cup, seven-year-old Theo quietly navigates school life while defying rigid gender expectations. Between silence and rebellion, they begin inventing their own way of existing.