Chennai International Queer Film Festival returns for 14th edition with global lineup, panels, and performances

The Chennai International Queer Film Festival (CIQFF) returns this weekend for its 14th edition. The three-day festival consists of film screenings, panel conversations, performances, and a rooftop networking event.

The 18 films on show this year come through an international open call, curated by jury, and drawn from across India and the world. “It’s not just limited to Chennai or India, but the entire world,” says Gokul Ram, the festival’s programme coordinator. The selection covers features, short films, and documentaries, all exploring sexuality and gender diversity in different registers and from different places.

Day 1 kicks off with a vibrant global lineup, including the Spanish twin drama The Other Half, the wordless animated short film April, and France’s tender 1-minute Onam-set vignette Mitwa. The highlight of the evening is the acclaimed Austrian-German feature Great Freedom (Große Freiheit), which follows a man repeatedly imprisoned in post-war Germany under Paragraph 175 for his sexuality.

The film screenings spill over the second day as well showcasing five short films highlighting South Asian and international queer experiences. Highlights include the Indian romantic dramedy Nisha, exploring heartbreak and community in Bengaluru, alongside Pakka (The Netherlands), which captures a group of gay Indian friends in Holland, and Served Cold (India), a poignant Malayalam short on female solidarity.

Another core element of the festival are the panel discussions. On August 22, a panel discussion takes up a question that gets overlooked far too easily: what does it mean to be a senior queer citizen in Chennai? “As a senior citizen in Chennai, how much exposure can one get to be themselves in their society? That is the concept we have for this panel discussion this year,” Gokul says. Later that day, there will be a networking event on the rooftop, music, and food, a space to be with people who understand.

The third day opens with a contemporary dance-theatre performance called Unfair and Handsome. The piece engages with social media’s power over body image and body positivity.

Th day's lineup opens with eight short works, including the Scrabble-centric coming-out short Jo's Turn, Chennai Tales exploring Tamil family acceptance, and Jasmine That Blooms in Autumn, a tender romance set in an eldercare home. The shorts session also features the Spanish self-care satire My Turn and the award-winning Kerala documentary Bathakka Hridayam Thunna Ponnu, tracking a trans non-binary activist's personal journey. The festival closes with Sridhar Rangayan's feature Kuch Sapney Apne (Dreams Such As Ours), which delves into queer relationships put to the test by uncomfortable truths.

Gokul takes us through the changes he has observed across CIQFF’s 14 editions. “We have had a lot more people coming in—not just from a privileged background, but also from the less privileged background who just want to come, collaborate, and understand what queerness is,” Gokul says. Senior queer people are arriving in greater numbers and, he notes, “expressing themselves way better as well.” Amateur filmmakers are increasingly finding the festival as a venue for their work.

The festival’s June prelude, Quilt, plays a role in this. The open mic held on June 20 this year was scheduled for sharing and gathering before the programme proper begins. “A lot more people come in, share their views, and then we invite them for the film festival. From that onwards, we’ve been seeing a huge shift and change,” Gokul says.

Free entry. August 21. 6 pm to 9 pm. August 22 and 23. 3 pm to 9 pm. At Goethe Institut/ Max Mueller Bhavan Chennai, Nungambakkam.