Sign-up to our Newsletter
We Were Always Here – LGBTQ+ History Month 2025


History is made when people come together, rarely does an individual change anything alone. This LGBTQ+ History Month, we invite you to a series of documentaries focusing on queer collectives and communities across East and Southeast Asia. From a trans-inclusive football club in Cambodia to a queer underground nightclub in China, the diversity of queer experiences only strengthens our common goal for liberation. In a heteronormative world that seeks to divide us, building community gives us the tools to queer the future.

Screening Schedule

Lotus Sports Club
Date & Time: Saturday 8 February, 15:00
Location: Queercircle
Presented in partnership with Queercircle, as part of Real to Reel

Queer Japan
Date & Time: Saturday 22 February, 17:00
Location: Centre 151

The Last Year of Darkness
Date & Time: Friday 28 February, 20:15
Location: The Garden Cinema


Funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.


Dates


Sat 8 February, 3:00 PM
Event Past
Sat 22 February, 5:00 PM
Fri 28 February, 8:15 PM
Queer East -
Lotus Sports Club
2022
Directed by
Vanna Hem, Tommaso Colognese
Running time
72 mins
Filmed in Cambodia over the course of five years, Lotus Sports Club is an inspiring coming-of-age documentary about Leak, a teenage trans man who plays football in the under-21s women’s team of Kampong Chhnang, and Pa Vann, the coach and father-figure to Leak and other LGBTQ+ players on the team. Pa Vann established ...

Read more
Queer Japan
2019
Directed by
Graham Kolbeins
Running time
100 mins
Trailblazing artists, activists, and everyday people from across the spectrum of gender and sexuality defy social norms and dare to shine in this kaleidoscopic view of LGBTQ+ culture in contemporary Japan. Dazzling, iconoclastic drag queen Vivienne Sato peels back the layers of language and identity. Maverick manga art...

Read more
The Last Year of Darkness
2023
Directed by
Benjamin Mullinkosson
Running time
95 mins
As the city of Chengdu changes, the future of Funky Town, a beloved queer-friendly techno club, is unclear. For a vibrant group of DJs, drag performers, artists, lovers, ravers, and skaters, the club is a sanctuary for underground partying and allows them to thrive after the sun sets. It’s the one place that accepts ...

Read more