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  • Atlanta Black Gay Pride Film Festival
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  • Festival de Cine LesBiGayTrans de Asuncion
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Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival

Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival

The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival

Thursday, 18 September 2025 until Sunday, 05 October 2025

From award-winning international feature films to social documentaries to experimental shorts, Reeling has always presented a range of genres that demonstrate the rich diversity of work being produced. Not only has Reeling become one of the most important cultural events for Chicagoans, it also attracts audiences from throughout the Midwest who consider the festival to be the highlight of their cinematic year.

The first Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival took place in April 1981 in Chicago Filmmakers’ 90-seat folding-chair screening room on West Hubbard Street. The festival sold out nearly every screening, leaving audiences demanding more. The enthusiasm for the festival led to a commitment on the part of Chicago Filmmakers to continue the festival as an annual event, and it has been going strong ever since.

The mission of Reeling is to recognize the important artistic contributions that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender filmmakers have made to our culture; to educate the general population and sensitize them to lesbian, gay and transgender issues; to investigate the history of LGBTQ+ film, including the stereotyping that has been a major part of this history; and to counteract this stereotyping with valid, meaningful and diverse LGBTQ+ stories.

The festival provides a unique opportunity for the celebration of these identities for a community too often misrepresented or ignored in mainstream film and television.

Entries are eligible for audience awards in the categories of Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary Feature, Best Episodic Series, Best Narrative Short, Best Documentary Short, and Best Experimental or Animated Film; and juried awards in the categories of Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary Feature, Best Episodic Series, Best Narrative Short, Best Documentary Short, and Best Experimental or Animated Film. Additional cash prizes may be awarded on behalf of Reeling sponsors.


 

2025 films...

¡salsa!

14 minutes | Colombia | 2024

After walking away from her marriage, Margarita meets Liana, a deaf tourist, and decides to teach her to dance.

American Schemers

85 minutes | United States | 2024

In award-winning Chicago director Jack C. Newell’s latest feature, two flamboyant con artists pose as heirs to a deceased socialite only to find that the community they’ve infiltrated is as crooked as they are.

Augmented

8 minutes | United States | 2024

An experimental nonfiction short, shot on 16mm, that analyzes the commonalities between medical augmentation and transgender alignment.

AutoErotica: We Buy Gay Stuff

17 minutes | United States | 2025

Behind an unassuming "We Buy Gay Stuff" sign in San Francisco's Castro district – complete with a striking leather daddy illustration – lies an unexpected treasure trove of queer history.

Automonosexual

3 minutes | United States | 1988

This film depicts the fantasy and self-fascination necessary for sexual narcissism, and serves as an autobiographical account of the sexual frustration and isolation felt in the face of AIDS. Edgar Barens shoots his own body in more ways than one. He also plays with industrial sounds and metaphors while discovering a new way to photograph an act usually reserved for porn.

Baby Hummingbirds

8 minutes | United States | 2025

After becoming the victim of a brutal sexual assault, a budding hummingbird family changes Marc’s life.

Babylonia

23 minutes | Brazil, Cuba | 2024

On her long-awaited debut night at the best drag show of Artemisa, Elizabeth de Victória will find that shining isn’t as easy as she imagined.

Bear Week Diaries

75 minutes | United States, Italy | 2024

A bold and intimate exploration of love, desire, and community during Bear Week in the fabled LGBTQ+ haven that is Provincetown, Massachusetts.

Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day

137 minutes | Croatia, Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland, Cyprus | 2024

The Croatian Oscar submission and winner of Frameline’s Audience Award for Best Film, this hauntingly gorgeous story follows four closeted filmmakers fighting to survive state surveillance, repression, and betrayal in post-WWII Yugoslavia.

A Bird Hit My Window and Now I'm a Lesbian

8 minutes | United States | 2024

After a mysterious girl shows up at Gray's doorstep holding the corpse of a bird that had just cracked her window, an impromptu bird funeral changes the way Gray views herself and her lesbian identity.

Bisexual Crisis!!!

12 minutes | United Kingdom | 2024

When a gay man drunkenly leans in to kiss his (female) best friend, his sexuality is thrown into crisis.

Blood Boys

13 minutes | United States | 2024

In a cutthroat competition for the coveted position as a billionaire’s Blood Boy, Sam faces off against top-dog candidate Charlie, pushing Sam to confront the dark underbelly of his aspirations.

Book Cute

9 minutes | United States | 2025

Armed with nothing but peer pressure and gay panic, Sam decides to talk to her crush, Dana, the very cute human that owns her favorite bookstore.

Boys Be Brave

115 minutes | Korea, Republic of | 2024

A cute and colorful romance with shades of HEARTSTOPPER, this film follows a shy and studious college student whose solitude is rattled when the local playboy takes a sudden interest in him.

Bury Your Gays

20 minutes | United Kingdom | 2025

Grace is an actor who can’t understand why every role she lands ends in her untimely death — until a mysterious agent explains the ‘Bury Your Gays’ trope.

Cactus Pears

112 minutes | India, United Kingdom, Canada | 2025

In this tender depiction of romance between two men, Anand, a 30-something city dweller, returns to his rural hometown for his father’s funeral ritual only to rediscover a long-lost love.

Cantico

35 minutes | United States | 1982

Shot in Assisi, Italy, the film evokes the evolution of St. Francis from a dissolute young man to an ascetic visionary. Through rephotography, the images are fragmented into a dreamlike experience. The musical score composed by Barbara Kolb features electronically processed Renaissance music to provide an aural counterpoint to the imagery.

Captains

15 minutes | Spain | 2024

During a hard-fought, tense cup semi-final, the two captains of a football team have an argument that ends up revealing a secret buried in the dressing rooms of the first division.

Cathedral

10 minutes | United States | 1971

CATHEDRAL was thought to be lost for almost 50 years before being found again in 2019. It is one of the earliest gay films after Stonewall, refusing to see touch, affection, and sensuality only in pornographic terms. The film’s final scenes use footage filmed in the St. Chapel, Paris, and connect the sensual with the spiritual.

Censurada

81 minutes | Spain | 2025

Set in 1960s Spain, a church organist falls for the town firecracker, who inspires her to rebel against repressive norms and dream of something more for her life.

Christ Complex

5 minutes | United States | 2025

Constanze examines her relationship to Christ, community, and embodiment through a series of phone diaries.

The Conqueror Worm

2024 minutes | United States | 8

In this avant-garde adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's THE CONQUEROR WORM, two friends attend a surreal underground theatrical performance.

Cottage Grove

13 minutes | United States | 2024

COTTAGE GROVE analyzes the complex relationship between a father and son through history and illness.

Crystalline

17 minutes | United States | 2025

A drag queen haunted by addiction must battle vivid hallucinations to nail a life-changing performance.

Daughter's Daughter

126 minutes | Taiwan | 2024

Legendary Taiwanese actress Sylvia Chang stars in this emotional intergenerational drama about the complicated bonds between mothers and daughters and contending with the difficulties that life puts in one’s way.

Dead Name

5 minutes | United States | 2025

“My dead name is trying to kill me.”

Departures

82 minutes | United Kingdom | 2025

When Benji meets Jake at an airport gate, they start a relationship that unfolds through Amsterdam trips and mismatched expectations.

Dragfox

8 minutes | Switzerland, United Kingdom | 2024

Sam's search for identity gets interrupted by a mysterious neighbourhood fox.

Dreamers

78 minutes | United Kingdom | 2025

DREAMERS masters the portrayal of sapphic love in this timely story of two African women who fall for each other while awaiting a verdict in an immigrant detention center.

Dreams in Nightmares

128 minutes | United States, Taiwan, United Kingdom | 2024

In this queer road movie, three Black femmes cross the Midwest to find a missing friend, but each stop brings new complications, turning their rescue mission into a surreal and intimate journey of joy, truth, and the freedom to dream of a new life.

Drive Back Home

100 minutes | Canada | 2024

A grumpy small-town plumber’s prejudices are tested when he’s forced to drive 1,000 miles to bail his estranged and quirky gay brother (Alan Cumming) out of jail, but will they make it home to see their mother without killing each other first?

Drunken Noodles

81 minutes | United States, Argentina | 2025

Over two summers, between city streets and forest paths, young art student Adnan has a series of unexpected intimate encounters.

A Few Feet Away

89 minutes | Argentina | 2025

Santiago, a 20-year-old twink, spends his nights on dating apps and visiting sex clubs seeking connection in this dramatic ride through gay hookup culture.

Gender Reveal

13 minutes | United States | 2024

Rhys, a dedicated people pleaser, winds up at their boss’ gender reveal party with their two partners.

God's Lonely Magician

15 minutes | United States | 2025

A depressed magician is blessed by God with the power to perform impossible tricks.

A Guest from Elsewhere

9 minutes | United States | 2024

A stop motion 1930s fairy tale follows a monster that yearns to be a part of civilized human society.

Holy Curse

16 minutes | United States | 2024

On a visit to India, 11-year-old Radha grapples with their gender identity when subjected to manipulative orthodox rituals by their family, looking to dispel a supposed ancestral curse that's allegedly distorting Radha's thinking.

How A River Is Born

9 minutes | Brazil | 2025

After awaking in a mountainous landscape, Ayla goes on a journey of self discovery.

Hustleween

18 minutes | Puerto Rico | 2025

A vibrant exploration of community and Black trans euphoria, Hustleween chronicles an annual celebration created by EspicyNipples that transforms memory into queer resistance and joy.

I stole your ashes

20 minutes | Spain | 2024

After stealing the urn of her wife’s ashes, Isabel takes refuge in a park to say goodbye, remembering their story and reflecting on love and loss.

I Would Never Fuck You

16 minutes | United States | 2025

Ira and her best friend get ready to look amazing and come face to face with their respective romantic woes.

I'm Here

18 minutes | Brazil | 2024

When Jussara, a young trans woman, has been missing for almost two days, her mother and her best friend go in search of her.

If You Should Leave Before Me

120 minutes | United States | 2025

In this visually inventive and genre-blurring love story, a married couple guides the recently deceased to the afterlife, but a mysterious knock at their own door forces them to confront what they’ve been avoiding all along.

It Happened In August

15 minutes | United States | 2024

After an unexpected reunion at her place of work, Aim looks back on her relationships and her old artistic dreams.

It's Dorothy!

100 minutes | United States | 2025

IT’S DOROTHY! tells the story of Oz through those who’ve played its iconic heroine, from Judy Garland to Nichelle Lewis (THE WIZ), and the cultural icons who she’s inspired to hope and to dream.

IUS of Time

25 minutes | Spain | 2025

While working on an artistic project, a young photographer and an aging cheesemaker find connection during an intimate encounter.

Jimmy

67 minutes | United States, Turkey, France | 2024

Through energetic 16mm camerawork, JIMMY imagines young James Baldwin’s arrival to the rich landscapes of Istanbul and through the streets of Paris – and critical respite from America – to channel an essential impression of the writer.

The Job

15 minutes | Canada | 2024

An exploration of the erotic archive of Canadian photographer and entrepreneur John Phillips, who worked in the 1990s for gay male magazines in the U.S. The film chronicles the impact of the AIDS pandemic on the photographer’s life at the dawn of the digital revolution. An intimate portrait of an artist and an industry at the edge of transformation during a tumultuous time in history.

Kansas, 1989

13 minutes | United States | 2024

The story of a Midwestern teen in the 80s on the verge of coming out, and the night of danger that changes the course of his life.

KillJote

12 minutes | Spain | 2025

The neighbors on Cristo Street gossip in the cool evening until they’re interrupted by loud moans coming from Carmen’s house.

Lakeview

100 minutes | Canada | 2024

In this hilarious inside look at sapphic friendships, seven women have their personal, sexual, and romantic lives thrown into disarray when they gather together to celebrate one friend’s divorce.

The Last Story on Earth

18 minutes | United States | 2024

An alien invasion threatens Earth’s existence when it interrupts a drag queen’s story hour.

Lesbian Space Princess

87 minutes | Australia | 2024

Strap in for a cosmic quest with endless sapphic jokes, addictive pop songs, and candy-colored animation.

Linger

18 minutes | Brazil | 2024

João and Vitor used to be paramours; after 30 years, they reunite and look to a possible future.

Lucia & Nicole

10 minutes | United States | 2025

On the cusp of adulthood, Lucia finds her childhood friend Nicole living on the street.

Luv Inqueeries

27 minutes | United States | 2024

Part talk show, part documentary, LUV INQUEERIES answers your burning questions about love across the LGBTQIA+ spectrum.

Mercurio

23 minutes | Portugal | 2024

While the city of Lisbon sleeps, Mercurio – a boy, a God – remains awake accessing the dreams of others.

Murder Me

15 minutes | Spain | 2025

A novice drag queen is given a golden opportunity to become a star, but she'll have to give up on herself to achieve it. Her decision must be made before the party’s over.

Muses

8 minutes | Canada | 2025

A dancer struggles to break free from the hold of his choreographer, now attracted to another.

My Personal U

15 minutes | Spain | 2025

Naza recreates her crush and obsession in a new app called "My Personal U.”

Newborn

104 minutes | Mexico | 2024

When their baby is born intersex, a young couple must decide whether to follow medical protocol or question everything they thought they knew about gender, identity, and love.

A Night Like This

97 minutes | United Kingdom | 2025

On a cold December night in London, two strangers with nothing to lose set out on a citywide quest that just might restore their faith in connection, self-worth, and the magic of being truly seen.

A Nipple's Journey

4 minutes | United States | 2025

Damian’s nipple fell off and the rest is history...

Nun's Beach

13 minutes | United States | 2024

When introduced to her fellow nun's family, Sister Flora questions her romantic relationship with Sister Muriel and her devotion to God.

Odd Fish

104 minutes | Iceland | 2024

Set in a picturesque, snow-dusted fishing village, a gruff man’s childhood friend and restaurant partner comes out as a trans woman, setting off a heartfelt and gently humorous shakeup that just might save more than their business.

On Exploitation and Identity

5 minutes | United States | 2024

A look at representation of trans folks through American talk shows.

Outerlands

100 minutes | United States | 2025

A drifting gig worker in San Francisco becomes the unexpected guardian of a young girl, inciting a beautifully shot, emotionally raw journey through queer identity, broken trust, and the fragile act of starting over.

pansies

13 minutes | United States | 2025

After Caleb is almost caught in the back of a pickup truck with Logan Balfe, he has to keep things quiet while driving Logan home.

Perro Perro

101 minutes | Argentina | 2025

Director Marco Berger (THE ASTRONAUT LOVERS) is back with another provocative, whimsical exploration of flirtatious desire and the dangers of getting too attached – a surreal tale that positions some men as literal dogs.

Pink Narcissus

65 minutes | United States | 1971

Return to James Bidgood’s brilliantly restored dreamworld of intense colors, magnificent music, elaborate costumes, and strikingly handsome men.

Plainclothes

95 minutes | United States, United Kingdom | 2025

In this romantic thriller starring Russell Tovey (LOOKING) and Tom Blyth (THE HUNGER GAMES), a closeted gay cop falls for his target in a mall sting, and the only thing more dangerous than getting caught is telling the truth.

Pooja, Sir

115 minutes | Nepal, United States, Norway | 2024

In the midst of violent protests in southern Nepal, a queer detective and a local policewoman join forces to solve a high-stakes kidnapping, confronting caste, corruption, and their own limits before more lives are lost.

Psychonaut

87 minutes | Netherlands | 2024

In an engrossing, race-against-the-clock romantic thriller, Max uses a mind-mapping machine to dive into her girlfriend’s memories, chasing one buried moment that might hold the key to everything.

Queen Mother

14 minutes | Canada | 2024

When a mother visits her son, a drag performer, a night of raw confessions forces them to confront the unhealed wounds of their past.

Queer and Longing

7 minutes | United States | 2025

In the space between reality and dreams, two souls connect.

Queerpanorama

87 minutes | Hong Kong, United States | 2025

A man impersonates the men he has sex with only to bring these new personas to his next casual encounter in a captivating look at how we build our identities.

Rains Over Babel

113 minutes | Colombia, United States, Spain | 2025

At a neon-soaked purgatory bar where lost souls gamble for another shot at life, a drag emcee, a reformed soldier, and a talking lizard race against Death herself in this visually electric, steampunk fever dream of queer magic and myth.

Really Happy Someday

90 minutes | Canada | 2024

Z, a transmasculine theater performer, fights to keep his dream alive amidst vocal changes and rising doubts.

Sandbag Dam

88 minutes | Croatia, Slovenia, Lithuania | 2025

A young athlete reckons with his forbidden desire and the pressure to fit into his traditional community in this stunning tale of first love and second chances.

Scattered Pictures

8 minutes | United States | 2025

Through the grainy nostalgia of 8mm film and the intimacy of voice-over narration, Gabriel takes us on a deeply personal journey of self-discovery.

She Devil

15 minutes | United States | 2024

Gemma and Mae attend a break-up party for Mae’s friend Lake, but as the night goes on, Gemma begins to suspect a dark truth lies beneath their friendship.

She's the He

82 minutes | United States | 2025

In this hilarious, heartfelt teen satire, two best friends pretend to be trans girls during their last week of high school, shaking up everything from graduation to their friendship.

Silence = Death

16 minutes | United States | 2025

SILENCE = DEATH follows the true story of the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) on May 21, 1990, as they stormed the DC campus of the National Institutes of Health to protest the lack of available drugs to treat AIDS. This film is a statement on AIDS, COVID, and the harsh reality of U.S. public healthcare

The Silence of My Hands

80 minutes | Mexico | 2024

A deaf queer couple grapples with a long-distance relationship and the adversity of their language in this moving, sensory journey spoken entirely in sign language.

Simon at the nightshop

15 minutes | Belgium | 2024

Simon, a lonely man in his 40s, longs for a more fulfilling sex life, but struggles with feelings of rejection both on dating apps and in real-life encounters.

Sisters

88 minutes | United States | 2024

When the intimate relationship between two sister-like friends is interrupted by the discovery of a blood sister, they find family is a bond that goes beyond who you’re related to.

The Situation

15 minutes | Iran | 2024

After being inducted into Iran’s military, Hamed must break up with his partner in this touching story of lost love.

Skin on Skin

30 minutes | Germany | 2024

Two men displaced in the hell of the German meat industry. Something lies between them. Something makes them dream again.

Some Nights I Feel Like Walking

103 minutes | Philippines, Italy, Singapore | 2024

When a night in the streets of Manila transforms into an evening of wonder and unexpected thrills, a group of five young men forge into a singular pack of brothers.

Song of the Godbody

11 minutes | United States | 1977

Mapping extreme close-ups of Broughton's body, the camera slowly becomes a tool to reveal the erotic beauty of the body and the sensual pleasure in loving oneself. The ecstasy and power of sexual gratification are celebrated by the camera, as it probes, reveals, and visually caresses. Broughton's song is a praise of his body as divine androgyne, and an acceptance of this higher, sexual power.

Surgeons

12 minutes | United States | 2025

Can two fake surgeons mend a real broken heart?

A Synonym for Art: Andriniki

5 minutes | United States | 2025

Through tattoos, Andriniki Mattis reflects on the complexities of their identity and how they've navigated a world where they don't always fit in.

This Is Ballroom

92 minutes | Brazil | 2024

Rio is burning in this insider look at ballroom culture in Brazil, featuring brilliant flashes of both familiar scenes and moves that could only have come from the land of palms.

The Time of Huan Nan

139 minutes | Taiwan | 2023

A tale of forbidden love across time, THE TIME OF HUAN NAN is a touching story of acceptance for audiences across generations.

Velvet Vision: The Story of James Bidgood and the Making of Pink Narcissus

97 minutes | United States | 2025

VELVET VISION delves into the life of photographer/director James Bidgood as he breaks from a 40-year hiatus to shoot once again. A universal story of an outsider pursuing art and fantasy.

We'll Go Down in History

25 minutes | United Kingdom | 2025

The story of TRUK United, a grassroots, proudly trans football club. 

Wild Dog

12 minutes | Australia | 2024

On their rural Queensland farm, 14-year-old Sam wrestles with a crush on Matt, his sister Bianca’s boyfriend.