Five Films For Freedom

Our annual online programme of short films celebrates global stories in support of LGBTQIA+ communities across the world.

A man with a shaved head wearing heavy makeup
Still from Compton's 22, directed by Drew de Pinto, Five Films For Freedom 2024
In partnership with BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival, our annual online programme of short films shares global LGBTQIA+ stories with the world.

Every March, five short films made by filmmakers from around the world are selected from BFI: Flare's festival programme and made available to global audiences online for an exclusive period of 11 days.

A decade of diversity

We marked ten years of Five Films For Freedom in 2024. Over the last decade, this phenomenal global programme has featured a variety of genres, from documentary and reportage to comedy and animation. Five Films For Freedom invites audiences to stand in solidarity with LGBTQIA+ communities around the world, particularly in places where freedom and equal rights are limited.

Since its launch, the films featured in the programme have been watched online by over 23 million people in more than 200 countries and principalities.

Showcased

50

films by international filmmakers

Watched by

23m+

people globally

Viewed in

200+

countries and principalities

Shared in

73

countries where LGBTQIA+ lives are criminalised

Five Films For Freedom 2024

Our 2024 programme is now finished but you can watch the trailer and hear from the filmmakers behind this year's programme.

Stay tuned for announcements of #FiveFilmsForFreedom 2025.