The 37th Hamburg International Queer Film Festival (HIQFF) brings international queer cinema to Hamburg’s screens from October 13 to 18, 2026. Feature films, documentaries, and short films will be shown at the Metropolis, Passage, 3001, B-Movie, and Rineuto cinemas, as the organizers announced. The HIQFF is widely regarded as Germany’s largest queer film festival.
The program for this year is centered on the theme “Remember & Resist” and engages with queer memory culture and resistance. In light of budget cuts to queer organizations, the end of democracy-supporting projects, and rising anti-queer sentiment, as well as following the July 25 attack on the Berlin CSD, the festival pays tribute to activists such as Marsha P. Johnson and Silvia Rivera. The question of what can be learned from past queer struggles for the present and the future remains at the heart of the festival, organizers said.
Opening, for the first time, in three cinemas
Because Kampnagel is currently undergoing renovations, this year’s festival opening will be staged in a staggered fashion across three venues: the 3001, the Passage, and the Metropolis. The Germany premiere of “Miss Carbón” (Spain/Argentina 2025) by director Agustina Macri will be shown, with Macri and lead actress Simone Mercado in attendance. The film tells the true story of Carla “Carlita” Rodríguez, who becomes the first woman to work in an Argentine coal mine while simultaneously undergoing her gender transition.
School Program for Youth
On October 14 and 15, the festival invites Hamburg school classes to Metropolis cinema under the title “HIQFF@school — Queer Education.” Age-appropriate films address topics such as puberty, identity, and diversity: “Heute heißen alle Sorry” for grades 6 through 8 and “Black Burns Fast” for grades 9 and up.
The program is professionally curated by the Diversity Working Group of the State Institute for Qualification and Quality Development in Schools, as well as by the soorum school-awareness project of the Magnus Hirschfeld Center. With support from Hamburg Pride e.V., participation for schools is free. The full festival program has been available online since September 19 and in print. Ticket sales started today, Saturday. More information is available on the festival’s website.
