One Fluid Night LGBTQIA+ Film Festival returns to London This April

Film Festival Feature by Chris Olson

As we move into the spring season, the London cinematic calendar begins to fill with the kind of vibrant, independent spirit that defines the city's film culture. This year, one event in particular has caught my eye, and quite frankly, it is long overdue for a visit.

One Fluid Night (OFN), the queer-led and volunteer-run international LGBTQIA+ film festival, is set to return to the capital for its seventh edition from 7 to 11 April 2026.

While I have followed the festival’s growth from a distance—noting its expansion into an international edition in Paris—I have yet to experience an OFN programme in person. Looking at the line-up for the 2026 London leg, however, that is a streak I am eager to break. The sheer scale of this year’s curation is impressive, boasting 117 films from 31 different countries. This is not just a local gathering; it is a massive international exchange of queer storytelling that spans 13 feature films alongside a dense forest of shorts, documentaries, and experimental works.

What strikes me most about the OFN ethos is its commitment to being an independent, "not-for-profit" space. In an industry often dominated by commercial interests and institutional gatekeeping, OFN has been built without institutional backing, relying instead on collective effort and community support. This year’s theme seems to lean heavily into the idea of the "unknown" and the "unseen," focusing on first-time and early-career filmmakers whose voices might otherwise be overlooked by mainstream platforms.

The opening feature, The Consequences of Monsters by UK director Craig Ford, sounds like a particularly bold choice. Described as a queer horror anthology, it explores identity through a dark, imaginative lens—a genre-bending approach that often provides the most fertile ground for subversive storytelling. It is paired with the opening short Bury Your Gays by Charlotte Serena Cooper, a dark comedy that looks to dismantle the tired tropes that have historically limited queer characters on screen.

The diversity of the feature selection is equally compelling. From the UK premiere of Unspoken, a German drama about a musician grappling with trauma and the loss of his voice, to the Brazilian film Not Every Love Story Ends in Death, which follows a deaf actress navigating the complexities of single motherhood and independence, the programme refuses to stay in one lane. There is even a dedicated "Underground & DIY" section for those of us who prefer our cinema raw and unconventional.

Beyond the screen, the festival seems designed to foster genuine connection. The OFN MeetUp Hub in Soho will serve as a relaxed space for audiences and filmmakers to congregate before the evening screenings. As festival director Lex Melony poignantly noted, in a world where queer rights are increasingly challenged, these spaces of visibility and solidarity are more than just entertainment; they are a necessity.

The festival will be spread across three distinct London venues: Courthouse Cinema in Oxford Circus, Arzner Cinema in Bermondsey, and BLOC Cinema in Mile End. It all culminates on 11 April with an awards ceremony at the Courthouse Hotel Cinema, where an international jury will hand out 22 awards, including the "Best Fluid Story" prize.

If the quality of the films matches the ambition of the programming, this is shaping up to be a definitive highlight of the year. I, for one, am looking forward to finally showing up.