The Missing Reel

Why Northern Ireland Urgently Needs Its Own Annual LGBTQ+ Film Festival

‘The Missing Reel’ – In the cultural landscape of the British Isles and Ireland, Northern Ireland stands as a notable anomaly. London has BFI Flare ¹, Cardiff boasts the world-leading Iris Prize ², Glasgow hosts the accessibility-focused Scottish Queer International Film Festival (SQIFF) ³, and Dublin celebrates GAZE.⁵ Yet, Northern Ireland remains the sole nation/major region without a dedicated, institutionally supported annual LGBTQ+ film festival. This is more than an artistic oversight; it is a critical cultural and economic gap that demands immediate attention.

We currently rely commendably on multi-arts festivals, such as Outburst Arts ⁶, and episodic initiatives like the Belfast Film Festival’s ‘Pride On The Big Screen’.⁷ While these efforts are vital, their multi-disciplinary mandates prevent them from providing the focused, year-round engine required for serious film sector development.

Crucially, this structural gap leaves NI sidelined from major international initiatives. For example, the British Council and BFI Flare partner with GAZE in Dublin as the official Irish hub for the global #FiveFilmsForFreedom campaign.⁸ Northern Ireland is left relying on ad-hoc screenings, rather than serving as an institutional partner to leverage this soft power and secure focused funding.¹

A dedicated festival, which we can call NI-QueerFilm, is the missing catalyst. The blueprint for success already exists in Wales. The Iris Prize is an economic powerhouse that awards a £40,000 short film prize, stipulating that the winner must make their next film in Cardiff.² Adopting this model in Belfast or Derry-Londonderry would create a direct, annual investment pipeline into the local queer film economy, retaining talent and leveraging national funding that is explicitly prioritised for regions outside London.¹¹

Beyond the economics, film festivals are essential engines for social justice and cohesion. They create communal spaces to challenge discrimination and tackle acute social issues, such as the documented isolation and loneliness experienced by LGBTQI+ people in rural NI.¹² A dedicated festival, designed with a mandatory outreach program—like the Iris Prize’s Iris on the Move model ¹³—would be a powerful tool for community upskilling and social service delivery, aligning directly with the Department for Communities’ LGBTQI+ Strategy goals.¹⁴

It is time for Northern Ireland to secure parity of cultural provision —not just to screen films, but to commission them, fund them, and utilise them as the powerful vehicles they are for advancing social equality and projecting an inclusive, modern identity to the world. I refer to the Missing Reel because, in the past, all movies were distributed on acetate and movie reels – bulky and also a fire hazard, but not today, so no need for reels, but there is a need for our own movie festival.