The Madrid LGTBIQ+ International Film Festival, known for many years as LesGaiCineMad, is reinventing itself. From November 11 to 23, 2025, we will celebrate its 30th edition with a new identity: QueerCineMad. This change is not just in name; It is a reflection of social evolution, of language and of a broader look at the diversity that defines us.
An Epicenter of Diverse Views
QueerCineMad 2025 promises to be, once again, the heart of diverse cinema. With a program that exceeds 110 films from around the world, the festival will be held in more than 20 venues throughout the Community of Madrid, including such emblematic spaces as Cineteca Madrid, the Círculo de Bellas Artes or Casa de América. Can you imagine the wealth of stories and perspectives that will be projected in these rooms?
Since its birth in 1996, this meeting has been a beacon for Spanish and Latin American productions, projecting them to the rest of the world. The tireless work of discovery, subtitling and premiere of Latin American works has consolidated this festival as an essential window for LGTBIQ+ cinema in Spanish, facilitating its reach to distributors, buyers, producers and international festival programmers.
Queer: A Term That Embraces Diversity
The move from LesGaiCineMad to QueerCineMad is a powerful symbol. After three decades, the term “queer” more precisely encapsulates the diversity, breadth and freedom that characterize both the LGTBIQ+ collective and the festival itself. It is a space that has always known how to adapt and transform at the pace of society. Don’t you think that this capacity for evolution is fundamental for any cultural movement?
Recognized as one of the five most important queer film festivals in Europe and the largest and oldest in Ibero-America, QueerCineMad continues to be a cultural and social reference, supported by the main public institutions and connected to the Ibero-American LGTBIQ+ Film Network.
Competition and Social Commitment
The contest will have its traditional competitive sections, dedicated to feature films, short films and documentaries. The most exciting thing is that the winners are chosen by the public that attends the screenings, with two showings at different times for each film. Your voice counts, your vote decides.
The 2025 program reaffirms the festival’s commitment to cinema as a powerful tool for social transformation. We will see titles that have been awarded in the most prestigious competitions in the world – Cannes, Berlin, Venice, San Sebastián, Sundance or Tribeca – and we will discover new voices that expand the map of contemporary queer cinema.
A Bridge with San Sebastián
Four of the most notable films from the latest edition of the San Sebastián International Film Festival will be part of the QueerCineMad 2025 programme. Works that open new paths for queer cinema and celebrate the diversity of views, aesthetics and narratives. It is a unique opportunity to enjoy in Madrid some of the most impressive proposals that have recently passed through the Zinemaldi.
In the Official Section, we will be able to see “The mysterious gaze of flamenco” (2025), by Diego Céspedes, and “Jone, batzuetan (Jone, sometimes)” (2025) directed by Sara Fantova. The Documentary section will screen “Eloy from the church, addicted to cinema” (2025), by Gaizka Urresti. And in the Special Screenings section, “Very Far” (2025) will be presented, a film directed by Gerard Oms with a cast led by Mario Casas and David Verdaguer.
As a finishing touch, QueerCineMad will screen “On the Road” (2025), the film by David Pablos that uncompromisingly delves into a marginal male world, exploring homophobia, loneliness, toxic masculinity and queer desire. This work has been recognized with the Ojito award for Best Actor in a Mexican feature film for its protagonists, Víctor Miguel Prieto and Osvaldo Sánchez, as well as the award for Best Cinematography for Ximena Amann, at the Morelia International Film Festival 2025.
QueerCineMad 2025 is more than a festival; It is a celebration, a space for reflection and a platform for cinema that challenges and transforms us. Are you ready to dive into these stories?
