- With a new visual identity and headquarters in Malasaña, the festival unites cinema, literature and activism during the months of May and June.
- Highlights include meetings with creators such as Andy Toro and Star Spanish, as well as screenings at the Renoir Cinemas and CaixaForum+.
- The program includes everything from “educational porn” to routes through the historical memory of Chueca and visits to the Museum of America.
COGAM has decided that culture is not just the prelude to Pride, but its beating heart. The Madrid entity has relaunched La Oculta, its cultural festival which in 2026 launches an image, focus and an ambitious agenda that seeks to “build community” beyond the party. With the headquarters on Puebla Street as the epicenter, the festival is positioned as a space of resistance and queer thought in the heart of Malasaña.
Queer Cinema: From activism to pedagogical pleasure
The audiovisual axis of La Oculta is loaded with debate. The festival starts today, May 21, with the colloquium of When Chueca Dies, a necessary analysis of gentrification and the memory of the neighborhood. But the programming is not afraid of taboos: on June 7, cinema X will be addressed as a learning tool at the meeting “Porn for beginners” with content creators Andy Toro and Luke Santana.
International solidarity and health will also have their space with the Cineforum Queer for Palestine in the Sala Berlanga (June 17) and the screening of RED, a documentary against HIV stigma in collaboration with CaixaForum+ (June 15).
Literature, art and skin: The brilliance of dissidence
Trans and lesbian literature claims its place with high-impact presentations. The content creator Star Spanish will present on June 3 his long-awaited The shine of the eyes no surgery, while humor and lesbian visibility will arrive on June 12 with the second part of the already iconic lesbiancomic by L.S.B. and Anna.
For those looking for something more hooligan and scientific, June 18 will be the turn of Ricardo Moure with his work Sexo Salvaje, a perfect closing for a program that leaves no corner of identity unexplored.
Culture takes to the streets
La Oculta does not stay within four walls. The festival proposes to rediscover Madrid with the historical routes of Ramon Martinez, which will cover the milestones of Madrid activism, and guided tours of the powerful exhibition Trans Nation at the Museum of America. In addition, guerrilla and author theater will have its own voice with works such as Manual para fucking a male with a vagina by Pablo Alamá.
