Film fans and LGBTQIA+ audiences are heading to Nicosia for Queer Wave 2026, Cyprus’s leading queer film festival, running at NiMAC from 18 to 27 September. With more than 20 screenings, four workshops, over 50 Cyprus premieres and lively late-night events, the seventh edition promises ten days of discovery, debate and celebration.
Essential Takeaways
- Dates and venue: Queer Wave runs from 18 to 27 September at NiMAC in Nicosia.
- A broad programme: Expect documentaries, features, shorts, animation, essay films and historical cinema.
- Opening highlight: The festival begins with The Little Sister, followed by a party from Palestinian queer collective DARAQ Crew.
- Standout films: Barbara Forever, Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day, Bearcave and A Song Without Home are among the key screenings.
- Plan ahead: The opening night needs a separate ticket, while a Festival Pass covers the rest of the festival.
Nicosia's queer film festival returns with a bigger canvas
The strongest impression from Queer Wave 2026 is its range. This isn't simply a run of late-night screenings in a darkened cinema, although there are plenty of those. The festival combines films with workshops, performances, installations, DJ sets, runway shows and drag events, giving NiMAC the feel of a temporary queer arts hub. According to the festival listing on VibeLocate, the event returns to the venue for its seventh edition. [3]
More than 20 films will be screened across ten days, including over 50 Cyprus premieres. The programme moves between documentary, animation, essay film, feature cinema and archive material, so visitors can expect plenty of shifts in pace and mood. One moment may be intimate and reflective, the next loud, glittery and gloriously theatrical. [4]
Opening night starts with cinema, sound and a party
The festival opens at 9pm with a live audiovisual performance by phi mu delta, before Hafsia Herzi's The Little Sister receives its Cyprus premiere. The coming-of-age film won the Queer Palm and the Best Actress prize for Nadia Melliti at Cannes last year, giving the opening a particularly strong international profile. [2]
The evening continues after the screening, with Palestinian queer electronic collective DARAQ Crew taking over from 11.30pm. DJs Youb and Sana Jamm are scheduled to perform, turning the first night into something closer to a full cultural launch than a conventional festival reception. As Goethe-Institut Cyprus notes in its event information, the festival's programme brings film and wider artistic activity together in one setting. [5]
Five films worth putting on your watchlist
Among the festival's most intriguing choices is Barbara Forever, a Teddy Award-winning documentary about queer cinema pioneer Barbara Hammer. It offers both a portrait of a major artist and a reminder of how much queer filmmaking has been shaped by people who worked outside the mainstream. [6]
The programme also includes Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day, Ivona Juka's Croatian Oscar contender and Cyprus co-production, on 20 September. Bearcave, which won at Venice, screens on 25 September after a planned showing in the Greek village of Paraskevi, Aigialeia, was cancelled following homophobic backlash. That context makes the screening feel especially resonant, without turning the film itself into a mere talking point. [4]
On 26 September, A Song Without Home follows a trans woman from Georgia seeking asylum in Austria. The film won the Mermaid Award at this year's Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, adding further weight to a programme that repeatedly links personal stories with larger questions about safety, belonging and visibility. [3]
From installations to drag, the festival goes beyond film
Two audiovisual installations, Paola and Karayan, will remain on display at NiMAC throughout the festival. They pay tribute to queer figures Paola Revenioti and Andreas Karayan, extending the event's focus beyond the cinema screen and into Cyprus's wider queer cultural history. [5]
Parallel events include DJ sets, runway shows and drag performances. That mix matters because it makes Queer Wave feel participatory rather than purely observational. Audiences aren't only being asked to sit quietly and consume films; they're being invited to move, talk, dance and share the space. [6]
How to book Queer Wave 2026
Tickets are available through more.com. The opening ceremony on 18 September requires its own ticket, while a Festival Pass covers the remaining days, making it the more convenient option for anyone planning several visits. The organisers have warned that box-office availability is limited, so booking early is sensible, particularly for the opening and closing events. [2]
The festival finishes on 27 September with a sing-along screening of Jim Sharman's 1975 cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It's an obvious crowd-pleaser, but also a fitting finale for an event built around camp, self-expression and communal viewing. First-timers should expect noise, costumes and a room that knows all the words. [4]
Queer Wave is organised by non-profit Queer Wave LTD and supported by Cyprus cultural institutions, diplomatic missions, cinemas and LGBTQIA+ organisations. The full programme is available through queerwave.com and the festival's social media channels, @queerwavecyprus. [3]
Queer Wave 2026 looks set to make Nicosia feel a little louder, brighter and more open this September.
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