Wicked Queer:Docs Audience Has Spoken. A Deeper Love: The Story of Miss Peppermint wins Best of Festival!

directed by Oriel Pe'er 2025 86 min USA

A Deeper Love traces her rise of trans icon Peppermint - from NYC clubs to Drag Race and Broadway fame, revealing the artist and activist behind the spotlight through 9 years of fighting for acceptance and trans visibility.

Honorably Mention goes to Yihwen Chen's QUEER AS PUNK!

directed by Yihwen Chen 2025 87 min MALAYSIA-INDONESIA

Being LGBT is criminalised in Muslim-majority Malaysia. Trans man Faris and his punk band still travel the country playing gigs and protesting on the streets. A documentary portrait of courageous people, humorous friendship and the spirit of punk.

Best in Shorts is a tie! Congrats to Randy Schmidt and Christine Seow!

Friends of Dorothy: The Yellow Brick Code

directed by Randy Schmidt 2025 22 min USA

Friends of Dorothy: The Yellow Brick Code is a dazzling short film exploring the queer legacy of Oz, from L. Frank Baum’s book to the camp of the 1939 MGM classic and the world of Wicked. Featuring drag superstar Ginger Minj and author Gregory Maguire, it celebrates Judy Garland as a gay icon and Oz as a haven for LGBTQ+ fans. A spirited tribute to chosen family, fabulousness, and the enduring magic of Oz.

Two Traveling Aunties

directed by Christine Seow 2025 22 min SINGAPORE

Two spirited Singaporean seniors ditch conventional living for van life, embracing adventure, newfound freedom, and the joy of living on their own terms.

Did gathering with the family have you needing a dose of Wicked Queer? Have no fear WQ Fall Focus is Dec 5-7 at the MFA

Join the MFA and Wicked Queer for a collection of films highlighting the best of summer and fall 2025 in queer cinema. Wicked Queer is dedicated to authentic cinematic representations of queer lives, and maintaining the histories of the vibrant and diverse LGBTQ+ community.

Cactus Pears

Friday, December 5, 2025
7:00 pm–9:00 pm

Directed by Rohan Kanawade (India, UK, and Canada 2025, 112min.). Marathi with English subtitles.

A 2025 Sundance favorite, Cactus Pears is a tender and evocative debut from Rohan Kanawade. In this semi-autobiographical Marathi drama, Anand (Bhushaan Manoj), a weary Mumbai call-center worker, returns to his rural village for his father’s funeral, only to reconnect with Balya (Suraaj Suman), a childhood friend who stirs long-buried emotions.

Navigating tradition, caste, and unspoken queerness, Cactus Pears is a poignant meditation on love and repression. With stunning cinematography and quietly powerful performances, the film lingers on stolen glances and the ache of possibility, revealing the quiet revolutions hidden in everyday life.

“A sensual, tender queer romance.… Its rolling rhythms offer a delightfully sweet love story rendered with the heat of the heart.” —RogerEbert.com

Get tickets

Four Mothers

Saturday, December 6, 2025
2:00 pm–3:30 pm

Directed by Darren Thornton (Ireland, 2024, 89 min.).

In this tender Irish drama, Edward (James McArdle), a struggling novelist on the brink of a breakthrough, finds his quiet weekend thrown into chaos when three eccentric women—including his own aging mother, Alma (Fionnula Flanagan)—unexpectedly fall under his care. As he juggles house calls, secrets, and emotional baggage, Edward is forced to confront his responsibilities, creative frustrations, and the fragile bonds between mothers and sons.

Four Mothers premiered at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2024, where it won the Audience Award.

“A toasty-warm Irish mother-son comedy … with surprising reserves of wisdom and sadness.” —The Guardian

Get tickets

Jimpa

Sunday, December 7, 2025
2:00 pm–4:15 pm

Directed by Sophie Hyde (Australia, Netherlands, and Finland, 2025, 123 min.).

When filmmaker Hannah (Olivia Colman) and her nonbinary teen, Frances, journey to Amsterdam to reconnect with their estranged father and grandfather, Jimpa (John Lithgow), things unravel in unexpected ways. Frances expresses a desire to stay with Jimpa for a full year—a bold wish that upends Hannah’s beliefs about parenting, identity, and family. As intergenerational tensions surface, Jimpa weaves a tender, emotionally charged portrait of queer kinship, legacy, and the fragile bonds between parents and children.

A semi-autobiographical work from Hyde, this film was a favorite at Sundance 2025.

“Jimpa is an invitation to disagree better, bond stronger and love freer. If your heart is open, there’s much reward to be found in Hyde’s supple care … it was a soothing balm that left me weeping with happy sadness.” —ScreenHub

Get tickets

Hey WQ community, We are all the seeds of change. Help us keep Queer storytelling traditions blooming today and for the future. Please consider donating or volunteering. Your support keeps us growing.

Wicked Queer and WQ: Docs are projects of the Queer Film Institute.

‍