Ghent Film Festival — Queer Strand

The Ghent International Film Festival — one of Europe's oldest and most prestigious film festivals, founded in 1974 — has a consistent tradition of programming LGBTQ+ cinema in its international competition and thematic sections. The festival's queer strand is not a separate event but an integrated part of the programme, reflecting Ghent's approach to LGBTQ+ culture generally: embedded in the mainstream cultural life rather than separated from it. For LGBTQ+ film enthusiasts, the Ghent Film Festival combines world-class cinema programming with one of Europe's most beautiful cities. The festival runs across multiple venues in the city centre in October.