WORLD PRIDE

A section that presents diverse perspectives from around the world, beyond Asia, 

through films that reflect the experiences of sexual minorities living in the contemporary era.

Programmer’s Recommendations: 

Night Stage, In Ashes, Jimpa, The Boy with Pink Pants, Love Letters, Four Mothers, Newborn

The World PRIDE section of the Seoul International PRIDE Film Festival features outstanding non-Asian queer films acclaimed at major international festivals. This year’s lineup captures the complex realities, cultural diversity, and social issues faced by LGBTQ communities across the world. The selected works reflect the distinctive tones and textures of each nation, offering a vivid portrayal of queer life and identity within different social fabrics.

Night Stage by Filipe MATZEMBACHER(Director) and Marcio REOLON(Director) sensitively portrays the collision between desire, power, and identity through the secret relationship between an actor and a politician. Their dangerous pleasures in public spaces intensify both passion and risk, while the film poses a daring question—how much can one conceal, and how dangerously can one love, in a world that demands exposure?

In Ashes by Ludvig Christian NAESTED POULSEN(Director) follows a young Danish man named Christian who navigates the pain of first love and the emptiness of app-based intimacy. Beneath the surface thrill of casual encounters lie loneliness, anxiety, and the quiet process of self-acceptance. The film movingly depicts his path toward reconciling desire and identity.

Another programmer’s pick, Jimpa by Margherita FERRI(Director), warmly yet honestly explores generational differences through the relationship between a gay grandfather, Jimpa, and a non-binary teenager, Francis.

The Boy with Pink Pants by Margherita FERRI(Director) is based on a true story of a teenage boy whose pink-stained trousers become the tragic starting point of violence—a mistake that turns symbolic.

Love Letters by Alice DOUARD(Director) is set in 2014, shortly after the legalization of same-sex marriage in France. Against the backdrop of subtle daily unease and isolation, the film delicately follows a couple’s search for parental identity and familial acceptance, intertwining the universal theme of “family” with the specific legal and social hurdles faced by queer parents.

Four Mothers by Darren THORNTON(Director) depicts Edward tending to his mother and his friends’ mothers, navigating the emotional tension between care, attachment, and personal desire.

Newborn by Alejandro ZUNO(Director) takes on the rarely portrayed topic of intersex identity, exploring it through the lenses of medical institutions, family relationships, and social expectations in Mexico.

The World PRIDE section showcases stories from the United States, Spain, France, Denmark, Italy, Brazil, Mexico, Australia, and more—each illuminating the vibrancy and diversity of queer experiences around the globe.