LGBT Film Festival in China’s Capital Cancelled on Eve of Opening

Organizers of the Beijing Queer Film Festival in China’s capital announced on October 29, 2026, that the event, also known as Love Queer Film Week, had been cancelled. Its registration page listed dates of October 30 to November 8.

In an Instagram statement, the team apologized to people who had planned to attend or looked forward to screenings and thanked supporters. The organisers did not explain the cancellation.

Australia’s QNews reported repeated phone calls from authorities to organizers before the cancellation.

Human Rights Watch’s deputy Asia director Maya Wang linked the situation to tighter control over independent civic and cultural activities. University of St Andrews Chinese studies scholar Hongwei Bao believes the cancellation will negatively affect China’s queer community. QNews reported both assessments.

Peking University students founded the festival in 2001. It focuses on independent queer cinema and discussions of sexuality and gender, presenting work by filmmakers from China and abroad.

Uránia previously reported the cancellation of LGBT film screenings at Beijing’s Institut Français in June 2026, following reports of police pressure.