Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Fest Marks 15 Years with Bold Line-Up

Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Fest has announced the headline screenings for its 15th edition, running 13–21 September 2025 across East London, with screenings kicking off on 14 September.

The festival released the programme on 20 August: "The first film, Niñxs, and closing night, Brigitte’s Planet B, bookend a programme brimming with powerful stories, including the incendiary This Is Rockbitch X, alongside a rich schedule of workshops, panel talks, exhibitions, and performances.

On Sunday 14 September, Fringe! opens its screening programme with Niñxs, a joyous, genre-defying coming-of-age documentary crafted over eight years in the Mexican town of Tepoztlán. At its heart is Karla, a teenage trans girl whose life defies expectation: far from tragedy, it brims with punk-parent love, loyal friends, and laughter. Directed by Kani Lapuerta, the film playfully flips the lens as Karla imagines her own future, offering a vibrant portrait of trans youth thriving when supported. Fringe!’s kickoff screening is sweetened by Happy Endings’ signature ice-creamy treats.

On Saturday 20 September, the festival presents This Is Rockbitch X, a gripping cult documentary by BAFTA-nominated director Norman Hull. It chronicles the radical British femme rock collective Rockbitch, famed for their pagan rituals and fearless onstage performances. Their audacious challenge to femme sexuality and anarchic wit continues to resonate as a vital act of queer feminist defiance. This Is Rockbitch X screens as part of Potent Portals alongside April Daneau’s Iconic and Last Exit on Bethnal by Lydia Garnett and underground club legend Hannah Holland, who will take to the decks for the afterparty.

Fringe!’s closing night on Sunday 21 September features Brigitte’s Planet B, a dazzling documentary journey with Brigitte Baptiste — Colombia’s celebrated ecologist, public intellectual, and trans icon. Directed by Santiago Posada, the film meditates on the queerness of nature and the diversity that sustains life. From queer Indigenous communities and Amazonian medicines to transgender species and digital animations, the documentary invites reflection on queerness and transness as nature’s strategies for survival. Stunning visuals and intimate insight offer a profound encounter with Baptiste, known for pioneering Queer Ecology, leading Colombia’s Humboldt Institute, and advocating for biodiversity and trans rights.

The full 2025 programme of screenings, workshops, panel talks, exhibitions, and performances will be revealed at a launch party on Wednesday 27 August at 6:30pm at Rich Mix, with the digital programme going live the following day, 28 August."