SUNNY BUNNY Queer Film Festival Announces International Feature Competition Lineup

From April 17 to 24, Kyiv will host the fourth SUNNY BUNNY LGBTQIA+ film festival. Traditionally, the centerpiece of the program is the International Feature Competition, which includes 12 fiction films.

Faraz Shariat’s «Prosecution» will serve as the festival’s opening film. This German production arrives from this year’s Berlin International Film Festival, where it received a Teddy Award nomination and won the Audience Award in the Panorama section. After surviving a racially motivated attack, state prosecutor Seio Kim files her own lawsuit. She challenges the perpetrators along with a justice system that turns a blind eye to far-right extremism. The film is provided by KyivMusicFilm and will soon be released in theaters.

Marcelo Martinessi returns to SUNNY BUNNY with his latest work. In 2018, his film «The Heiresses» won the top prize when «Sunny Bunny» was still a competition within «Molodist» KIFF. Martinessi’s «Narciso» premiered at this year’s Berlinale, earning the FIPRESCI Prize. Set in 1958 Paraguay, the story follows the charismatic Narciso, who returns from Buenos Aires as a rock ’n’ roll devotee. Despite the oppressive military regime, he becomes an icon for millions and a symbol of freedom, until he is found dead following his final radio broadcast.

Another film from this year’s Berlinale is Sophie Heldman’s «The Education of Jane Cumming». The film also appeared in the Panorama section and earned a Teddy Award nomination. Based on the true story of Marianne Woods and Jane Pirie, two women accused of lesbianism, the story is set in Edinburgh, in 1810. Two schoolmistresses find themselves at the center of a scandal when a student alleges they are involved in a romantic affair. This drama explores prejudice, survival, and the courage required to stand by one’s truth.

Another Teddy Award nominee, «Black Burn Fast» comes from the Berlinale Generation 14+ program. Lutando anticipates a routine year at an elite boarding school, where she studies on a scholarship. However, the arrival of a new student awakens suppressed desires that threaten to reshape Lutando’s relationships and her very sense of self.

Afsia Herzi’s «The Little Sister» took the Queer Palm at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, with lead Nadia Melliti winning Best Actress in the main competition. Set in Paris, the story follows Fatima, a teenager from a French-Algerian family torn between piety and desire. As the youngest in a household where secrets are forbidden, she struggles to reconcile her faith with her attraction to women. This emerging emotion tests the resilience of family bonds and her own sense of identity and belonging.

«Maspalomas» by Aitor Arregi and Jose Mari Goenaga earned the Sebastiane Award for best queer film and the Best Actor award at the San Sebastian Film Festival, one of the world’s «Big Five» film forums. Additionally, «Maspalomas» garnered nine nominations for Spain’s Goya Awards, winning for Best Actor. Vicente spent twenty-five years living openly and happily with his partner in Maspalomas after leaving his family at fifty. However, a stroke changes everything and his daughter moves him to a nursing home, where his decision to hide his sexuality strips him of his hard-won freedom and forces him back into the closet.

«Fantasy», a co-production of Slovenia and North Macedonia, earned a Special Mention at the Thessaloniki Film Festival and was featured at the Locarno Film Festival. The lives of three tomboy friends from Slovenia are forever changed after meeting Fantasy, a trans woman who invites them into a world of gender exploration, new desires, and the search for identity. Tomboys are women who openly exhibit masculine traits and behavior.

The Croatian-Bosnian film «Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day» won the Audience Award at the Frameline Queer Film Festival in San Francisco. Additionally, it secured the top prize and the Best Acting award at FilmFestival Cottbus. Four close friends who fought side by side as partisans against the Ustase and Nazis in WWII find themselves sixteen years later as renowned film directors. However, in 1957 Communist Yugoslavia, their sexual orientation begins to draw suspicion. Emir, a loyal party member, is tasked with destroying their careers and lives. For the artists, the pursuit of freedom becomes a fight for survival, while Emir’s own convictions are put to the test.

«On the Road» received the top prize in the Orizzonti section at the Venice Film Festival, as well as the Queer Lion for best LGBTQIA+ film. A drifting loner, whose life unfolds in the beds, or rather the cabs of trucks, meets a reserved long-haul driver. As they journey together across northern Mexico, they grow increasingly close, but the young man’s past soon threatens them both.

The French-Tunisian production «In a Whisper» follows a woman seeking the truth behind her uncle’s death, even if it means uncovering long-hidden family secrets. Hollywood icon and Palestinian actress Hiam Abbass stars in a leading role.

Following its Toronto premiere, «Julian» has screened at numerous festivals, including Sao Paulo and Gothenburg. Fleur and Julian meet unexpectedly and fall head over heels for each other. Shortly after Julian’s proposal, Fleur conceives an ambitious plan: to marry in every country where same-sex marriage is legal. Fueled by love and a sense of urgency, they embark on this daring journey.

In «Blue Film», fetish camboy Aaron Eagle confronts the ghosts of his past after agreeing to spend a night with an anonymous client.

The Competition lineup:

Наймолодша / The Little Sister, Афсія Ерзі / Hafsia Herzi, Франція, Німеччина / France, Germany, 2025, 107’

Маспаломас / Maspalomas, Хосе Марі Ґоенаґа, Айтор Арреґі / Jose Mari Goenaga, Aitor Arregi, Іспанія / Spain, 2025, 115’

Фентезі / Fantasy, Кукла / Kukla, Словенія, Північна Македонія / Slovenia, North Macedonia, 2025, 98’

Гарний вечір, гарний день / Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day, Івона Юка / Ivona Juka, Боснія і Герцеговина, Канада, Хорватія, Кіпр, Польща / Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland, 2024, 137’

Нарсісо / Narciso, Марсело Мартінессі / Marcelo Martinessi, Парагвай, Німеччина, Уругвай, Бразилія, Португалія, Іспанія, Франція / Paraguay, Germany, Uruguay, Brazil, Portugal, Spain, France, 2026, 101’

Під захистом держави / Prosecution, Фараз Шаріат / Faraz Shariat, Німеччина / Germany, 2026, 113’

У дорозі / On the Road, Давід Паблос / David Pablos, Мексика / Mexico, 2025, 93’

Пошепки / In a Whisper, Лейла Бузід / Leyla Bouzid, Франція, Туніс / France Tunisia, 2026, 112’

Фільм для дорослих / Blue Film, Елліот Таттл / Elliot Tuttle, США / USA, 2025, 82’

Виховання Джейн Каммінг / The Education of Jane Cumming, Софі Гельдман / Sophie Heldman, Сполучене Королівство, Німеччина, Швейцарія / UK, Germany, Switzerland, 2026, 114’

Чорне горить швидко / Black Burns Fast, Сандулела Асанда / Sandulela Asanda, Південно-Африканська Республіка / South Africa, 2025, 96’

Жуліан / Julian, Като Кюстерс / Cato Kusters, Бельгія, Нідерланди / Belgium, the Netherlands, 2025, 91’

Festival passes are now available.

Free passes are available for military personnel.

Film stills.

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The festival is supported by the Ukrainian State Film Agency, the Heinrich Böll Foundation Ukraine, the British Council Ukraine, and German Films.

Short Film Pitching Sponsor — Jagermeister

Creative Partner — McCANN Kyiv advertising agency

Embassies:

Embassy of Canada to Ukraine

Embassy of France to Ukraine