From June 4 to 14, the festival will transform Barcelona into a hub for LGBTQ+ cinema, with a focus on Arab and Persian cinematographies under the theme “A Thousand and One Queer Stories.” Barcelona, May 6, 2026 – FIRE!! Festival has revealed the complete lineup for its 31st edition and announced that tickets for all festival sessions are now available. Recognised as one of the most significant LGBTQ+ film festivals in Southern Europe, FIRE!! returns with an edition that intertwines cinema, culture, and community, reinforcing its role as a space for discovery, reflection, and connection.
When I was invited by FIRE!! LGBT Film Festival of Barcelona to create the official poster and video spot for the 2026 edition, it was in direct response to the festival’s theme: queer Arab and Persian narratives. This framing immediately resonated with me, as it opened a space where identity, memory, and representation could be approached through a deeply personal visual language.
For this project, I worked through my alter ego, Salma Zahore, as a way of developing a form of queer-ture that questions both gender and belief systems. Salma functions as a shifting figure through which I explore cultural inheritance, contradictions, and embodied memory, while opening them into something more fluid and performative.
The project is also in dialogue with the Fawazeer of Sherihan, an iconic figure whose televised performances from the late 80s and elaborate Ramadan costumes carry a layered sense of theatricality, glamour, and coded subversion. In the work, the dress evolves into a larger, transforming form, while the hands, extended through gloves, become creature-like extensions. The eye, a recurring symbol within Arab visual culture of protection and constant watching, is also present throughout the piece. The work becomes an homage to Sherihan’s presence, drawing from the way she occupies cultural imagination through spectacle and ritual.
Director: Hadi Moussally @Hadi.Moussally www.hadimoussally.com
Starring: Salma Zahore @SalmaZahore www.salmazahore.com
Video and photo production: H7O7 Studio @h7o7studio www.h7o7.com
Image: Olivier Pagny @olivierpagny
Graphics: DOS Visual Agency @dosvisual.agency
Costume: Victor von Schwarz @victorvonschwarz
Assistants: Maximo Peligro @maximopeligr0, Fabien Ghernati @fabienghernati
A Thousand and One Queer Stories: Spotlight on Arab and Persian Cinema
This year’s edition revolves around the theme “A Thousand and One Queer Stories,” inviting audiences to explore cinematographies that often remain outside mainstream visibility. Through a carefully curated selection of titles from Arab and Persian backgrounds, the festival highlights LGBTQ+ narratives shaped by complex social, political, and cultural contexts, where identity and desire are experienced from diverse realities.
Far from presenting a singular viewpoint, the program offers a mosaic of stories that speak to themes of resistance, intimacy, belonging, and freedom, emotionally and politically connecting these tales with the audience. The FIRE!! The 2026 program includes a wide selection of proposals that engage with contemporary cinema and new narratives:
- Feature films and international documentaries
- Spanish premieres and Barcelona debuts
- Short films and emerging talent
- Special sessions and parallel activities
The festival continues to champion cinema that blends authorship, risk, and diversity, addressing issues such as identity, gender, exile, memory, and relationships from multiple perspectives. Concurrently, FIRE!! remains a platform for visibility for new voices, promoting perspectives that expand the narrative of contemporary LGBTQ+ cinema.
Tickets On Sale Now
Tickets for all sessions are now available through the festival’s official website. The festival recommends purchasing tickets in advance, especially for sessions with high demand.
Highlights of the 31st Edition
The FIRE!! The 2026 program presents a varied and stimulating journey through contemporary LGBTQ+ cinema, featuring established names, new voices, and a strong presence of underrepresented cinematographies in commercial circuits.
The festival will open with Bouchra, a film that resonates with this year’s thematic focus, accompanied by the performance I Am Love by Hadi Moussally, a key figure in this edition, who will also lead a special session dedicated to his creative universe.
Notable films include The Crowd, On sera heureux, and Dreamers, which tackle identity, desire, and belonging in socially complex contexts. Alongside these are works like The Activist, Perro perro, and Departures, offering perspectives that navigate the intimate and political realms.
The festival also strengthens its commitment to short films with specific sessions, such as Spain: The Leather Territory, and the Get Involved space focusing on new voices and emerging talent. Additionally, the program features meetings and parallel activities, including the round table The Revolution of Arab and Persian Queer Cinema, which delves into the context and narratives explored in this edition.
Completing this rich lineup are essential titles like Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day, On the Sea, La condition, and Jimpa, which collectively promote formal and thematic diversity, solidifying FIRE!! as a reference point for LGTBIQ+ cinema in Barcelona.
mostrafire.com/en / @Mostrafire
