Queer Spectrum Film Festival 2025:
Development, Curation, Branding and Marketing
Challenge
Ireland currently has no dedicated mainstream cultural event celebrating the stories and experiences of LGBTQIA+ people of colour and immigrants. This intersection of identity remains significantly underrepresented and marginalised within Ireland’s arts and film landscape.
As a result, many LGBTQIA+ people of colour and immigrant communities do not see mainstream film and cultural spaces as accessible, welcoming, or designed for them. Existing programmes often fail to reflect their stories, identities, and lived experiences.
At the same time, cultural institutions such as the Irish Film Institute (IFI) face growing challenges in attracting new audiences and maintaining cinema footfall, particularly as audiences increasingly turn to 24/7 online streaming platforms and digital entertainment.
This creates both a representation gap and an audience engagement challenge, highlighting the need for new initiatives that bring diverse communities into Ireland’s cultural spaces while amplifying underrepresented voices.
My Approach
1. Curated Programming
Develop a carefully curated film programme that authentically represents and resonates with LGBTQIA+ people of colour and immigrant communities, highlighting diverse voices, lived experiences, and intersectional stories that are often absent from mainstream cinema.
2. Strategic Partnerships
Build the festival through collaboration with local cultural institutions and LGBTQIA+ organisations, leveraging their networks, resources, and community infrastructure to expand reach and ensure meaningful engagement.
3. Inclusive Festival Branding and Social Media Marketing
Create a strong festival identity that communicates inclusion, cultural belonging, and visibility, positioning the festival as a welcoming space for diverse audiences—especially those who have historically felt excluded from mainstream arts and film events.
4. Nationwide Marketing & Outreach
Promote the festival through a multi-channel national campaign, including local and national magazines, newspapers, radio, podcasts, and digital influencers to ensure wide visibility and attract audiences across Ireland.
Cultural Impact:
Two queer migrant filmmakers were inspired to begin developing films in Ireland following the festival.
4 concise main results of
Queer Spectrum Film Festival
Financial Impact:
Delivered 5 screening sessions,
all 100% sold out in June,
despite the seasonal challenge, when Irish audiences typically prefer outdoor activities.
Audience Development:
The festival welcomed over 400 attendees across two days, including 35% first-time visitors to the IFI.
The 14% attendees continue to be engaged with IFI for the next 5 months and bring their friends to the theatre.
The IFI experienced one of its busiest mid-June weekends in six years, with box office bookings reaching full capacity.
Institutional Impact:
Mainstream film institutions such as Screen Ireland recognised the need for migrant representation in cinema and committed funding support for the 2026 festival edition.
