Experience

PROGRAMME | Pinx 2026 LGBTQIA+ film festival in Ghent and Antwerp from 27 January to 1 February

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At the end of January 2026, queer cinema once again takes centre stage in Belgium as PinX, the annual LGBTQIA+ film festival, returns to Ghent and Antwerp. From 27 January to 1 February 2026, audiences are invited to discover a bold and carefully curated programme of international films, special events and community gatherings at Sphinx Cinema in Ghent and Cinema Cartoon’s in Antwerp.

Organised by vzw La Luna, PinX has quickly established itself as a vital platform for queer storytelling, offering space for voices that challenge norms, explore identity and celebrate diversity in all its forms. Following a record-breaking dual-city edition in 2025, the festival builds further on its mission to combine high-quality cinema with accessibility, dialogue and celebration.

Ghent programme

At Sphinx Cinema, PinX 2026 presents a wide-ranging selection of features, shorts and special formats. The programme reflects the breadth of contemporary queer filmmaking, from intimate character studies to genre-bending works and experimental narratives.

Among the films screening in Ghent are ‘The Crowd‘, ‘How to Live‘, ‘Bearcave (Arkoudotrypa)‘, ‘Jimpa‘, ‘The Muleteer (La arriera)‘, ‘Really Happy Someday‘, ‘Dreams (Sex Love)‘, ‘La misteriosa mirada del flamenco‘ and the camp-infused horror comedy ‘Queens of the Dead‘.

Curated thematic programmes also play an important role, including ‘F*Q presents … COWBOYX‘, the playful and provocative ‘Queerkamp‘, and a special queer reading of the classic western ‘Johnny Guitar (1954)‘. 

Additional titles such as ‘Perro Perro‘, ‘Rains over Babel‘, ‘Bluish‘, ‘TableRead Morningstar • Episode 1‘, ‘Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears)‘, ‘Fucktoys‘ and ‘Pillion‘ complete a programme that spans continents, styles and generations.

Beyond the screenings, PinX in Ghent offers a rich selection of extras. A continuous exhibition, BLANCO x Shif—t*, runs throughout the festival. 

On Thursday 29 January, audiences are invited to a late-night karaoke session following ‘Really Happy Someday’, while Friday 30 January brings the QUEER FRONTIER: A Yee-Haw! Cowboy Party, linked to the ‘COWBOYX‘ short film programme and hosted at De Koer / Ciné Rio.

Accessibility remains central to the festival, with a variety of ticket options including reduced prices, UiTPAS chance tariffs, morning screenings at a lower rate, and special formats such as Generations screenings for 60+ audiences with coffee and cake, film breakfasts, and TableRead performances. Entry to the exhibition and karaoke events is free.

Antwerp programme

In Antwerp, Cinema Cartoon’s presents a tightly curated evening programme, pairing feature films with short works and special contextual events.

The festival opens on Wednesday 28 January with ‘Perro Perro’, Marco Berger’s poetic black-and-white erotic fable exploring desire, instinct and vulnerability, accompanied by the short ‘The Warmth of Your Skin‘.

On Thursday 29 January, ‘Bearcave’ transports audiences to the Greek mountains, where a long-standing friendship between two women is quietly pushed toward transformation. The feature is preceded by the short ‘Seagulls Cut Through the Sky‘.

Friday 30 January offers two strikingly different screenings. Earlier in the evening, ‘La misteriosa mirada del flamenco’ unfolds as a modern western set in 1980s Chile, seen through the eyes of a child growing up within a loving queer family. 

Later that night, the drag-hosted screening of ‘Queens of the Dead’ delivers a camp horror spectacle in which drag queens and club kids confront a zombie outbreak, followed by the short ‘Vollúpya‘.

On Saturday 31 January, ‘Really Happy Someday’ is presented with a karaoke event, telling a moving story about transition, voice and resilience. The late screening features ‘Fucktoys’, a pastel-coloured 16mm fever dream about a sex worker attempting to break a curse, paired with the short ‘My Heart is Going to Explode‘.

The final day, Sunday 1 February, begins with a relaxed film breakfast screening of ‘Jimpa‘, a warm and intimate queer family story set between generations, followed by the short ‘Wish You Were Ear‘. 

In the afternoon, audiences can enjoy a queer reading of ‘Johnny Guitar (1954)’, highlighting the film’s feminist tension and subversive energy, accompanied by ‘Greenhorn‘. 

The festival closes in Antwerp with ‘Pillion’, a daring yet tender exploration of intimacy, power and belonging within a BDSM biker community, preceded by ‘Our Joyful Endings‘.

A festival beyond the screen

With its combination of cinema, performance, conversation and celebration, PinX 2026 once again positions itself as more than a film festival. It is a meeting place for communities, a showcase for emerging and established queer filmmakers, and a reminder of cinema’s power to reflect lived realities while imagining new ones.

As January draws to a close, PinX invites audiences in Ghent and Antwerp to gather, watch, sing, dance and reflect — together.

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