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returns to Narrm from 1鈥�9 May 2026 with the theme of 鈥淵oung Blood,鈥� a program of trans-authored cinema presented across multiple venues.

Now in its 12th year, the festival will run over two weekends, The 2026 program expands beyond a single venue model, with screenings and events hosted in partnership with community spaces, cinemas and arts organisations across the city.

The festival will present eight sessions across six days, showcasing work by established and emerging trans and gender diverse filmmakers. Programming spans short films, feature screenings, premieres and panel discussions.

“As trans people around the world face relentless attacks on their rights and dignity, celebrating and connecting with trans artists who dare to imagine new worlds matters more than ever,” said TILDE CEO Ro Bright.

“Investing in local emerging filmmakers is central to our work. The Our Future session showcases trans and gender-expansive filmmakers from Naarm and across the country who are confronting and reshaping culture through their art. Their stories don鈥檛 just reflect the world – they reimagine it.”

Opening night will take place at Footscray Community Arts Centre in partnership with . The event includes a screening alongside a discussion featuring Sistergirls, Brotherboys, and trans and gender expansive First Nations creatives responding to Notes on Vanishing by Lily Alexandre.

On Saturday 2 May, the OUR FUTURE program returns in partnership with Fed Square. The session will feature trans-authored short films from Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, including award-winning works and premieres, followed by a filmmaker Q&A.

Events on Sunday 3 May include a collaboration with the Melbourne Queer Birders Collective and the world premiere of Canadian filmmaker May Matchim鈥檚 documentary Understanding Myself as an Amphibian. The session also includes short films Herekore by Hariata Wilson and Foreign Bodies by Lysander Wong.

Additional programming includes a screening of Siobhan McCarthy鈥檚 feature She鈥檚 the He at Pony Club Gym, accompanied by a DJ set and the premiere of Under the Clocks by Josie Buden.

During the second weekend, the festival will partner with GAY24 Film Club and the Brunswick Underground Film Festival for a program at Coburg Drive-In Cinema. The event features the Australian premiere of Divine Hammer by the M. Sisters and the Naarm premiere of GUTTERCAT by Aubrey Winslow.

The festival will close with a retrospective marathon of films by Alice Maio Mackay, a Naarm-based filmmaker who began making feature films as a teenager. Her work spans DIY horror and fantasy, including titles such as T Blockers and Bad Girl Boogey.

Filmmaker Lilly Wachowski returns as the festival鈥檚 patron for a second year.

Tickets range from $10 to $15.