London, Tuesday 4th February 2025, 12:00pm GMT – The 39th edition of BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival (19th – 30th March) has unveiled its Closing Night Gala and a highly anticipated Special Presentation. Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon’s provocative erotic thriller Night Stage will bring the festival to a climactic close on 29th March, while Shatara Michelle Ford’s gripping road trip drama Dreams in Nightmares will take center stage as a Special Presentation on 23rd March. Both films will have their UK Premieres at BFI Southbank, with filmmakers expected to be in attendance.
From the acclaimed Brazilian writer-director duo Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon, Night Stage tells the story of an actor and a politician who embark on a secret affair, bonded by a shared fetish for public encounters. As their desires intensify, so does their appetite for risk, forcing them to navigate the dangerous intersection of ambition and obsession. Matzembacher and Reolon’s previous film, Hard Paint, won the prestigious Teddy Award for Best Film and the C.I.C.A.E. Jury Award for Best Panorama Film at the 2018 Berlin International Film Festival. Following its World Premiere at Berlinale 2025, Night Stage will make its UK debut as the grand finale of BFI Flare.
Directors Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon shared their excitement:
“We are thrilled for Night Stage to close BFI Flare, a festival that has warmly embraced our work before. This screening marks one of the first showings after our Berlinale premiere, and we can’t wait to share this journey of desire and danger with the festival audience.”
Produced by Jéssica Luz and Paola Wink alongside Matzembacher and Reolon, Night Stage promises to be a thrilling and unforgettable conclusion to the festival.
Adding to the festival’s powerful lineup, Dreams in Nightmares—the second feature from award-winning filmmaker Shatara Michelle Ford—follows three Black queer femmes in their mid-30s on a road trip across the Midwestern United States in search of a missing friend. A poignant exploration of identity and sisterhood, the film stars Denée Benton (UnREAL, The Gilded Age) and Charlie Barnett (Russian Doll). Ford’s debut feature, Test Pattern, won the New Generation Award at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards and the Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature at the New Orleans Film Festival. After its World Premiere at Philadelphia’s BlackStar Film Festival and its European Premiere at Berlinale 2025, Dreams in Nightmares will make its UK debut as part of BFI Flare’s Special Presentation.
Director Shatara Michelle Ford reflected on the significance of the screening:
“This is a homecoming of sorts. I came of age as a filmmaker in London, and the BFI holds a special place in my heart—it was where my young, queer self spent countless hours absorbing all that cinema had to offer. I’m beyond thrilled to be sharing Dreams in Nightmares at BFI Flare.”
Produced by an impressive team including Ford, Pin-Chun Liu, Naima Abed, Josh Peters, Robina Riccitiello, Ben Stillman, Ana Leocha, Adam Wyatt Tate, Chris Quintos-Cathcart, and Tyler Bagley, Dreams in Nightmares is poised to be a festival highlight.
The BFI Flare 2025 programming team—Grace Barber-Plentie, Diana Cipriano, Zorian Clayton, Jaye Hudson, Rhianna Ilube, Darren Jones, and Wema Mumma—expressed their enthusiasm:
“BFI Flare is about forging connections and celebrating the best in queer cinema. We’re delighted to welcome Shatara Michelle Ford for the first time and to reunite with Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon, who captivated our audiences with Hard Paint. We are honored to close the 2025 festival with Night Stage and to present Dreams in Nightmares as a standout Special Presentation.”
The full programme for BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival will be revealed on Tuesday 18th February at 11am.