Once again, we're serving you the hottest upcoming events in London on a silver platter. Go ahead and pick and choose from our curated selection, including a panel discussion about sound as resistance and another about power, gaze and desire within photography, a screening of VHS tapes from the UK Fetish Archive, an abundance of intriguing films, and so much more.
FILM
EVERYTHING MUST CHANGE: A FILM BY MARTIN ROSE & SHARNA OSBORNE
SADIE COLES HQ
Bond Street | 13 February to 24 February
The London-based menswear designer Martine Rose debuts her first non-fashion film, made together with Sharna Osborne. Showing at Sadie Coles HQ, the film connects design, music, and live performance, while featuring Scottish singer Jimmy Somerville as he performs Quincy Jones' song Everything Must Change.
"We wanted to evoke that feeling of surprise emotion that hearing music in unfamiliar contexts can bring. To explore how charged our musical memory can be," Martine Rose has said of the film.
Find out more here.
TOURS
LGBTQIA+ TOURS AT TATE MODERN
TATE MODERN
Southwark | 15 February to 22 April
Join the hour-long free tours of Tate Modern aimed at exploring the Tate Collection through the lens of gender identity and sexuality.
Find the schedule of tours here.
PANEL TALK
HOW LOUD CAN WE GET? CHOIRING AND SONIC RESISTANCE
ICA
Charing Cross | 18 February 19:00
Challenging the notion of mental health as primarily an individualised, pathological issue, this panel aims to reframe it as a collective experience shaped by the conditions of capitalism and globalised trauma.
Drawing from Aliaskar Abarkas’ practice, the conversation will explore how artists respond to external challenges by creating spaces where individuals come together and express themselves collectively as an act of resistance. Together, through open discussion and workshopping these notions, the panelists aim to highlight the transformative power of sound, where individual voices merge into a shared sonic experience, fostering solidarity and conviviality.
Read about all the participating panelists and book your tickets here.
FILM + Q&A
THE COMMON PRESS FUNDRAISER FILM SCREENING
RIO CINEMA
Dalston Kingsland | 19 February 18:00
Join The Common Press for a powerful evening of short films that delve into intersectional identities and queer history from across the world through the lens of trans+ and queer archives.
Otherness Archive, a trans and community-led collective, have curated an inspiring collection of films to showcase the depth and diversity of queer storytelling. These films offer an unfiltered exploration of identity, resilience, and history that celebrate queer experiences.
Following the screening, there will be an insightful panel discussion with the filmmakers and Otherness Archive, hosted by Backronym Films. This London-based film community is dedicated to producing films, events, and zines that uplift POC, women, and LGBTQ+ filmmakers.
The evening will also help raise money to save The Common Press.
PANEL DISCUSSION
POWER, GAZE AND DESIRE
THE PHOTOGRAPHER'S GALLERY
Oxford Circus | 20 February 18:30 - 20:00
A presentation and discussion with four LGBTQ artists – Finley Gilzene, Sunil Gupta, Åsa Johannesson and Marc Vallée. Each will show one of their photographs and discuss the relationship between themselves and the subject in the context of 'power, gaze and desire'. A selection of zines and books from the artists will be available in the bookshop.
The event is free to attend, no booking needed. You can find out more here.
FILM
TOMBOY
THE ARZNER
Borough | 20 February 18:00
A screening of the French film Tomboy from 2011. A French family moves to a new neighborhood during the summer holidays. The story follows a 10-year-old gender non-conforming child, Laure, who experiments with their gender presentation, adopting the name Mikäel.
Buy your tickets here.
FILM PREVIEW + DJ SET
PREVIEW: THE VISITOR + AWKWARD MOMENTS (DJ SET)
ICA
Charing Cross | 19 February 21:00
The Visitor, directed by queer provocateur Bruce LaBruce, is inspired by Pier Paolo Pasolini’s 1968 classic Teorema. In LaBruce’s re-imagining, the protagonist is a refugee who liberates the bourgeoisie from their sexual repression, upending their rigid, heteronormative world.
The film was released in the aftermath of Suella Braverman’s controversial speech in which she declared immigration a threat to the West, condemning multiculturalism and calling the 1951 Refugee Convention outdated. Her comments openly targeted women and LGBTQ+ refugees, painting them as undeserving of asylum.
The preview will feature an exclusive DJ set from Awkward Moments.
Find all details and secure your tickets here.
FILM
I AM MARTIN PARR
BERTHA DOCHOUSE
Russell Square | 21 February - 27 February
One of the most controversial photographers of his time, Martin Parr’s images often have the power to both amuse and leave us ever so slightly uncomfortable, caught between laughter and the uneasy recognition of ourselves in his uncompromising portrait of consumer society.
Though he’s now celebrated, collected and exhibited worldwide, Parr’s early work did not find an easy public and was highly criticized for trivializing the working class. Yet, in retrospect, perhaps he was just observing what we often overlook – forcing it into the spotlight as an essential topic of discussion. I Am Martin Parr is the definitive portrait of an extraordinary photographer who revolutionized contemporary photography by inventing a political, humanist and accessible photographic language.
Book tickets to see the documentary here.
THEATRE
THE AIDS PLAYS PROJECT: REASONS FOR STAYING
LONDON PERFORMANCE STUDIOS
South Bermondsey | 27 February to 1 March
London Performance Studios is pleased to present Reasons for Staying, a script-in-hand performance directed by Alastair Curtis.
Reasons for Staying is an urgent exploration of immigration and identity by Colm Ó Clúbhán. It premiered in London in 1986 and this is its first professional production in 40 years. In addition to the play, Nicky Harris will be performing several songs originally written by Ó Clúbhán for the Brixton Faeries in the late 1970s.
Find out more and get your tickets here.
CLUB NIGHT
TRANSMISSIONS: HELENA HAUFF
FOLD
Canning Town | 7 March 23:00-07:00
The acclaimed German DJ and producer of gritty, hard-edged electro-techno Helena Hauff makes her FOLD debut. Hauff's music draws from influences such as acid house, EBM, and industrial, and she records her tracks strictly using analog equipment, usually in one take.
The night will also feature Vlada, Bitzer Maloney, Sunju Hargun, Human Space Machine, and Inner Zone.
Tickets are already on 3rd release, so make sure to secure yours here.
SCREENING
LATE TAPES SERIES: TRANSFORMATION
ICA
Charing Cross | 21 February 21:00
TRANSFORMATION is the third screening in the Late Tapes series; an exploration of fetishistic desire, curated by Content Warning aka. Helena and Harlan Whittingham in collaboration with the Bishopsgate Institute’s UK Fetish Archive.
Experience a range of kinky transformations and different changes of state, including pet-play, objectification, and a range of fantastical creatures, as we take a look at some of the delicacies tucked away in the UK Fetish Archive.
This screening contains scenes from kink and fetish VHS tapes ranging from the '80s to the early '00s and will be presented in VHS format.
All details and tickets for you here.
SCREENING SERIES
QUEER EAST: WE WERE ALWAYS HERE
CENTRE 151 & THE GARDEN CINEMA
Various | 22 February & 28 February
Catch the remaining two films of Queer East's documentary series for LGBTQ+ History Month 2025, focused on queer collectives and communities across East and Southeast Asia.
Featuring material from over 100 interviews conducted over three years, Queer Japan showcases a vibrant and inspiring group of people, sharing their experiences of queer expression in their own words, including dazzling, iconoclastic drag queen Vivienne Sato and non-binary performance artist Saeborg.
A love letter to the Chengdu underground scene, The Last Year of Darkness is a coming-of-age documentary that celebrates the ephemerality of youth. As the city of Chengdu changes, the future of Funky Town, a beloved queer-friendly techno club, is unclear. For a vibrant group of DJs, drag performers, artists, lovers, ravers, and skaters, the club is a sanctuary for underground partying and allows them to thrive after the sun sets.
Find out more and get your tickets to the screenings here.
Left: Still from Queer Japan | Right: Still from The Last Year Of Darkness.
