HIQFF@school - QUEER Education
Queer films for the next generation
Once again this year, the HIQFF school programme offers an excellent opportunity for teachers and other school staff to address issues relating to sexual and gender diversity in the classroom and in everyday school life. During the festival, school pupils in Hamburg can watch age-appropriate LGBTIQ* stories on the big screen with their classes and then engage in discussions with guests about the films and the themes they explore. In light of the shift to the political right in society and rising hostility towards queer people, including in schools, educational initiatives such as the School Programme can inform and empower young people. This is to foster an enlightened and respectful next generation and a future in which everyone can be different and be themselves without fear.
The school programme is supported by the Diversity Working Group of the State Institute for Qualification and Quality Development in Schools, as well as by the school education project ‘soorum’ run by the Magnus Hirschfeld Centre.
Thanks to generous financial support from Hamburg Pride, we are once again able to offer the school programme free of charge to all pupils.
To register or for further information, please email schule@hiqff.de
HEUTE HEISSEN ALLE SORRY (TEGENWOORDIG HEET IEDEREEN SORRY)
Directed by: Frederike Migom, Belgium/Germany/Netherlands, 2026, German dubbed version, 90 mins
Date: see above; full details to follow from the end of August – at the Metropolis Cinema
What would you do if your favourite actress suddenly turned up in your living room? That’s exactly what happens to Bianca (aged 13) on a sweltering summer’s day, when not only is the heat stifling, but everything in her life seems to be closing in on her: her father and his new girlfriend find her too much to handle and no longer want her to visit so often at the weekends. Her mother doesn’t understand her and focuses all her attention on her little brother Alan (aged 9), who has a heart condition, and somehow Bianca isn’t quite sure who she really is either. An encounter with her favourite actress, Billie King, sends Bianca on a heartfelt and imaginative journey through everyday family life and the world of dreams, in search of a place of her own.
Topics: Adolescence, family, idols/role models, identity, media, climate change, diversity
Recommended für years 6-8
WHEN YOU ARE AFRAID, YOU TAKE YOUR HEART IN YOUR MOUTH AND SMILE
Sandulela Asanda, South Africa 2025, original version in English and Xhosa with German subtitles
Date: see above, more details at the end of August – at the Metropolis Cinema
Luthando is 17 years old and attends a girls’ boarding school in South Africa. This is only possible because she receives a scholarship. Just as important to the quiet bookworm Luthando as her good grades is her reputation at school, which depends above all on who she hangs out with. Then Ayanda arrives at the boarding school as a new pupil and, with her rebellious nature, immediately fits right in. Luthando feels an immediate attraction to her – and before she knows it, she’s part of Ayanda’s circle of friends. But does she simply want to be friends with Ayanda and her new clique, or is there perhaps even more to it? Whilst Luthando tries to figure this out, she juggles the high expectations placed on her – from her single mum and her high standards, as well as from her classmates.
Themes: Queerness, falling in love, apartheid, belonging/exclusion, gender roles, friendship, sex, being outed by others, self-discovery
Recommended for Year 9 and above
