Every year, BFI Flare pulls together the best in LGBTQ+
storytelling from directors across the UK and beyond. While the
festival typically takes place in March, this year the entire
schedule is available to view online through BFI Player,
the British Film Institute’s online streaming service. Plenty of
films are available without charge, though you’ll have to subscribe
to watch the most highly sought-after content. New subscribers get
their first 14 days free and it costs £4.99 per month
thereafter.

South by Southwest is one of the most trendsetting film
festivals in the world; just one screening here can launch the
career of an aspiring filmmaker into the cinematic stratosphere.
This year, it has partnered with Mailchimp to digitalise its short-film offering. Don’t
be fooled by the simple, Y2K-style interface; these bite-sized
films are seriously meaty. All of the short films listed are free
to watch. Check South by Southwest’s main website for
feature-length films.

Over the past decade, Korean culture has percolated its way into
the mainstream, with K-Pop stars such as BTS selling out stadiums,
DJs like Peggy Gou filling dancefloors and films including Bong
Joon-ho’s Parasite blitzing the box office. If Korean culture’s
your jam, it’s time to tune in to the London Korean Film
Festival. Various contemporary films can be rented for a
nominal fee with some of the more classic options available for
free. Late to the party? Stream full-length films via the Korean Film Archive YouTube channel. Alternatively,
London Korean Film Festival is screening Happy Life and Ashfall in
cinemas when they reopen this December.

Around this time every year, Aesthetica Short Film Festival rocks the
crumbly, medieval walls of York. It’s a biggie in the film
calendar, attracting spokespeople from some of the UK’s most
exciting film studios and presenting a broad range of content
covering everything from fashion film to humanitarian crises to
virtual-reality experiments. This year you can sit in on its
Virtual Festival. For £25 you can get access to the entire schedule
for 24 hours. Pay £50 and you’ll have access throughout
November.

This festival of feature documentaries and educational films is
co-presented by American University and various cultural embassies,
arts institutions and environmental groups from around the world.
Titled Stories of Resilience and Hope, this year’s
edit is a harbinger of optimism for the future. Not only is there a
library of gripping films available to watch (subject to geographic
restrictions), but viewers can sit in on a host of panel
discussions with directors and film buffs too.