Working in partnership with BFI Flare: London LGBTQ+ Film Festival, the British Council makes five LGBTQ+ themed short films available for the world to watch online, for free, for a 12-day period.

The line-up of films, featuring work by emerging filmmakers from across the world, is selected from BFI Flare’s programme. A coordinated effort from British Council’s global network in over 100 countries encourages people to watch the films in solidarity with LGBTQ+ communities in places where freedom and equal rights are limited. The campaign asks audiences to share the films using the hashtag #FiveFilms4Freedom in recognition of the fact that ‘Love is a Human Right’.

Over the last four years, almost 10 million viewers have watched at least one of the films, in over 200 different countries or principalities, including seven where homosexuality is punishable by the death penalty.

British Council  is about to launch #FiveFilms4Freedom 2019. For films to be included in #FiveFilms4Freedom they must first be selected for BFI Flare: London LGBTQ+ Film Festival. The Festival’s submissions platform is open here until Tuesday 18 December 2018.