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The Castle Cinema Pride Programme 2026

Pride Month arrives at The Castle Cinema with a bold, joy-filled programme celebrating queer cinema, creativity and community. Across the month, expect beloved classics, hidden gems and unforgettable live events - from performances, talks and Q&As to workshops, drag, DJ sets, poetry and singalongs.

Curated with community at its heart, all events are just £6, making Pride at The Castle as accessible as it is vibrant.

From sapphic romances and trans stories to queer friendship, camp musicals, documentaries, family-friendly films and screenings for older LGBTQ+ audiences, the programme embraces the many voices and experiences of queer life (closing with a Pride wrap party featuring Neo + Trinity Part II).

Created alongside collaborators including The Otherness Archive, The Pink Singers and Fist Club, this is Pride at The Castle: celebratory, communal and full of queer joy!

Programme supported by Film Hub London, managed by Film London. Proud to be a partner of the BFI Film Audience Network, funded by the National Lottery.

Fri, 5 Jun

Hedwig and the Angry Inch Singalong!

Raised a boy in East Berlin, Hedwig undergoes a traumatic personal transformation in order to emigrate to the U.S., where she reinvents herself as an 'internationally ignored' but divinely talented rock diva. Based on the trailblazing musical from writer-director-star John Cameron Mitchell and composer lyricist Stephen Trask, Hedwig and the Angry Inch tells Hedwig’s life through her music, an eclectic assortment of original punk anthems and power ballads a tribute to the transcendent power of rock and roll. Event supported by Film Hub London, managed by Film London. Proud to be a partner of the BFI Film Audience Network, funded by the National Lottery. www.filmlondon.org.uk/film-hub-london.

Sun, 14 Jun

Raya and the Last Dragon + Origami Workshop

In a realm known as Kumandra - a reimagined Earth inhabited by an ancient civilisation - a warrior named Raya sets out to find the last dragon. Raya and the Last Dragon has been widely interpreted by fans and critics as featuring strong queer subtext between Raya and her rival, Namaari, with that reading further validated by lead actress Kelly Marie Tran. The film offers meaningful queer-coded representation within a family fantasy adventure. This event is a relaxed screening, designed to be welcoming and accessible for neurodivergent audiences, and will be followed by an origami workshop from Yuka, editor of Chinese diasporic sisters and publications, where you can make your own dragon. Event supported by Film Hub London, managed by Film London. Proud to be a partner of the BFI Film Audience Network, funded by the National Lottery. www.filmlondon.org.uk/film-hub-london.

Tue, 16 Jun

Two Times João Liberada + Q&A

João, an actress from Lisbon, stars in a biopic about Liberada, a gender-nonconforming figure persecuted by the Portuguese Inquisition in the 18th century. The film’s production becomes a battleground as João clashes with the director over how Liberada’s legacy should be portrayed. These tensions deepen as João’s dreams are increasingly haunted by Liberada’s ghost, blurring the lines between past and present. When the director succumbs to a mysterious paralysis, leaving the film unfinished, João is left to navigate the unfolding chaos. She faces unanswerable questions, not only about the film’s future but also about her own connection to Liberada’s spirit and story. With a post-screening Q&A from film scholar Lu Etienne, this is a one-off special you don't want to miss. Lu Etienne is an independent film scholar and curator. For over a decade, they have introduced audiences to innovative films in essays, on podcasts, and at cinemas and universities. Recent long-term projects have explored oppositional trans filmmaking and decolonial film curation. Lu’s work is driven by curiosity about the role of visual media in spurring change and building futures. Event supported by Film Hub London, managed by Film London. Proud to be a partner of the BFI Film Audience Network, funded by the National Lottery. www.filmlondon.org.uk/film-hub-london.

Sat, 20 Jun

The Handmaiden + Bespoke Poetry

Confined in a mansion in 1930s Korea, Lady Hideko is a bird in a gilded cage - and a seemingly easy target for a duplicitous Count, who hires Sook-hee, a talented young pickpocket, to act as her handmaiden (and help in his plan to seduce her). But Sook-hee may have a different plan in mind, and a tangled web soon begins to weave around the handmaiden, her charge, the Count, and Hideko's domineering uncle. Winner of Best Film Not in the English Language at the BAFTAs in 2018, The Handmaiden is a ravishing puzzle box filled with mystery and melodrama from director Park Chan-wook. Stay around post-screening to grab a bespoke typewriter poems by poet-on-command Mikayla Elias Event supported by Film Hub London, managed by Film London. Proud to be a partner of the BFI Film Audience Network, funded by the National Lottery. www.filmlondon.org.uk/film-hub-london.

Wed, 24 Jun

Fist Club x The Castle: Bottoms

PJ (Rachel Sennott) and Josie (Ayo Edebiri) start a fight club as a way to lose their virginities to cheerleaders. The fight club gains traction and soon the most popular girls in school are beating each other up in the name of self-defense. But the pair find themselves in over their heads and in need of a way out before their plan is exposed. With an intro from queer drag wrestling legends Fist Club, this is one boisterous event not to miss. Fight, fight, fight, fight. Event supported by Film Hub London, managed by Film London. Proud to be a partner of the BFI Film Audience Network, funded by the National Lottery. www.filmlondon.org.uk/film-hub-london.

Sat, 27 Jun

The Birdcage (1996) + Drag Tea Party

The Castle is delighted to present this groundbreaking comedy from director Mike Nichols. The Birdcage is adapted from the farcical French play, and its subsequent film adaptation, La Cage aux Folles. It follows cabaret club owners and lovers Armand (Robin Williams) and Albert (Nathan Lane) receiving word that their son is intent to marry the daughter of a controversial conservative politician (Gene Hackman). To accommodate, the couple make sincere attempts to hide their true selves and pass as a traditional family for the fiancée’s conservative parents abruptly come to visit. But as their stay increases, the truth must eventually win out. The Birdcage is a fierce and uncompromising celebration of love in all its forms. With a special cabaret intro, this is one screening not to miss. Event supported by Film Hub London, managed by Film London. Proud to be a partner of the BFI Film Audience Network, funded by the National Lottery. www.filmlondon.org.uk/film-hub-london

Fri, 3 Jul

The Matrix: Reloaded + DJ set

Last year we rounded out our pride programme with the queer world's favourite trans-allegory, The Matrix. This year, it's time for round two of the Wachowski sisters cyberpunk sci-fi masterpiece. Neo, Trinity and Morpheus, now fully immersed into the world of The Matrix, continue to lead the revolt against the Machine Army in The Matrix: Reloaded the second part of the original trilogy. Revealing their arsenal of extraordinary skills and weaponry and letting all loose against the systematic forces of repression and exploitation. In their quest to save the human race from extinction, they gain greater insight into the construct of The Matrix and Neo's pivotal role in the fate of mankind. Followed by a DJ set & with delicious beers provided by Queer Brewing - come see Pride Month out in style! Event supported by Film Hub London, managed by Film London. Proud to be a partner of the BFI Film Audience Network, funded by the National Lottery. www.filmlondon.org.uk/film-hub-london.

The End

That's it for now.
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