By Salma El-Sakka
Beijing's longest-running queer film festival has been cancelled a day before its scheduled opening following alleged harassment from state authorities, organizers announced on Thursday. The Beijing Queer Film Week, founded in 2001 by Peking University students, was set to begin on Friday but was called off after police mounted pressure through repeated phone calls in the lead-up to the event.
Organizers cite intensifying scrutiny
In a statement on Instagram, the organizers said they regretted the cancellation of the Love Queer Film Week and apologized for the inconvenience to participants and audiences. The festival is one of the few in mainland China dedicated to LGBT+ issues.
Broader crackdown on LGBT+ visibility
The cancellation comes amid a widening crackdown on LGBT+ activism and representation under President Xi Jinping. Chinese authorities have censored same-sex content in media, shut down advocacy groups, and removed dating apps. Dozens of writers of gay erotic fiction known as danmei have been arrested on charges of producing obscene materials.
International events also targeted
Human Rights Watch deputy Asia editor Maya Wang said Beijing has been tightening social and ideological control, subjecting unsanctioned activities to intensifying scrutiny and official harassment. In June, the French embassy in Beijing cancelled a Pride Month film screening due to police pressure, and the advocacy group Beijing LGBT closed its doors in 2023 amid the clampdown.
