MiX Festival 2026: the 40th edition between queer cinema and culture kicks off in Milan Four days at the Strehler Piccolo Theater
Milan is preparing to turn the spotlight on the 40th edition of the MiX International Festival of LGBTQ Cinema and Queer Culture, scheduled from 17 to 20 September 2026 in the spaces of the Strehler Piccolo Theater and the Garibaldi District House. Under the renewed artistic co-direction of Lara Vespari and Federico Manzionna, the historic event celebrates four decades of history and struggles by questioning the future through the #whatsnext claim-manifesto and the notes of the unreleased theme song Louder than Shame by GoldQueer.
The program of MiX Festival 2026
The film program will kick off Thursday, September 17 with the national premiere of Leviticus, Australian director Adrian Chiarella's queer horror debut. The opening night, hosted by Debora Villa in the presence of the Councilor for Culture Tommaso Sacchi, will also see a special performance of the charity show Italy Bares. Among the most anticipated events of the weekend, Saturday, September 19, with the extraordinary screening of Coward and the presence in the theater of director Lukas Dhont, while the closing ceremony on Sunday, September 20, led by Annie Mazzola and Riccardo Poli, will see the award of the More Love Award to the singer-songwriter Levante, followed by the cult sapfic Desert Hearts by Donna Deitch.
The central core of the festival will be represented by the three international competitions for feature films, documentaries and short films, which will see important previews such as the noir Body Blow by Dean Francis, the visual essay Uchronia by Fil Ieropoulos and the shorts Stallion y la Bola de Cristal by Christian Avilés and Revolver by Paola De Luca. The works will be evaluated by three exceptional juries chaired respectively by actress Valentina Lodovini for feature films, author Sara Poma for documentaries and actress Marta Pizzigallo for short films, supported by esteemed professionals in the sector.
The educational itinerary of the Milanese film festival
Alongside the screenings, the 40th edition debuts with the MiX Next educational itinerary, a space dedicated to author masterclasses that will feature, among others, Lukas Dhont, the screenwriter Francesca Scialanca, the photographer Mauro Padula and the duo Nat Tasha Lapiana with Luca Buttiglieri. The cultural offer is completed with practical workshops dedicated to well-being and personal defense, the MiX Music musical schedule curated by Simone Bisantino and the social commitment of the “What's next in HIV prevention” campaign created with ViiV Healthcare. Admission to the initiatives remains accessible after signing the 20 euro membership card, which confirms again this year the solidarity formula of the suspended card.
