Adnkronos (Adnkronos) – Milan is preparing to celebrate the 40th edition of the MiX International Festival of LGBTQ+ Cinema and Queer Culture, a symbolic milestone that will light up the Piccolo Teatro Strehler, its churchyard, and the Casa di Quartiere Garibaldi from September 17 to 20, 2026, thanks to the free collaboration with Municipio 1. Under the co-artistic direction of Lara Vespari and Federico Manzionna, at their second helm of the festival, the city will host four days of cinema, meetings, music, workshops, and new multidisciplinary masterclasses, in an edition that looks ahead and questions the future through the slogan #whatsnext and the theme song "Louder than Shame," an unreleased song by GoldQueer.
"Leading the 40th edition of the MiX Festival is an honor for us, but also a responsibility. We look ahead to the future, with 40 years of history, struggles, demands, and changes behind us. What comes next? This is the question we started with: we hope to discover the answers together with you during this significant milestone," explain Vespari and Manzionna.
The festival will open on Thursday, September 17th with the national premiere of Leviticus, a queer horror film by Australian director Adrian Chiarella, presented at Sundance 2026 and distributed in Italy by Plaion Pictures.
The evening, hosted by Debora Villa, will feature an official welcome from Milan's Councilor for Culture, Tommaso Sacchi, and a special performance by Italy Bares, featuring Lynn Jamieson, Gaia Scarico, and Francesco Scarico, choreographed by Anna Rita Larghi and accompanied by an original arrangement sung by Numa. The closing event on Sunday, September 20th, hosted by Annie Mazzola and Riccardo Poli, will feature Levante, soon to release her new album "Dell'amore il successo e altri passi di danza," who will receive the More Love Award, an honor dedicated to figures in entertainment, culture, and civil society committed to raising awareness of LGBTQ+ issues.
Following this, a screening out of competition of Donna Deitch's cult classic Desert Hearts, based on Jane Rule's novel, considered a classic of lesbian filmography and still a reference model for contemporary sapphic cinema.
Among the most anticipated events on the program is the out-of-competition screening of Coward on Saturday, September 19th, with director Lukas Dhont in attendance. Set during the First World War, the film recounts the encounter between Pierre, a young soldier newly arrived at the front, and Francis, who attempts to boost the morale of his comrades by staging a theatrical performance. Screened at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, it will be distributed in Italy by MUBI.
The core of the MiX Festival remains its three international competitions, dedicated to feature films, documentaries, and short films. Among the features, standouts include the Italian premiere of Body Blow, a queer noir thriller directed by Dean Francis that blends eroticism, suspense, and crime melodrama set against the vibrant Sydney night, and the national premiere of the experimental documentary Uchronia by Fil Ieropoulos, a film-essay presented at the 2026 Berlinale that intertwines poetry, history, and queer imagery. Among the short films, noteworthy are Stallion y la Bola de Cristal by Christian Avilés, presented in Berlin, and Revolver by Italian director Paoli De Luca, which already won a Special Mention at the last MiX Festival and is currently in competition at the Venice Film Festival's International Critics' Week.
The winners will be selected by three juries composed of professionals from the fields of film, art, and culture. The feature-length jury will be chaired by Valentina Lodovini, supported by German actor and director Fabian Stumm and Cinema Godard project manager Susanna Cecchini. The documentary jury will be led by podcast author Sara Poma, along with film producer Olivia Musini and author Carlo Notarpietro. The short-film jury will be chaired by actress Marta Pizzigallo, supported by screenwriter Giuseppe Paternò Raddusa and director and actor Gianpiero Pumo.
Alongside screenings, the festival confirms its multidisciplinary vocation with MiX Next, the educational program that guides audiences through the creative processes of contemporary cinema. The masterclass program brings together some of the most interesting voices in the creative scene: Lukas Dhont will lead a reflection on how to convey emotions through images, gestures, and silences; screenwriter Francesca Scialanca will explore the secret lives of characters and the construction of interiority in film writing; photographer Mauro Padula, on the occasion of the release of the Milan issue of Elska magazine, will focus on portraiture and the male nude as tools for interrogating the gaze, representation, and freedom; Nat Tasha Lapiana and Luca Buttiglieri will delve into cinematic makeup and male impersonation in a masterclass in partnership with Zalando; Camila Fawape will lead a discussion on the role of music and soundtracks in the construction of cinematic imagery. These masterclasses will be accompanied by two workshops: a self-defense workshop led by Luca Vitali and sponsored by Zalando and McFit, and a natural skincare experience in collaboration with Lush. MiX Music, curated by Simone Bisantino, will also return to the Piccolo Teatro Strehler forecourt, featuring DJ sets and live performances from the Italian queer scene.
The MiX Festival celebrates this symbolic milestone thanks to the support of loyal long-standing partners, joined by new important collaborations. Among the main partners is ViiV Healthcare, which, together with Bivio, is contributing to the "What's next in HIV prevention" campaign, available directly on the MiX Festival website. The campaign, developed with the scientific support of Dr. Davide Moschese of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Luigi Sacco Hospital – University of Milan, illustrates the various strategies available today to prevent HIV acquisition and transmission. Moschese comments: "Thanks to scientific advances, HIV prevention can now be increasingly personalized and therefore more effective. Talking to healthcare professionals or properly trained community workers allows you to receive accurate information and make informed choices about the most appropriate prevention approach based on your needs, timeframe, and life circumstances."
Alongside ViiV Healthcare and Bivio, Zalando has joined as a new main partner, supporting two events dedicated to self-awareness and safety in spaces, as well as a focus on cinematic makeup as a form of creative expression. Media partnerships are handled by Taffo Funeral Services Milano, Kirweb, and Toh! Magazine, while Urban Hive and Portico84 will host the festival's international guests. A network of technical partners—Attila&Co, Barman Milano, Brooklyn Brewery, FairEnough, Flyeralarm, Gabriele Lakhal, Gloria, Oroboro Productions, SubHumans, and Vibra—will support the event. For the first time, the awards for Best Feature Film, Best Documentary, and Best Short Film will be supported by Zalando, Lush, and Bivio, respectively.
The screenings and initiatives of the 40th edition will be free for those who support the festival through a €20 membership to the MIX Milano APS Association, which provides access to exclusive deals with partners in the world of culture, wellness, and leisure. The suspended membership program, launched in 2020, will also be available, allowing those in need to purchase a membership. The festival is organized by MIX Milano APS, in partnership with CIG Arcigay Milano, and with the patronage of the Municipality of Milan and the Institut français Milano. It is directed and produced by Lara Vespari and Federico Manzionna, with Roberta Gialotti as programming coordinator and a team of over twenty people supported by dozens of volunteers.
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