Queer East Festival UK Screens "The Outsiders," Presenting Sexuality Under Martial Law

Central News Agency (Reporter Chen Yun-yu, London, 1st) – The 2026 Queer East Festival UK, which combines film festivals, literature, performance, and visual arts, opened tonight in London. Director Yu Kan-ping's 1986 film "The Outsiders" 4K restored version was screened as the festival's opening film.

Wang Yi, the festival founder and a Taiwanese, told the Central News Agency that he had long wanted to introduce this courageous, taboo-challenging, and captivating queer film, produced in Taiwan during the martial law period of the 1980s, to British audiences.

However, it wasn't until he learned last year that the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute had completed its restoration that he finally confirmed it was time to present "The Outsiders" on the big screen with film festival standards.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the film "The Outsiders." The film is adapted from writer Pai Hsien-yung's classic novel of the same name, touching on the male same-sex desires of different generations and backgrounds, and presenting the streets of Taipei and the social landscape of Taiwan in the 1980s.

The screening held today at the Barbican Centre, a landmark venue in London, was fully booked, attracting nearly 300 spectators.

Yu Kan-ping, now 75, conveyed through a pre-recorded video to the audience that Taiwanese society and human thought have undergone great changes in the 40 years since the film's release, but no matter how times change, "social outsiders" have always been his focus.

Yu Kan-ping mentioned that homosexuals used to have to disguise and hide their true nature; under a system that went against human nature and was "unfair" to human nature, the heavy, enormous "moral" high hat often made it difficult for people to resist. At that time, "The Outsiders" was requested by the censorship agency, the Government Information Office, to delete 11 scenes, otherwise it would not be released. However, such suppression also highlighted the value of investors and other supporters.

The version of "The Outsiders" screened at the festival includes previously deleted scenes.

In addition to "The Outsiders," the Queer East Festival, now in its seventh year, has once again collaborated with the Cultural Division of the Taipei Representative Office in the UK, screening three other feature films in the festival's "Taiwan Focus" section, including director Li You-ning's "The Winter of 1905" (1986), director Chang Ying's Taiwanese-language film "The Hero Deer" (1961), and the Taiwan, Macau, and Hong Kong co-production "Girls Don't Cry" (2025) directed by Hsu Hsin-hsien.

Furthermore, there will be director Wang He-luo's documentary "Into the Abyss Like a Fish" (2025), as well as six Taiwanese short films and video art works. "Into the Abyss Like a Fish" and "Girls Don't Cry" are both UK premieres.

Regarding why works not typically considered queer or LGBTQ+ films, such as "The Hero Deer," were chosen for screening, Wang Yi told the Central News Agency that his queer film festival has always resisted stereotypes or established standards related to gender and gender roles, and also challenged preconceived notions about queer or LGBTQ+ films.

Ambiguous, fluid, and even unconscious emotions or desires between people may take on new meanings when viewed from a different perspective. Wang Yi said that the "Queer East Festival" invites audiences to step out of their accustomed perspectives, break down self-evident cognitive frameworks, and re-explore gender, gender roles, same-sex friendships, and more.

In this regard, Wang Yi believes that what needs to be challenged, broken down, and overturned also includes stereotypes and normative constraints within the LGBTQ+ community itself.

Regarding individual film works, Wang Yi said that "The Winter of 1905" portrays same-sex friendships and how Taiwanese society viewed such friendships at that time.

As for "The Hero Deer," Wang Yi believes that the film's "anti-traditional" spirit aligns with queer sensibilities, and the cross-dressing, role-playing, and depiction of "absurdity" presented in the film are important elements of queer culture.

The "Queer East Festival" runs from May 1st to June 6th in London, spanning several cinemas and cultural spaces, such as BFI Southbank, ICA, and Battersea Arts Centre. The program focuses on the diverse aspects of queer people from East and Southeast Asia and their diaspora communities.

After the London leg, the festival will tour Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester, Bristol, and Edinburgh later this year, developing smaller but uniquely featured Asian queer art festivals in each location.

Wang Yi also revealed that according to the festival's plan, writer Chen Szu-hung will hold a dialogue with renowned British queer writer Adam Zmith in London in early June, sharing his creative work and Taiwanese experience.

In autumn, video artist Chou Tung-yen will bring his multi-user interactive extended reality (XR) immersive work "Through the Fog" for its UK premiere. (Editor: Chen Cheng-kung) 1150502

Choose to stand with the facts, every sponsorship of yours is the power to protect press freedom.

Download the Central News Agency's "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.

The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.