A Moment in the Reeds is an intimate drama about the chance encounter of two men by the Finnish lakeside. Leevi, who left Finland behind to study abroad, has returned for the summer to help his father renovate the family lake house. Tareq, a Syrian asylum seeker, has also been hired to help, and when Leevi’s father returns to town on business, the two young men give in to their mutual attraction, spending a few midsummer days discovering one another. Among the first queer-themed feature films made in Finland, A Moment in the Reeds puts the long-marginalized voices of sexual and ethnic minorities at center stage in a story about the search for freedom, acceptance, and a place to call home.

Linn da Quebrada is a black transwoman from impoverished periurban São Paulo; she is also a pop performer who raises her voice for queers of colour from the favelas. Accompanied by her childhood friend and partner in crime, black transwoman and singer Jup do Bairro, her concerts are nothing short of dazzling. Aided by exorbitant costumes and plenty of twerking, her performances are onslaughts of electro against Brazil’s white heteronormative gender order and the machismo of the country’s funk scene.

Writer-director Tadeo Garcia follows up his 2004 debut feature ON THE DOWN LOW with a powerful love story set against the backdrop of the controversial U.S. immigration system. Both Abel (Nelson A. Rodriguez), who works in Chicago in social services, and Diego (Andrew L. Saenz), an auto mechanic, have waited a long time for the love they have yearned for. After several chance meetings the two finally hook up and quickly fall deeply for each other. But Diego has been hiding a secret: he’s an undocumented immigrant and his repeated attempts to attain citizenship have led nowhere. When word reaches him that his mother is dying, Diego must decide whether or not to risk a trip back to Mexico, knowing he will jeopardize his chances of returning to America and to a future with Abel. And what will Abel do when he learns the truth? Can their love survive the dangerous choice the couple ultimately makes?