Programmers' Picks: Marcus Gorman on SIFF 2026

Marcus Gorman

Barbara Forever / Bucks Harbor

I’m picky about documentaries, but these two sharp and artistically immersive offerings stood out: a propulsively constructed biodoc about pioneering queer filmmaker and activist Barbara Hammer; and a verité deconstruction of masculinity in a coastal Maine fishing town.

Body Blow

The erotic thriller is back, and it’s gayer and kinkier than ever! Enjoy chastity device-wearing undercover cops, twink fatales, drag queen crime bosses, puddles of sweat, and enough neon to power Tokyo.

Camp / Gaua

There was a moment when the WTF section could’ve been renamed “Oops! All Witches” until we figured our audiences wanted some variety. Still, we stuck with two: the hypnotic coming-of-age slow burn Camp from Canadian filmmaker Avalon Fast; and the ambitious, cathartic Gaua from SIFF alum Paul Urkijo Alijo (Errementari, Irati).

Drunken Noodles

A sensitive, erotic, and elliptically told examination of modern queer romance worth your attention.

Edie Arnold is a Loser

To use previous SIFF films, think of it as We Are the Best! in the Egghead & Twinkie style. A teen comedy for the women of punk rock who paved the way and the generations that followed.

The Furious

I cannot stress this enough: Don’t kidnap children. Not only is it extremely evil, but you will also get the shit kicked out of you by the two leads of this martial arts brawler out of Hong Kong.

Lucky Lu / Valentina

In our New American Cinema competition, we strive to include American films that are in languages other than English, so here are two: a tense slice of neorealism as a Chinese immigrant tries to stay afloat in New York City; and a Spirit Award-winning narrative/doc hybrid starring Keyla Monterroso Mejia (One of Them Days, “Abbott Elementary”) and the working-class citizens of El Paso.