IUS of Time, co-directed by Roberto F. Canuto and Xu Xiaoxi, has been officially selected for the short film competition at the 42nd Freiburg Gay Film Festival (Schwule Filmwoche Freiburg), one of Germany’s longest-running and most established LGBTIQ+ film festivals.
The film will screen on Sunday, May 3, 2026, at 21:00 as part of the Fabulous Shorts I — a curated program of 17 short films from Switzerland, Spain, the UK, the USA, Austria, Italy, and Slovenia, all competing for the Audience Award for Best Short Film.
The 42nd Schwule Filmwoche Freiburg runs from April 29 to May 6, 2026, across several venues in Freiburg im Breisgau, featuring a diverse program of international LGBTQ+ feature films, documentaries, and short film competitions. This year’s edition introduces a new structure for its short film section, divided into two curated blocks that allow audiences to engage more directly in the voting process for the Audience Award.
IUS of Time in competition at the 42nd Schwule Filmwoche Freiburg 2026
🗓 Date: Sunday, May 3, 2026
🕘 Time: 21:00
📍 Location: Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
🎬 Program: Fabulous Shorts I
See the Fabulous Shorts I screening program
Official festival website
Schwule Filmwoche Freiburg: over four decades of queer cinema
The Schwule Filmwoche Freiburg is one of the longest-running LGBTQ+ film festivals in the German-speaking world. Now in its 42nd edition, the festival has built a reputation for programming that balances artistic quality with cultural and political awareness.
The 2026 program places a strong emphasis on contemporary LGBTQ+ storytelling, combining international premieres, European independent cinema, and socially engaged documentaries. In addition to film screenings, the festival includes live events, panel discussions, and collaborations with local cultural institutions such as Theater Freiburg, reinforcing its role as a multidisciplinary platform for queer culture and public discourse.
IUS of Time: an expanding international festival trajectory
With over 50 international festival selections and multiple awards to date — including the Director’s Choice Award at the 45th Thomas Edison Film Festival and Best Cinematography at the 4th Silicon Valley Queer Film Festival — IUS of Time is emerging as one of the most internationally visible independent queer short films from Spain in recent years.
The selection in Freiburg adds to the film’s growing presence within the European queer festival circuit, following screenings at the 31st Chéries-Chéris – Festival du Film LGBTQIA+ de Paris, the 16th Écrans Mixtes Queer Film Festival in Lyon, the 53rd Huesca International Film Festival (Oscar & Goya Qualifying Festival), and the 63rd FICX Gijón International Film Festival.
In North America, the film has been selected at major festivals including the 43rd Reeling: Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival (USA), one of the longest-running queer film festivals in the United States, strengthening its visibility within key international LGBTQ+ exhibition platforms.
Upcoming screenings include its Australian premiere at the Geelong Pride Film Festival, marking the film’s debut in Oceania.
A film shaped by memory, landscape, and emotional encounter
Developed through an extended creative process, IUS of Time combines naturalistic storytelling with a poetic and symbolic dimension.
The film evolved alongside a series of short pieces — Blow Down and Sunset in Paris — conceived as part of the Sketches of IUS, expanding its narrative universe.
Shot on location in Asturias, including the Picos de Europa and rural villages such as Cabrales and Onís, the film integrates landscape as an essential narrative element, reinforcing its thematic exploration of time, identity, and memory.
At its core, the film presents an encounter between two characters from different generations and worlds, unfolding as both a physical experience and an emotional reconstruction shaped by absence and connection.
IUS of Time within contemporary European queer cinema
Its inclusion in the Freiburg Gay Film Festival competition highlights the film’s relevance within the current landscape of European queer cinema, where intimate, character-driven narratives continue to gain prominence.
Within the European festival circuit, IUS of Time aligns with a growing wave of queer cinema that prioritizes personal narratives, cross-cultural perspectives, and visually driven storytelling, positioning the film among emerging independent works gaining traction in international LGBTQ+ festivals.
More information
For a complete and updated list of festival selections, visit the official page of IUS of Time
