“IUS of Time”, the short film directed by Roberto F. Canuto and Xu Xiaoxi, will have its Canadian premiere at the 27th ReelOut Queer Film Festival, one of Canada’s most established LGBTQ+ film festivals, taking place in Kingston, Ontario , from January 29 to February 7, 2026.
The 2026 edition of the ReelOut Queer Film Festival presents a diverse programme combining fiction and documentary feature films and short films from Canada and more than 15 countries. In the short film section, the festival showcases around 40 worksacross different thematic programmes, with a strong international dimension that includes nine European short films, alongside productions from Canada, the United States, Australia and Latin America.
This selection marks a new milestone in the film’s international journey and reinforces its presence at festivals that position queer cinema as a space for reflection, community and social dialogue.
For more information about the short film, including its full synopsis and international festival journey, you can visit the official page for “IUS of Time” on our website.
Canadian Premiere in the Man Space Programme
“IUS of Time” will be part of the short film programme Man Space, an international programme that brings together diverse perspectives on queer men’s experiences, exploring themes of identity, desire, memory and belonging across different cultural and generational contexts.
Within this context, IUS of Time is included in a carefully curated international programme, positioning it among the few European short films selected in this year’s edition of the festival, contributing to a broader global dialogue around contemporary queer cinema.
The screening will take place on Thursday, February 5, 2026, at 6:00 pm (EST), as part of the official ReelOut Queer Film Festival programme in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
The programme brings together films from Canada, Spain, Ireland, Australia and the United States, forming a collective programme that brings different territories, generations and sensibilities within contemporary queer cinema into dialogue.
Tickets and further information about the screening are available via the official ReelOut Queer Film Festival website.
A Key Festival for Queer Cinema in Canada
Founded in 1999, the ReelOut Queer Film Festival celebrates in 2026 its 27th edition, firmly established as a national and international reference for the exhibition of 2SLGBTQ+ cinema. Over ten days, the festival presents a carefully curated selection of feature films and short films—fiction, documentary and experimental—from more than 15 countries..
The 2026 edition is organised around the theme “Exploring Space”, exploring how cinema can create, preserve and reimagine safe spaces for communities that have historically been marginalised, both on an intimate and a collective level.
“IUS of Time”: Time as a Space of Encounter
Set in the rural landscape of Asturias, IUS of Time it unfolds as a minimal yet resonant encounter between two men from different generations who share time, space and everyday gestures. The film observes how, within this seemingly immobile territory, time itself becomes a place where something can quietly change.
Rather than relying on explicit conflict, the short film builds its narrative through observation, a restrained rhythm and close attention to process: looking, working, waiting. Luca’s camera and Xuan’s craft function as parallel languages, two ways of relating to memory and to a past that has not always been able to name itself.
From this sense of restraint, IUS of Time it offers an intimate experience that invites viewers to inhabit silences, read what remains unspoken, and reflect on queer identity beyond familiar urban spaces, situating it within a landscape where time weighs heavily, yet also opens up new possibilities.
A Diverse and Sustained International Festival Journey
Since its premiere, IUS of Time has built a solid international festival run that combines qualifying festivals, key reference events in queer cinema, and alternative exhibition spaces. The film has screened at festivals such as the 63rd Gijón International Film Festival (FICX), the 27th OUTshine International Film Festival (Miami) and the the 45th Thomas Edison Film Festival, a touring festival that promotes the extended circulation of films within cultural and educational contexts, among many others.
This journey, spanning both European and North American festivals, reflects the short film’s ability to engage with diverse audiences and to place a story written by Roberto F. Canuto, Xu Xiaoxi and Enrique Pérez Romero—intimate and deeply rooted in the rural world—within contemporary conversations around identity, memory and queer representation, in continuity with a filmography that has previously explored other cultural contexts and forms of dissidence, such as Sunken Plum, one of the directors’ most widely recognised short films to date.
Official Trailer of “IUS of Time”
Below, you can watch the official trailer for “IUS of Time”, a short film produced by Almost Red Productions, which accompanies the film’s international festival journey and offers a first glimpse into its visual and emotional universe.
Header image: photograph taken during the filming of “IUS of Time”, used for illustrative purposes.
