Now in its nineteenth year, Cinema Diverse returns to Palm Springs with another terrific lineup of queer cinema, offering an impressive selection of features and shorts from established and emerging filmmakers. With screenings spread across two weekends, September 17–20 and 24–27, 2026, the festival offers plenty to discover, making a pass especially tempting for movie lovers who want to sample as much of the program as possible. Tickets, passes and schedule available now. Stage and Cinema recommends the films below, which have created quite a buzz for the first weekend.

THURSDAY, Sept. 17
OPENING NIGHT RECEPTION
AFTER THE FILM AND Q&A

This year, Cinema Diverse opens with Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders, the new documentary from Emmy®-winning director Jeffrey Schwarz (Vito, I Am Divine, Tab Hunter Confidential). 

The film is a fascinating look behind one of cinema’s most controversial films –  William Friedkin’s Cruising – the real-life murder that inspired it, and the fierce protests it ignited.

Blending history, true crime, and queer activism, Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders explores the complex legacy of a film that continues to provoke debate.

The festival continues Friday morning with the first screening at 11:45am. Most morning screenings are curated selections of short films, over 100 over the course of the festival. Afternoons and evenings offer a variety of feature length films, both dramas and documentaries, as well as a spotlight on today’s streaming world of web series. Of note the first weekend are:

FRIDAY, Sept. 18

2:00PM THEATRE ONE: Armani and the Birth of Italian Fashion (92 min.) Featuring his first and final on-camera interview, Giorgio Armani reflects on a remarkable life as this stylish documentary explores the legendary fashion dynasties that defined Italian luxury. With rare access, iconic designers, and Hollywood insiders, it reveals the passion, rivalries, and enduring glamour behind the world’s most influential fashion houses. In English and Italian with English Subtitles

4:30PM THEATRE ONE: A Man Walks Down The Street (93 min.) “After thirty years abroad, Raanan returns to Israel to sell his mother’s apartment. A chance encounter with an elderly stranger and a brief affair with a younger man force him to confront decades of internalized homophobia, sending him on an emotional journey toward forgiveness and reconciliation. In Hebrew with English Subtitles.

4:45PM THEATRE TWO: Barbara Forever 102 min. A compelling tribute to pioneering lesbian filmmaker Barbara Hammer, this documentary celebrates the artist who transformed lesbian visibility through more than eighty groundbreaking films. Drawing from her own voice, personal archives, and never-before-seen footage, it reveals a fearless visionary whose work forever reshaped queer cinema, feminist art, and LGBTQIA+ history.

7:00PM THEATRE ONE: Bi-Coastal (90 min.) SPONSORED BY HERE TV An aspiring filmmaker heads to New York to collect a debt from a friend, but as the months slip away, so do his Hollywood dreams. Drawn into a world of desire, excess, and self-discovery, he embarks on an unexpected journey that challenges his ambitions, gender identity, and understanding of himself.

SATURDAY, Sept. 19

2:15PM THEATRE TWO: Some Kind of Wonderful (89 min.) Be among the first audiences to experience the World Festival Premiere of the two newest episodes of Some Kind of Wonderful (now set in Palm Springs), the acclaimed LGBTQ+ comedy-drama series created, written, and directed by Palm Springs filmmaker Ricky Reidling. Think Sex and the City… with a gay twist.

4:30PM THEATRE ONE: MADFabulous (107 min.) When the flamboyant Henry Paget arrives in 1890’s North Wales to claim his aristocratic inheritance, his defiant eccentricities send shockwaves through the upper-class elite, much to the amusement of the local townspeople. Alongside his spirited cousin, Lily, and loyal butler, Gelert, Henry tries to carve out his own identity as the Fifth Marquess.

4:45PM THEATRE TWO: Karen Williams: What Really Matters (72 min.) The year is 1983 and Karen Williams bursts into the world of standup comedy—the first out Black lesbian to perform lesbian-specific material on stage. Four decades later, Karen is still going strong and we’re still laughing! Award-winning director Andrea Meyerson brings Karen Williams’ story to the screen, covering her hard-fought battle to break into male-dominated comedy clubs. Rarely-seen vintage performance footage woven together with interviews from family members and industry colleagues—including Kate Clinton, Marga Gomez, and Diane Amos, as well as Karen herself—reveal the life of this amazingly creative and prolific woman.

7:00PM THEATRE ONE: On The Road (93 min.) A rebellious drifter and a solitary truck driver form an unexpected bond as they journey across northern Mexico’s rugged highways. But with danger closing in and painful secrets refusing to stay buried, their search for freedom becomes a gripping story of desire, survival, and the possibility of redemption.

SUNDAY, Sept. 20

2:00PM THEATRE ONE: A TASTE OF HEAVEN: The Ecstatic Song & Gospel of Maestro Raymond Anthony (80 min.) A stirring portrait of gospel visionary Raymond Anthony Myles, whose extraordinary voice lifted congregations and captivated festival audiences while he struggled to reconcile his faith with his identity as a queer Black man. On the verge of stardom, his life was tragically cut short, leaving behind an enduring legacy of music, courage, and grace.

4:30PM THEATRE ONE: Uncle Roy (87 min.) Spanning nine decades of extraordinary archives, this moving documentary celebrates the remarkable life of photographer and figure skating historian Roy Blakey. As his niece works to preserve his groundbreaking queer artistic legacy in the face of dementia, the film becomes a touching tribute to family, memory, and the enduring power of living authentically.

4:45PM THEATRE TWO: Punkie (74 min.) Go behind the scenes with Saturday Night Live star Punkie Johnson as she navigates the relentless demands of stand-up comedy while confronting a deeply personal crisis. Honest, funny, and unflinchingly vulnerable, this intimate documentary reveals the resilience required to stay true to yourself—onstage and off.

7:00PM THEATRE ONE: Lady Champagne (99 min.) Step into D’Arcy Drollinger’s bold, irreverent comedy that follows the outrageous life of Champagne Horowitz Jones Dickerson White, a notorious San Francisco erotic dancer. Filmed entirely in San Francisco and featuring over 80 queer and trans performers, Lady Champagne is a slapstick love letter to 1970s exploitation cinema. Q&A with writer/director/star D’Arcy Drollinger, as well as cast members Matthew Martin, Steven LeMay, and Nancy French.