SHOUT Festival does queer well – it’s no secret (see our Shout Top 5 event picks here) but the film programme alone is so good this year that it deserves it’s own top 6. Also see our weekly film picks here.

1. KIKI is a powerhouse of queer film shot over four year exploring the safe space built for queer people of colour called the Kiki scene.Twenty-five years after Jenny Livingston’s seminal documentary Paris is Burning, which shone a light on ’80s Harlem’s ballroom scene, this explosive and uplifting new documentary reveals one of the subculture’s contemporary descendants. The film follows seven members of the community through the difficulties of illness, homelessness and everyday discrimination, as well as the joys of spectacle, camaraderie and personal affirmation.
Wed 15th Nov, mac Birmingham, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham B12 9QH. Tel:0121 446 3232. 7pm £9 www.macbirmingham.co.uk

2. Tom of Finland’s artwork is almost as iconic amongst queer imagery as the rainbow flag. Contributing so much to the underground fetish scene throughout the years and inspiration for many a fashion collection, SHOUT festival brings the biopic Tom of Finland to Birmingham in an unapologetic screening of this potential future classic.
Sat 11 Nov, mac Birmingham, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham B12 9QH. Tel:0121 446 3232. 6pm £9 www.macbirmingham.co.uk

3. The Pass is a tale of two budding UK football stars spanning ten years featuring rising stars Russell Tovey (Quantico, Looking, History Boys and Being Human) and Arinze Kene (Casualty, Eastenders, Hollyoaks, Youngers and Crazyhead). This sometimes raw, sometimes painfully cold story details racism and homophobia within the football industry.
Mon 13 Nov, mac Birmingham, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham B12 9QH. Tel:0121 446 3232. 7pm £9 www.macbirmingham.co.uk

4. SHOUT wouldn’t be SHOUT without some seriously loud and outrageous camp action, so a screening of the classic Hairspray on the big screen will hardly fail to surprise or disappoint. This heartfelt musical promises to lift spirits and reinstate your faith in human kindness. A truly inspirational choice given today’s socio-political climate. Bring tissues.
Sat 18th Nov, mac Birmingham, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham B12 9QH. Tel:0121 446 3232. 2pm. £9. www.macbirmingham.co.uk

5. In the perfect accompaniment to The Vaudevillians, starring the one and only Jinkx Monsoon SHOUT festival will be screening Drag Becomes Him in the suitably swish surrounds of The Electric Cinema. An intimate glimpse inside the life of internationally acclaimed drag performer Jinkx Monsoon, this raw and affectionate film follows the passionate pursuits that transformed a working class boy into a masterclass performer on a global stage.
Sun 19th Nov, The Electric Cinema, Station Street, Birmingham B5 4DY. 3pm. £9.50. www.theelectric.co.uk

6. Our final pick is another camp crown contender, with a deliciously decadent culinary twist. This screening of the sumptuous masterpiece Pink Flamingos is co-hosted by Conjurer’s Kitchen and The Electric cinema and comes complete with a flamboyant foodie flourish. Starring the unmatched drag queen and Waters’ muse Divine, who lives in a caravan with her mad hippie son Crackers and her 250-pound mother Mama Edie, resting on their laurels as ‘the filthiest people alive’, competition soon comes a-knocking in the form of Connie and Raymond Marble, who sell heroin to schoolchildren and kidnap and impregnate female hitchhikers, selling the babies to lesbian couples. Conjurer’s Kitchen run by food artist Annabel de Vetten, has spent the last few years pairing film with food to produce painstakingly crafted edible treats. Expect some suitably shocking creations for this special SHOUT screening which will be paused at opportune moments so audience members can ingest the next menu item and wallow in the sheer sleazy hedonism of it all. Also featuring performances from Birmingham’s own queen of filth Ginny Lemon.
Tue 14 Nov, The Electric Cinema Station Street, Birmingham B5 4DY. £8pm, £20.40 including food. www.theelectric.co.uk