The very first edition of the International Queer & Migrant Film Festival (IQMF) kicks off next Wednesday. This new festival is aimed at making films, photography and literature about sexual diversity in migrant communities visible. The festival starts in Amsterdam and then travels to Utrecht and Rotterdam.

The festival will open on Wednesday 9 December with the Israeli film oriented about three Palestinian boys who seek both their national and their sexual identities during the 2014 Gaza conflict. There will also be a special dinner that evening. The festival visitor buys two tickets for this: one for himself and one for an LGBT refugee.

The films shown during the festival focus on countries with which the Netherlands has close ties, such as Turkey, Morocco and Suriname. There is also a lot of attention for homosexuality in the Islamic world. Festival director Chris Belloni (known for the film I am gay and muslim): 'It still appears to be difficult for many LGBT people with a migrant background to be themselves and to be understood. With this festival I hope to make sexual diversity within migrant communities visible and open for discussion through art.'

In addition to films, there are also some photo exhibitions and workshops for young filmmakers. This is how Tofik Dibi presents his recently published book Djinn and Boris van der Ham will talk to lawyer Erik Hagenaars about asylum seekers who submit an asylum application in the Netherlands on the basis of their sexual orientation. Watch the film festival trailer below for an impression. You can find the full program here.

The International Queer & Migrant Film Festival will take place from 9 to 13 December at De Balie and De Meervaart in Amsterdam. On December 14, the festival will travel to Utrecht ('t Hoogt) and on December 15 to Rotterdam (De LantarenWindows).