Queer cinema and tragedy, unfortunately, go hand in hand. That’s why films like Sam Lee’s “Billie and Emma” are so important. After its premiere at QCinema last year, Lee’s sophomore film proves that LGBTQ+ films can have happy endings.

Read more: Watch 10 LGBTQ+ films where nobody dies

Today marks the film’s one-year anniversary. And this week, it will premiere in two cities: New York and Hanover, Germany. 

“Billie and Emma” is in this year’s NewFest LGBTQ+ Film Festival. It premieres this Oct. 25 at Cinépolis Chelsea, New York City with 27 other full-length narratives like Nicole Maines’ “Bit,” Santiago Loza’s “Brief Story From the Green Planet,” and Martha Stephen’s “To The Stars.” 

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3zD7sfFZEm/?igshid=13aocj7y8j4u9

Aside from premiering in NYC, the film is also part of Germany’s Perlen Queer Film Festival. “Billie and Emma” will screen this Oct. 22 at Kommunales Kino Hannover, where it will be joining films like Lewis D. Collins’ “Young Desires,” Christiaan Olwagen’s “Kanarie,” and Jamie Patterson’s “Tucked.”

Read more: 7 relatable Filipino coming-of-age films for young LGBTQ+ people

Typically, only tragic Filipino queer stories are given a chance at film festivals. That’s why seeing “Billie and Emma” on huge platforms is important. Seeing our LGBTQ+ coming-of-age stories thrive like this proves that queer cinema is not limited to drama. We have feel-good love stories, too—and we deserve more of them. 

Watch the trailer below: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3V3hA3kmk0&t=2s

Still from “Billie and Emma”