Best of Queerfilmnacht: Layla

London in Pride month. Drag performer Layla is appearing at a dreary corporate event that has made queer-friendliness its banner for advertising purposes only. Here, of all places, Layla is flirted with by the young marketing expert Max. Although the two come from different worlds - Layla is non-binary, has Palestinian roots and lives in an exciting queer artist community; Max is gay, comes from a conservative British home and has mainly yuppie friends - a real love affair develops between them. But when Layla tries to adapt to Max's lifestyle in order to be more ‘compatible’ with him, conflicts arise. Max begins to question himself and his privileges as a white cis man for the first time. Does their love even stand a chance?

What does it mean to love someone - and should we sometimes give up some of our own identity to do so? In LAYLA, director Amrou Al-Kadhi - himself non-binary and a drag performer in London with Iraqi roots - tells a modern story of two people who find each other and discover something new about themselves precisely because of their cultural, social and sexual differences. A rousing plea to stand up for yourself and for each other - despite all (supposed) expectations!