Perlen – Queer Film Festival Hannover is a prominent queer film festival in northern Germany, which has been an integral part of Hanover's cultural landscape and queer community. The festival, established in its current form with all-gender topics in 1997, though its roots trace back to a solely gay film festival initiated in the late 1970s, annually opens its doors at the Kino im Künstlerhaus Hannover for nine days, showcasing approximately 30 feature films, documentaries, and short films with LGBTIQ+ themes. It also includes accompanying events and a short program called "Sommerperlen" during Hannover-Pride. The festival features an audience award, the "GOLDENE PERLE," in the categories of feature film, documentary, and short film.