Queer Stories at 35,000 Feet: A Pride Month Conversation with Jasmin Lim

For Pride Month, PAX Tech caught up with Jasmin Lim, Spafax’s Asian Content Acquisitions lead based in the Singapore office, to talk about curating queer stories from around the world — and why inflight entertainment has more power than people think.

PAX TECH: Which LGBTQIA+ films in the Spafax catalog stand out to you — especially ones from underrepresented regions or filmmakers?

JASMIN LIM: Two come to mind right away. All Shall Be Well is a quiet, affecting film about grief, love, and the way queer relationships are — or are not — legally recognized. It is set in Hong Kong, but the emotional weight of the story feels universal.

Then there is Love in the Big City, which does something really rare: it focuses on queer life in South Korea without making it feel isolated or tragic. The way it explores friendship, especially across gender lines, feels honest and refreshing.

There are plenty of other titles worth calling out too — Linda, Emilia Perez, El Jockey, and Riviera Revenge each bring something different to the table.

PAX TECH: How do you approach curating queer stories from around the world, beyond the usual Western lens?

 LIM: It starts with curiosity and a willingness to look beyond the usual suspects. Western queer cinema has done a lot to push visibility forward, but there’s a whole world of stories still being overlooked — often because of language barriers, censorship or lack of funding.

A big part of my job involves keeping tabs on regional festivals, local distributors and critics to find films that offer something different. I am drawn to stories that feel honest, personal and rooted in their own context, showing how queerness intersects with other aspects of identity, like religion, age or class. I look for authenticity and I want to platform films made by people from the communities they’re representing, not outsiders trying to speak on their behalf.

The aim is not to tick boxes. It is to build a catalog that feels rich, surprising and real — where someone might see their own experience reflected or gain a new perspective they did not expect.

PAX TECH: What role do you think inflight entertainment plays in promoting more inclusive cultural storytelling?

LIM: Inflight entertainment reaches a rare kind of audience: global, diverse and temporarily unplugged from daily life. That makes it a powerful space for discovery because people often end up watching films they would not actively choose — perhaps out of curiosity, boredom or pure chance.

This is why I think inclusive programming matters. A queer love story from Southeast Asia or a coming-of-age film from the Middle East might not change someone’s worldview entirely, but it can spark something — a shift in perspective, a moment of empathy, a connection they did not expect. It is about expanding what is visible — gently, without fanfare or being preachy. And that is often how change begins: not with a grand statement, but with an understated, unexpected story midway through an eight-hour flight.

PAX TECH: Has a recent film stood out to you for the way it handled LGBTQIA+ representation?

LIM: Certainly, All Shall Be Well really resonated with me. As I mentioned earlier, it is a low-key but deeply affecting film that manages to handle LGBTQIA+ representation with dignity and emotional honesty. What struck me most was how it portrayed a queer relationship not just through the lens of romance, but as a lived, long-term partnership — one deserving of the same recognition, rights and respect as any other family unit.

The film does not rely on dramatic declarations or stereotypes. Instead, it invites viewers into the subtle moments of grief, love and legacy — themes everyone can relate to, but which carry added weight when seen through the lens of a marginalized identity.

PAX TECH: What is one lesser-known queer film you think more people should see — and why?

LIM: It would be Your Name Engraved Herein (2020). Despite receiving well-deserved awards and recognition, I still think its emotional depth merits even greater visibility. It is a queer coming-of-age story from Taiwan that is tender, uncomfortable and quietly devastating in how it captures the bittersweet and universal experience of lost love.

And then there is the theme song. The line “连呼吸都是奢侈” — “Even breathing feels like a luxury” — perfectly distills the film’s emotional intensity. The music becomes part of the story’s lasting impact.

Read more in the full feature here: https://www.pax-intl.com/ife-connectivity/inflight-entertainment/2025/06/09/q-and-a-with-spafax-queer-stories-at-35,000-feet/