Diego Aparicio​

Diego Armando Aparicio (b. 1993, Cyprus) is the founder and Artistic Director of Queer Wave, the Cyprus LGBTQIA+ Film Festival. A physics graduate from Imperial College London, he transitioned from science to cinema with the ambition to create greater visibility and community for queer voices in Cyprus. He launched Queer Wave in 2020 as an online initiative during the pandemic, expanding it into a full festival in 2021.

Under his direction, Queer Wave has become a vibrant hub for queer cinema, presenting numerous LGBTQIA+ film premieres, fostering cultural exchange, and bridging communities across Cyprus, including across the Green Line.

Diego has also contributed significantly to the international festival landscape: he served on the jury of Giornate degli Autori at the Venice International Film Festival (2018), was a global finalist for the 2021 Commonwealth Youth Awards, and joined the jury of the 2024 Teddy Award at the Berlin International Film Festival.

His journey-from physics to queer-cinema advocacy-reflects his belief in cinema’s power to build visibility, community, and transformation.