The 27th Long Beach QFilm Festival, September 10-13, moves online
The 2020 Long Beach QFilm Festival, a celebration of the rich diversity and experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) communities, is going worldwide for the first time. This September 10th through 13th, queer cinema lovers can use a streaming device or TV to view more than 40 new narrative, documentary, and short films not seen in theatres or on major streaming platforms.
“We made lemonade out of lemons this year,” said Andrew Dorado, interim executive director of The LGBTQ Center Long Beach. “COVID-19 was not going to stop The Center from presenting unique queer stories and storytellers while raising funds to serve the community.”
The Center supports more than 25,000 people a year through programs including youth services, senior services, counseling, legal services, domestic violence support, trans health programs, HIV and STI testing, and more than 20 weekly support groups. Currently many of these services are offered online during the pandemic.
Feature film highlights include Gossamer Folds, produced by and featuring actress Yeardley Smith of The Simpsons, a tender tale of friendship between a lonely boy and his grown-up transgender neighbor, Gossamer and her retired college professor father. Breaking Fast, Mo, a practicing Muslim living in West Hollywood, is learning to navigate life post heartbreak. Enter Kal, an All-American guy who surprises Mo by offering to break fast with him during the holy month of Ramadan. Tahara, a coming of age story that explores two best girlfriends who find themselves distracted by the teenage complications of lust, social status, and wavering faith.
Documentary highlights include Ahead of the Curve, with a fist full of credit cards, a lucky run at the horse track, and chutzpah for days, Franco Stevens launched Curve, the best-selling lesbian magazine ever published. This doc is about the extraordinary woman who started the magazine, and the women carry on her fight for lesbian visibility now. The Archivettes, this inspiring documentary profiles the scrappy and determined cross-generational team of women who literally rescued history from the trash to form the Lesbian Herstory Archives. Double Income, Kids explores the Israeli gay baby boom by following Motty and Alon, an Israeli gay couple, on their year-long journey to have biological twins through their American gestational surrogate. Changing the Game, Michael Barnett’s dynamic documentary takes us into the lives of three high school athletes—all at different stages of their athletic seasons, personal lives, and their unique paths as transgender teens.
Films will be available to view from 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, September 10 through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, September 13. Each film is $10 and an All-Access Pass is $50. Two new short film categories are being introduced this year. Queer Activist shorts will inspire the LGBTQ community and its allies in the ongoing fight for rights to live your truth, love whom you want, or serve in the military. Dance like Everyone is Watching channels one’s inner Beyoncé. This collection of narrative and documentary style shorts celebrates the beauty and many movements of dance. Four additional categories include Women, Men, Queer & Trans, and Universal will be shown.
The Universal program will exhibit Welcome to Chechnya from the director of the Academy Award nominated, How to Survive A Plague. This searing documentary shadows a group of activists who risk unimaginable peril to confront the ongoing anti-LGBTQ pogrom raging in the repressive and closed Russian republic. The recently departed LGBTQ activist and author Larry Kramer will be honored with the showing of How to Survive a Plague, a documentary film about the early years of the AIDS epidemic, and the efforts of activist groups ACT UP and TAG.
Now in its 27th year, the Long Beach QFilm Festival will award its traditional Jury and Audience prizes to winning films in several categories.
“We are excited that this year, QFilms has the potential to not only reach our local community but also reach the LGBTQ community and our allies all around the world,” said Robert Cano, the founder of the festival.
For a complete list of films, visit www.QFilmsLongBeach.com.