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OUTSOUTH Queer Film Festival
Formerly known as: North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
Thursday, 14 August 2025 until Thursday, 21 August 2025
OUTSOUTH Queer Film Festival, formerly The North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (NCGLFF), has consistently been ranked among the largest LGBTQ+ film festivals in the United States, attracting thousands of patrons yearly.
Since its beginning in 1995, the Festival has featured a diverse array of shorts, documentaries and feature films. The Durham Convention and Visitors Bureau named OUTSOUTH as a Signature Event for Durham, the highest honor bestowed on a cultural event or attraction by the organization. The Carolina Theatre of Durham, NC, curates and produces the festival.
OUTSOUTH celebrates a worldwide glimpse of today’s Queer life by bringing community together and showcasing entertaining and sophisticated films and filmmaking. The festival features a diverse array of juried new shorts, documentaries, and feature films. Produced and curated by the historic Carolina Theatre of Durham, in beautiful Downtown Durham, the festival was honored in 2021 as one of “20 Fantastic LGBTQ+ Film Festivals Around the Globe” by Moviemaker Magazine.
OUTSOUTH Queer Film Festival seeks submissions in many categories. Please extensively review the categories BEFORE submitting your film. We are especially seeking submissions that include Black, Asian & Pacific Islander or Latinx characters and themes. We include animated short films.
#outsouthqueerfilmfest
@OutSouthFest
JURY AWARDS
Best Narrative Feature Film
Best Foreign Language Narrative Feature Film
Best Narrative Short Film
Best Foreign Language Narrative Short Film
Note: If OUTSOUTH Queer Film Festival deems there are not enough worthy entries in any given category, the festival reserves the right to not present an award for that category.
2025 films...
Velvet Vision – The Story of James Bidgood (and the Making of “Pink Narcissus”)
Sane Inside Insanity – The Phenomenon of Rocky Horror
An insane amount of shorts films...
THE FIRST CHRISTMAS OF NOÉ (France, 2023, 9 min, Director: Alexis Renou)
Noé and his sister mentally prepare themselves for the family meal that awaits them. The young man has delayed announcing his gender transition to his parents and arrives at the Christmas dinner as if nothing has changed, sporting a brand-new mustache. Stealing the spotlight from their father, who seems eager to share some big news, Noé and his sister inadvertently highlight the dysfunctionality of their family. Meanwhile, their grandfather, suspected of early-stage Alzheimer’s, tries to recall when he got a grandson.
In French with English subtitles
MY ENDLESS ECLIPSE (Canada, 2025, 15 min, Director: Bijan Aarabi)
A transgender woman has hidden her gender identity all her life. To escape a forced marriage, she is forced to flee her country. But she falls into the hands of human traffickers.
NO CONTEST (France, 2025, 18 min, Director: Olivier Wright)
When Victoire, a young trans judoka, reaches the finals of a local competition, her opponent, Sonia, refuses to compete against her.
In French with English subtitles
PIETRA (Portugal, 2024, 13 min, Director: Cynthia Levitan)
In daydreaming about unlikely relationships, the flower – as delicate as it is revolutionary – represents an act of love amidst the suffocation and embrace of a classic Portuguese neighborhood.
In Portuguese with English subtitles
SIVASHAKTHI (India, 2024, 18 min, Director: Pavan R)
A childhood friendship between Siva and Arjun blossoms into love after Siva undergoes a gender transformation into Shakthi. Despite societal hurdles, they find acceptance, symbolizing hope and inclusivity for the transgender community.
In Tamil with English subtitles
UNRAVELLED (Philippines, 2025, 9 min, Director: Sofia Bianca Chua, Maria Isabella Patricia Manaloto, Avryll Nartates)
Struggling with his identity, anxious Rio has always sought acceptance but as his past haunts him, he struggles to see himself as human.
THE WORLD STOOD STILL (“Maailma odotti paikoillaan”) (Finland, 2025, 15 min, Director: Elise Celestia)
Young trans woman Myrsky has run away from her transphobic parents and lives on her grandfather Tapio’s couch. She dreams of moving somewhere far away, but high school graduation isn’t working out and her mother is causing problems. Tapio’s health issues and Myrsky’s mother’s remarks make her feel like a burden, and she takes her stress out on her friend Nella. On the verge of huge life decisions, the concern of Myrsky’s loved ones makes her second guess herself and rethink the meaning of home. Maybe there could be a new life still in the city that used to feel poisoned?
In Finnish with English subtitles
ARGIE BERMAN (US, 2024, 9 min, Director: Fon Davis)
A recovering alcoholic uses her coming out story in her stand-up act and her therapy sessions to explain her addiction and her relationship with her mother.
BINGE (US, 2025, 18 min, Director: J.C. Heins)
A woman struggling with a binge eating disorder attends her ex-girlfriend’s bachelorette party, in hopes that they can reconnect. However, the social pressures and her body anxiety build up until she panics and binges on the party’s hilarious vulva-themed cake.
THE BLURRING OF TREES (Canada, 2024, 11 min, Director: Fanny Perreault)
Two incarcerated women in a secured forest of the North of Quebec are subjected to hard labor of reforestation. Confined to their daily instrumentalization and its underhand control, they enjoy a little area of freedom they managed to create thanks to a prison guard particularly empathetic towards them.
CALAMITY JANE (US, 2024, 17 min, Director: Robin Cloud)
A former barrel racing champion, haunted by a tragic fall, must find the courage to ride again after forming an unexpected bond with a young woman who harbors a secret of her own.
I STOLE YOUR ASHES (“He Robado Tus Cenizas”) (Spain, 2024, 24 min, Director: Felipe Olaya)
Isabel became a widow at 65. After stealing her wife’s urn of ashes, Isabel takes refuge in a park to say goodbye to the love of her life, while remembering their story and reflecting on love and loss. Based on the presumption of heterosexuality, this story is a mirror. What prevents us from empathizing with those who love differently?
In Spanish with English subtitles
MATCH DOT MOM (US, 2024, 15 min, Director: Tara Parian)
Cass, a queer teen not yet out to her parents, stumbles on her very-married-mother’s secret TindHER profile late one night. When she accidentally swipes right, she not only outs herself, but must grapple with the uncertainty of who her mom really is.
BODIES (US, 2024, 3 min, Director: Maria Maya)
After enduring a brutal homophobic attack, drag artist Pietra Parker embarks on a deeply personal journey of healing backstage, where she transforms her trauma into a stunning performance that not only reclaims her identity but also ignites a powerful message of resilience and empowerment for the LGBTQ community.
CHOSEN (“Escolhidos”) (Brazil, 2025, 9 min, Director: Pablo Diego Garcia)
While a family enjoys moments of innocent joy, missionaries become spectators of a silent judgment, oblivious to the true suffering happening next door.
In Spanish with English subtitles
KITTY (US, 2025, 19 min, Director: Brandon Deyette)
After being kicked out of his strict Mormon home, 17-year-old AJ finds himself lost on the streets of Atlanta. Desperate and naive, he’s taken in by Baby Girl, an 18-year-old Black trans sex worker whose sharp instincts have kept her alive. She offers him shelter in a squat house and teaches him the hustle of survival—stealing, dealing, and navigating the unforgiving city. Under the watchful eye of Daddy, Baby Girl’s volatile pimp, AJ is drawn deeper into a world both thrilling and dangerous. The two form an intense bond—part friendship, part mentorship, part something unspoken. But when their friend Pedro contracts HIV and gets government aid, AJ and Baby Girl are forced to confront a brutal reality. As their nights blur into neon-lit highs and whispered fears, one reckless choice threatens to change everything—forcing them to decide how far they’ll go to escape a life that never wanted them.
LIL_ITH – LOVE IN HATE CITY (South Africa, 2024, 20 min, Director: Robin Claude de Jager)
A new South African culture rises, with the next generation navigating sexuality, generational manipulation, and the power of money. Like a delicate strip tease, it builds toward an explosive crescendo. At the center is Lilith, an online cam model, whose late-night liaison with a mysterious “John” turns into a high-stakes psychological game. As both the subject and object of desire, Lilith and her unsettling suitor reveal their hidden motives through the balmy summer night. Dominating the sexual economy, Lilith’s journey shows how love has freed her from past trauma, helping her forge a new identity in a nation still trapped in sexual power struggles while undergoing decolonization. She finds strength in a resilient community of outsiders, discovering a kindred spirit and a beautiful toxic love affair that gives her the security she’s always craved. Lilith explores self-redefinition and morally questionable empowerment, delving into the complexities of the Black feminine experience in a country that often masks its inclusivity. Capturing those on society’s fringes, Lilith embraces free will and enigmatic existence, stepping into the untamed melting pot of South African underground street culture—a home for many forgotten, defiant youth.
In Afrikaans, English, Zulu with English subtitles
ONE DAY THIS KID (Canada, 2025, 18 min, Director: Alexander Farah)
One day this kid will feel something stirring in his heart, throat, and mouth. One day this kid will reach a point where he senses a division that isn’t mathematical. One day this kid will talk. Inspired by David Wojnarowicz’s renowned text, “One Day This Kid” is an exploration of silent struggle and unspoken tension as Hamed navigates an undefined future with his father.
RAGE (“Colera”) (Spain, 2025, 10 min, Director: Jose Luís Lázaro)
After spending the morning at the beach, a mishap leaves Guillem and Nico locked out of their car, without keys, phone, or clothes. What seems like a minor setback takes a dark turn when, upon asking a stranger for help, a single question sparks an unexpected and brutal encounter: “Are you faggots?”
In Spain with English subtitles
RAINBOW GIRLS (US, 2025, 16 min, Director: Nana Duffuor)
As San Francisco’s tech boom gentrifies their city, Tati, Angel, and Gemini decide to take matters into their own hands by staging an audacious heist targeting the city’s most exclusive luxury brands. Based on a true story from 2013 San Francisco.
ANGIE (Spain, 2025, 9 min, Director: Josep Varo)
On their first date, a couple with a significant age difference arrives at a hotel room. What promises to be a passionate sexual encounter changes when the young woman decides to leave, leaving her companion in a heightened state of arousal. At that moment, a conversation begins, which turns into an argument.
In Spanish with English subtitles
CONSUME (Australia, 2024, 12 min, Director: Aliyah Knight)
Esther is a seventeen-year-old schoolgirl who has been raised in a deeply religious household alongside her twin-sister Veronica. Due to her sheltered and somewhat conservative upbringing, she has grown used to repressing her sexuality. However, when she finds herself alone with her best friend Alana, Esther finds herself delving too far into desire and cannibalizes her friend – or so she thinks. Convinced of her predatory nature, Esther struggles to hide her true self from her mother and sister later that night at dinner.
DIE BULLY DIE (Australia, 2025, 16 min, Director: Nathan Lacey & Nick Lacey)
Seventeen years after high school, Max catches up with his former bully Adam in a fancy restaurant, where Max’s grudge against Adam begins to manifest in horrific ways.
PALINDROME (Canada, 2024, 16 min, Director: Krit Komkrichwarakool)
A man seeks the truth behind his partner’s disappearance after his mysterious return.
THE SPACE YOU NEED (United Kingdom, 2024, 21 min, Director: Sam Peter Jackson)
Frustrated sci-fi writer Julian is facing a slump in his relationship. So, will his fiancé Leo’s trip into orbit with the world’s first ever low-cost alternative space line provide them with just the space they need to get back on track? Starring Matthew Morrison (Eastenders, Boy Meets Boy); Nick Hayes (West End – Priscilla, Legally Blonde, Remembrance Monday); Giles Cooper (Pride, The Lady In The Van) and Christy Meyer (Fantastic Beasts).
TALK SHIT (US, 2024, 13 min, Director: Ben Weiss, Will Thede)
Ella wants to move out. Taylor does not take this well. TALK SH*T is a queer campy dark comedy thriller about the worst friendship breakup ever.
VIVIR (US, 2024, 9 min, Director: Gerardo Maravilla)
In her darkest moment, a despairing Latina artist at the end of her rope considers ending it all. However, she crosses paths with a mysterious and immortal vampire that offers her a new perspective.
ALIMA & OMAR (France, 2023, 10 min, Director: Sofian Prinz)
“Alima & Omar” explores the silence experienced by marginalized individuals. Through the lens of gender as a catalyst for hatred, the film depicts the struggles of a couple on the verge of a crisis, with a woman in love with a man who doesn’t want to be one. Alima discovers, on the stage of a small cabaret, the sensual expression of Omar’s hidden fantasies.
In French with English subtitles
DEEP DISH DIMPLES (US, 2024, 9 min, Director: Manuel Villarreal)
When Gio, a Black trans man, calls his best friend Lazette for help burying a body, the two are pulled into an unexpected confrontation with the past. As whispers of family wounds and unresolved trauma echo through the night, Gio must face a surreal encounter with his pre-transitioned self. What begins as a desperate mission transforms into a journey of acceptance, love, and self-forgiveness, reminding us that healing comes from embracing every part of who we are.
DRAGFOX (Switzerland/United Kingdom, 2024, 8 min, Director: Lisa Ott)
Sam’s search for identity gets interrupted by a mysterious neighborhood fox. Together they embark on a magical journey to the attic to discover the surprising things they might have in common, and how to celebrate the ways in which they differ.
THE DRESSMAKER (US, 2023, 11 min, Director: Adriano Falconi)
Thomas, a 13-year-old boy, is both sensitive and introverted. Thomas likes to wear girls’ dresses. But the small town of Brevard, North Carolina, is no place to be different. The woods have become Thomas’ free-judgment-playground. Determined to face his fear, Thomas eventually goes back to his neighbors to parade his true self.
ORDER FOR BEN (US, 2024, 12 min, Director: Kristina Arjona, Adam Plant)
Ben, a trans man leading a full and happy life, agrees to meet his father for coffee after 7 years of estrangement.
SCRAP FABRIC (“Retaso”) (Philippines, 2024, 11 min, Director: Jake Muñoz Consing)
Fearing her mother’s disapproval, a teenage trans girl secretly sews a prom dress from her mother’s scrap fabric (“retaso”).
In Tagalog with English subtitles
TETH (United Kingdom, 2024, 14 min, Director: Peter Darney)
Following surgery, Ioan and his father adapt to their new relationship as father and son, who is until the dog mistakes a nipple for a chew toy.
WITNESS (US, 2024, 14 min, Director: Radha Mehta, Saif Jaan)
A revered small-town imam faces a crisis of faith when he must choose between upholding the values of his mosque or protecting the safety and spiritual belonging of a trans man congregant.
Celebration – Dance, Song & Pageantry
DANCING IN TOMORROWLAND (US, 2024, 16 min, Director: Jakob Roston)
In this fantasia of a 1980s gay rights theme park documentary an unsung teen activist fights to overturn Disneyland’s ban on same-sex dancing.
HUSTLEWEEN (Puerto Rico, 2025, 20 min, Director: Samara Pérez Santiago)
A vibrant exploration of community and Black Trans euphoria, Hustleween chronicles an annual celebration created by EspicyNipples that transforms memory into queer resistance and joy.
In Spanish with English subtitles
KOKOHAKU (Spain, 2025, 15 min, Director: Adrià Guxens)
During an interview, Tadashi, a young Spanish Japanese actor who plays female characters in a theatrical practice similar to kabuki, will return to the past to relive his most intimate memories.
In Spanish and Japanese with English subtitles
MĀHŪ (US, 2025, 30 min, Director: Lisette Marie Flanary)
“MĀHŪ: A Trans-Pacific Love Letter” is a short documentary about an innovative theater production by master hula teacher, Kumu Hula Patrick Makuakāne, which aims to reclaim and celebrate the traditional place of honor and respect given to māhū (transgender) people. The film explores the history of the Hawaiian term māhū by interweaving the multi-media stage performance featuring the hula dance, chant, and contemporary music around intimate interviews with the artistic collaborators of the show who are all acclaimed Hawaiian transgender artists. As they prepare to open the MĀHŪ show in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, we meet Kumu Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, a revered community leader, kumu hula, and filmmaker known for her activism in the field of kanaka maoli language and cultural preservation; Iwalani Hoʻomanawanui Apo, a revered loea, or expert, of Hawaiian music and master falsetto singer in the beloved Hawaiian music trio, Kuini; and Kaumakaiwa Kanakaʻole, a multi-award winning performer and great-grandchild of esteemed Kumu Hula Edith Kanakaʻole who was one of the seminal figures of the Hawaiian Renaissance. These contemporary artists share intergenerational stories from both older and younger māhū experiences that highlight the difficulties of navigating their transgender identities.
ONCE UPON A WETLAND (US, 2025, 16 min, Director: Elizabeth Miller-Derstine)
As restrictions tighten across the country, Durham, North Carolina preps for the annual Beaver Queen Pageant, a campy, un-beaver-lievable celebration of LGBTQIA activism, environmental conservation, and outrageous critter cosplay.
5380 (Spain, 2024, 16 min, Director: Rubén Prieto Fernández)
One summer night, Mario knocks on the door of a house looking for help. Elena looks through the peephole and discovers a desperate and injured young man. She is determined to let him in, but her husband Santi objects. What will happen if Mario comes into the house?
In Spanish with English subtitles
ARRIBA BEACH (Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal, US, 2025, 36 min, Director: Nishchaya Gera)
Summertime. Sam and Adele are on a beach holiday in Portugal. When Sam locks eyes with Miguel, the attraction between them throws Sam, Adele, Miguel, and his friend Santiago into a new configuration. The shelter of the nearby woods and the dynamism of the sea bring forth a night of secrets and revelations.
In English, Portuguese with English subtitles
IUS OF TIME (“IUS Del Tiempo”) (Spain, 2025, 26 min, Director: Roberto F. Canuto)
Luca, a young photographer, arrives in a village in Asturias to work on an artistic project. There, he stays with Xuan, an experienced cheesemaker marked by a past full of rumors and prejudices. Through Luca’s camera and Xuan’s craft, they both discover unexpected connections in an intimate encounter between two seemingly opposing worlds.
In Spanish with English subtitles
ROSES
(US, 2025, 15 min, Director: Alexander Rain)
Two outlaws, once close partners in crime, find themselves at odds when a once in a lifetime bounty comes into play. But what seems like a simple betrayal is complicated by their deep bond and shared history, leading to a heartbreaking choice between the loot… or their friendship.
The Kids Are Definitely Alright
CRUSHED (US, 2025, 9 min, Director: Juli Del Prete)
Anna goes on a spectacular date with a girl for the first time. Will she survive the wait for a text back?
DRAGON’S BREATH (Australia, 2024, 10 min, Director: Melanie Easton)
A group of middle schoolers must convince their friend to perform in the school talent show after she reveals an embarrassing and fantastical secret.
FANTASY (“Fantasía”) (Mexico, 2025, 13 min, Director: Alejandro Carrasco Sánchez)
Alex has greatly neglected his relationship with his best friend Cristian, reaching the point of completely ignoring each other; the tension and discomfort is increasing. However, a weekend party will be the perfect opportunity to face the situation and decide if their friendship can still be saved or it is too late.
In Spanish with English subtitles
GLIMPSE (“Breve”) (Mexico, 2025, 13 min, Director: Axel González)
Sofía and Laura have always been inseparable—just best friends. But everything shifts the night they rehearse Laura’s first kiss. From that moment on, they begin to question whether what they’ve felt all along was something more than friendship.
In Spanish with English subtitles
HOT YOUNG GEEK SEEKS BLOOD-SUCKING FREAK (United Kingdom, 2024, 12 min, Director: Heath Virgoe)
It’s the modern world – a world full of nostalgia, mass culture, and shifting identities. What better time for a Halloween party? In the festering flats of central Scotland, old high tenement ceilings watch over moldy sinks, unwashed sheets, floordrobes of fast fashion – and their Zillennial inhabitants: tough queer Ricky and her ‘adopted hetero’ Max, a boy with more internet usernames than real-life friends. Amid pre-party dress-up, Max finds himself the online target of an angry vampire bent on drinking his blood. Typical Halloween. Enlisting a reluctant Ricky to help, their attempts at defense are quickly complicated by the arrival of a forgotten pizza delivery, and soon the pair must overcome disagreements about dated stereotypes, too much garlic, and the Twilight movies to figure out if their hunger outweighs their fear. But can Max find the courage to face the one thing worse than death – coming out?
JULIETTE (US, 2025, 4 min, Director: Emma Jean Scott)
A confession of love at a poetry reading.
NO!!! (“NGGAK!!!”) (Indonesia, 2024, 8 min, Director: Oktania Hamdani, Winner Wijaya)
Sekar and her girlfriend, Bebi, are playing a mobile game where their avatars are in bridal gowns, rehearsing for their wedding when Sekar’s mom suddenly calls.
In Indonesian with English subtitles
THANK YOU FOR BREAKING MY HEART (US, 2025, 15 min, Director: Rachel Leyco)
A heartbroken artist seeks to end her life with the Administration of Souls in Sorrow (ASS); she dives into her past relationship through nostalgic home videos that spark a new vision of love and loss in this lifetime.
TOUCH (US, 2024, 3 min, Director: Lauren Miller)
Here is a 2D animated short film following two girls and the evolution of their relationship from their first meeting as children into young adulthood and budding romance. We experience this progression through memories, snapshots of shared moments and different instances of touch as the two girls grow and come into themselves along the way.
TWO BLACK BOYS IN PARADISE (United Kingdom, 2025, 9 min, Director: Baz Sells)
A movingly tender animation, based on Dean Atta’s eponymous poem, sees two boys (Edan, 19 and Dula, 18) on a journey of self-acceptance and love – for each other and themselves.
CAPTAINS (Capitanes) (Spain, 2024, 15 min, Directors: Kevin Castellano, Edu Hirschfeld)
During a hard-fought, tense cup semi-final, the two captains of a football team have an argument that ends up revealing a secret buried in the dressing rooms of the first division: the silence of gay footballers.
In Spanish with English Subtitles
GAYS, YES! (US, 2025, 12 min, Director: Scott Calonico)
A mysterious roll of 16mm film unearthed in the New York City Municipal Archives unspools a forgotten slice of the protest movement of the 1970s.
HIM AND US (United Kingdom, 2025, 13 min, Director: SuSu Hey)
“Him And Us” is a visceral one-shot short film inspired by a true story, unfolding within the suffocating silence of a traditional Chinese household. On a single, emotionally charged evening, a confrontation between two family members unearths a long-buried secret. As the conversation intensifies, layers of shame, guilt, and unspoken truths begin to unravel—slowly, then all at once. Told entirely in real time and through a queer lens, the film captures the quiet violence of repression and the invisible weight of duty. It delves into the emotional toll of navigating life under a patriarchal system, especially for those whose identities or desires do not fit within its rigid expectations. By keeping the camera unblinking and unbroken, “Him And Us” becomes not just a story, but a space the viewer must inhabit still, stifling, and impossible to escape. It’s a chamber drama about everything that’s never said aloud—and the moment when silence finally breaks.
LOVING SILENCE (US, 2024, 15 min, Director: Nick Perlman)
When Jerome runs into his old flame, Luke, at – of all places – a silent retreat, their past threatens to unravel his present.
SEPTEMBER (US, 2024, 8 min, Director: Corey Atkins)
A man in a boat on Central Park Lake considers what he lost, and what he should have held on to, in the wake of the AIDS epidemic. Adapted from the poem by New York Times best-selling author Jennifer Michael Hecht.
SILENCE = DEATH (US, 2025, 16 min, Director: Trace Pope)
On May 21, 1990, the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) storms the DC campus of the National Institutes of Health to protest the lack of available drugs to treat AIDS. From his office, Dr. Anthony Fauci watches as the activists march around his building, chanting and shouting for his resignation. Meanwhile, a young gay filmmaker captures the events of the protest while attempting to deliver an important package to Fauci. As tensions rise and the demonstrations threaten to upend the scientists’ work, Dr. Fauci is forced to reckon with his power and privilege.
STARDUST (US, 2024, 15 min, Director: Christian Meola)
The husband of a filmmaker who recently took his own life receives a knock on his front door from an eager fan.
BIG BASS (US, 2024, 14 min, Director: Drew Dickler)
What does it mean to feel seen by others before you’re ready to see yourself? A filmmaker travels back to 1997 to revisit a dream-like memory from second grade that centers around her queer identity, her legendary PE teacher and a mysterious large plastic fish.
HANDWOVEN (US, 2024, 9 min, Director: Dasha Levin, Mason Cazalet, Mihika Das, Matthew Wisdom)
A lyrical portrait of Nikyle Begay, a non-binary shepherd and weaver; working to preserve their way of life through the traditional art of weaving.
THE LIBRARY PROBLEM (US, 2025, 6 min, Director: Mell Packard)
A short student documentary examining the history and current status of the ongoing battle over LGBTQ+ content in the children’s section of Alabama public libraries.
OUT OF FOCUS (US, 2024, 6 min, Director: India Martin)
Blurring the boundaries between past and present, Out of Focus is an experimental film series and living archive that honors Black queer families and chosen families through a poetic exploration of memory, love, and kinship.
PAGES OF PROTEST (US, 2025, 19 min, Director: Devon Jezek, Leila Marcillo-Gomez, Lauren Piccone)
In the United States, book banning has increased at an alarming rate. This project follows activists on the frontlines of the battle against book bans, exploring the complex fight between censorship and free speech. Pages of Protest critically examines the history of book banning in the U.S., exploring how politics, religion, and shifting cultural battles shape information control and ideas. Our documentary follows the life of a young, queer, black student activist, Da’Taeveyon Daniels, who is fighting the Texas legislature and radical political groups who aim to ban books that represent BIPOC and LGBTQ+ individuals.
A SYNONYM FOR ART: ANDRINIKI (US, 2024, 5 min, Director: Kasey L. Martin)
Andriniki Mattis reflects on the complexities of their identity and how they’ve navigated a world where they didn’t always fit in. Through their journey of gender exploration, Andriniki views their tattoos as markers of their path to wholeness and symbols of their emerging self. For them, tattoos become a unifying thread, tying together the evolving story of their body, identity, and sacred connection to self.
TIPPI & BARB (US, 2024, 12 min, Director: Brad Burleson)
In the heart of Arkansas, where tradition runs deep, Tippi, a beloved teacher, and Barb, a prosecuting attorney, build a life together rooted in love and community. But after 13 years of devotion, their quiet happiness shatters with a single phone call on their wedding day—one that costs Tippi her career and exposes the harsh reality of workplace discrimination. As they refuse to be silent, their deep personal fight for justice ignites a movement, transforming them into champions for LGBTQIA+ rights across the nation and thrusts Tippi into an unexpected political career. Tippi and Barb is a story of resilience, love, and the courage to stand against injustice, proving that even the smallest voices can spark lasting change.
WE’LL CARRY ON ALRIGHT (US, 2025, 12 min, Director: Megan Rossman)
This film focuses on the friendship between Mabel Hampton, an African American, lesbian, and activist, and Joan Nestle, a white, lesbian and Jewish professor who is 40 years her junior. Ms. Hampton cared for Joan as a child, and roles reversed when Joan cared for Ms. Hampton at the end of her life.
ALLEY CAT (US, 2024, 18 min, Director: Mark Thiedeman)
Isolated in his small Southern town, a young man invents a female alter-ego to become closer to his roommate, a high school dropout who dreams of stardom.
THE BEAUTIFUL ROOM IS EMPTY (“O Lindo Quarto Está Vazio”) (Brazil, 2025, 40 min, Director: Fernando Grisi)
Victor and João were in love with each other as teenagers, but didn’t really know it. Reunited by chance six years later, they’ll spend one night together to find out what has changed and where they’ll go from now.
In Portuguese with English subtitles
HIGH DIVER (“Turmspringer”) (Germany, 2024, 5 min, Director: Oscar Bittner)
Since early childhood, Tuan and Felix have been inseparable. As they train to become Olympic high divers, however, their budding love for each other suffers under the weight of the competition. Professional sport is a harsh business, and Tuan will sacrifice everything for it … or will he?
In German with English subtitles
TAPAGE (France, 2024, 25 min, Director: Joséphine Madinier)
Nemo, 20, has just found out that he will soon be deaf. At the hospital, he catches the mischievous Lou stealing pharmaceuticals. Determined to escape this new reality that he can’t process, he decides to follow Lou through the night. As Nemo’s hearing disorder worsens and desire awakens between the two boys, Lou will teach him to let go in order to accept his condition.
In French with English subtitles
CRAZY AS A LOON (US, 2024, 13 min, Director: Monica Raymund)
The short film ‘Crazy As A Loon’ serves as a proof of concept for the TV Series ‘Committed’ set during the Lavender Scare. A family’s matriarch is hunted down by an underground government unit the night of their son’s Birthday party, exposing more than her perpetrators bargained for.
HEARTS OF STONE (Belgium/Croatia, 2024, 30 min, Director: Tom Van Avermaet)
In the heart of a bustling metropolis, Paula, a lonely street artist, entertains people as a living statue. She longs for an impossible love with Agatha, a stone sculpture next to which she can be found every day. One day, when reaching her familiar spot, she finds her stone companion replaced by an abstract, modern sculpture. After a frantic search, she discovers Agatha cast aside amidst a group of discarded, classical statues who have lost their place in the modernizing sculpture park. As the sun sets, Paula finds herself trying to awaken the lonely statue from her stone slumber.
IN TRUE COLOR (US, 2024, 16 min, Director: Priya Vashist)
A young woman worries her religious mother won’t accept her queer identity. What unfolds surprises them both.
SOFIA (US, 2025, 10 min, Director: Camila de Ilhéus)
Sofia is a young Brazilian woman, recently immigrated to Baltimore, USA, who suffers from the millennial disease of ‘15-second attention span.’ A fish out of water, she goes on to her waxing session in hopes to have fun on her dates over the weekend. Being more interested in people she doesn’t know than the ones right in front of her, a moment of miscommunication with the aesthetician turns what is to be a quick waxing session into Sofia’s worst nightmare.
SONGBIRD (US, 2024, 16 min, Director: Jonathan Horton)
A jazz singer’s powerful voice and revolutionary lyrics capture the hearts of 1930’s Harlem, but also, the attention of the FBI.
THE STORK (United Kingdom, 2025, 9 min, Director: Stephen Gallacher)
The Stork is a character driven comedy that follows well intentioned, but clueless, parents of a queer woman wanting to start a family via artificial insemination using Norwegian semen ordered online – a popular method for queer couples. However, typically, the receipts of said semen tend to sign for their important delivery but on this occasion they’re not in but, (un)luckily, one set of parents are! On delivery, there is a slight altercation that results in the sample being destroyed leaving the delivery driver and parents in a bit of sticky (or rather NOT sticky) situation that needs to be rectified before their daughter returns home. We follow the trio as they stumble their way through learning about their daughter’s journey (despite their ignorance) and its complexities – from a place of love. It’s an uplifting, family centered story highlighting the importance of unconditional love of queer people.
DO YOU WANT TO (United Kingdom, 2025, 7 min, Director: Andy Berriman)
Under the sheets, Connor and Jake’s domestic bliss is put to the test. It’s bedtime, and someone’s in the mood – but do they know each other back to front, inside and out?… Porn, Plato, and power tools feature as they seek the answer in this silly, heartwarming romcom short.
I AM (US, 2024, 19 min, Director: Tony Dia)
Ethan lives separate lives as a socially awkward college student by day and a fearlessly glamorous drag queen by night. That is, until his life is turned upside-down by Kekoa, his school crush. As his two worlds collide, Ethan is forced to confront his fear of change in order to win the boy of his dreams.
MAN CURED (US, 2025 18 min, Director: Kyle Heiner, Johan T. Anderson)
Lucas, an insecure, in-the-closet 22-year-old, is stuck spending his weekends babysitting for a bougie Park Slope family to get by. On any other Friday evening, he arrives to watch Freud, a precocious 7-year-old. There’s only one problem: a new babysitter is already there. What happens as a chance occurrence between two young men spirals into a weekend of self-discovery and acceptance. Being bold doesn’t always mean being loud.
MY AGE NOW (US, 2025, 15 min, Director: Daniel Talbott)
On a Sunday that is a brief respite from everyday life, a young man is haunted by a final voice message, a breakup, and a ‘goodbye’ he can’t take back.
SCATTERED (US, 2024, 8 min, Director: Neil Fennell)
Patrick’s estranged father’s ashes are delivered in the mail; he must figure out where to scatter this man who turned his back on him. With the help of his friends and a wild trip around New York City, he finds grief, love, laughter… and the peace to move on.
THREE COURSES (“Tres Tiempos”) (Mexico, 2025, 13 min, Director: Saúl Francisco Ornelas Esparza)
Raúl Morán invites Diego, his childhood best friend, over with his family to unveil their biggest secret. As the three-course dinner goes on, the family will unmask their reality and discover that they are not as different as they thought before that gathering.
WHAT WE SAID IN THE BLACKOUT (US, 2025, 13 min, Director: Sean Au
Old love never dies – especially in the dark. When two former lovers wake up naked in the middle of an urban blackout, suddenly everything that has been left unspoken demands attention. Is it just a flashback, or a sign that some stories never end?
Something Wicked This Way Comes
6ft DECEIT (United Kingdom, 2025, 8 min, Director: Lucy Turner Sparrow)
Brutally attacked on their anniversary, as two women bury their attacker in the woods, they reminisce on last night’s events.
DEAD GIRL (US, 2024, 9 min, Director: Kenz Benmosbah)
After her untimely death, Dani comes back from the dead, on Halloween night and goes on a quest to win her fiancée back.
DON’T GO (“No Te Vayas”) (Spain, 2024, 8 min, Director: Miguel Muñoz Gascón)
It’s never too late to believe in destiny… or so Maika thinks.
In Spanish with English subtitles
LAST NIGHT (US, 2024, 14 min, Director: Ryan Mack)
After falling for his client, a seemingly straightforward in-home massage takes an unexpectedly sexy detour followed by a mysterious unsettling turn.
THE LAST STORY ON EARTH (US, 2024, 18 min, Director: Aaron Immediato)
Facing angry protesters, a determined drag queen does her best to finish a fairy tale reading at the local library. But when an alien invasion ends Earth’s existence, the queen encounters new challenges that carry terrifying outcomes for humanity. Trapped within the library, her storytelling skills are suddenly put to extraordinary tests, jeopardizing the lives of the last humans on Earth — the families who’ve cherished her stories and the protesters who’ve scorned them. Ultimately, it is the supreme power of imagination that holds the key to both the queen’s survival and the invaders’ domination.
OUTED (US, 2025, 9 min, Director: Charlie Paulin)
An overbearing mother implores her horny son to resist his urges to save him from the fate she endured.
TAKE CARE (US, 2025, 12 min, Director: Brittany Ashley)
A woman deliberately injures herself just to be in the care of a particular ER nurse. But when she’s discharged from the hospital earlier than expected, she needs to find a new way to extend her stay.
WHERE ARE ALL THE GAY SUPERHEROES? (United Kingdom, 2024, 15 min, Director: Tom Paul Martin)
Professional superheroes Sterling and Meridian have just finished saving the day (again) when suddenly, they find themselves in a rare moment alone. The suits come off, but when old tensions and old enemies return, our “heroes” learn the dark truth about who they are underneath. Starring Rory Fleck-Byrne (This Is Going to Hurt) and Imran Adams (Hollyoaks).
CROSSING THE DESERT (US, 2024, 13 min, Director: Reena Dutt)
Crossing the Desert is a short film that explores the complex relationship between a South Asian immigrant woman and her queer American daughter. This tender story asks us to re-examine our expectations of our loved ones. Can we accept them for who they really are, not who we want them to be?
HI MOM, IT’S ME, LOU LOU (Turkey, 2024, 21 min, Director: Atakan Yilmaz)
Hakkı, a university student earning his keep through Drag Queen performances in Istanbul, is jolted by the news of his mother’s passing one night. Concealing his sexual orientation from all but his late mother, he returns to the family home after three years, confronting the weighty expectations of being the only male offspring and his relatives’ ignorance. In his childhood room, poignant discoveries await: a vibrant sweater begun by his mother, a stash of cash, and a clandestine photograph capturing a shared moment during her covert visit. Despite grappling with guilt over his mother’s demise and his father’s aloofness, this journey catalyzes his journey towards self-acceptance.
In Turkish with English subtitles
MOM, I HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL YOU (US, 2025, 31 min, Director: Rick Miller)
“Mom, I Have Something To Tell You” is a short documentary depicting the profound impact that mothers have on their gay sons’ wellbeing. These experiences can also be applied to the larger LGBTQ+ community, emphasizing acceptance by family members and by communities. The film offers optimistic models for coping and thriving.
ROUGHING IT (US, 2024, 16 min, Director: Michael D. Cohen)
A trans teen and her mom must survive a night of winter camping after being challenged by her politically incorrect uncle.
SUCH A PRETTY GIRL (US, 2025, 6 min, Director: Deborah Puette)
Meg has returned to her childhood home to help her aging father. But when her twelve-year-old uncovers a long-forgotten relic from her past, Meg must decide in a matter of moments who she’ll protect: her parent or her child.
A-OKAY (Canada, 2024, 6 min, Director: J Fitzpatrick)
Sex. Something that is part of human nature. Everyone does it and strives to have their happily ever after… Right? In a society where intimacy and romance are constantly everywhere, someone breaks from the mold after years of self-discovery. They send a letter to their past self, full of their experiences and lessons learned, in the form of a short documentary. A-Okay brings attention to the hyper-sexualized and romanticized society we live in and how its expectations, stigmas, and stereotypes can be harmful to individuals on the aromantic and asexual spectrums.
BEFORE THE PARTY (US, 2024, 14 min, Director: eP Cho)
A weekend getaway turns into an emotional battleground when Jay, struggling to come to terms with his bisexuality, faces the repercussions of his honesty with his girlfriend Julie, as their friends’ own biases and misunderstandings come to light.
COMING OUT POLYAMOROUS FOR THANKSGIVING (US, 2025, 21 min, Director: Maren Lavelle)
When polyamorous spouses Alex and Don introduce Don’s partner Aly to his Southern parents on Thanksgiving, they must weigh biological family against their chosen one. Based on Alex Alberto’s real-life story, as told in their memoir “Entwined,” this unconventional holiday drama is brimming with humor, heartache, and uncompromising self-love.
GOLDEN FINGERS (“Ded Doigts en Or”) (France, 2024, 6 min, Director: Chryssa Florou)
Three friends are sitting on a beach, practicing for a coming out.
In French with English subtitles
IN THE FLESH (US, 2025, 16 min, Director: Emily Frances Kaplan)
Suzanne is the perfect wife, except for one thing: she has a secret obsession with expensive meat, and the local butcher knows how to handle it. When her dream of a chance encounter with the butcher comes true, the cracks in her home life are exposed.
QUEER DYSTOPIAN SHORT (US, 2024, 18 min, Director: Iona Leighton, Ava Davis)
In a post-collapse America, Jade, a Black transgender woman, battles intense dysphoria and relationship strain, finding strength and rediscovery through the resilience of her queer community.
START OVER (“Emepezar de Nuevo”) (Spain, 2024, 4 min, Director: Coré Ruiz)
Three people embark on a new chapter together, but a loss will redefine the bonds that united them.
In Spanish with English subtitles
BATHERS (Australia, 2024, 13 min, Director: Theresa Roberts)
Whilst grieving the loss of her father, Tess finds herself through a community of female surfers.
A BIRD HIT MY WINDOW AND NOW I’M A LESBIAN (US, 2024, 8 min, Director: Carmela Murphy, AJ Dubler)
After a mysterious girl shows up at Gray’s doorstep holding the corpse of a bird that had just cracked her window, an impromptu bird funeral changes the way Gray views herself and her lesbian identity.
CLAM DIVING FOR BEGINNERS (Germany, 2025, 19 min, Director: Clara Marshall)
Carmen seeks the low down on going down, so her clueless friends help her find a lesbian coach, just in time for her big date with Julia.
In English
CLEMENTINE (US, 2024, 15 min, Director: Sally Tran)
A late-blooming trans woman grapples with a life-altering, assigned-male-at-birth Trans specific dilemma, and with the help of her besties, navigates the complexities of this debacle as she defines her womanhood on her own terms.
SHE’S YOU (US, 2025, 7 min, Director: Sarah Cayce)
We all know her. She’s strong and soft, impossible and inspiring, kind and nasty all at once. This five-minute short film explores how all of us feel about her. She’s all of us – she’s you.
SORORITY (US, 2025, 14 min, Director: Ashley Gianni)
A trans woman of color in the early stages of her transition learns to accept herself when welcomed into the sorority of sisterhood in the most sacred of places, the women’s restroom.
STARTING WHISTLE (US, 2025, 5 min, Director: Eve Sanchez)
Starting Whistle explores the intersection of gender, sport, and power through the story of Maren “Nightmaren.” By day, she navigates the demands of work and family; by night, she laces up her skates and takes on the track.
WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR (US, 2025, 10 min, Director: Kristina Arjona)
Eden, a queer GNC bisexual AFAB, dating a cis man for the first time, finds out she has a taboo medical disorder, vaginismus. They enlist the help of their lesbian best friend, Grace, to attempt the at-home care method of vaginal dilators. Together they break down the concept of being able to have “regular” sex, while realizing despite their years of sapphic sexual encounters, they know shockingly little about the inner workings of vaginas.
COWBOY BOOTS (US, 2025, 13 min, Director: Eric K Delehoy)
Jack, a gay cowboy from Nebraska, finds anything but the promised land he envisioned when he visits a San Francisco gay club for the first time.
MELANGE (US, 2024, 15 min, Director: Deshon Leek)
Two estranged men reconnect in a jazz bar where they embark on a forbidden dance.
PARALLEL LINES (US, 2025, 16 min, Director: Danny Wascou)
Over the course of one night, two strangers meet in line at a bar and embark on a journey of discovery — exploring missed opportunities, fate, and the strange twists of destiny.
PLEASE BE NORMAL (Ireland, 2025, 16 min, Director: Eoghan McQuinn)
A neurotic 30-something year-old demands others on a dating app be “normal” however, he himself is about to be exposed as being anything but.
SOCKS (“Calcetines”) (Spain, 2025, 19 min, Director: Miguel Ángel Olivares, Ana Beyron, Alejandra Beyron)
In the 1990s, Rafa and Álvaro secretly live their love in a small town. After one night together, a careless moment sparks rumors and fear for Rafa, while his grandmother discovers something that connects her to a secret hidden in her past.
In Spanish with English subtitles
THAT SPLIT-UP PLACE (“Ese Lugar Partido”) (Spain, 2024, 9 min, Director: Inés Pintor Sierra & Pablo Santidrián)
Marcos and Mateo have been friends since they were children. The two have grown up together until the construction of a highway splits their town in two. Marcos ends up on one side, while Mateo is on the other. And that highway is not the only one that tries to separate them.
In Spanish with English subtitles
TIGER LILY MOUNTAIN PASS (US, 2024, 5 min, Director: Nate King)
Tiger Lily Mountain Pass is a hand drawn animation inspired by Nate King’s time spent in the forests of Appalachia. In a region where queerness is often hidden or disguised, the work explores nature as a space of queer erotic encounter. King animates with a combination of pencil, paper and digital processes, weaving together a dreamlike poem that tells a story of ecstasy, meditation, and heartache.