Reelout Queer Film + Video Festival in Kingston
The Reelout Queer Film Festival is an annual 10-day event held in Kingston, ON Canada. We are one of the first queer film festivals in the calendar year and our festival exhibits independent, international films by and/or about LGBTQ+ lives with a strong focus on the intersections within our communities. Films focusing on race, health, ability, class, and age are equally as important as films about sexual orientation and gender. Our festival usually runs from late January to early February. There are no travel funds for guests outside the U.S but we have been able to provide accommodations for international guests if they can afford their own airfare. International and Canadian feature-length films will receive artist/screening fees as well as Canadian short films.
There are Audience Awards (title awards nothing monetary awarded) as well as the Betty Berghout award for BEST LOVE STORY and the Kim Renders BEST PERFORMANCES awards.
2026 films...
Feature Narratives
Feature Documentaries
Velvet Vision: The Story of James Bidgood and the Making of Pink Narcissus
UNSAFE SPACE: shorts program
In this space, everyone will hear you scream. From musicals to monsters- fans of the macabre rejoice!
Top of My School d. Katherine Lynn-Rose/CAN/US/2025/19:15 An ambitious high school student’s obsession with winning the student council election spirals out of control when a classmate unexpectedly enters the race.
Disco Fever d.Kevin Hartford/Canada/2025/5:40 Cal makes a drunken pit stop at a greasy diner for some late-night eats only to find himself witnessing an apparent dance-fueled zombie attack.
Hateful Dead d. Bo Martin/Canada/202515:50 Hateful Dead is a gay, zombie drama. We follow David, our closeted football player, as he's forced to confront his undead boyfriend and the role he played in his death
Straight Boy Love d. Brett McNeill/Canada/2025/12:07 A gay man falls in love with a straight man...and is subsequently haunted by a closet monster!
Pimple Patch d. Noah Berc/Canada/2025/6:13 A mutated patch of pimples manifests on Nathan's face right before a huge audition. With outside forces controlling his every move, he must decide whether to make a bloody sacrifice to book the role.
Bath Bomb d. Colin G Cooper/Canada/2024/9:55 A possessive doctor prepares an ostensibly romantic bath for his narcissistic boyfriend, but after an accusation of infidelity, things take a deeply disturbing turn.
Halloween Headliners d. Chris Carter, John Simpson & Christopher Miniaci/Canada/2025/13:45 At a remote campground, longtime drag rivals Elvirus and Betty Whitecastle face off as co-headliners of a Halloween show destined to be unforgettable. But when the lights go down, the night takes a deadly turn... and the battle for the spotlight becomes a fight for survival.
Deep Dish Dimples d. Manuel Villarreal/USA/2024/9:37 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. 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.
Black Hole Barry d. Alejandro Alberola/UK/2024/9:15 Right before Scott’s boyfriend moves in with him, he decides to go on a series of hookups to get the most out of his last week living alone, a decision he’s going to regret forever.
They Came From OUTer Space: shorts program
Clearly we Earthlings are feeling ready to get beamed up to the Mothership based on the sheer number of sci-fi themed shorts submitted to the festival this year. Prepare to get probed by these eight cosmic tales from Uranus and beyond.
Mishaps in Spacetime d. Caio Amado Soares/Portugal/2025/12:16 Doubt creeps in as Cosmo, a space traveller, addresses his gender identity. In need of clarity and change, he wants to risk crossing the Butterfly Nebula. His spaceship, on the other hand, has a personality of her own. Cosmo will need to negotiate change with a certain loss of control.
Bazooka d. WIlliam Oliveira/Brazil/2025/16:00 Set against the backdrop of mysterious abductions across Brazil, mother and son, Marta and Levi, struggle with affection and grief when one of their loved ones, Diná, a young trans woman, becomes one of the victims.
The 2007 Miss Southern Diva Pageant d. Levi Maxine Johnson/USA/4:27 On the night of the 2007 Miss Southern Diva Pageant, Sasha Cunt & her best friend Balls are RUNNING LATE! One dead deer, a car chase, and a gay singalong later can the two drag artists make it on time for the pageant?
Outage d. Graham Kolbiens/Canada/2024/14:40 With the heat threatening a grid outage, a queer couple sets out on their “perfect desert day.” There’s just one hitch: their bored pre-teen nephew is tagging along. But if anything can get him out of his video game, maybe it’s an encounter with a visitor from outer space.
Organza’s Revenge d. Walter Scott/Canada/2024/20:25 Organza, a broke artist in a distant galaxy, travels across the stars to seek revenge on her ex-lover in an attempt to cure her mysterious illness. As she meets strange creatures such as museum curators and cyborg pop stars, she learns that perhaps vulnerability is more important than revenge, after all.
The Last Story on Earth d. Aaron Immediato/USA/2024/17:38 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 upends 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.
Space Daddy d. Stephen Carruthers/UK/2025/10:31 SPACE DADDY is a comedy about a hook up between twentysomething year old twink Andy and a mysterious hunk he meets on the dating app 'Strangr' - with some... out-of-this-world consequences...
Butterfly Kisses d. Zohar Dvir/ Germany/2024/10:00 Carol panics and argues with her girlfriend Ray after an unexpected proposal. The situation gets worse when she wakes up in an apocalyptic reality and terribly discovers that Ray has transformed into a butterfly. Ray's transformation, the invasion of the outside world into their home, and the growing tension between the two threaten their relationship.
Sapphic Space: shorts program
Tonight we celebrate the lives of women who love women in an eclectic offering of short narratives and documentaries that run the gamut of emotions.
The D Word d. Mya Van Dyk/Canada/2025/3:16 A butch lesbian is accosted by a manifestation of their Catholic-school-going, homophobic, younger self.
Purgatory d. Nikki Shaffeeullah/Canada/202519:56 Zena, a usually confident queer woman with an anxiety-induced supernatural streak, is forced to face off with a meddling relative when she returns to her family’s mosque with her partner in tow to attend the funeral of a beloved community member.
Strappi d. Alberto Pompei/Italy/2025/15:00 Annalisa and Martina have always shared every moment of their lives together. When Martina needs to get ready for her first date with a boy, she goes to Annalisa's house for help.
No Love Lost d. Quintina Lawrence/ Canada/2025/7:40 The film follows a soft, sensual romance between two queer black women falling in love for the first time.
Enough d. Charlotte Gabriel Guerry & Brea Sondhi/USA/2025/4:29 Sonia can’t stop scrolling through photos of her ex-girlfriend. But when a sleepless night bends reality, she’s forced to face what she’s really holding onto.
Vulkan d.Julia Zakia/ Brazil/France/2025/15:00/French,Portuguese with English subtitles VULKAN shows the encounter and love between three women of different ages and backgrounds. As they build a new way of being together, Etna, Nadia and Indigo, in their intimacies, fears and memories, live a volcanic story.
Rocks Kissing d Micah Goldstein/Canada/2025/4:34 A dive into disconnection and reconnection - of returning to your sense of self after a long time away.
Old Girl in a Tutu d. Cheri Gaulke/USA/2025/8:02 Feminist scholar, Susan Rennie, seizes her iPhone and sneaks her queer, octogenarian body into master works of art, disrupting the narrative of the male gaze.
Thanks Babs! d. Jen Rainin & Rivkah Beth Medow/USA/2025/14:00 Meet Babs, an optimistic octogenarian speed-racing through life, one five-year plan at a time.
Rocketing Through Gender Space: shorts program
Gender diverse folx can always get by with a little help from our cisgender friends. This program of narrative and documentary shorts honours allyship for gender diverse communities. (Cover image from Elijah)
Needle Tips d. Cassidy Civiero & Alanna Schwartz/Canada/2025/13:40 Needle Tips is a documentary examining the intersection between trans health care and reproductive health care, as a transgender man helps his friend undergo IVF injections. Information on navigating the health system in Canada is interwoven with intimate interviews based on the filmmakers' lived experience. Rooted in friendship and care for one another, Needle Tips gives a behind-the-curtain look at how to strive for bodily autonomy in the current sociopolitical context.
The Reveal d. Jackie Hoffart/Canada/2025/13:49 Stevie struggles to support their sister’s gender reveal party, while harbouring a gender update of their own. This charming comedy pulls back the curtain on gender performance of all varieties, and shines a whimsical light on the stumbling, imperfect, yet loving ways families show up for one another.
Their World in Colour d. Nico Susilo/Canada/2025/10:00 Charlene Chua, an award-winning illustrator and author, embraces the challenges of fostering inclusivity through children’s books.
Mirror d. Fath Montoya/Canada/2025/10:00 Entering into their final year of high school, teenage Jay begins to question their gender identity. While working on a class assignment, they seek to find self-acceptance despite the challenges.
Elijah d. Razid Season/USA/2024/19:00/Bengali and English with English subtitles Haider, a Bengali Muslim taxi driver faces the reality that the American Dream may never be his. Under this backdrop, crisis spills into his family life as his child, Shoshi, is consumed by their own struggle, a desire to live life fully as man in a trans-phobic immigrant culture.
Pink Elephant d. Maria del Mar/Canada/2025/12:58 A long-standing friendship creeps into conflict around gender identity, but is quickly resolved when one friend receives some news that changes their lives forever.
The Exchange d. Amaia Yoldi/ Spain/2023 /14:00/Spanish with English subtitles Antonio and Inés are two complete strangers who arrange a meeting through a second-hand app. Inés wants to sell something she no longer tolerates; Antonio wants to try it. When they meet, an odd sense of mutual understanding emerges between them. However, what we do privately is not always something we want to acknowledge.
MAN SPACE: shorts program
Ranging from youth to seniors, this showcase highlights the lives of queer men exploring their sexuality and gender in a truly international program.
Heartdrop d. Daniel Yaqo/Canada/2025/17:22 Two queer youths, who are neighbours, secretly communicate with each other through a discreet phone feature, all while keeping their relationship a secret from everyone around them.
Julian and the Wind d. Connor Jessup/Canada/2024/14:58 Two boarding school roommates share a strange experience with sleepwalking.
Bears on Film d. Albert Koomen/Australia/2025/2:37 Bears can dance and bears can also be glamorous! This film celebrates all that is furry and masculine about Bear culture whilst elevating them to a contemporary level of style.
Romance is Dad d.Dave Moran/ Ireland/2025/9:21 Mikey and Drew are away for a romantic weekend in a fancy hotel. The first weekend alone together since the birth of their two kids. A bag mix up puts a dampener on proceedings, so Drew, thinking on his feet, tries to come up with a way to keep the romance alive. A comedy of errors ensues.
IUS of Time d. Roberto F. Canuto & Xiaoxi Xu/Spain/2025/25:00 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.
Leo d. Fernando Reinaldos/Spain/USA/2025/14:00 On their last day together before he moves to Los Angeles for college, Leo and his best friend Kai hide in the sports center where they have always played basketball. What starts as a prank ends with Leo confessing his feelings for Kai.
Ramen Boys d. Jason Sakaki/Canada/2025/13:20 Kevin finally takes a chance to connect with James, the lifeguard he's admired from afar, leading to an extremely expected first kiss and a summer of love and laughter.
Archiving Space: shorts program
This series of documentary shorts demonstrates diverse artistic approaches to documenting queer spaces past and present.
Shelly’s Leg d. Wes Hurley/USA/2025/16:45 In 1970, an eccentric young stripper named Shelly Baumann loses her leg in a freak parade canon accident, then uses her settlement money to open 'Shelly's Leg' disco - one of the nation's first and most consequential openly gay spaces. Narrated by Oscar-nominee, Kathleen Turner.
Anita Louise and the Wild Women d. Arena Alamino/Canada/202512:26 Anita Louise Martinez devoted the last fifty years of her life to photographing Nova Scotia's queer and trans community. This short documentary is a portrait of Anita, and an exploration of the Wild Women Don't Get the Blues lesbian camping weekends she captured with her camera in the 1980s and 1990s.
Dike Bar d. Amy Siegel/Canada/2025/5:00 Dike Bar is a project that archives queer and trans experience in the rural town of Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada.
Between Two Homes- d. Steven Brese, Oleksandr Pankieiev/Canada/14:52/English,Russian,Ukrainian with English subtitles When Russia invaded Ukraine, Mariia’s family life was shattered. She fled Kyiv for Edmonton, determined to give her young son a safer, more accepting place to grow up. But with her wife still in Ukraine, Mariia lives suspended between two countries, navigating the emotional strain of separation while redefining what “home” can mean in a time of war.
Becoming Ruby d. Quan Luong/Canada/2025/10:00 Becoming Ruby follows Ruby Chopstix, Canada’s first drag artist-in-residence, as they navigate the complexity of being an underrepresented drag performer while creating a special showcase to create space for other queer BIPOC performers.
HAUS d. Anthony Arcuri/Canada/2025/6:15 HAUS follows drag king St. John Boy and their Haus of The Holy Spirit, as they try to create a space for up-and-coming artists in Hamilton’s queer/alternative scene.
The Divine Femme d. Odu Adamu/Canada/2025/16:38 Black. Brown. Trans. Cis. Queer. Immigrant. Full Bodied. Embodied. Femme. The Divine Femme is a conversation between Black and Brown cis and trans women in Toronto's ballroom scene. They share their personal identity intersections, and how ballroom is a space for them to express their womanism in its fullness! While the Storytellers represent Toronto’s ballroom scene, their voices have a universal relevance that extends beyond borders.