August Events...

Virginia Queer Film Festival

Virginia Queer Film Festival

Friday, 19 September 2025 until Sunday, 21 September 2025

The Virginia Queer Film Festival provides access to films by, for, and about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people and their families, and a forum for LGBTQ+ filmmakers to share and discuss their work with audiences. It is the first of its kind in Virginia, and one of only a handful of LGBTQ+ film festivals in the American South.

Our vision is to elevate the spectrum of queer stories to educate, entertain, and build deeper acceptance and understanding of the Southern queer experience. While we accept submissions from all filmmakers, our mission is to foster deeper community engagement by showcasing queer film programming, educational experiences, and social dialogue with a focus on Virginia and Southern voices.

Awards:

Best Narrative Short
Best Documentary Short
Best Narrative Feature
Best Documentary Feature
Best Animated Short Film
Best Experimental Short Film
Best Next Gen Film (17 and under only)*

2025 films...

11 Blocks To Go: The Bet

0:10:00 | United States

Samantha, a free-spirited hopeless romantic, discovers her 30-something year old BFF Drew, a gay high-functioning drug-addled sex addict, is hosting an orgy in lieu of honoring his personal commitments.

All-American Ruins: Universal Atlas Cement Plant

0:12:00 | United States, United States

Follow multidisciplinary artist Blake Pfeil as he recounts the bittersweet end of a relationship while exploring the abandoned Universal Atlas Cement Plant that overlooks the banks of the Hudson River. HUDSY Original All-American Ruins: Universal Atlas Cement Plant explores the healing power of human forgiveness through fantastical, queer storytelling. Using personal journals about his experiences exploring modern ruins, Blake shines a light on the cultural, historical, and spiritual underbelly of America. This is the third installment of the HUDSY Original Anthology All-American Ruins.

1:46:00 | France

Three lesbians navigate their desires, fears, and contradictions in Paris. Nour, an intense and impatient musician, falls for a woman who is both guarded and demanding. Their budding relationship wavers under the weight of Nour's rushed expectations. Insecure Laura suggests to her two partners that they have a child to strengthen their throuple - unknowingly upending their already delicate balance. Meanwhile Gabrielle, a respected therapist, is neglected by her workaholic partner who is too busy to notice the cracks forming. Gabrielle begins to dangerously bond with one of her patients. Caught between doubts and desires, these romantic entanglements ask us : should I make the run for it, or should I commit? This movie is first of all an adventure, a feminist adventure carried by my friendships. We claimed our space to create it, starting with complete screenwriting freedom. We then pulled off this incredible bet : a feature film shot in 18 days, 15 sets and 12 talented actresses

0:17:36 | United States, United States

A woman struggling with a binge eating disorder attends her ex-girlfriend's bachelorette party in an attempt to reconnect. But the social pressures and her body anxiety build up until she panics and binges on the party's hilarious vulva-themed cake.

0:15:00 | Italy, United States, United States

"Body Stories" is a short documentary built out of an ambitious storytelling project, and a vivid experimental exploration of life lived in a human body. The body is a paradoxical organism, one we all have in common; yet, our experiences in our own bodies are distinct and particular. "Body Stories" unites the bodies of 25 storytellers through a prismatic kaleidoscope of reflections on birth, death, and rebirth, vividly illustrating an interwoven collection of authentic anecdotes about bodily memories, fears, and desires. The narratives touch on deeply personal memories of families, religion, social media, sexuality, pleasure, food, medical conditions, tattoos, body size, and the struggle for self-acceptance.

0:08:00 | United States, United States

Two nonbinary bookstore clerks' intimate relationship is interrupted by a new beau.

0:08:57 | United States, United States

At a dinner party with old friends (Mandy and Alan) and a new lover (Jules), Piper must face the danger of moving too fast in relationships...at her own peril. Over the course of the dinner, the mysterious Jules only grows more mysterious (why does she know how to skin a cat??), while Mandy and Alan's marriage is put to the test (why does Alan love the sauna so much??). When blood is spilled, Piper must decide where her alliances lay, and whether she truly knows the woman who has a key to her home.

Connection | Isolation

1:25:00 | United States, United States

Connection | Isolation presents eight intimate portraits of trans and post-gender individuals navigating the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amidst moments of connection and isolation, these participants reveal a deepening awareness of gender, their bodies, and trans community. Created by an all trans and queer crew, this hybrid documentary film interlaces portraits with reenactments, integrating archival material documenting what so many experienced and many still do. Connection | Isolation invites viewers to witness the strength of connection as an act of resistance, offering care in the face of crisis, and using reflection as a path toward healing. Connection | Isolation is both a feature film of 85 min, a shorter version is available at 67 minutes, and the film is cut into a 7 part series with episodes ranging from 7 to 15 minutes in length. If festivals wish to program the feature as its shorter version, or as a an episode, this is welcome! The series can be seen here: https://g6pictures.com/connection-isolation-series PW NewDay2025

0:12:33 | United States

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.

0:12:00 | United States

A transgender man surviving conversion therapy.

0:09:13 | United States, United States

Logline: Two estranged siblings of opposing political persuasions cleaning out their mother's home after her death, fight over the inheritance of a sentimental souvenir Synopsisi: Two estranged siblings of opposing political persuasions clean out their mother's home after her death. They feel closer until a fight over the inheritance of a sentimental souvenir triggers their unresolved childhood issues and illuminates the political divide between them. Maybe the divide is too big to cross.

0:19:00 | United States, United States

Haider, a Bengali Muslim taxi driver faces the reality that the American Dream may never be his. Grueling hours, rude customers, a collapse in medallion values and suicides among fellow drivers continually chip away at his hope for the future. Under this backdrop, crisis spills into his family life as his daughter, Shoshi, is consumed by her own struggle, a desire to live life fully as man in a trans-phobic immigrant culture. While Haider had never been knowledgeable or supportive of LGBTQ rights and issues, starts to change as he does not want to lose his only child, whom he loves more than life itself.

0:04:52 | United States, United States

Inspired from a personal audio message where writer-director Stephanie Zenee Perez was speaking on a recent heartbreak. She took the audio message and wrote a simple script based upon the words. ELSEWHERE LOVE bloomed into an abstract poetic piece that focuses on rebirth from heartbreak and features surreal textured memories as if playing an old film in the back of your head.

0:08:11 | United States

A journey of how two wandering souls find exactly what they are looking for.

0:10:37 | United States, United States

Living out of their van, Emma and Sasha try to make ends meet after moving to LA for Sasha to pursue acting. But Emma's choice of career put's a strain on their relationship.

0:12:12 | France

Memories of a summer. Loona 18 years old goes on a trip with her friends. There, she discovers her sexuality, shared between Hisham and Maude. Two intertwined, unfinished love stories.

0:18:50 | United States, United States

After being kicked out of his strict Mormon home, 17-year-old AJ finds himself lost on the streets of Atlanta. Desperate and naive, heâs 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 hustles of survivalâstealing, dealing, and navigating the unforgiving city. Under the watchful eye of Daddy, Baby Girlâs volatile pimp, AJ is drawn deeper into a world both thrilling and dangerous. The two form an intense bondâpart 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 everythingâforcing them to decide how far theyâll go to escape a life that never wanted them.

Latter-Day Glory: The Aftermath of Growing Up Queer in the LDS Church

1:50:19 | Mexico, United States, United States

Two queer ex-Mormon missionaries embark on a transformative journey across America, uncovering the devastating effects of religious dogma on LGBTQ+ members and former members of the LDS Church, as a single, intimate conversation âspanning from childhood to adulthoodâ unfolds over the course of seven chapters.

The Library Problem

0:05:27 | United States, United States

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.

0:17:55 | United States, United States

Lucasâan insecure, in-the-closet 22 year oldâis stuck babysitting for a well off Brooklyn family to get by. On any other Friday evening, he arrives to watch Freud, a precocious 7 year old. Only thereâs one problem: a new babysitter, Frankie, is already there. What happens as a chance occurrence between two young men spirals into a weekend of self-discovery and acceptance. Being bold doesnât always mean being loud.

0:20:00 | Luxembourg

After an umpteenth after-party, Mia has an identity crisis, and for a few hours, her two best friends help her to overcome an important, if not the most important, stage in her life.

Next Best Thing

0:02:49 | United States

This song and film are about the filmmaker's first homosexual experience, and how he soon learned that it was from someone who had feelings for his brother.

Pages of Protest

0:18:25 | United States, United States

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.

Performed Consent

0:06:45 | United States, United States

After years of being told I don't know my own body, what happens when I relinquish the control of telling my story? Does AI know how to convey it, or will the collection of answers to my question feel inauthentic?

Popped or Alive

0:03:13 | United States

In an imaginary world of balloon people, an outlaw and a sheriff find themselves working together to take down a poorly-drawn monster.

Secret (Raaz)' by Miraaj - Music Video

0:02:59 | United States, United States

Secret (Raaz)' started as a song about hidden emotions, but now it's a visual anthem for anyone who's ever felt like a secret or had one kept from them, celebrating love in all its authentic, inclusive forms. This chill-pop anthem blends South Asian influences with modern pop beats and is a celebration of love in all its forms, especially queer love. The music video is also reflection of my journey as an immigrant to a naturalized American recording artist, and a fully manifested love letter to the San Francisco Bay Area community that has supported me from the beginning.

Storytellers: An Oral History Anthology

1:00:52 | United States, United States

These 13 fascinating short videos are a result of a one-day workshop by Storytellers, Rainbopediaâs oral history project. This anthology film introduces a wide range of queer personalities who tell their own stories or the stories of others. Among the narrators are Leon, a trans photographer who has been creating art on the front lines of the queer and political scene for decades; and Mark, who unravels the mystery of how his gay father once stalked and encountered the English playwright, composer, and bon vivant Noel Coward; and Carol, who recalls the early days of punk rock culture in Los Angeles and the seminal Theoretical events that took place at the notorious leather bar, One Way; and the former target of arch-conservative, anti-gay senator Jesse Helms, performance artist John Fleck, who provides an irreverent and outrageous autobiographical dramatization. Touching, funny, insightful, and provocative, these stories capture the humanity and diversity of the queer experience in ways that are in turn delightful and demanding. A multilayered slice of queer life, "Storytellers: An Oral History Anthology" will be sure to inform, astonish, and entertain, as well as encourage audience members to create their own videos about themselves, someone they know, or a historical person, place, or event, for inclusion in Rainbopediaâs online archive of global LGBTQ+ history.

Summit Squad: Kilimanjaro

1:14:46 | United States, United States

Three women, each carrying the weight of past traumaâsexual assault, suicidal struggles, and homophobic prejudiceâembark on a life-changing journey to summit Mount Kilimanjaro. Among them is a queer woman who survived sexual assault by a parent and grew up in the deeply homophobic Dominican Republic, where she had no LGBTQ+ role models until moving to the U.S. in her teens. Another is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, still grappling with the lasting impact of her trauma. The third has battled severe depression and suicidal thoughts, searching for a way to reclaim her life. Strangers at the start, they must rely on each other to navigate not only the physical demands of Africaâs tallest freestanding mountain but also the emotional challenges of confronting their pasts. As they ascend, the mountain becomes a powerful metaphor for their resilience, testing their endurance, trust, and ability to reclaim their strength. Through breathtaking landscapes and raw, intimate storytelling, this documentary captures their struggle, their triumphs, and the profound transformation that unfolds when women push beyond their limitsâboth on the mountain and within themselves.

0:12:10 | United States, United States

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 dayâone that costs Tippi her career and exposes the harsh reality of workplace discrimination. As they refuse to be silent, their deeply 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.

0:02:43 | United States

"TOUCH" 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.

0:03:40 | United States, United States

Sailing to the treasure, a ship of silver and gold, Bonny quickly learns they are being followed by her rival Captain Jordan. Before the two ships can fight over the riches, a great sea serpent rises from the sea and blocks its course. Bonnie now must choose, should she stay behind to fight with her greatest enemy, or go after the treasure, leaving Jordan and her crew behind to perish?

An Unexpected Community

71 minutes | United States, United States | 2024

In the early days of the pandemic, Andrea Meyerson, founder of Women On A Roll, launched an online platform for lesbians and queer women. She called it Women On The Net. Five nights a week, Meyerson provided a place for women all over the world to gather and share a wide range of entertaining programming. Feelings of isolation and loneliness were replaced with joy, laughter, and new friends - all via Zoom. An Unexpected Community captures the magic these women shared during one of the most challenging events in our lifetime.

The World Stood Still

0:14:41 | Finland

Young trans woman Myrsky has run away from her transphobic parents and lives on her grandfather Tapioâ's couch. She dreams of moving somewhere far away, but high school graduation isn't working out and her mother is causing problems. Tapioâ's health issues and Myrskyâ'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 Myrskyâ'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?