Virginia Queer Film Festival

2024 films...

The People’s Joker

An aspiring clown grappling with her gender identity combats a fascistic caped crusader. (United States • Runtime: 1:32:00)

 

Kim Carnie Out Loud  

Scottish singer Kim Carnie was in a secret same-sex relationship for 6 years, from the ages of 16-22. She is now ready to reflect on the impact those 6 years of secrecy had on her. She meets other people who have hidden their sexuality as well as activists in the lgbtq+ community to hear their stories and to share her own. (United Kingdom • Runtime: 1:28:16)

 

Shorts Package 1: The Colors of the World

 

The Lily & The Scorpion 

Infamous outlaws The Lily and The Scorpion are on the run after a bank job gone wrong, but as day turns into night, the partners’ trust in each other begins to fray. (Canada • Runtime: 14:05)

 

Where to Piss

A trans man wants to use the men’s bathroom for the first time, however, he’s hindered by his own fears and insecurities. He shares these fears to his friend shown through imaginary scenarios. (United Kingdom • Runtime: 8:20)

 

Blue, transgressive 

Blue, a trans woman filled with romantic hopes, prepares a special dinner to finally meet Ricardo’s family, her boyfriend. But her hope fades when he, fearful of people judgment, compels her to hide inside the closet while his family dines, triggering an internal battle between love for a man and self-respect. (Mexico • Runtime: 7:34)

 

Collage 

A girl who works in a museum tries to convince another co-worker that two visitors are flirting. And how does she know? Scientific studies say that there are six signs that show one person’s attraction to another.(Spain Runtime: 9:51)

 

Across the Street

A heartfelt short story about the sparks that come with falling in love at first sight and the agonizing long nights of unrequited love. (Canada  • Runtime: 5:16)

 

Boob 

“Boob” is a 7-minute romantic comedy following the trials of Butch, a large left boob struggling with insecurity about his masculinity, as he works to impress his new crush in unfortunately toxic ways. Butch may or may not end up getting the girl, but in trying he goes through anxiety, humiliation, and a transcendental experience. (Canada • Runtime: 7:18)

 

Fruits of the Spirit: A Gathering Film 

When Maddy and Carys get outed to their church worship band, they must fight to stay together, in the face of an institution that wants nothing more than to see them apart. Can they hold onto faith when it seems that their faith doesn’t want them? ‘Fruits of the Spirit’ is a dramatic tale of hope, perseverance, and religious intolerance – a tale that is familiar to many. (United Kingdom • Runtime: 16:21)

 

Jeanne 

Jeanne, a young woman of 22, recounts the last moments of her life in a letter addressed to her parents. On the path to accepting her trans-identity, she will meet Franck, a seemingly xenophobic man, whose confidante she will unwillingly become, to the point of no return. (France • Runtime: 29:47)

 

Love, Venezia: A Narrative Feature film. Healing from a painful breakup, Michael travels to Venice, Italy, where he discovers the beauty of desire and experiences a love that awakens his spirit, promising to forever change the course of his life. (United States • Runtime: 1:42:00)

 

Red Lights and Civil Rights

The second in a series of documentaries researched and produced by VAQFF Board Member Dr. Charles Ford and Hampton Roads Pride features the City of Hampton’s LGBTQ history. United States • 18:17)

 

Shorts Package 2: Girls Will Be Girls

 

Always, Sofia 

A romance falls apart after the stress of a chronic illness reveals the cracks in it. Written and directed by 20 year-old filmmaker, Athena Cheris. (United States • Runtime: 7:48)

 

Tell Me

Baby gay Emma is worried that her lack of experience with female partners will ruin an upcoming romantic evening. To avoid certain humiliation, she uses advanced VR technology to rehearse her date over and over, with mixed results. (United States • Runtime: 8:45)

 

The Four Daniels 

Processing a traumatic breakup, Sophie searches for love through sex, sock puppets, and dating multiple men with the same name.(United States  • Runtime: 12:56)

 

Butch Dyke

Butch Dyke by A.S. Valentino, a transgender darkwave/industrial artist based in Portland, Oregon, is a tribute to butch dykes throughout history. The song is the latest single off A.S. Valentino’s 2024 album SUMMONING, released on Psychic Eye Records. (United States • 4:35)

 

The Space Between

Two college students, who on the outside couldn’t be more different from each other, happen to meet at a party and form a deep connection where they find self-discovery, forgiveness and hope for the future. (United States • Runtime: 18:59)

 

Parker and the Green Dress

A queer teen is torn between prom dreams and the fear of disappointing her grandmother. A chance encounter with an elderly woman, who harbors her own hidden truth, sparks a journey of mutual discovery. Together they confront the secrets that shape their lives. Can they embrace their truths before time runs out? (United States • Runtime: 23:13)

 

In the Summer Rain 

After the death of her friend, a high school senior finds first love with the pastor’s daughter. (United States • Runtime: 39:22)

 

Shorts Package 3: Dazzle and Dudes

 

Boyilove 

“Boyilove” is a mesmerizing journey through the realms of love, desire, and polyamory, set against the tumultuous transition from the popper-fueled dancefloors of the 1970’s to the 80’s embrace of Reaganism and post-modern suburbanism. (United States • Runtime: 2:15) 

 

Muse

A closed-off photographer, uncomfortable with his LGBTQ+ identity, develops feelings for an outgoing and free-spirited actor as they go on an adventure to snap the perfect portrait. (United States • Runtime: 6:59)

 

The Last Take

Facing the end, a movie star from the golden age of Hollywood must reconcile with the only man he ever loved. (United States • Runtime: 14:17)

 

Non Slut 

An insecure man attempts to ride out an unusual dating experiment, surrounded by the temptations of a raunchy queer party. (United States • Runtime: 12:05)

 

My Name Is Jonas

On his first day in rehab, a young gay songwriter in the throes of meth addiction makes a startling admission: he’s a prophet who must save New York City from Judgment Day. (United States • Runtime: 10:44)

 

Bar. Boy. 

At his local gay bar, sixty-something Gary encounters twenty-something Julian. What can each learn from the other and is a friendship possible? (United States • Runtime: 20:00)

 

At Lucy’s Last Night

The morning after hooking up, two recent college grads wrestle with their feelings for each other while a strange and inexplicable phenomenon creeps up in the background. (United States • Runtime: 20:00)

 

Tiger Lily Mountain Pass 

Tiger Lily Mountain Pass explores nature as a space of queer erotic encounter. King animates his likeness in multiple forms, with focus on compositing hand drawn line-work in a transforming stream of consciousness, at once the pursuer and the pursed, the heartbreaker and the heartbroken. 

 

“the one that got away”

Jacqueline will never forget the moment she met Billy and found her other half. now, her best friend is adulting and Jacqueline is faced with a choice. (United States • Runtime: 3:53)

 

Pup Perfect

Explore the world of gay/queer human Pups. This subculture that evolved from the gay leather community and now thrives in tandem. Interviews with over a dozen Pups reveal that Pup Play is a way of embodying the spirit of a dog, both physically and mentally. 

 

Mary: Her Journey From Pain To Purpose

A documentary following Mary’s story of transition and her path through the pain of rejection to a life of hope and purpose. (United States • Runtime: 1:00:00)

 

Intersecting Colors in the Rainbow

 

The Barman’s Daughter

Queer maximalist meets drag meets trans power in Shawna Virago’s latest music video. Themes of split consciousness and proliferating doubles set against Virago’s glitter twang snarl. (United States • Runtime: 3:46)

 

Wildman

Amy, a trans woman, must reconnect with her estranged father when he claims to have shot a Bigfoot dead in his backyard. (United States • Runtime: 9:34) 

 

Lifeline 

Marcus has lived life with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Well, today it all comes crashing down when he terrifyingly contemplates suicide in a game of Russian roulette. (United States • Runtime: 13:48)

 

Ell

A young non-binary person struggles to decide whether or not to go on hormones after their insecurities are highlighted during a phone call with their insurance company. (United States • Runtime: 11:10)

 

Safety State 

In the dystopian near future, a gay and a lesbian couple form an unlikely friendship as they flee the Midwest for safety in New England. (United States • Runtime: 15:37)

 

Emerald City

Two young men cross paths on the back roads of the American Southwest and despite their different backgrounds, find common ground along the Border. (United States • Runtime: 21:13)

 

The Nape 

Da-ye quits her job as a teacher and returns to her hometown. She begins to help her mother, who has been forced to close the English academy she runs because of the COVID-19 outbreak, when she comes across a student who is two months behind in his payments. (Republic of Korea • Runtime: 25:40)

 

Documentary Shorts Package: Unscripted Rainbow Frames

 

Gay Beach 

A three-day gathering on the Florida panhandle becomes a rollicking party of queer resistance, grief and joy in the face of increasing censorship and division. (United States • Runtime: 32:44)

 

Finding Home 

Through intimate interviews and candid moments, Finding Home is a touching short documentary that chronicles a family’s journey during their first six months in a new state. (United States • Runtime: 14:50)

 

One Story at a Time: Celeste Lecesne 

In the docushort One Story at a Time, Celeste Lecesne candidly shares how he not only escaped the confines of homophobia but combatted it by finding the courage to share his truth with the world. In a seemingly fateful chain of events, an off-Broadway solo-show becomes an Academy Award-winning film that ultimately inspires The Trevor Project, the largest suicide prevention lifeline for LGBTQIA+ youth. (United States • Runtime: 10:06)

 

Annapolis: In My Lifetime 

A look behind the scenes as Annapolis “Comes Out” in 2019 with the capitol city’s first pride parade. Long-time Annapolis residents Jeremy Browning, Mark Hildebrand, Eric Lund, JB McLendon, Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley, and many others share their experiences with the local LGBTQIA community and the founding of Annapolis Pride as they prepare to honor Pride Month and acknowledge the legacy of the Stonewall Riots. (United States • Runtime: 46:37)

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