29th Annual QFilm Festival Held This Week

 The LGBTQ Center Long Beach is hosting its 29th annual Q Film Festival later this week.

The QFestival is Long Beach’s longest-running film festival and the city’s second-largest LGBTQIA+ cultural event.

QFilms is a volunteer-driven festival.

A committee screens more than 100 films each year and carefully selects the best films for the festival. The festival runs from Sept 8 – Sep 11 with multiple films shown daily.

“The idea for QFilms was and still is about representation. LGBTQ+ people seeing their lives on the screen is very meaningful. This year it is more meaningful as activists are trying to legislate our community away with anti-LGBTQ laws,” said Carlos Torres, the executive director of the LGBTQ Center Long Beach.

The lineup for this year features; “Bros”, starring Billy Eichner. ‘Bros’ is the first film about gay men that is made by a major motion picture. QFilms is the only place in the Long Beach area to see the film before its national release. The film features an all LGBTQ+ cast.  It will be screened the closing night and tickets are $20. All other film tickets cost $14. 

In addition to “Bros”, attendees can enjoy many other films. Peter McDowell, a Long Beach film director, is showing ‘Jimmy’s In Saigon’ which reveals secrets regarding his brother’s death during the Vietnam war.’ All Man: The International Male Story’ is a documentary about the mail order catalog that was crucial to many gay men’s coming out stories. ‘Mama Bear’ focuses on mothers who have become activists to support their LGBTQ+ children.

‘La Queincerera’ tells the story of a famous undocumented transgender human rights activist as she reflects on her life experience as an addict, prisoner, and someone who led the fight to improve life for transgender people in the United States. ‘All Kinds of Love’ takes place after the passing of gay marriage and features the divorce of a gay couple and a gay man trying to start his life over. . ‘Nelly and Nadine’ is the love story between two women who fall in love on Christmas 1944 in a concentration camp.

“My favorite part of QFilms is the social aspect. We have an Opening Night party, an ice cream social, and a Sunday brunch. It’s a great way to meet people with similar interests. Of course, our allies, non-LGBTQ+ are welcome,” said Torres.

All of the films will be shown at the Art Theatre next to the LGBTQ Center. The usual film concessions will be available for purchase. If you attend the parties, food will be provided by the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center. There are also many restaurants near the Center.

To support the center, people can attend fundraising events such as QFilms, make direct financial donations online, and volunteer at the Center.

For more information, visit the Q Films website here and the Center’s website here.  To purchase tickets and merchandise, go here.  

The festival will be held at the Art Theatre located at 2025 E. 4th St.

By Casey N. Wilson