Official Selections: 8th LA Queer Film Festival
Congratulations to our accepted filmmakers!
Films are listed in alphabetical order, index to the left.
Scroll Down to learn more about each film.
Courting The Night
Short
World Premiere
Director: Michael Carnick
Producer: Chelsea Fenton
Writer: Gabriel Carnick
Cast: Jamie Eddy, Katie Lynn Stoddard, Parissa Koo, Lucia Towers
Cinematographer: Gabriel Carnick
Editor: Fernanda Schein
Emerald City
Short
Emerald City is an lgbtqia+ story of two young men: one who has aged out of foster care where he was placed after his parents were deported and the other on his way to join the border patrol. Each isolated in their own way, both seek a sense of community, of belonging, and meet on the back roads of the American Southwest, where they develop a tentative friendship that gradually becomes more.
Director: Josef Steiff
Producer: David Bobrow & Josef Steiff
Writer: David Bobrow
Cast: Havon Baraka, Alan Vazquez, Arasha Lalani, Rob Riordan
Cinematographer: Matthew Hayward
Editor: Melissa Lawrenz
Emerald City has screened in over 75 film festivals throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia resulting in more than 35 awards, including Best Overall Short Film at FilmOut San Diego, Best of Show at LGBTQ Unbordered International Film Festival, Best Romance Film at Skiptown Playhouse International Film Festival, as well as multiple awards for best LGBTQ and short film, sound, editing, directing, and acting (including ensemble, Alex Vazquez, and Arasha Lalani). The film was shot along the border near Tecate, Mexico and Potrero, California.
Website: https://invisibilitypro.com/
Instagram: @josefsteiff
Twitter: @josef_steiff
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inVisibilityPro
Dancing Dhamaal!
Animation, music video, short
This animated Bollywood music video follows the emotional journey of Aadarshini, who is feeling out of place at a traditional Indian wedding. At the reception, she is mesmerized by dancer Parvati, who is the embodiment of classic Indian culture. Aadarshini may not be able to keep up with Parvati’s choreography, but she finds acceptance in her community through her own unique and unusual dance style.
Director: Nimisha Chandrashekhar Mahatme
Producer: Farah Hussain
Storyboard Artists: Corin Carinugan, Yuuki Motani
Art Director: Percy Motzkau Jorda
3D Artist: Sneha Krishnan
Animators: Adali Fuentes, Alexandra Ramelb , Leticia Rodriguez-Virrueta, Shirley Mach
Artists: Madison Forsythe, Amulya Pennepalli, Emily Hardy
4 awards, 2 nominations and 9 selections
Instagram: @dancingdhamaalfilm
Gillyfish
Short
LA premiere
When GILLIAN takes on her partner’s identity to confront their father, she finds a connection she didn't expect in the strange exchange she has with him. A short about healing by proxy, and stepping into new identities.
Director: Sarah Sellman
Producer: Maya Korn (MHK Productions) Leeona Duff (Upon Blue Bridge)
Writer: Sarah Sellman
Cast: Aoife Commons, Cat Coyle, Sarah Fahy, Sean Donegan
Cinematographer: Alba Fernandez
Editor: David Formentin
GILLYFISH premiered at BFI Flare in March, had its international premiere at Kinoforum Sao Paolo and Canadian premiere at Whistler Film Festival. It was nominated for Best Short at Miami Short Film Festival.
'Gillyfish' is a proof of concept for a feature set in the US, that we shot with an 80% female, queer, non-binary crew in Galway Ireland with rising-star queer DP Alba Fernandez.
We were also fortunate enough to pitch the feature version at the Galway Fleadh market this year and it completed Cinestory & Stowe Story Labs in 2019.
Instagram: @snsellman @my.my.muy