Official Selections: 1st-7th 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.
Save Twilight
Los Angeles Premiere
On the long nights of the city, Julia, who has not yet reached her thirties, recalls her love story with Lucia, a girl who after traveling the world and living in Paris, ended up staying in Julia's heart. However, when the relationship begins to wither, a tragic accident ends Lucia's life, plunging Julia into a spiral of pain, guilt and self-destruction. Until one of those nights full of memories, Julia rebels against the fate that has separated them, and decides to meet her, no matter what. Even if she has to start a journey into twilight with no chance of returning.
Director- Mario Hernández
Producer- Jaime Dezcallar, David Oeo, Marta García Larriau
Writer- Mario Hernández
Cast- Clara Alvarado, Sara Etienne, Ruth Gabriel
Cinematographer- Sara Gallego, Jorge Sirvent
Editor- Dani Aránega
Website: yaqdistribucion.com/cortos/salvo_el_crepusculo
Facebook: fb.com/mario.hernandez.399826
Stickup, winter, orgy
Animated Short
The Ignorant Cowboy searches for a human connection in three episodes: during a bank robbery, alone with his memories, and in a jam-packed orgy.
Writer/Animator: EE Newman
Awards: Audience Favorite 1st Place, Florida Animation Festival 2022
Website: ignorantcowboy.com
Sunflower Nicky
Short Film
Los Angeles Premiere
Eight year old Nicolas dreams of owning a Nikki doll, but when his dream becomes a reality it sends a shift through his home as his parents grapple with their beliefs of how their young son should express himself.
Director: Clifton J. Adams
Producer(s): Clifton J. Adams & Victoria Villarreal (Executive Producers); Caleb Miller White & Charmee Taylor (Creative Producers); Andrew C. Carson (Producer); Alvin E. Ford, Jr. (Associate Producer)
Writer: Clifton J. Adams
Cast: Ayden Elijah as Nicolas; Jaquai Wade as Yvette; Maliyah Kellam as Jordyn; Kamiah Baker as Alexis; Jeremy N. Miller as Terry.
Cinematographer: Monica Mejia
Editor: Manny Zaldivar
Instagram: @sunflowernickythefilm
Twitter: @sunflowernickythefilm
Facebook: @sunflowernickytheshortfilm
The Gift of Color
Short
Deeply rooted in their routine of avoidance an adolescent teen and their grandmother unexpectedly find themselves on a path of self reflection and acceptance
Director: Daniel Nathan Nunley
Producer: Daniel Nathan Nunley
Writer: Jamie J Edmondson
Cast: Jasper Peter Pershing "Devon", Donna Carroll Crockett "Grandma", Alexia Lue "Alex", Eli Manuel "Eli"
Cinematographer Luman Kim
Editor: Daniel Nathan Nunley
Renaissance Black Film Festival, Official Selection
The Invite
Short
Jack is really Jax. They are nonbinary but struggling to express it. Then, a series of letters arrive from an anonymous source that seems to know everything about them. The letters call them to a mystical place full of transformation, self-love, and community. But first, they must accept The Invite.
Director: Jax Terry
Producer: Jax Terry
Writer: Jax Terry
Cast: Jax Terry, Kristin Yancy, Kailey Prior, Chris Browne-Valenzuela, Ross Wolkenbrod, Dyllan Vallier, Lilly Downing
Cinematographer (if applicable): Jesse Sperling
Editor: Katey Spinner
Best Experimental Short at NYCIFIF, Festival Favorite at Cinema Diverse Palm Springs, Best Short at Louisiana Rainbow: LGBT+ Film fest, accepted and screened to 10 festivals and counting
Instagram: @the_invite_film
The Tailor
Los Angeles Premiere
A gender non-conforming person struggling to assert their identity unexpectedly finds courage in an aging master tailor.
Director: Nathalie Therriault
Producer: Andy Alvarez, Mike Johnston
Writer: Nathalie Therriault
Cast: Hiro Kanagawa, Megan Danso
Cinematographer: Diana Parry
Editor: Hayley Sawatzsky
Website: studio104entertainment.com
Thirst Trap
Los Angeles Premiere
Short
Nic wants you to look. Night after night, his routine is the same: cruise the apps, exchange pics, hook up. He knows every trick, every angle, every subtlety that captures your attention. After all, he’s been doing this for two hundred years.
Director: Steve Flavin
Producers: Madison Hollan, Joe Barnathan, Steve Flavin
Writer: Steve Flavin, Joe Barnathan
Cast: James Scully, Chris Renfro
Cinematographer: Noe Chavez
Editor: Steve Flavin
Instagram: @SteveFlavin
Total Catch
West Coast Premiere
Dating is hard... zoom dating is harder.
Director: Sarah Clark
Producer: Sarah Clark, Brittany Devon
Writer: Sarah Clark
Cast: Brittany Devon
Cinematographer: Kendal Miller
Editor: Sarah Clark
Any awards, accolades or additional details about the process you would like to mention:
Best Direction Chicago Feedback Film Festival, Winner Queer 2 Queer FF
Website: www.brittanydevon.com
Instagram: @brittanydevonofficial
Say Something
Los Angeles Premiere
Short Documentary
Say Something is a short experimental documentary where Katie Agustina Aranda explores her relationship with her father, Panfilo Aranda—a Paraguayan immigrant, workaholic, and amateur videographer. Using material that he shot throughout the last forty years, the story follows his journey from passionate filmmaker to distant father. With archival footage and interviews, the film is about family, immigration, and a strained father-daughter relationship.
Director: Agustina Aranda
Producer: Gustavo René Sanabria
Writer: Agustina Aranda
Cast: Agustina Aranda, Panfilo Aranda
Cinematographer: Agustina Aranda, Christopher Orrico
Editor: Agustina Aranda
This film had its world premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival, distributed by PBS CT in the UConn Reels docu-series, and has screened all across the country.
Website: Agustina Aranda's online portfolio
Instagram: @vaquera_agustina on Instagram
Sexual Friendship with my straight BFF
This is an animated short about my best friend and me and how we effed up our lives for quite a bit. It's a story about friendship, sex and mental health. In it's core it's a lesson learnt that one cannot change who they are deep inside - no matter if gay or straight.
Director: Marik Aaron Roeder aka. darkviktory
Producer: darkviktory studios
Writer: Marik Aaron Roeder aka. darkviktory
Cast: Marik Aaron Roeder (voice cast)
Cinematographer: Marik Aaron Roeder
Editor: Patrick Goetz
LGBTQ LOVE STORY FILM FESTIVAL LONDON Award Winner, Selected for BERLIN SHORT FILM FESTIVAL 2022 and PALM SPRINGS ANIMATION FESTIVAL.
Website: darkviktorystudios.de
Instagram: @darkviktorystudios
Twitter: @darkviktory
Facebook: fb.com/darkviktory
The Choice
Short Film
After receiving a healing potion from an angel, a dying old man has to decide between drinking it and giving it to a little girl who has cancer.
Director: Director Zane
Producer: Director Zane
Writer: Director Zane
Cast: (comma separated, i.e. John Leguizamo, Viola Davis, Bowen Yang): John Rubinstein, Frances Fisher, Amy Pietz
Cinematographer (if applicable): Jon Schweigart
Editor: Federico Conforti
- Best Fantasy Short at the HybridGenre USA Film Festival, June 2023
Website: zane-productions.com
Instagram: @directorzane
Facebook: @directorzane
The Girl
Short
As a lonely middle-schooler experiences the trauma of getting her period for the first time, she discovers her body isn’t the only thing betraying her.
Director: Meredith Chin
Producer: Caitlin Carleton
Writer: Meredith Chin
Cast: Simone Link, Saige Chaseley, Kate Sullivan
Cinematographer: Bethany Michalski
Editor: Yiqing Yu
Instagram: @thegirlshortfilm
The Lonely Prince
Los Angeles Premiere
Director: Shivin & Sunny
Producer: Shivin, Nupur Mehrotra, and Rupika Grover
Writer: Shivin & Sunny
Cast: Mrinal Dutt, Mariette Valsan and Mario Elias
Cinematographer: Anubhav Bansal
Editor: Gaurav Agarwal
Academy Awards Qualifier- Izmir International Short Film Festival, Bafta Qualifier- Norwich Film Festival, Official Selection- Melbourne Queer Film Festival, Reeling: Chicago LGBT FilmFestival, National Film Festival for Talented Youth, Hong Kong Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, FM LGBT Film Festival, Catalina Film Festival (Winner of Best Cinematography), International Queer Film Festival of Merlinka, Image+Nation LGBTQ Film Festival Montreal and Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival.
Instagram: @thelonelyprince_shortfilm, @directedbyshivin, @sunnymuchsohail
The Quieting
Los Angeles Premiere
When Maggie, 33, insecure and newly queer opens her memory trunk 24 hours before a very important date, she is accosted by a homophobic and cruel teenager and must face her greatest opponent. Writer/Director Ali Liebert brings us The Quieting, a psychological thriller that snaps the struggle of identity sharply into focus.
Director: Ali Liebert
Producer: Rebecca Steele, Avi Glanzer, Nicholas Ayerbe Barona, Ali Liebert
Writer: Ali Liebert
Cast: Sara Canning, Julia Sarah Stone
Cinematographer: Josh Knepper
Editor: Jesse Lyon
Ali Liebert was thrilled to be nominated for the AWFJ EDA Award - Best Female Directed Short at Whistler Film Festival (2020). 2nd Los Angeles Queer Film Festival is The Quieting’s 7th selection, following a World Premiere at the 30th Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival (2020).
Instagram: @thequietingfilm
Twitter: @TheQuietingFilm
Touching the Ungrieved Grief
World Premiere
Short
Touching the Ungrieved Grief explores the depths of grief through the power of movement, inviting viewers on a transformative journey that challenges conventional storytelling. It reaches beyond the surface to touch upon the often-unacknowledged realms of ungrieved grief, which reside deep within the human psyche, regardless of conscious awareness.
Film by: Sah D’Simone
- 2023 Official Selection for 6th LA Queer Film Festival
- 2023 Semi-Finalist for Cannes World Film Festival
- 2023 Official Selection for Experimental Dance & Music Festival
- 2023 Official Selection for Silicon Beach Film Festival
- 2023 Official Selection for ARFF Berlin / International Awards
Website: sahdsimone.com
Instagram: @sahdsimone
Scotty
Los Angeles Premiere
A veteran of ghosting, Scotty surprises both herself and her ex when she shows up at their door, hoping for another chance.
Director/Producer/Writer: Ashley Whelan
Cast: Ashley Whelan, Terry Hu
Cinematographer: Jared Bedrejo
Editor: Kris van Genderen
Sorry, I Can't Talk Right Now
Los Angeles Premiere
Description of film: Trevor meets Jackson.
Director: Bia Jurema
Writer: Tom Truax
Cast: Tom Truax, Buck Andrews
Cinematographer: Elias Ginsberg
Editor: Bia Jurema
Official Selection: New York No Limits
Official Selection: Inside Out 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival
Instagram: @biuh; @buckandrews; @tom_for_d
Static Space
Los Angeles Premiere
Jamie is a young woman living in rural Indiana struggling to figure out her place and identity. When she inadvertently stumbles across a frequency on her ham radio and makes contact with astronaut Noa currently orbiting Earth, the two women are presented with the opportunity to find meaningful connection, even while worlds apart. Based on the novel Can You Hear Me by Geonn Cannon.
Directors: John Klein and Kate Black-Spence
Producers: John Klein, Kate Black-Spence, Steven and Patricia Spence
Writer: Kate Black-Spence
Cast: Kate Black-Spence (Jamie), Mariah Copeland (Noa), Laurie Empen (Mrs. Gunderson)
Cinematographers: John Klein and William Donaruma
Editor: Ali Klingler
Best Short Film, Best Love Story – ReelOut Queer Film Festival
Best of Festival – LGBTQ Unbordered International Film Festival
Best Short Film Nominee – 47th Boston SciFi Film Festival
Best Of Festival, Best Drama, Best Actress – Wolf Tree Film Festival
Website: windycitycamera.com
Instagram: @staticspacethefilm
Twitter: @windycitycamera
Facebook: fb.com/staticspacethefilm
The Deceased
World Premiere
Andy leads a life with sadness after the death of his partner Luis. After experiencing a strange incident in the house, he decides to contact his boyfriend...
Director: Francis Wu
Producer: Francis Wu
Writer: Francis Wu
Cast: Francis Wu, Luis Cázarres
Cinematographer: Xinyun Lyu
Editor: Francis Wu
Instagram: @franciswuworld / @franciswufilms
The Fandom
The Fandom is an award winning documentary that explores the history of fans who imported anime in the 1970s, Disney animators who faced threats to their careers, sci-fi fans who started the first furry conventions, and why furries became early adopters of the internet. It contrasts that with the modern fandom and how it became a haven for the LGBT community as well as a positive economic and artistic impact on major US cities. The Fandom has recovered never before seen footage of sci-fi and furry events from the 1970s to the 1990s. We digitally scanned dozens of tapes which gave us new insight into the early sci-fi, anime, and furry fandoms and how they rapidly changed due to technology and the media.
Director: Ash Kreis
Producer: Philip Kreis
Cinematographer: Ash Kreis
Editor: Eric Risher
Best Feature Film - LGBTQ+ Los Angeles
Official Selection - Denver Film Festival
Official Selection - Atlanta Award Qualifying Film Festival
Silver Award - Hollywood Gold Awards
Semi-Finalist - Dumbo Film Festival
Colorado Springs Independent
Cartoon Brew
Paper Magazine
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Website: thefandomfilm.com
Twitter: @thefandomfilm
The Pansy of Pickadee
West Coast Premiere
Short
'The Pansy of Pickadee' tells the story of a queer young man and a town on the verge of destruction. When all else fails, the young man uses his special skills to save the town and become the hero he was born to be.
Director: Gus George & Paddy Morahan
Producer: Nick Jacquinot & Paddy Morahan
Writer: Paddy Morahan
Cast: Roy Barker (narrator)
Animator: Gus George
Editor: Gus George
- Winner: Best Director: Australian Short Film - Melbourne Queer Film Festival
- Finalist My Queer Career - Mardi Gras Film Festival
Instagram: @pickadee_shortfilm
Top Story
Los Angeles Premiere
Short Documentary
For as long as Tali can remember, their boobs have been a burden. Approaching the date of their top surgery, Tali humorously reflects on what brought them to this point, how the decision has affected those closest to them and how they negotiate their role in an Orthodox community.
Director: Erin Smith
Producer: Erin Smith
Writer: Erin Smith, Tali Benkoe
Cast: Tali Benkoe
Cinematographer: S. Tricker
Editor: Erin Smith
Instagram: @topstoryfilm