What began as a showing of a handful of LGBTQ+ films during Pride has grown over the years into a four-day film festival.
This year to celebrate 20 years of the Utah Queer Film Festival, there will be 20 short films and 20 feature length films.
Film selection includes films from around the world, local filmmakers, films from Utah Film Center's Black, Bold and Brilliant and Through the Lens series.
Director of Film Exhibition, Russell Roots, joined us with five top films to see this year.
1. "A Run for More"
Filmed over a 4 year span, A Run for More is a film about Frankie Gonzales-Wolfe making history as the first openly transgender official in Texas. The film immerses viewers into Frankie's unique campaign and the impact it has on her, the city, and the LGBTQ+ community in San Antonio. It will be showing opening night at 7pm followed by a Q&A hosted by Radiowest's Doug Fabrizio and Frankie Gonzales-Wolfe
2. "Fireworks"
An emotional and beautifully realized movie, Fireworks was based on a real-life incident, one which actually jump-started the Italian Gay Rights movement in 1981. In this sunbaked Sicilian town in the summer of 1982, two teenage boys fall in love much to the disapproval of those around them. With all against them, the boys decide to make a stand. "Fireworks" is showing on October 14, 2023 at 8:00 pm – In Italian with English subtitles.
3. "Show Her the Money"
"Show Her The Money" pulls back the curtain on the extreme underfunding of women in the Venture Capital world, with less than 2 percent of venture capital going to women.
Trailblazing women have stepped up to fund these female funders. The film gives us a peek into the lives of these investors. "Show Her the MOney" is showing on October 15, 2023 at 3:30 pm.
4. "The Sixth Reel"
In The Sixth Reel, Charles Busch (Psycho Beach Party, Die Mommie Die!) stars as Jimmy, a down-on-his-luck movie collector who discovers a legendary lost film and becomes entangled in an outrageous adventure to deliver it to the right hands before it is lost forever. "The Sixth Reel" is showing on October 14, 2023 at 10:45 pm.
5. "1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture"
"1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture" is a feature documentary that follows the story of tireless researchers who trace the origins of the anti-gay movement among Christians to a grave mistranslation of the Bible in 1946. It chronicles the discovery of never-before-seen archives at Yale University which unveil astonishing new revelations, and casts significant doubt on any biblical basis for LGBTQIA+ prejudice. This film is showing October 15, 2023 at 12:30pm.
This film festival has a "pay what you can afford" system, based on the honor system. Tickets range in price from $0 to $15.
Get more information by clicking here.
