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.
...and so it ends in a Tie
Animation
A rope-wielding martial artist has a fated encounter that will challenge her rigid views of rope. This film is a love letter to the women in the queer kink community through the lens of shibari, which was my own personal introduction to the scene.
Director: Crystal Hou
Cast: Grace Yin, Janifer Le
Instagram: @_quistal
X: @_quistal
Apolitical
Short
West Coast Premiere
A celebratory dinner party unravels when the guests find out the host doesn't follow the news.
Director: Mishu Hilmy
Producer: Mishu Hilmy, OHH MAYBE INC.
Writer: Mishu Hilmy
Cast: Ben Mathew, Bradley Halverson, Katherine Bellantone, Will Wilhelm
Cinematographer: Luis Treviño
Editor: C.J. Arellano
Process Notes and conversation with the cast can be found in our EPK: https://www.dropbox.com/home/Apolitical%20-%20EPK
Website and additional BTS Info: https://ohhmaybe.com/apolitical
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ohhmaybemedia/
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/ohhmaybemedia
Argie Berman
Short
World Premiere
A recovering alcoholic uses her coming out story in her stand-up act and her therapy to explain her addiction and her relationship with her mother.
Director: Fon Davis
Executive Producers: Fernando Perez and Suzy Stein
Writers: Suzy Stein and Fernando Perez
Cast: Cynthia Zitter,Caitlin Hutson,John Bucy, Deborah Geffner Holcomb, Jarrell Hall, Dove Meir
Cinematographer: Evan Zissimopulos
Editor: Mike Bustillos
Website: Entityeye.com and Foncocreative.net
Instagram: instagram.com/Argie.Berman.Movie
Facebook: facebook.com/ArgieBerman
Boyilove
Music Video
Los Angeles Premiere
"Boyilove" is an animated 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. With pulsating synths and old-school R&B melodies, the song evokes the spirit of an all too fleeting moment marked by designer jumpsuits, scratchy guitars, and new wave attitude.
Director: Phillip Merritt
Producer: Phillip Merritt
Writer: Phillip Merritt
Cast: Phillip Merritt, Michelle Ford, Daneik Ashley, Machi
Animation: Phillip Merritt
Abigail Fierce - I Miss You (Official Video)
Music Video
Music Video for LGBT indie-pop artist Abigail Fierce's song "I Miss You.” The video follows Abigail reminiscing about her first love. Every guitar riff, sound & shot was designed to elicit the feeling of longing, the indelible memories and everlasting connection we associate with first loves. Abigail Fierce is also an actress, known for Hulu’s “Love, Victor”, NBC’s “This Is Us”, and Netflix’s “American Vandal.”
Director: Abigail Fierce
Producer: Abigail Fierce
Writer: Abigail Fierce
Cast: Abigail Fierce
Cinematographer: Krista Kay
Editor: Krista Kay
“I Miss You” is definitely the most evocative music video from indie artist Abigail Fierce.
Directed by the singer-songwriter herself, the video follows Abigail
reminiscing about her first love.
“The music video showcases how much you can miss the good times with someone, even if it wasn’t the ideal situation or the best relationship. Every guitar riff, sound, and shot was designed to elicit the feeling of longing, the indelible memories, and everlasting connection we associate with first loves,” - Abigail .
The Los Angeles-based artist provides an escape from the mundane with her signature poetic, visceral, poignant lyricism and honey-toned vocals. With over 5.3 million Spotify streams under her belt, Abigail’s potential for mass appeal is palpable. Perhaps the songstress's most alluring quality is that she is unafraid to be herself.
She doesn’t seem to edit herself based on what she wants people to see, which is evident in her diverse music catalog that ranges from the melancholy folk song “I Just Wanna Feel Okay Again” to the raring pop-punk LGBTQ+ anthem “Scream It to the Whole World.”
Abigail Fierce is also an actress, she is slated to star in the upcoming horror flick "SkillHouse," produced by 50 Cent. A versatile and charming young actress, her skill also shines through in her music videos.
You can follow along with her journey @akfierce on Instagram & TikTok, and find her music on all streaming platforms, as well as on iTunes + BandCamp.
Accolades:
Los Angeles International Film Festival - Best Music Video
IndieX Film Fest - Best Music Video
International Music Video Underground Festival - Best LGBTQ+ Music Video
Silicon Beach Film Festival - Best Editing
Skiptown Playhouse International Film Festival - Best Original Song
Lady Filmmakers Festival - Beverly Hills - Best Original Song
WRPN Women's International Film Festival - Award Winner - Music Video Category
Mindfield Film Festival - Best Music Video
Website: https://linktr.ee/akfierce
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/akfierce/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/abfierce
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abigailfierce
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@akfierce
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/24q2VAybFrs4Lzy0eEnXga
IMDb: https://www.imdb.me/abigail
Animal Pride: Nature's Coming Out Story
Documentary
LA premiere
In the feature documentary Animal Pride: Nature’s Coming Out Story, Queer naturalist Connel Bradwell challenges mainstream biology’s blindspot for queer animal behavior in nature. Schooled in the birds and the bees, survival of the fittest, The Origin of Species, Connel sees the disconnect - how can humans be Queer, while animals supposedly aren’t?
After observing same-sex behavior in orcas, Connel embarks on a journey to unveil nature’s true diversity of gender expression and sexuality. Fueled by his love for the natural world, Connel discovers the science behind same-sex parenting in seabirds, hermaphrodite slugs, and the hidden history of same-sex penguin behavior. Not your typical wildlife documentary, Animal Pride celebrates diversity and presents a riotous rebellion against stereotypes.
It also has the capacity to fundamentally shift how we see the natural world, and our place within it. We’ve all heard the rhetoric - that being queer isn’t natural. Connel’s irreverent approach takes a wrecking ball to the ivory tower of heteronormative science, demanding answers to why the world has been missing out on the wild, wonderful, and downright sexy side of nature. There’s no longer any doubt, Nature is queer as f**k!
Directed by Rio Mitchell
Written by Connel Bradwell and Erinn Drage
Director of Cinematography - Ryan Wilkes
Edited by Danny Cox
Music Composed by Kimmortal
Produced by Carolyn Whittaker
Follow @HandfulofFilms on social media and #AnimalPrideDoc and visit the website www.animalpride.ca for more information.
Bar. Boy.
Short Film
While having a drink alone at his local gay bar to commemorate a special event from his past, Gary (an aging but attractive man in his early sixties) attempts to spark a conversation with Julian (a handsome man in his early twenties), who is also drinking alone. At first, Julian is dismissive and seems uninterested in continuing the encounter. Meanwhile, Gary keeps spotting another handsome young man watching him from across the room. Will Gary gain a new friend in Julian? Will Julian see beyond Gary’s age and find any commonalities in their life experience as gay men? And who is this other handsome man that only Gary seems to be seeing haunting the bar? Touching on issues of aging specific to gay men who survived the AIDS crisis, "Bar. Boy." raises questions concerning the divide between generations in the gay community and if that gap can be breached.
Director: Bryan Powers
Producers: Bryan Powers, Stephen Donovan
Writer: Bryan Powers
Cast: Keith LaPan, Florimond Patrick, Randy Stormes
Cinematographer: Zanin Lindsay
Editor: Bryan Powers
Instagram: @Bar.Boy.Film