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Film

QFest 2019: Houston’s International LGBTQ Film Festival Returns July 24–31

Posted on July 18, 2019
A photo of QFest film Angel.

There’s something magical about the first time you connect with a queer character on screen. For me, it was Spencer Carlin in South of Nowhere (shout out to 2005!). Seeing someone who looks like you, loves like you, and is navigating similar struggles can be life altering—even life saving. The leadership behind QFest, Houston’s international LGBTQ film festival, understands the need for such representation. This July 24–31, the festival celebrates its 23rd year with an extended, seven-day lineup of more…

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Queer, Southern, and In Love: ‘Fried Green Tomatoes’ and Quintessential Lesbian Literature

Posted on July 5, 2019

I must have been around 13 years old the first time my mom showed me the film Fried Green Tomatoes. She said it was a film about fierce southern women working together to beat the odds and succeeding—something she knew a lot about. While my mom is a Yankee through and through, she married a southerner and lived in Tennessee for several years. She fell in love with the land and its history, an admiration reflected in her connection to…

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Figures in the Shadows: Finding Queer Representation in Film Noir with Artist Jade Yumang

Posted on January 24, 2019
A photo of queer artist Jade Yumang.

Jade Yumang grew up as free a spirit as they come. Bouncing around his mother’s beauty salon in the Philippines while his father worked overseas, Yumang was allowed to be as openly himself as he wanted. The majority of his mother’s friends and salon coworkers were queer and, for a young boy and budding artist discovering himself, this environment was more than favorable for his personal growth.…

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‘Queerskins’ Virtual Reality Film Evokes Feels in 360 Degrees at Houston Cinema Arts Festival

Posted on November 8, 2018
A photo from the Queerskins installation as part of Houston Cinema Arts Festival.

The opening salvo of Queerskins: A Love Story plays out over the backdrop of AIDS Crisis America. Ed (Drew Moore) and Mary-Helen (Hadley Boyd) are driving down a country road filled with memories of their son, Sebastian (Michael DeBartolo), who has recently passed away—a victim of the crisis. Using photorealistic virtual reality (VR), the viewer is thrust into the middle of this scene, witnessing the couple’s heart-wrenching conversation firsthand from the back seat of their Cadillac. On the seat next…

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Hitorijime My Hero: English Dub Explores Complexities of Being Young, Queer, and in Love

Posted on October 20, 2018
A photo from Hitorijime My Hero.

Over the past few decades, anime—a medium of Japanese animation for film and television—has gained a growing popularity here in the United States. The art form’s stories are larger than life. Tales of spikey-haired protagonists collecting mystical balls to save the universe, rivaling ninja villages, pocket-sized monster battles, space pirates, regular pirates, and countless other adventures have set the mainstream standard for American audiences ever since Speed Racer debuted in the late 1960s. But today’s anime isn’t your dad’s anime.…

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‘Boy Erased’: Powerful New Film Sheds Light on the Dangers of Conversion Therapy

Posted on August 24, 2018
A photo of the film Boy Erased.

Boy Erased is based on the book of the same name by author Garrard Conley. Like his onscreen character, Conley grew up in Arkansas. “My parents were always pretty religious,” he says in an interview with British TV program This Morning. As a child, he and his parents attended church three times a week. “When I was 16, my dad decided to become a preacher,” Conley tells the hosts. “My mom and I were sitting in church at the time…

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QFest 2018: Houston’s International LGBTQ Film Festival Hits Screens July 26-30

Posted on July 19, 2018
A photo of QFest film The Miseducation of Cameron Post.

We will never achieve real progress unless we move beyond our own, often limited, perspectives. It is only when we open our eyes and minds to identities, cultures, and relationships different than our own, that we can find true strength in our togetherness, both as a community and as a force to be reckoned with. On July 26-30, QFest, Houston’s annual international LGBTQ film festival, will bring those stories and experiences to audiences across the city as it celebrates its…

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