Seattle gay film festival

Join us on Thursday, October 10, as we kick off SQFF with the PNW premiere of Ponyboi at the historic Egyptian theater in Capitol Hill.

Directed by Esteban Arango and produced and written by River Gallo, Ponyboi follows a young intersex sex worker in New Jersey who must escape the mob after a drug deal goes wrong, forcing him to confront his past.

A vital community space, this hybrid festival unites audiences and filmmakers from around the globe. Launched in 2006, Translations is one of only nine trans-focused film festivals in the world, providing an innovative space for creation and connection for under-represented and marginalized identities. This gripping film, unfolding over 24 hours on Valentine’s Day, stars River Gallo (2023 OUT 100 list, winner of GLAAD Rising Star Media Award), Dylan O’Brien (The Maze Runner” trilogy), Victoria Pedretti (Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood), Indya Moore (Pose), and Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus).

When: Thursday, October 10 at 7 PM (in-person only)

Where: SIFF Cinema Egyptian

Opening night party at Stoup Brewing to follow

Get tickets to Opening Night

Get ready to party like it’s 1996! Through virtual and in-person screenings, parties, panels, workshops, and community meet-ups, Translations: Seattle Trans Film Festival invests in relationships that build bridges and advocate for a more equitable future.

Reel Queer Youth

Reel Queer Youth is TDBC’s most expansive educational program, serving queer youths 13-18 years old interested in the art of filmmaking.

With TDBC’s hybrid model, both in-person and virtual attendance options are available, increasing accessibility and allowing youths from across the country to learn and thrive together.

OUTdoor Cinema

One of Three Dollar Bill Cinema’s longest-running and most beloved programs, OUTdoor Cinema invites audiences to visit local Seattle parks and outdoor spaces for film, fun, and fellowship under the night sky.

Stay motivated to finish your project and build community with us! A partnership with local organizations and fellow non-profits, OUTdoor Cinema is a chance to build community and experience film classics in new and exciting ways while celebrating Seattle and its beautiful and diverse queer people.

With weekly writing time and support from other LGBTQ+ writers, this is a low-stress way to keep yourself accountable.

We’ll write for an hour together and there will be an optional opportunity to share what you’re working on after.

Featuring hands-on training, world class speakers, and lessons designed to spark creativity, Reel Queer Youth provides a safe space for young queer filmmakers to explore their passions with other like-minded creators, and receive valuable advice from positive and supportive film professionals. No virtual fest this year—so mark your calendar, grab your crew, and get ready to celebrate the stories that made us.

Wanna feel some extra 90s love?

We curate themed screenings throughout the year and produce programs in partnership with other arts, cultural, and service delivery organizations in the Greater Seattle area.

Our mission and vision statements:

Mission: Three Dollar Bill Cinema fosters deeper community engagement by showcasing queer film programming, educational experiences, and social dialogue.

Vision: Elevating the spectrum of queer stories to help create a just and equitable world.

Seattle Queer Film Festival has been an important part of the Seattle queer film community since 1996, and has remained the largest of its kind in the PNW.

Since then the festival has expanded to intentionally showcase stories reflecting the vast spectrums and intersections of our queer communities. Here’s a digital version of our printed program!

…with teen panel after the screening!

THE LAST GAY IN INDIANA
Olivia Fouser; 2021; USA; 14 min
Set in a future where Mike Pence has won the Presidency on the promise to Make America Straight Again, he has succeeded in converting everyone in the United States to being straight; all, except one.
CW: HOMOPHOBIC LANGUAGE, OTHER, CONVERSION CAMP, ELECTROSHOCK THERAPY

PIECE BY PIECE
Reza Rasouli; 2023; Austria; 8 min; German with English subtitles
A tender look at a conversation between two friends who learn how to become more open..

MY LIFE AT THE BEGINNING
Ana Puentes Margarito, 2023, Spain, 15 min Spanish
A touching time in the life of a young trans child with their family in Madrid, Spain.

TATER TOTS
Julia Berkey; 2023; USA; 13 min
Local to Seattle, Berkey captures the story of a different type of outcast: three friends against the world of hormonal heterosexual teenagers and the teachers that care more about statistics than they do students.
CW: VULGAR LANGUAGE

BRUNO
Michael Dean Wilkins; 2022; USA; 9min
As Bruno comes of age, he must figure out the best way to tell his Latino father that he has a boyfriend.

ZEKE’S MAGIC PLANT SHOP
Lucas Marchi & Keaton Hanna; 2023; USA;4 min
In this delightful animated world of wizards and plants, love dares to conquer a magic spell gone wrong!

TO ALL THAT WE ARE
Kristian Cahatol, 2023, Canada, 5 min
Soft, dreamy colors blend with music and dance sequences to celebrate non-binary youth, first loves, andqueer self-love.

CARLY DOLLS
Maudie Schmidt, Jaxson Power; 2023; USA; 19 min
Carly tries to survive the first day of high school with her trusted dolls by her side.

Drop in whenever you’re free on Thursdays. SQFF has evolved to be a hybrid festival, including in person screenings, dazzling parties, engaging community meetups, virtual and IRL conversations, panels with filmmakers, and inspiring educational workshops.

Translations: Seattle Trans Film Fest

Translations: Seattle Trans Film Festival showcases films by, for and about trans, non-binary, and gender non-confirming people.