East Village Queer Film Festival – 2024

THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2024
7:00 PM Future Cult Classic
Serpentine Pink, Megan Breen, Writer | Vivian Sorenson, Director 
A dark, surreal experience from stage to screen. A first-of-its-kind, vortex of a lesbian John Waters film meets Yellow Rose meets the camp of early Almodóvar on a Lynchian induced trip through the Mojave. Serious Lost Highway vibes!

In the wild west of California’s Joshua Tree desert, a solitary biker woman and her dancer lover have to find a way to heal from the wounds of their violent, visceral passion after a brutal night brings to surface their past traumas. They seek help from an ethereal psychic and her aspiring healer companion, and they converge with supernatural forces to confront and then heal the women’s deep-rooted personal pain, long-plagued by the toxicity of possessive love.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2024 
7:00 PM Shorts 1
Detective Alice and the Inside Game, Kyky Yang, Writer & Director 
A lesbian cat detective film. Join the journey with Detective Alice to find out who this outlaw is. Maybe realize you are gay on the way.
Flowers, Nicholas Hansell, Writer & Director
Over a weekend in spring, a high school boy reconnects with an old friend and begins to discover what it really means to be in love.
Les Betes, Michael Granberry, Writer & Director
A mysterious rabbit with a set of magic keys summons a host of strange creatures to entertain a wicked king and his decadent court in this dark stop-motion animated fantasy inspired by the works of Ladislas Starevich. 
Hantu – Dylan Tai, Dylan Tai, Writer | Shaun Parker, Director 
Filmed in one of Sydney’s many hidden industrial warehouses, HANTU is the stunning new music video by Dyan Tai, featuring an outstanding all Asian cast of Queer performers and their allies. HANTU is the Malaysian and Indonesian word for ‘spirit or ghost’, and in Dyan Tai’s reimagining, we see their other-worldly character come face to face with hate and oppression, and it is the HANTU that rises like a phoenix to protect them. HANTU is an empowering and liberating electronic anthem exploring queer liberation and fusing elements of Dyan Tai’s multicultural heritage. The experimental pop single features Malaysian and Indonesian soundscapes layered with delicate Tuvan throat singing, alongside powerful physical performances by Sydney’s best street dancers directed by award-winning choreographer Shaun Parker. Mesmerizing, captivating and compelling, HANTU is a celebration of Queer empowerment.
Thank you, Nicolle Marquez, Writer & Director 
Dre comes over to Tony’s apartment for dinner but their date night is cut short by a dangerous intrusion.


SATURDAY, AUGUST 24, 2024
3:00 p.m. Shorts 2
Vestiges, Jofre Carabén, Yoann De Montgrand, Writers & Directors 
The Wake, Jakob Holtet Stridbæk, Writer | Peter Ahlén, Director 
Canyon Chorus, Chris Cresi, Director 
Set against the backdrop of Desolation Canyon, UT, Mikah Meyer, a world-record traveler and LGBTQ+ advocate, reflects with three close friends and his mentor, Larry Edwards, on their stories and the power of mentorship within the queer community. As a child, Mikah believed he could never have a successful life AND be publicly out and gay. When he moved to college and met Larry, his openly gay choir professor, a lifelong mentorship was born. Amidst conversations and joy along the river, we understand the power and importance of their friendship. As Larry enters what he calls the ‘final chapter’ of his life, he reflects on the lifelong fight for openness and vulnerability within the queer community, and through the desolation of nature, finds contentment in a job well done.


SATURDAY, AUGUST 24, 2024
7:00 PM Shorts 3
Stone, Jake Graf, Writer & Director | Hannah Graf, Director 
When Tess learns of her estranged father’s death, she travels to the funeral hoping for nothing more than some closure and the chance to meet the woman who stole him from her. Immediately blindsided by the revelation that her father was a transgender woman, Tess starts to wonder what else has been kept from her, turning to her mother for answers. Realising that nothing is as it seems, Tess must challenge not only everything she has been told about her childhood but, most importantly, her understanding of what it meant to be a father. 
Larry in the Sky with Diamonds, Peter S. Kim, Writer | David Sonneborn, Director 
When Matt, a suddenly divorced and unemployed schlub of a gay man, overdoses on psychedelics, he reconnects with his late Uncle Larry, who died of AIDS in the ’90s — possibly the only person who can get Matt’s life back on track.
Blue and Orange, Kimmortal, Writer | Aya Garcia, Director  
The music video for “Blue & Orange” by Kimmortal is based on the real life experience of a Filipina lesbian couple, Darla and Cecilia, in a long distance relationship before Skype and the legal recognition of same-sex partnerships. Blue and Orange is a collection of tender moments between the two before saying goodbye again.
Tripping, Amelia Xanthe Boscov, Writer & Director 
A pregnant high schooler is forced to go on a road trip with her butch lesbian mom (Dot-Marie Jones, GLEE, BROS) in order to get an abortion at the nearest women’s health clinic.


SUNDAY, AUGUST 25, 2024 
2:00 PM Shorts 4
Queer Youth Animated, Christian Inman, Levi Chaplin-Loebell, Writers | Julie Marie Novak, Emma Jayne Seslowsky, Ryan Amador, Directors 
Produced by LGBTQIA+ arts organization, The Future Perfect Project, executive produced by Celeste Lecesne, and distributed by REVRY, “QUEER YOUTH ANIMATED” is a series of 22 bite-sized animated documentaries that give you a peek into the lives of LGBTQIA+ young people. Each episode was edited down from one-on-one interviews with queer teens all over the U.S., then its edited audio segment was paired with a queer animator who identified with the interview subject in some way. What you’ll see tonight is three episodes from the series, “PARAS,” “KIWI,” & “ZION” from both Seasons 1 and 2, featuring animators Nikki Sharma, Lillian Xie, and Benny Candie, composers Evan Linsey and Emma Jayne Seslowsky, and directed by Julie Novak, Emma Jayne Seslowsky, and Ryan Amador. 
Little Mouse, Lena Kaminsky, Writer & Director
Betsy suddenly finds herself alone, packing up a houseful of memories. In order to move on, she must untangle her feelings of loss as she navigates a complicated and unexpected relationship with a mouse in her house.
I Like Sitting With You, Carlos Vasquez, Writer & Director 
This coming-of-age story focuses on Sean, a neurodiverse cisgender young man, and Kendra, a confident transgender woman, on their fifth date in a park, yet they have never kissed before. Kendra wants Sean to give her a kiss, yet his limited dating experience makes him freeze.
Les Museums, Manning Jordan, Writer | Grace Godvin, Director 
A museum is a perfect date spot. In the words of Ingrid, “It’s a perfect date spot, because it’s quiet and cold and clean, and you have to be respectful, and when you rub shoulders with your date it’s so hot because you really can’t go any further.” Les Museums has an intimate knowledge of the city of New York, the art world and queer folks.
Les Museums begs the question, “What does it mean to get over a relationship, and what does it mean to love yourself instead of trying to love other people?”
Peach PRC – Like a Girl Does, Josh Harris, Director
Music Video for Peach PRC’s Like A Girl Does