August 26 – 30, 2026
Tickets $13.02 (including fees)  

The 10th Annual EAST VILLAGE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL or EVQ embraces an inclusive Queer identity, featuring films that entertain, explore and promote queer-themed issues, work by and featuring LGBTQIA+ artists, as well as work inspired by the expanded innovative and audacious downtown Queer avant-garde.

Festival Co-Directors Paul Edwards and Valeria Avina

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26th
7:00 PM SHORTS 1

Fish & Chips, Macadie Amoroso, Director, United Kingdom
Fab plans a surprise for Cassie on their first anniversary, but Cassie’s rough day, coupled with a party popper mishap, leads to a heated argument over dinner options. What starts as a takeaway tiff over Caribbean or pizza spirals into an identity battle, revealing deep-seated resentments about their racial and queer identities.

Our Director Got Covid So We Made This, Amanda Greer, Denise Reed, Writers & Directors, USA
Two best friends explore the complicated terrain of falling in love with one another in the modern world of relationships.

The Hoop, Tom Prezman, Writer & Director, Spain
Set in the big city, a solitary figure faces a tense step toward self-expression. Amid lingering eyes, they move through noise and stillness, finding quiet grounding through the presence of community and care.

Mr. Darcy & Me, Rana Liu, Director | Casey Marie Ecker, Writer, Canada
“Mr. Darcy & Me” is a short narrative film about queer longing in the modern world. We follow Lucy, a newly 30 year old, who’s anxious to a fault, emotionally overwhelmed, and clinging to the one person who always seems to understand her: her imaginary friend, Mr. Darcy.

Misha’s girl, Isabel G. Afonso, Writer & Director, Spain
A lesbian teenager proposes to a classmate in front of her boyfriend.

Welcome Home, Jeremy Diaz, Jason A. Coombs, Writer & Director
When a beloved community organizer invites his ex-boyfriend, now a Hollywood star, back home for the grand opening of a Pride Center, old wounds and unfinished stories resurface. In one heartfelt evening, both men must confront the truth about who they were and who they’ve become.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 27th
7:00 PM SHORTS 2

PDA, Morgan Rielly, Director | Makasha Copeland, Writer, USA
After releasing the song of the summer, up-and-coming lesbian pop duo SLIT stands on the brink of superstardom until a mysterious blackmailer threatens to expose a career-ending secret. This short is designed to stand alone while also functioning as the pilot episode of a short-form episodic series.

Baker’s Boy, Mo Schweiger, Writer & Director, USA
Six months after small-town transmasc baker Sam starts using testosterone gel, they begin to notice that everyone they know is a little bit beefier, a little bit harrier, and a little bit hornier than they had been previously…

Pussy on the Floor – Rentboy, Chris Osborn, Director, USA
Music Video

Cockroach, Justice Maya Singleton, Director | Liliana Padilla, Writer, USA
A black transgender man plans to exchange sex for top surgery money with an older gay man until his night hook up turns into a hunt for a cockroach who inspires him to open his heart and conquer his fears.


FRIDAY, AUGUST 28th 
5:00 PM SHORTS 3

Pismo Beach, Christian Tucci, Writer & Director, USA
At a gig, a drag performer is confronted by a lonely stranger with an eerie coincidence to share.

I Wish My Bones Were Unidentifiable, Kai Helenius, Writer & Director, USA
A young trans man is forced to confront his manipulative mother over a cold Thanksgiving dinner.

Butterfly In A Blackhole, Lou Blackmon, Arya Grace Gaston, Directors, USA
Arya Gaston’s debut music video exploring identity, transgender self-expression and evolution filmed in October 2022 prior to Arya’s medical transition. The music video was released in conjunction with Arya publicly coming out as transgender.

Black Shawl, Kamila Boichenko, Writer & Director, Poland
Lesya and her daughter Anya are living in a refugee camp, grappling with the torment of blackmail related to the disappearance of Lesya’s husband, who went missing during the war a year ago. In the camp, Lesya reconnects with her old friend Maria, a widow who, like Lesya, is haunted by the loss of a loved one. As their bond deepens, the women find solace in each other’s shared grief. However, Anya begins to suspect that her mother’s relationship with Maria is evolving into something more than just a friendship.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 28th
7:30 PM Lola Rock’N’Rolla Legacy Celebration
A retrospective and celebration of Lola’s storied career in the independent film world of NYC and the East Village.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29th
3:00 PM SHORTS 4

Crossing The Desert, Reena Dutt, Director | Anu Bhatt, Writer, USA
Crossing the Desert is a short film that explores the complex relationship between a South Asian immigrant woman and her queer American daughter. This tender story asks us to re-examine our expectations of our loved ones. Can we accept them for who they really are, not who we want them to be?

Thank You, Rock Hudson, Alison R. LoPresti, Director | Levi Hawkins, Writer, USA
Two strangers, Troop and Marlo, meet by coincidence and share in moments of connection that transcend their differences, and help them cope with the uncertainties of mortality, grief, hardship, and love.

Cyrystalline, Christopher Cunetto, Writer & Director, USA
A drag queen haunted by addiction must battle vivid hallucinations to nail a life-changing performance.

Fr. Brennan is Having a Breakdown!, Luke Faulkner, Director | Denny Redmond, Writer, Ireland
Fr. Brennan has been acting rather strange lately, and who better than Man of the Year Richard Hennessy to whip the naïve parish priest into shape?

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29th
7:00 PM Shorts 5

Final Girl, Annabeth Olivia Mellon, Writer & Director | Emily Rachel Gordon, Director, USA
Jamie Burns is a 17-year-old survivor of a chainsaw massacre that left her friends dead and her life forever changed. One year after the attack, she is released from psychiatric care and starts at a new school. When her new friends invite her to a Halloween party, she must navigate an unfamiliar and frightening environment, where danger could be lurking in every corner.

GAINS, Christian Hendricks, Writer & Director, USA
A struggling personal trainer hustles to succeed any way he can, but gets more than he bargained for.

Bottom Feeder, Will Carter, Director | Dylan LaRay, Writer, USA
Crackers, a rancid icthyophile, is stalked by an aquatic demon. A dream come true? Or his worst nightmare?

FETICHE, Jei Fabiano Osorio, Alberto Aburto, Directors, Colombia
“Fetiche” is a stylized music video that merges disco, funk, and underground nightlife aesthetics into a visually immersive experience. Shot on location in Brooklyn, the film explores themes of desire, identity, and self-expression through a minimalist yet sensual visual language.

Aggie Ascends, Eli Rarey, Writer & Director, USA
Feeling adrift in her life, Aggie consults a witch—and begins to have visions that she is descending into the underworld.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 30th 
2:00 PM FEATURE FILM

Lunar Sway, Nick Butler, Writer & Director
Cliff is a young man looking for love in all the wrong places in a small desert town. When his birth mother, Marg, arrives unexpectedly they start to connect. But her secrets soon catch up with them.