Reel Q Announces Line-up For 39th Season: Oct 4-12th

This year Reel Q (Pittsburgh's LGBTQ+ film festival and the sixth oldest LGBTQ+ film festival in the world) extends its cinematic celebration throughout the city at three iconic Pittsburgh venues. Running October 4-12th, the festival's 39th season opens Oct. 4 at the Andy Warhol Museum, continues at Row House Cinema in Lawrenceville (Oct. 5-6th) and finishes out at the Harris Theater in Downtown Pittsburgh (Oct. 11-12th).

The festival opens at the Warhol with "Perfect Endings," a Brazilian romantic-comedy about navigating the gay dating scene after the end of a 10-year relationship Director Daniel Ribeiro returns to Reel Q with the regional premiere of his sexy and heartwarming sophomore feature, followed by an in-person Q&A with the director Daniel Ribeiro, Ribeiro is an award-winning filmmaker best known for his critically acclaimed film "The Way He Looks".

This year's festival will showcase first-run regional premieres of 14 full-length films and 30+ short films from around the world – blocked together in programs featuring: Transcending Shorts; a trans themed program (Oct. 6th), Thrills & Chills queer horror shorts (Oct. 11th), Her Shorts (Oct. 12th), and Real & Raw: Queer Documentary Shorts (Oct. 12th), including filmmakers in-person. As well as His Shorts (Oct. 5th) at Row House Cinema, guests are invited downstairs after the screening for our opening week party at Bierport, including local bites, an open bar, and great conversation, from 6:30-9:30pm.

Our feature films at Row House and the Harris include: "High Tide," where a young man escapes his town's homophobia and gets lost in the queer mecca of Provincetown (Oct. 5th); "Asog," a not to miss, surreal comedy-documentary-fiction feature from the Philippines about a non-binary teacher on a road trip to fame (Oct. 6th); "Young Hearts," the coming-of-age film about the confusing attraction between two teen boys (Oct. 11th); and "Turtles," a comedy about two gay seniors whose 35-year relationship is threatened after one of them retires (Oct. 12th). Our festival closes out with "Extremely Unique Dynamic," a first-ever Meta, Asian, Stoner, coming-of-age bromantic dramedy, about two best friends figuring it out (Oct 12th).

The fabulous lineup of documentaries includes our Raw and Real Shorts program, featuring PA local filmmakers. We'll celebrate important figures in queer history with feature-films including: "A Mother Apart," about Jamaican beat poet Staceyann Chin who creatively reshaped her childhood abandonment issues into something magical (Oct. 6th); "Sally," the now-forgotten lesbian activist who battled alongside Harvey Milk for queer rights; and "Any Other Way: the Jackie Shane Story," about the resurgence of the trailblazing Black trans soul singer (both Oct. 12th). Also Oct. 12, celebrate Coming Out Day with PRT and Central Outreach Wellness Center get the chance to Come Out using the PRT Pride bus and take advantage of Central Outreach's Mobile Testing Van outside the Harris Theater from 12-6PM.

"We're spotlighting a very broad and unique lineup of queer stories this year," said T.J. Murphy, Reel Q's executive director. "We've chosen award-winning films representing the US, Brazil, Iran, Philippines, Peru, and more. There's something for everybody, every age, gender, orientation, and beyond – including several shorts by local PA filmmakers"

But, hold onto your cha-cha heels as the iconic Divine returns as the nightmare psycho teen Dawn Davenport in an uncomfortably campy rewatch that celebrates the 50th anniversary of John Waters' cult classic "Female Trouble," Oct. 11th at the Harris Theater.

Individual tickets can be purchased online at reelq.org or at our various venues.

The complete schedule of dates are below, all films are presented in-person only. Our film guide is available at reelq.org/2024-festival