Vancouver Queer Film Festival Spotlights Emerging QTBIPOC Curators Through Programming Disruptor Fellowship

The Vancouver Queer Film Festival (VQFF), presented by Out On Screen, is proud to announce the return of its Programming Disruptor Fellowship, an initiative dedicated to mentoring and supporting the next generation of queer and trans Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (QTBIPOC) film programmers.

Taking place on Sunday, September 13 at Cineplex International Village as part of the 38th annual Vancouver Queer Film Festival, this year’s Fellowship culminates in three original shorts programmes curated by fellows Akira Iahtail, Britney Mocca, and Shruthi Budnar. Each screening will be followed by a conversation with participating filmmakers, creating opportunities for audiences to engage directly with the artists and curators shaping the future of queer cinema.

The Programming Disruptor Fellowship reflects Out On Screen’s ongoing commitment to expanding access to film programming while cultivating diverse curatorial voices. By providing mentorship, hands-on festival experience, and opportunities to develop original programmes, the Fellowship equips emerging programmers with the tools to shape conversations around queer film for years to come by investing in emerging QTBIPOC programmers whose unique perspectives expand how audiences encounter queer cinema. These fellows are not simply selecting films; they are creating space for new conversations, new connections, and new ways of understanding our communities.

The Fellowship Showcase opens with Rainbows in a Desert, curated by Shruthi Budnar, a bold programme exploring migration, caste, loneliness, and queer belonging through films that celebrate acts of defiance, compassion, and community. Spanning stories from North America, Asia, and Europe, the programme invites audiences to consider how identity is shaped across borders while affirming the resilience of queer life.

The afternoon continues with Into the Light, curated by Akira Iahtail, an uplifting collection of coming-of-age stories that move beyond fear and expectation toward self-acceptance, joy, and authenticity. Through intimate portraits of first love, family, ambition, and personal transformation, the programme celebrates the courage it takes to embrace oneself fully.

Closing the showcase is Get Out (of the Closet)!, curated by Britney Mocca, a thrilling programme of queer horror that transforms everyday fears into unsettling, imaginative cinema. Blending psychological suspense, supernatural terror, and dark humour, the programme explores the monsters that emerge from repression, prejudice, grief, and survival, demonstrating the creative possibilities of queer genre filmmaking.

The three fellows bring a wealth of artistic and community experience to this year’s programme. Akira Iahtail, a member of Attawapiskat First Nation and Indigenous film programmer with The Cinematheque’s Our Stories to Tell series, centres Indigenous storytelling and community-building in her curatorial practice. Britney Mocca, an actor and educator whose screen credits include High Potential, Upload, and Untamed, brings a performer’s perspective to programming that champions bold, inclusive, and community-driven storytelling. Shruthi Budnar is a writer, cultural organizer, arts reviewer, and abolitionist community builder whose interdisciplinary practice creates intentional spaces for dialogue, collective imagination, and liberation.

The Programming Disruptor Fellowship Showcase takes place Sunday, September 13, with screenings at 1:30 PM (Rainbows in a Desert), 4:30 PM (Into the Light), and 7:30 PM (Get Out (of the Closet)!) at Cineplex International Village. All three programmes will also be available online across British Columbia from September 21–27.

Tickets go on sale August 12 at queerfilmfestival.ca.