We are thrilled to celebrate 2SLGBTQIA+ filmmakers with you this summer! The 2021 Vancouver Queer Film Festival will run from August 12 to 22. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and to ensure the safety of the communities we serve, the Festival will be held primarily digitally with films, Q&As, workshops, and panels hosted on the same watch platform we used last year.

This year’s theme is Longing, a combination of mournful emotions and hope for what has yet to come, because we have all been yearning for someone or something over the pandemic. 

Passes & Tickets

Passes for the 2021 VQFF are on-sale now. Early bird pricing is available until midnight on July 12, with passes discounted to just $140, so get yours soon! Select your pass type, complete the checkout process, and prepare to enjoy VQFF from your home theater. All passes include streaming access to our online films and events for a full year and an Adult Out On Screen Society Membership.

Passes provide patrons with a rich festival experience and access to all the creative and invigorating films in the program. Please note that passes are for film-lovers 18 years of age and older, as some VQFF films may not be rated for youth audiences. Email us with any questions boxoffice@outonscreen.com.

Tickets will again be offered at four prices this year, ranging from $5 to $21. Like last year, only one ticket is required to be purchased per household. If multiple people in a household are watching, we encourage you to make a donation at checkout or to consider our FWB ticket, but neither is necessary. Please note streaming is limited to British Columbia only. To get updates on this year’s Festival sent to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter.

Looking to make a difference while enjoying queer film? Become a Reel Patron Donor! Receive unique festival benefits such as tickets, passes, and invitations to special events. Become an Out on Screen Society member and support the Vancouver Queer Film Festival’s mission to illuminate, celebrate and advance queer lives through film, education and dialogue and grow alongside Out On Screen.

How to watch films

Last year, we aimed to recreate the festival experience with a set schedule of films, workshops, and Q&As. This summer, we are trying something a little different, and will be offering many films on a Video on Demand (VOD) basis. As a result, you’ll be able to stream a film whenever it fits into your schedule. Some films will still be scheduled like a regular festival however, due to the nature of individual artist and distributor requests, so be sure to check the Festival Guide carefully. We’ll have more details about the schedule once the program is finalized.

Once you click pay, you will have 24 hours to watch the film. We still encourage folks to watch films together even if we’re not watching together in a theatre.

Join in and help out!

For the first time ever Vancouver Queer Film Festival is looking for volunteers all over British Columbia with remote and socially distanced in-person opportunities. Sign up through our volunteer portal. As a volunteer you receive complimentary screening tickets, a t-shirt, and an invitation to the Volunteer Appreciation Party at the end of the Festival. Positions start as early as June.

We look forward to connecting with you online and having you join us for the 2021 Vancouver Queer Film Festival. What have you been longing for during the pandemic? Share your responses on social media and make sure to tag #VQFF2021!

We know you’re just as excited as we are for this year’s Vancouver Queer Film Festival, but we’re still putting all the details together. Here are 5 common questions, and some bonus tips, we’ve been seeing this spring. Have a look and make sure you’re ready to join us this summer!

Will there be a Vancouver Queer Film Festival this year?
Yes! We are excited to celebrate queer, trans, and Two Spirit lives with you this summer. The 2021 VQFF will run from August 12 to 22 with a mostly digital offering of films, Q&As, workshops, and panels.

Why is VQFF online again this year?
We begin planning the next Festival about a year in advance, just as our current VQFF is closing. This means we have to make decisions on how and where we will celebrate queer communities with the best information available at the time. We also know we have to plan in such a way as to honour the expectations of the communities we serve, which means planning carefully and with the utmost care for the folks who will be attending our film screenings.

This year, we want to continue to provide the meaningful and celebratory experience patrons like you have come to expect from the VQFF, while also making sure that everyone can participate in the Festival safely and abide by social distancing guidelines. We also need to make sure we are being prudent in how we manage the finances, logistics, and capacity of a major arts festival at this time. Last year we proved that we could balance all of these complicated factors online, and while we acknowledge we’d all rather be gathered in person enjoying popcorn and the communal cinema experience, we know it isn’t safe to do so for everyone.

How do I buy tickets, passes, and memberships? How much are they?
Passes will go on-sale on Wednesday, May 26. Passes provide a rich festival experience, allowing you to see any film in our program. This year, virtual passes are $175 and we’re offering an access price of $145. Early Bird pricing is in effect until July 11 – get yours now!

We’re planning to have everything you need to join the Festival on our website in July with plenty of time for you to plan your VQFF experience.

We also encourage you to consider becoming a Reel Patron Donor. As a donor, you’ll have access to unique Festival Benefits like tickets, passes, and special events while supporting LGBT2Q+ communities.

I’m planning to watch with friends, do we all need to buy tickets?
Just like last year, you only need to purchase one (1) ticket per household to watch a film. If you have multiple people in your household who will be watching and wish to account for that, we encourage you to make a donation in any amount during the checkout process, or to consider paying a little more for your ticket, but neither is necessary.

Will I have to watch films on a schedule this year?
This year we’re working with filmmakers and film distributors to see if we can offer some films on a VOD-basis.

VOD stands for Video On Demand – meaning the program is live and available to be streamed at any time, kind of like Netflix or YouTube. We’re trying to get as many films as possible under this kind of schedule since it gives you the most flexibility and choice in watching films. That being said, VOD isn’t always the best option for filmmakers and other artists, plus we love knowing we’re watching a film together with a whole bunch of other people – even if we’re not all in the same cinema.

If you have a ticket for a VOD film screening, you’ll have 24 hours to complete the film screening after you press play the first time, so you’ll still need to schedule your viewings to make sure you have time.

Some of our films will be scheduled like a regular festival and will only be available for a limited time. We hope you’ll join us at the designated screening times, but scheduled films are available for a single viewing for 24 hours from their scheduled start time. For example, if a film is scheduled to begin at 7PM on Tuesday, you have until 7PM on Wednesday to watch it.

We’ll have more details about how, when, and where to watch films this year as we confirm the schedule.

Bonus Tip: Setup your home theatre!
This year’s Festival is going to be mostly online, so take the next couple of months to make sure you’ve got everything you need to watch films. You can screen films on any internet connected device, including your phone, tablet, or computer. Some people also like to cast or mirror their devices to their home tv screens. Take time to research which viewing option will be best for you so you’re all set in August. We can’t wait to watch with you!

We invite you to our Annual General Meeting to share in dialogue and discuss further steps as a community. We are celebrating 33 years of illuminating LGBT2Q+ lives and look forward to meeting with you all virtually to discuss the future of Out On Screen. 

The 2021 Out On Screen AGM will be hosted on Zoom on June 3 at 6:00PM.

Who can attend?
This event is open to current voting and non-voting members of The Vancouver Out On Screen Film & Video Society.

All memberships purchased at the 2020 Vancouver Queer Film Festival are valid until June 30, 2021.

Adult members (18+) are granted voting member status.
Youth members (17 and under) are granted non-voting member status.

Individual donors aged 18 years or older are granted voting member status if a cash donation was made to the Society at the Ingenue-level or above ($50+) between January 1, 2020 and May 3, 2021.

Any memberships conferred as a result of signing a partnership agreement with the Society (e.g. sponsorship agreements) are granted voting member status provided that those memberships are assigned to an individual aged 18 or older and between June 4, 2020 and May 3, 2021. Non-individual members are limited to one vote per partnership. Please register your organization’s assigned representative, including name and position (if applicable), by no later than May 15, 2021.

How to register
AGM registration is all online. Please register here. Once you register we will have your details on file; you do not need a printed ticket for the AGM.

How to join us
In order to make sure we conduct a safe and accessible AGM during the COVID-19 pandemic, we will be hosting our AGM on Zoom. We are exploring options for providing live captioning during the AGM. A transcript of the AGM will be emailed to everyone who is registered following the event.

The Zoom link for the AGM will be emailed to everyone who has registered to attend on Thursday, June 3 after 5PM.

If you do not receive your Zoom link by email by 5:45PM on Thursday, June 3, please contact boxoffice@outonscreen.com

Out on Screen is highlighting Black Queer Canadian artists to know. This list is just a starting point in our work to share, support and uplift Black Queer artists contributions. 

Courtney McFarlane

Courtney McFarlane is a visual artist, poet and manager of children, youth and adult services at Davenport-Perth Neighbourhood Community Health Centre. McFarlane has served on the board of the Toronto Inside Out Film festival and  was a founding member of a number of Black queer groups and organizations in the early ’80s and ’90s, including Zami, Sepia, and AYA Men, an organization that provided voice and visibility for Black LGBTQ2. His activism in many ways laid the foundation for events, organizations and movements addressing Black Canadian LGBTQ2 communities today.

Michèle Pearson Clarke

Michèle Pearson Clarke is a Trinidad-born artist who works in photography, film, video and installation. Using archival, performative and process-oriented strategies, her work explores the personal and political possibilities afforded by considering experiences of emotions related to longing and loss. Her work has been included in exhibitions and screenings at Le Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal; the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia; the Royal Ontario Museum; LagosPhoto Festival; Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago; Maryland Institute College of Art; ltd los angeles; and Ryerson Image Centre and Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Art, Toronto. View Michelle’s website.

Syrus Marcus Ware

Syrus Marcus Ware is a Black, transgender, disabled artist, activist and scholar. He lives and works in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and is currently an LTF Assistant Professor in the School of the Arts at McMaster University. He has worked since 2014 as faculty and as a designer for The Banff Centre. View Syrus’ website.

Beverly Glenn- Copeland

Legendary singer, composer and transgender activist Beverly Glenn-Copeland has been gathering momentum in recent years thanks to a reissue of the extraordinary folk-jazz explorations of his debut self-titled album (1970) and the widespread discovery of his acclaimed masterpiece Keyboard Fantasies (1986); an ahead-of-it’s-time synth exploration which somehow combines the essence of new-age minimalism, early Detroit techno and the warmth of traditional songwriting. Purchase your ticket to see Keyboard Fantasies. View Beverly’s website.

Robert Joseph Greene

Robert Joseph Greene is a Vancouver based Canadian author of gay romance fiction, best known for his teenage drama, This Highschool has closets. Greene is one of Canada’s few Black male romance writers, and has been working to redefine love on the world stage for over a decade. He published Gay Icon Classics of the World, a feature short stories centred on same-sex romances, set in countries controlled by some of the world’s most anti-gay regimes. Greene chanpions love through literature and uses his stories to advocate for Gay rights. 

Nalo Hopkinson

Nalo Hopkinson is a Jamaican-born Canadian speculative fiction writer and editor. As of 2013, she lived and taught in Riverside, California. Her novels and short stories such as those in her collection Skin Folk often draw on Caribbean history and language, and its traditions of oral and written storytelling. View Nalo’s website.

Trey Anthony

Trey Anthony is a British-born Canadian playwright, actor, and producer, best known for her award-winning play and television series Da Kink in My Hair. As a producer, she worked for the Women’s Television Network and the Urban Women’s Comedy Festival. View Trey’s website.

Walter Marren Borden

Walter Marren Borden is an actor, playwright, and poet. Notable for his classical theatre roles in Shakespeare productions. He was a member, Stratford Festival of Canada. Borden’s published writing includes his own autobiographical play ‘Tightrope Time: Ain’t Nuthin’ More Than Some Itty Bitty Madness Between Twilight and Dawn’. In 2006 Borden was honoured nationally becoming a member of the Order of Canada.

Thom Alison

Thom Allison is a Canadian actor born and raised in Winnipeg, MB. He is best known for his regular recurring role as Pree in the television series Killjoys, for which he won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series at the 8th Canadian Screen Awards. View Thom’s website.

Kaytranada

Louis Kevin Celestin, known by his stage name Kaytranada, is a Montreal raised, Haitian-Canadian DJ and record producer. He rose to prominence during the early 2010s with ear-perking remixes and an array of sounds that veered from hip-hop beats to distinctly woozy house grooves. Kaytranada is the winner of 2016’s Polaris Music Prize and 2017’s Juno Award for Electronic Album of the Year. Since signing to major-label RCA, he has released his second LP, Bubba.

Jillian Christmas 

Jillian Christmas is the former Artistic Director of Vancouver’s Verses Festival of Words. An educator, organizer, and advocate in the arts community, utilizing an anti-oppressive lens, Jillian has performed and facilitated workshops across North America. The Gospel of Breaking, a poetry collection, is the Vancouver-based authors first book. Learn more about Jillian.

Honourable mention: Jackie Shane

Jackie Shane, singer (born 15 May 1940 in Nashville, Tennessee; died 22 February 2019 in Nashville). Jackie Shane was a pioneering transgender performer who was a prominent figure in Toronto’s R&B scene in the 1960s. Her cover of William Bell’s “Any Other Way” reached No. 2 on the CHUM singles chart in 1963. Her 1967 live album, Jackie Shane Live, was reissued in 2015 and was shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize’s 1960–1970 Heritage Award. Any Other Way, an anthology album of songs from Shane’s career and monologues from her live shows, was released in 2017. It was nominated for a 2019 Grammy Award for Best Historical Album. Shane is featured in a mural on the side of a building in downtown Toronto commemorating the Yonge Street music scene of the 1960s. Learn more about Jackie Shane.

As we close this incredibly difficult year, many of us without our usual celebrations or gatherings, we’ll be looking to stories to affirm our experiences and connect us to the world and our communities. While we stay safe at home, here are a few films to get you through the last few days of 2020, that whether you’re looking for a cathartic cry, a gut-busting laugh, or a journey in a world different from your own surroundings.

Evening Shadows

Set in a village in South India, Evening Shadows follows Kartik, a young gay man in a happy relationship who has yet to come out to his family. When the prospects of an arranged marriage become more real, Kartik must figure out how to tell his family who he really is. Yes, this is another coming-out story, but it’s one which still needs screen time. For many queer folks of colour, the decision to come out is fraught with the fear of losing not only familial support, but also cultural connection. In tight knit South Asian communities, mutual support from family and community is essential to survival, and an integral aspect of culture. Evening Shadows illustrates these complexities with warmth and humour, making it a lovely family film to watch with your household or your family as you distance together.

Where to watch: Netflix

The Queen

This 1968 documentary is a precursor to Paris is Burning, and captures the antics, drama, intimacy and artistry of the Miss All America Camp Beauty Pageant. Audiences will be introduced to many a queen, including the legendary Crystal LaBeija, founder of The House of La Beija, and the contest’s Mistress of Ceremonies, Flawless Sabrina. In between rehearsing and performing, the contestants discuss relationships, drag, draft boards, race, class, sexual and gender identity, and creating space for elegance, art, and community. This glamourous time capsule is perfect viewing for the New Years parties we will not be having this year!

Where to watch: Netflix

Tangerine

When this film premiered in 2016, it was considered a phenomenon for the way it was shot (entirely on an Iphone), but it’s legacy also represents a milestone moment for trans representation on screen. The film stars Mya Taylor and Kitana Kiki Rodriguez in their breakout roles as Sin-Dee and Alexandra, and their Academy Award campaigns for best actress were the first ever in the history of the awards for trans actors playing trans characters. They also played critical roles informing the work behind the camera, knowing that films about Black women, trans women and sex workers continue misrepresent what are complex and dynamic stories of resilience, resourcefulness and humanity.  In the four years since Tangerine came out, trans representation behind and in front of the camera has only grown. And though it’s set during the holiday season, Tangerine is really a Christmas film because at its heart it is about family, the kind of family that Black trans women and sex workers create despite the ways in which the world maintains brutal repression on thier lives and bodies.

Where to watch: Rent on Google Play, Youtube

Happiest Season

What to say about this film that hasn’t already been subject to a truly deep dive analysis on every queer women’s wesbite on the internet? Clea Duvall’s return to film has prompted quite the passionate shipping of Aubrey Plaza and Kristen Stewart, and spawned a million memes, but more importantly, it’s given many queer women the holiday rom-com they’ve been waiting for.

Where to watch: Prime

Mucho Mucho Amor

This 2020 documentary is dedicated to the life of Latinx astrology icon Walter Mercado, who brought insight, comfort, laughter and high fashion into the lives of millions. Though not openly queer, Mercado’s style and gender-bent presentation was a light and inspiration to many Latinx folks throughout the world longing to see themselves represented in public. His kindness, opulence and charisma shine through in the film, an ode to a man who brought hope to many, and paved the way for Latinx queer and trans folks craving self-determination, optimism and community. Mucho Mucho Amor is a much needed loving balm to the end of an extremely difficult year.

Where to watch: Netflix

Carol

Carol’s stylish, isolated melancholy might feel a bit on the nose during this winter quarantine, but it’s also one of the best queer films of the last decade. Directed by Todd Haynes, whose 1991 film Poison is considered a seminal work of New Queer Cinema, Carol beautifully explores the ways in which patriarchal gender expectations isolate queer women, and the lengths we will go to in order to feel and explore connection and identity. 

Where to watch: Prime

Join us on October 15th at 7pm for our next VQFF Watch Party. We’ll be gathering together virtually to enjoy ‘The Half of It’. Register for your FREE ticket here.

About the film

When smart but cash-strapped teen Ellie Chu agrees to write a love letter for Paul, a goofball jock, she doesn’t expect to become his friend — or fall for his crush, Aster. It’s the queer rom-com spin on Cyrano de Bergerac you never knew you needed!

Directed by Alice Wu (Saving Face, 2005), this sweetly sincere comedy perfectly captures the budding realization of a first time queer crush, and how it feels to be an outsider in a small town. The Half Of It is sure to charm you– and we all need something sweet to lift our spirits right now.

This film is youth rated.

To join our Watch Party simply sign in to your Netflix account and play the film from the link we’ll provide you with on Thursday October 15th by 6:30pm. We’re using the newly created ‘Netflix Party’ Google Chrome extension that allows users to synchronize viewing with friends and chat while watching together. You will need to use the Google Chrome browser.  Follow our step by step guide here.

Please join us after the screening on Instagram live (@queerfilmfest) where, inspired by The Half Of It, we will be sharing some stories of queer love in the time of quarantine, and the ways in which our connections and intimacy have become more creative. Interested in sharing your story? Email nya@outonscreen for more info!

(Vancouver, B.C.) – Out On Screen is pleased to announce Brandon Yan as its new Executive Director. Brandon has served as Out On Screen’s Deputy Executive Director and Interim Executive Director, and was previously the Director of Education for Out In Schools.

“I want to thank Out On Screen’s community, staff, and Board of Directors for their continued support and trust in my ability to serve,” says Yan. “We have a fantastic Festival lined up for you all, and I look forward to sharing all this queer brilliance.”

Taking place digitally from Thursday, August 13 to Sunday, August 23, the 32^nd annual Vancouver Queer Film Festival (VQFF) is presented by RBC and is available for streaming across British Columbia. In addition to over 60 films from around the world that explore transformation, resilience and survival, VQFF audiences can participate in digital workshops, join artist Q&As, gain insight into the future of film through industry-spanning roundtables and panels, and attend virtual parties – all in a safe and socially distant manner.

Notable films include March For Dignity, a documentary that follows a small group of LGBTQ activists in Tbilisi, Georgia as they plan for the first-ever Pride March in the country. Queer and trans rights are virtually non-existent for Georgians, and activists face harsh and overwhelming opposition from far-right nationalist groups, the Georgian Orthodox Church, and politicians. Mathilde Capone’s intimate documentary, Consent Factory: Lesbo Queer Perspectives, explores the way in which women who identify as queer, lesbian, and bisexual relate to consent, pleasure, and play. The film also explores strategies to dismantle rape culture through the ways in which we talk about and embody consent, through the intersectional lens of race, gender, sexuality, and social justice. Cicada explores many complex traumas, specifically focusing on the destabilizing long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse and the ever-present fear of violence that Black people in America live with every day. Set against the backdrop of the national scandal of the 2013 Jerry Sandusky trial, Cicada is a timely survivor story and an honest, loving, and sometimes uncomfortable depiction of an interracial relationship and the deeper conversations we need to have with each other when we love across identities.

Panels include Queering Digital Space – a conversation with The Darlings: Continental Breakfast, Rose Butch, Maiden China and P.M., four non-binary drag performers who have been bewitching, confusing, and stunning Vancouver audience for years now. In moving to a digital platform in the pandemic, they encountered censorship and homophobia, and will share their struggles and successes, as well as excerpts from their recent online performances on this engaging panel on August 15. VQFF also presents Still Here: Black Femme Resilience –  5 self-identifying Black femmes gather to share open dialogue about the current position of Black Femmes in advocacy work, and their thoughts on progressing the conversation, after a screening of Dionne Brand’s 1993 documentary, Long Time Comin’ on August 21. And Festivals After COVID19 will be an industry-spanning roundtable which will bring together film festival professionals working in queer and non-queer scenes to discuss the impact of COVID19 now and into the future.

VQFF opens the Festival on August 13 with the acclaimed documentary Pier Kids, followed by a digital party hosted by local beloved drag queen Symone Says. Guests are encouraged to wear white in honour of and in solidarity with Black queer and trans resistance and resilience, as is depicted in Pier Kids.

Curated by Artistic Director Anoushka Ratnarajah, VQFF 2020 celebrates the best in independent queer cinema and features programming from queer filmmakers and artists whose work shows the many ways we fight for the fullness of our lives, for what and who we love, and for our shared futures.

“I am so grateful we can still provide a platform for these beautiful stories, especially during this difficult time,” says Anoushka. “Within a few months, we had to learn how to digitize our programs, and come to terms with the loss of in-person collective and communal experiences. For me, it has become even more urgent and necessary to provide the best and most intersectional platform I possibly can for our incredible filmmakers and for our audiences.”

Passes and tickets for this year’s Vancouver Queer Film Festival are available online at https://queerfilmfestival.ca/buy-tickets/.

Additional information regarding the Festival lineup, artist Q&As, workshops, panels, and parties can be viewed at www.queerfilmfestival.ca.

The Vancouver Queer Film Festival (VQFF) is a vibrant space for queer arts, culture, and community. It showcases dynamic and thought-provoking films from British Columbian filmmakers as well as other Canadian and international directors and storytellers. 

As Western Canada’s largest queer arts event, the Festival curates films which contextualize and celebrate queer lives and experiences and prioritize foregrounding diverse identities in our communities, including narratives from trans people, queer people of colour, and Indigenous people. 

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 32^nd annual Vancouver Queer Film Festival has adapted to an online format in order to offer at-home audiences the best in independent queer cinema along with workshops, artist Q&As, panels, parties and – most importantly – the feeling of gathering with friends and kin. Out On Screen is working hard to ensure this year’s Festival is accessible and safe for community members who are immunocompromised or part of another vulnerable sector.

Curated by Artistic Director, Anoushka Ratnarajah, the theme of this year’s Festival is “Still Here”.

“VQFF is on this August, and will feature films and interdisciplinary programming from queer filmmakers and artists whose work shows the many ways we fight for the fullness of our lives, for what and who we love, and for our shared futures. Our theme this year is ‘Still Here’, because our survival is an inevitable miracle. Nothing can stop us from taking root; we will always reach for the light and sky.” – Anoushka Ratnarajah

Welcoming its presenting sponsor RBC once again, this year’s Festival will open on August 13th with Pier Kids followed by a virtual celebration of our local queer community. Pier Kids is a vital participatory documentary about the lives of homeless Black queer and trans youth who frequent the Chelsea Piers in New York City, and offers a type of intimacy that’s rare in documentary films. It’s goal is to shrink the distance between the concepts of racial/gender marginalization by making the experience personal and specific. It an act of resistance to traditional storytelling forms.

The Festival’s Centrepiece Gala film is Lingua Franca, an ambitious feature film that follows a trans Filipina migrant as she navigates being undocumented in a Trump-era America. The film is written, directed by and stars trans actress Isabel Sandoval, who will join audiences virtually to discuss the film in a digital Q&A.

VQFF will once again feature a variety of youth focused programming, including a Youth Gala screening of the inspirational documentary Changing The Game, which follows three boundary-breaking young trans athletes changing the face of sports in their communities and across the United States.

Finally, this year’s VQFF will close with the heartwarming queer Muslim romantic comedy, Breaking Fast, directed by Mike Mosallam.

Every year, the face of the Vancouver Queer Film Festival is the volunteers! Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, VQFF 2020 has adapted to an online format to ensure we can offer the festival experience to our at-home community.

As we move digital, we continue to need the support of dedicated individuals gifting their time and skills to realize our mission and facilitate the important work of increasing LGBT2Q+ representation in film and society.

Volunteer Perks Include:

• Screening tickets pack
• VQFF 2020 volunteer t-shirt
• Volunteer appreciation party

To sign up as a volunteer, click here! You will be redirected to create a Timecounts account and fill out the VQFF 2020 Volunteer sign up form. We can’t wait to distantly meet you and get you involved in the festival!

Out On Screen and its programs, the Vancouver Queer Film Festival and Out In Schools stand in solidarity with Black communities fighting against injustice, institutionalized racism, and police violence. 

As we enter Pride month, we are reminded that before there were film festivals and parades there were protests and riots, often led by Black and Brown trans queer people. None of the rights and freedoms queer and trans people have gained, or have yet to gain, would exist without the work of Black queer and trans leaders, artists and thinkers like Miss Major, Marsha P. Johnson, Bayard Rustin, Audre Lorde, James Baldwin, Dionne Brand, Faith Nolan, Kim Katrin Milan, Angela Robertson, and many other Black queer activists whose names may be unknown to us, but to whom we owe a great debt.   

We are a queer arts organization that values intersectionality, anti-oppression, social justice, respect, and equitable inclusion. We are nourished by the audacity of LGBT2Q+ storytellers and artists who join us to celebrate and illuminate the richness of queer communities on screen and in schools. 

We are committed to using our platforms to centre the artistry and stories of Black LGBT2Q+ people. Over the coming weeks we will be sharing films and educational resources that centre and highlight Black thought and stories. We believe in the transformative empathetic power of storytelling to change the world, and hope our communities will join us in this learning.

It is our responsibility specifically as an arts organization to remain committed to unlearning the ways in which we enact anti-Blackness. Black labour, skill and artistry has informed, benefitted and been appropriated by the arts community for decades, and it is unfair for the most marginalized members of our community to carry the majority of the burden to dismantle the systems that oppress them.

Our liberation is bound together. Black Lives Matter.