‘Stud Country’ by Alexandra Kern about the largest queer line dance event in the country is among the films featured in the ‘Our Pride’ festival. (Courtesy photo)
Launching today, Oct. 1, for LGBT History Month, Rainbow Advocacy and Entertainment Oxygen (eo) will begin streaming its Our Pride Shorts and Art Fest 24 hours a day through Oct. 31. The festival will feature short films from more than 25 countries — including countries where LGBTQ people are criminalized. Sales from the all-access pass sold to view the films will benefit Liberation Designs, an LGBTQ youth economic development project in Uganda created by the Troy Perry Legacy Grants.
“Our Pride Shorts & Arts Fest is the perfect choice for anyone who wants to watch short films and, at the same time, support an LGBTQ cause. For only $20, you have access — for an entire month — to a cornucopia of short films that highlight our wonderful community,” Reverend Troy Perry, founder of worldwide LGBTQ-focused ministry Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) said in a press release. “Your generosity will help our talented group of LGBTQ creatives in Uganda to continue designing beautiful merchandise which they plan to sell through their online marketplace. Together, we can help LGBTQ Ugandans to survive and thrive in one of the world’s harshest countries for LGBTQ people.”
The festival features more than 30 hours worth of screenings that will include the festival premiere of Queer2Queer, a series of four short films featuring intergenerational conversations between young LGBTQ influencers and notable LGBTQ activists as well as offer award-winning documentaries, dramas and comedies, animation, musical performances and more.
“We are committed to redefining the indie film industry and provide our festival partners and filmmakers with unprecedented, comprehensive support. Our Pride Shorts & Arts Fest is a testament to the tremendous stories of the LGBTQ community that need to be told and shared with the world,” eo Founder/CEO Apple TungFong added in the release. “We hope the short films and artistic performances selected for Our Pride Shorts & Arts Fest will have you feeling empowered, inspired and strong.”
Founded in 2021, eo is currently the only service that combines film festivals’ virtual screening hybrid solutions with direct networking, allowing users to interact with content creators. Rainbow Advocacy is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit founded in 1996, dedicated to advancing the LGBTQIA+ Pride movement through the Troy Perry Legacy Awards and Grants, the Our Pride Arts and Advocacy programs and other collaborative projects with organizations and partners around the world.
This festival even has a Texas tie as well. The festival started seven years ago with the help of Rev. Neil Thomas who now leads Cathedral of Hope.
“When he was the senior pastor at Founders MCC Los Angeles, he helped me to start Rainbow Advocacy when I was recuperating from a years long battle with an AIDS-defining cancer,” John Boswell said in an email. “If not for Neil, the nonprofit and this festival wouldn’t have been created.”
The festival streams through Oct. 31 and is also available on streaming services Apple TV, Fire TV and The Roku Channel. For more information or to purchase an all-access pass, visit OurPrideFest.org.
—Rich Lopez
