Available to Stream for Free Through June 24
Curated by Brit Fryer, Creative Culture alum and Jonathan Demme Changemaker Board Member at the JBFC, and Arno Mokros, Creative Culture Program Coordinator, QT SHORTS connects audiences with short films made by a variety of queer and trans filmmakers. As the first event in this ongoing, pop-up screening series, the films in this program showcase recent festival highlights, talent from the JBFC community, and more. June’s virtual program is a small glimpse of the range of talent, styles, genres, and stories produced by contemporary LGBTQ filmmakers. This collection of films reminds us that there is, of course, no one monolithic queer or trans narrative, but rather a dynamic array of perspectives and experiences reflected in the work of storytellers creating the films they want to see in the world.
Join us Wednesday, June 16 at 6:00 pm for a virtual Q&A moderated by QT Shorts curators Brit Fryer & Arno Mokros. Tune in live via the JBFC YouTube Channel!
QT Shorts is sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC).
In France Michelle is a Man’s Name
dir. Em Weinstein, 2020, 12 min, English, USA
Set against the backdrop of the American West, this narrative short film explores fatherhood, rituals of male bonding, and what it means to identify as a trans man in contemporary America. Winner of two Grand Jury Prizes for Best Narrative Short (Slamdance 2021 & Outfest 2020).
Queenie
dir. Cai Thomas, 2020, 20 min, English, USA
Queenie—a 73-year-young Black lesbian and resident of Marcy Houses—navigates applying for Stonewall House, NYC’s first LGBT elder affordable housing. Edited by César Martínez Barba, an alum of the JBFC’s Creative Culture program, this short doc won the New York Short Film Grand Jury Award at NewFest 2020.
Baby Steps
dir. Kira Findling, 2019, 8 min, English, USA
Through middle school texts, webcam videos, and secret moments, a young woman comes of age online in this hybrid animated doc. As she grows, she grapples with gender identity and sexuality, finding new language for herself. This film will play with open captions.
The Morning After
dir. Lauren Minnerath, 2018, 14 min, English, USA
A gay interracial Brooklyn couple copes with life the day after the 2016 Presidential election. This narrative short film was written, directed, and edited by Lauren Minnerath, the Fall 2019 Womxn Filmmaker Fellow in the JBFC’s Creative Culture program.
Who Can Predict What Will Move You
dir. Livia Huang, 2020, 9 min, English, USA
Two boys spend one last night together in Brooklyn. This tender, narrative short film premiered at the Berlinale in 2020. This film will play with open captions.
This program is available for free.