Defunct LGBT [& friendly] Film/Arts Festival

Running a film festival is not an easy task, even more so when it's an LGBT festival...funding, internal issues, audience acquisition and retention are all big problems.

Funding really does come down to bums on seats...if there is no audience, what's the point?

Unfortunately, film festivals do have a terrible reputation of screening some - truly - dreadful films. I have found myself - too, too many times - sitting in a cinema on my own watching something so indescribably awful that a hasty exit had to happen after the first 10 minutes.

Ultimately...responsibility must fall upon the shoulders of festival programmers and filmmakers themselves. Make better choices, make better films...even more important now that mainstream film festivals are continually [and impressively] becoming more inclusive and diverse.

Political correctness and personal agendas are the straws that have broken many a camel's back...there's no point in trying to please everyone...but, when a festival programmer's only raison d'être is to please themselves...disaster. Over 200 festivals [that we know of] have become victims of this incredulous myopia...and more, most certainly, will follow.

For example...why do short film programs have to be exclusively made up of lesbian/trans or gay themed films...mix them up, screen different stories...after all, variety is the spice of life. Failed film festivals have failed because they forgot to add the spice, the programmers' personal agendas took precedence.

Here is a list of festivals that are no more...due to reasons - mostly - of their own making...