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Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival
Formerly known as: Indiana LGBT Film Festival
Friday, 07 November 2025 until Sunday, 16 November 2025
The Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival is an annual community event organized by a dedicated team of volunteers to benefit Indiana Youth Group (IYG). IYG creates safer spaces to foster community and provides programming that empowers LGBTQ+ youth and magnifies their voices. (Learn more at https://www.indianayouthgroup.org)
The Festival is presented with the help of Indy Pride, Inc., Indy's LGBTQ non-profit community organization, that hosts the annual Indy Pride Festival and Parade, as well as numerous events year round. Dedicated to celebrating diversity through cinema, ILGBTFF has played a key role in the Indianapolis cultural and artistic identity for the past 20+ years. Showcasing LGBTQ+ feature films, documentaries, and shorts from around the world and around our state, the festival takes place during the second weekend of November.
Partnering with community organizations and events such as the Heartland Film Festival, Indy Bag Ladies, and Eskenazi Health increases exposure throughout the year in support of our November event. Kan-Kan Cinema and Brasserie (Indianapolis Film Project) is the new home of The Festival.
The Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival, now in its 25th year, takes place November 7-16, 2025.
Juried Best of Festival first place and multiple categories of Audience Awards.
2025 films...
IT’S DOROTHY
The Wizard of Oz has remained one of the most enduring stories for over one hundred years, spawning dozens interpretations. Its protagonist, young Dorothy Gale from Kansas, has become one of the most recognizable characters in pop culture history. But what is it about this young girl thrust into an unknown world that has resonated with audiences for decades?
It’s Dorothy! is a dazzling and deeply queer celebration of one of pop culture’s most enduring heroines. From Judy Garland’s landmark portrayal to the countless reinventions that followed across film, stage, and television, Dorothy Gale has long stood as a symbol of resilience, belonging, and hope for those who feel like outsiders.
Director Jeffrey McHale crafts a mesmerizing documentary that mixes archival footage with insight from a remarkable roster of voices. Former Dorothys like Fairuza Balk and Ashanti join cultural icons including John Waters, Lena Waithe, Amber Ruffin, Rufus Wainwright, and Margaret Cho to explore how Dorothy—and Garland herself—became touchstones for the LGBTQ+ community. Critics and filmmakers alike illuminate the parallels between Garland’s struggles and triumphs and Dorothy’s own story of endurance, discovery, and compassion. Together, they reveal how the character’s legacy has shaped generations and continues to inspire.
Thoughtful, celebratory, and unapologetically queer, It’s Dorothy! shows us why we still find ourselves over the rainbow.
Directed by Jeffrey McHale | USA | 2025 | 100 Minutes
PRECEDED BY
THE DINNER GHOST
Directors: Christopher David Herbst, Zachary Allen Kapinos | USA | 3 Minutes
Sam, an anxious lesbian, who on the night of her proposal is surprised by the sudden appearance of her Grandpa's ghost!
DRAGFOX
Director: Lisa Ott | UK | 8 Minutes — Watch Trailer
Sam's search for identity gets interrupted by a mysterious neighborhood fox. Together they embark on a magical journey to the attic to discover the surprising things they might have in common, and how to celebrate the ways in which they differ.
SHE’S THE HE
Two best friends pull a prank that takes an unexpected turn when one discovers her true identity as a trans woman. A bold, hilarious, and heartfelt twist on the teen comedy, She’s The He reimagines the gender-swap trope for a new generation. Director Siobhan McCarthy brings fresh energy and vital authenticity to a genre long overdue for reinvention.
Set in the final week before high school graduation, Alex and Ethan scheme their way into the girls’ locker room by pretending to be trans women. While Alex chases after his crush with crude bravado, Ethan finds herself feeling unexpectedly at home in her new identity. What begins as a joke soon becomes life-altering, forcing both friends to confront truths they never anticipated.
McCarthy crafts a coming-of-age comedy that is as outrageous as it is moving, blending slapstick hijinks with moments of tenderness and revelation. By centering trans, nonbinary, and queer voices both in front of and behind the camera, She’s The He transforms familiar teen-movie clichés into a resonant story of acceptance, identity, and friendship. The result is a film that’s as funny as it is necessary—proving that the best comedies are the ones with something real at their core.
With humor, heart, and a sharp edge, the film dives into self-discovery, friendship, and the messy joy of growing up.
Directed by Siobhan McCarthy | USA | 2025 | 82 Minutes
PRECEDED BY
COCKROACH
Director: Heather Older | USA | 9 Minutes — Watch Trailer
Juliette tries to survive a recent breakup with her longtime girlfriend by chronically masturbating and trying to convince herself to start dating men. Her delirium is finally relieved (sort of) by an unexpected stranger. Like cockroaches, love always finds a way to survive against the odds.
GENDER REVEAL
Director: Mo Matton | Canada | 13 Minutes — Watch Trailer
Rhys, a dedicated people pleaser, winds up at their boss’ gender reveal party with their two partners. The trans throuple soon realize that they are dealing with more than they were prepared for and their ability to survive the event comes into question.
GIRLFRIEND GIRLFRIEND
Director: Sara Werner | USA | 5 Minutes — Watch Trailer
A queer woman's mind is blown by her new coworker's bold question in this experimental short film.
DIVIDE
Director: Jeanette Buck | USA | 9 Minutes — Watch Trailer
Two estranged siblings of opposing political persuasions cleaning out their mother's home after her death, fight over the inheritance of a sentimental souvenir.
CLEAN SLATE
Director: Emily May Jampel | USA | 9 Minutes — Watch Trailer
Two Asian nonbinary best friends and actors must make some sacrifices when they go up for the same breakout role.
SPACE DADDY
Director: Stephen Carruthers | UK | 10 Minutes — Watch Trailer
A hookup between twentysomething Andy and a mysterious hunk (played by Crystal from Drag Race UK) who meet on a dating app has some out-of-this-world consequences.
DOUBLE DATE
Director: Hannah Wolf | USA | 9 Minutes
A newly out middle-aged lesbian panics before a third date and impulsively hires a sex worker to help her prepare.
TIGER LILY MOUNTAIN PASS
Director: Nate King | USA | 5 Minutes — Watch Trailer
This hand-drawn, animated short was inspired by director Nate King's time spent in the forests of Appalachia. In a region where queerness is often hidden or disguised, the work explores nature as a space of queer erotic encounter.
JUST BETWEEN US
Director: Vac Hug | USA | 15 Minutes
Sam and Dustin’s open marriage unravels after one probing question: do they ever sleep together alone? Spiraling into temptation and mistakes, Sam is forced to confront what intimacy means when love lives in the gray. Featuring special guest Ben Baur.
PORELESS
Director: Harris Doran | USA | 13 Minutes — Watch Trailer
A fabulous, queer, Muslim beauty entrepreneur competes in a Shark Tank-like contest after suffering an untimely allergic reaction.
TWO BLACK BOYS IN PARADISE
Director: Baz Sells | UK | 9 Minutes — Watch Trailer
A movingly tender animation, based on Dean Atta’s eponymous poem, sees two boys on a journey of self-acceptance and love, for each other and themselves.
PSYCHO BEACH PARTY
Surf’s up—and so are the body counts! When a string of gruesome Malibu murders shocks the shore, Captain Monica Stark dives headfirst into a world of shaking bikinis, muscled surfers, a wannabe surf babe with a split personality, and a mom with an agenda.
Psycho Beach Party is a gleefully twisted send-up of two Hollywood staples—the sunny, carefree beach movies of the 1950s and the dark, suspense-laden psychological thrillers of Alfred Hitchcock. Imagine surfboards colliding with split personalities, sun-drenched dance numbers bumping up against sinister shadows, and campy innocence crashing headfirst into gleeful gore.
With rapid-fire jokes, kinky innuendo, and even a rocking dance number, the film blends Charles Busch’s brilliantly theatrical script with Robert Lee King’s fresh and sassy direction. The result? A cult-classic comedy that pays homage to cinematic traditions while gleefully skewering popular conservatism.
Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, this mash-up still sparkles with biting satire and irresistible retro style. Hosted by Kan-Kan’s own Vanity Rex, the screening promises laughs, thrills, and campy beach-party mayhem—you won’t want to miss it! Plus, we’re kicking things off with a splashy lineup of vintage festival shorts to get you in the mood.
Directed by Robert Lee King | USA | 2000 | 95 Minutes
PRECEDED BY VINTAGE SHORTS
TANK FAIRY
Director: Erich Rettstatt | USA/Taiwan | 10 Minutes (2022) — Watch Trailer
Once upon a time, the magical Tank Fairy delivered tanks of gas (with plenty of sass) to the home of young Jojo, a lonely dreamer in need of a glittery godmother.
MOTHER BUNKER
Director: George Metaxas | Australia/USA | 6 Minutes (2021) — Watch Trailer
Set during the robot-human war, a military robot begins to self-express by dressing in human drag and performing to a robot army.
TO THE MOON
When the moon threatens to crash into Earth, three neighbors discover that finding yourself can be just as unpredictable—and just as funny. A cosmic comedy about family, identity, and the pull of the heart.
Closeted single dad Sam (Jacob Sampson) is suddenly faced with an impending empty nest, and with it, the question of who he is outside of being a father—and whether that means finally coming out after nearly four decades in the closet. His daughter Ella (Phoebe Rex) is navigating the turbulence of teenage life at a new school, all while trying to parent her parent. Their curious new neighbor Claire (Amy Groening), freshly escaped from the corporate grind, hovers nearby with her notepad in hand, hoping to turn the quirky duo into material for her writing. Together, the three wrestle with love, self-discovery, and the small matter of keeping the moon from crashing into the earth.
Returning to our festival after screening his last film, Lemon Squeezy (2022), Canadian filmmaker Kevin Hartford once again delivers his signature blend of humor and heart in To The Moon. With a sharp ensemble, bursts of choreographed dance, and plenty of cosmic mischief, the film is a reminder that it’s never too late—or too strange—to figure out who you really are.
Directed by Kevin Hartford | Canada | 2024 | 85 Minutes
PRECEDED BY
SLAY
Director: Kevin Hartford | Canada | 10 Minutes (2022)
Faced with the impending departure of his BFF, Glen makes an effort to rekindle old female friendships, to varying degrees of success.
A-OKAY
Director: J Fitzpatrick | USA | 6 Minutes — Watch Trailer
In a world saturated with romance and intimacy, one person dares to break the mold. After years of self-discovery, they write a raw, honest letter to their younger self. This short documentary blurs memory and reflection, revealing a journey of breaking free and becoming whole.
DANCING IN TOMORROWLAND
Director: Jakob Roston | USA | 16 Minutes
In this fantasia of a 1980s gay rights theme park documentary an unsung teen activist fights to overturn Disneyland’s ban on same-sex dancing.
AUTOEROTICA: WE BUY GAY STUFF
Director: Jeremy Stilb | USA | 17 Minutes
Behind an unassuming "We Buy Gay Stuff" sign in San Francisco’s Castro district lies a hidden archive of queer history. For decades, AutoErotica’s proprietor Patrick Batt has curated artifacts from shuttered gay bars, vintage leather magazines, activist pins, and rare 8mm films. Nearly lost to the pandemic, a customer-led campaign saved this living museum, transforming it into a global touchstone of LGBTQ+ counter-culture.
TESSITURA
Directors: Lydia Cornett, Brit Fryer | USA | 18 Minutes
Tessitura weaves history and character portraits to explore how voice, character, and gender are continually reshaped in opera. The film follows contemporary transgender singers as they navigate tradition, blending personal stories with historical context to illuminate the ongoing dialogue about gender fluidity in the art form.
THANKS, BABS!
Directors: Jen Rainin, Rivkah Beth Medow | USA | 14 Minutes
Meet Babs, an irrepressible octogenarian racing through life on five-year plans. Part Maude, part whirlwind, she spars with her ex, flaunts her vibrator, lap-dances at her “39th-again” party, and kicks out anyone who dares say “80.” Between aquacise and a visit to the AIDS memorial grove, she muses—hilariously and tenderly—on love, aging, and the afterlife.
BIG BASS
Director: Drew Dickler | USA | 14 Minutes
What happens when others recognize who you are before you do? A filmmaker journeys back to 1997, unearthing a surreal second-grade memory that intertwines her emerging queer identity, an unforgettable PE teacher, and one very mysterious giant plastic fish.
SHELLY’S LEG
Director: Wes Hurley | USA | 16 Minutes
In 1970, flamboyant stripper Shelly Baumann lost her leg in a bizarre parade cannon mishap—then turned tragedy into triumph. With her settlement money, she launched Shelly’s Leg, one of the first openly gay discos in the U.S., sparking a cultural revolution. Narrated by Kathleen Turner, this vibrant documentary celebrates the wild, defiant legacy of a nightclub that changed queer history.
HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY
An urgent story of resistance unfolds as ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio—a Queens-based attorney, father, and cat lover—joins forces with journalists and activists to confront a rising anti-trans backlash in workplaces and communities across America. At the same time, the film exposes how mainstream media has fueled and normalized attacks on hard-won trans civil rights.
Heightened Scrutiny follows Chase through the full arc of an epic legal fight: LW v. Skrmetti, a 2023 challenge to Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth. With a Supreme Court decision looming in June 2025, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Chase, the first out trans person ever to argue before the Court, is not only fighting for trans youth but also for the future of bodily autonomy—from contraception to abortion to reproductive healthcare. Along the way, the film features appearances from Jeani Cobb, Lydia Polgreen, Gina Chua, Laverne Cox, Elliot Page, Peppermint, Phillip Picardi, and Annette Bening, who lend their voices to this historic struggle.
As attacks escalate nationwide, the film offers a sharp, unflinching look at the backlash machine and the media’s complicity in enabling the far right’s agenda. At once deeply personal and politically explosive, Heightened Scrutiny traces the battle for trans rights all the way to the steps of the Supreme Court—where the outcome could reshape American democracy itself.
Directed by Sam Feder | USA | 2025 | 85 Minutes
PRECEDED BY
TIPPI & BARB
Director: Brad Burleson | USA | 12 Minutes
Tippi and Barb’s Arkansas love story shatters on their wedding day when one phone call costs Tippi her career. Refusing silence, their fight for justice transforms them into unlikely champions for LGBTQIA+ rights and launches Tippi into politics. A powerful story of love, resilience, and the courage to spark lasting change.
BEAUTIFUL EVENING, BEAUTIFUL DAY
A sweeping historical epic of love, loyalty, and resistance, Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day charts the lives of four friends whose art and identities collide with the demands of a repressive state. From the ashes of World War II to the height of Cold War suspicion, their fight for truth and freedom echoes across decades.
The story follows lovers Lovro and Nenad and their lifelong companions Stevan and Ivan, filmmakers who achieve acclaim in post-WWII Communist Yugoslavia even as they are forced into making propaganda for the regime. Though accepted by family and peers, their visibility draws the gaze of state surveillance, where whispers of suspicion threaten to dismantle everything they have built. Assigned to undermine them is Emir, a party loyalist concealing his own secrets, whose loyalties begin to fracture.
Infused with lush imagery, sensual honesty, and a piercing critique of authoritarianism, Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day blends historical realism with emotional urgency. Juka’s drama—part love story, part political thriller—captures the peril of living authentically under a system that demands conformity. With its resonant parallels to today’s political climate, the film serves as both a stirring history lesson and a poignant celebration of art, friendship, and the unbreakable pursuit of truth.
Selected as Croatia’s official submission for the 2025 Academy Awards and winner of the Audience Award for Best Film at this year’s Frameline festival.
Directed by Ivona Juka | Croatia | 2024 | 137 Minutes | English Subtitles |
VELVET VISION: THE STORY OF JAMES BIDGOOD
Velvet Vision is a dazzling exploration of artist James Bidgood, whose 1960s fantasy-laden “beefcake” photographs and cult classic film Pink Narcissus forever changed queer visual culture. Initially shrouded in mystery and misattributed to Warhol and Anger, Pink Narcissus emerged decades later as Bidgood’s singular creation, a dreamworld conjured entirely within the walls of his Manhattan apartment.
Directed by Bart Everly, this 2025 documentary invites audiences into both the mythology and reality of Bidgood’s artistry. Featuring appearances by filmmaker John Waters, art historian Jonathan David Katz, designer Christian Louboutin, and Bidgood himself, the film chronicles his attempts to return to photography after a forty-year hiatus while revisiting his past as a drag artist, window dresser, and costume designer. Through rare archival material and intimate present-day encounters, the film captures the tension between Bidgood’s exuberant imagination and the societal rejection he endured as a queer outsider.
Velvet Vision also situates Bidgood’s legacy within the broader arc of LGBTQ+ art and culture, illustrating how his lushly colored fantasies became lifelines—both for himself and for generations of artists who followed. At once a biography and a meditation on the power of beauty, the film reveals how one man’s devotion to fantasy served as a means of survival, and how his vision continues to inspire today.
Directed by Bart Everly | USA | 2025 | 97 Minutes
PINK NARCISSUS
A dazzling work of underground cinema, James Bidgood’s Pink Narcissus follows a young hustler who escapes the gritty realities of his life by retreating into vivid dreamscapes of beauty, desire, and erotic fantasy. Shot almost entirely within Bidgood’s New York apartment, the film stands as a fevered vision of queer longing and imagination unlike anything that had come before.
Constructed over seven painstaking years with hand-built sets and intoxicating colors, the film was controversially wrested from Bidgood’s control and completed without his approval—released in 1971 to little fanfare and without his name attached. Yet in the decades since, Pink Narcissus has been reappraised as a landmark of queer cinema, its aesthetic DNA echoed in the work of artists such as Pierre et Gilles and generations of visual stylists who followed.
Now restored in 4K after a years-in-the-making effort, Pink Narcissus’s erotic tableaux shimmer with new life, inviting both longtime admirers and first-time viewers to immerse themselves in Bidgood’s uncompromising vision. More than just a film, it is a mythic artifact of queer art history—achingly beautiful, defiantly imaginative, and eternally seductive.
Directed by James Bidgood | USA | 1971 | 65 Minutes