Appalachian Queer Film Festival

2026 films... 

Friday, September 18

SHORTS BLOCK 1 (6:00PM)
Pittsburgh is Freezing (Dir. Gabby Valdivieso) - A documentary short profiling two Pittsburgh drag performers and their chosen family while exploring community, identity, and artistic expression.

Victoria (Dir. John Haley) - As she traverses the American South, Miss Victoria Jewelle assembles the pieces of her drag identity.

You've Got a Mothman in Me (Dir. Akira Jakkson) - A young girl finds friendship in the man, the myth, the legend: Mothman.

FRIDAY NIGHT FEATURE (6:45PM)

Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World
Directed by: Sasha Waters
Synopsis: Mary Oliver – best-selling poet and Pulitzer Prize-winner; lover of dogs and long walks in the woods; queer and out, but intensely private. Her poems inspire liberals and conservatives, atheists and believers, naturalists and urbanites. If poetry had a pop icon, Mary Oliver would be it. Featuring poems read by Helena Bonham Carter, Steve Buscemi, Stephen Colbert, Lucy Dacus, Jesse Welles, and Oprah Winfrey.​

Saturday, September 19

SHORTS BLOCK 2 (NOON)

In Kind (Dir. Katherine Gunning) - In the Appalachian hills, a queer-led farm cultivates community and soil, showing us what good humans can be.

Kansas, 1989 (Dir. Clayton Dean Smith) - The story of a Midwestern teen in the 80s on the verge of coming out, and the night of danger that changes the course of his life.

Shape Notes (Dir. Bryan McHenry) - A middle-aged church organist seeks help caring for his aging mother and finds the courage to start exploring his identity.

CHURCH GIRL (Dir. Bessie Fong) - Olivia, a Filipino lesbian, pretends to be Christian to impress her non-binary crush, finding herself at Bushwick’s oldest queer Bible study.

Message to Jacob (Dir. Thomas Kennedy Pope) - A devout father records a message for his missing son. Over the course of his message, he reveals how faith, fear, and grief can curdle into violence.

Now Playing (Dir. Kathleen Maus) - A queer romantic comedy about a daydreaming movie theater employee and a quiet cinephile who connect through shared moments that mirror the films on the marquee.

Disconnected (Dir. Mel Hughes) - A young agender person experiences dysphoria and a sense of disconnect from their identity and their body.

SHORTS BLOCK 3 (1:40PM)

Tales of the Macabre (Dir. James Steele Haney) - On Halloween night 1984, a grief-stricken late-night radio host shares the legend of the Crimson Witch with his listeners—but as exhaustion and isolation take hold, he begins to fear the story may be coming to life.

Sexy Boy (Dir. Ian Rosales) - A lonely young man’s life takes a nightmarish turn after he begins receiving mysterious phone calls from a mysterious, smooth-talking serial killer.

Rag Dolls (Dir. Amy Adler) - Two women living with disabilities in Mexico face challenges, yet find ways to love and care for each other.

Inside Kent's Drag Bubble (Dir. Daniel Schultz) - Inside Kent's Drag Bubble is a documentary that follows local Drag Artists based in Kent Ohio as they balance school, art, politics, and identity.

NAIL POLISH (Dir. Sea Sombar, Alice Chiotti-Lee) - A non-binary teen goes on a journey towards acceptance, after being kicked out.

This Film Deserves to Name Itself (Dir. Katie Emler) - An unnamed protagonist is confronted by their own self hatred made manifest, and must overcome it in an attempt to accept themself.

SHORTS BLOCK 4 (3:20PM)

Rainbow Rider (Dir. Georgia Krause) - Rainbow Rider follows Shelle Lichti, an outspoken lesbian truck driver hauling freight across the country in her eponymous and iconic rainbow semi-truck. With her chihuahua sidekick in tow, Shelle encounters the joys of the open road, grumpy dispatchers, and lots of middle fingers sent in her direction.

Julie Takes a Walk (Dir. Frankie Pedersen, Shea Vassar) - Julie's life choices have been dictated by her family but this all changes when she is told just moments before her own wedding that she is adopted. Confused and shocked, she runs away and follows the only clue she has to a small town on the other side of Oklahoma. That's where Julie meets the stoic yet secretly sweet Cass, a Native bartender who would rather be reading or fixing up an old car than in any sort of social setting.

Ronita Rambo (Dir. Michael Doshier) - Ronita Rambo, the sharp-tongued waitress of a rural Missouri diner, has everyone's order memorized - but not a clue how to text her new crush. Enlisting the help of two gay teens, she takes an unexpected leap toward love and authenticity.

Burning of a Family Tree (Dir. Alison Mattingly) - When Eden returns home to their estranged family after the death of their abusive father, they are forced to confront their traumatic past... and their father's reanimated corpse.

Ashamed (Dir. Grayson Thomas Orr) - Before his childhood best friend leaves for good, a closeted married man has one last chance to show the truth or stay trapped in a life that was never really his.

Tr(ace)y (Dir. Julia Editz) - A young woman garners interesting reactions when explaining her sexuality to her dates. Through these experiences, she comes to realize that being authentic to herself is ultimately more valuable than being accepted by society or potential romantic partners.

Wife Wife (Dir. Sara Werner) - Immediately after their wedding, two brides question the sanctity of their marriage.

SHORTS BLOCK 5 (5:20PM)

Chronically Yours (Dir. Jacob Godbey) - Chronically Yours follows Aubrey, a 27-year-old living with Multiple Sclerosis and how that affects her dating life.

Maple Leaves (Dir. Elena Alves) - Maple leaves is a story about two best friends navigating through a complicated friendship while dealing with addiction and mounting pressures from the world around them.

Ahyoka (Dir. Schon ᎤᎶᎩᎳ Duncan) - ᎠᏲᎧ is a portrait of Ahyoka Youngdeer, Cherokee culture bearer, teacher, and two-spirit activist. Weaving her own life with a traditional Cherokee story about a crooked-face boy, Ahyoka traces how exclusion was never a Cherokee value and reminds us what it truly means to be a Keetoowah person.

Silent Retreat (Dir. Neil Fennell) - At a silent meditation retreat, a gay man and a straight man have a significant experience...quietly...that will change them both forever.

A Cowboy Named Jazz (Dir. Cassidy Madigan) - A coming-of-age drama about a farmboy gaining the courage to tell his Papa about his secret passion: music.

They Called Me a Rabble-Rouser (Dir. Chloe Niesz Kutsch) - A Queer elder in rural Maine reflects on her journey from cities of millions to a village of one thousand.

Survival, Forever (Dir. Riley Heath) - In the far future after a climate disaster and mass migration of humans from Earth, Fisher sails through a flooded urban wasteland and joins his lover, Cameron, to ensure their mutual survival, hope and love.

I wanna hold your hand (Dir. Conor Larsen, Zachary Kornblum) - In a dark movie theater, a young boy’s anxiety swells as he debates making the first move—until a small act of courage speaks louder than words.

Not Losing You (Dir. James Lantz) - Not Losing You is a narrative micro-movie supporting trans youth in the wake of unrelenting anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ legislation sweeping the U.S. Following an argument earlier that day over what clothing a trans daughter can wear and what name she can use, a farmer-father makes a decision that will change both of their lives.

FRIDAY NIGHT FEATURE (7:15PM)

A Woman's Work
Directed by: A.R. Ephraim
Synopsis: A young woman in rural Kentucky works as a coal miner to provide for her two younger sisters after losing her parents to the opioid epidemic.