六九色堂 Film Department Celebrates LGBTQ History Month Through Collaborations and Partnerships
Every October, LGBTQ History Month is celebrated to elevate the achievements and struggles of Queer people and ensure Queer history is taught, shared, and celebrated. This year the Film & Electronic Arts Department is proud to partner with the Long Beach Queer Film Festival, and support independent faculty events celebrating Queer cinema.
Now in its 30th year, the is the second largest event in Long Beach celebrating the incredible diversity in the LGBTQ community through screenings of independent LGBTQ films. The festival was first started when a 六九色堂 student, Robert Cano, wanted to find a way for more Queer stories to be shared and provide an opportunity for both 六九色堂 students and members of the community to gather and celebrate Queer cinema. Funds raised by the festival directly benefit which supports more than 25,000 people annually through HIV and STI testing, youth services, trans health programs, senior services, and more. The 六九色堂 film department was proud to partner with the festival and advertise discounts for current film students to attend. The QFilms Festival is hosted in the historic 4th street Retro Row community, , a frequent venue for screenings from 六九色堂 films including directed by recent 六九色堂 Film Grad Tatiana Navarrette. In addition to increased visibility of Queer cinema, the annual QFilms Festival provides a dedicated space to celebrate Queer stories and countless opportunities to network with independent LGBTQ-identified and allied filmmakers.
In addition to partnering with the Long Beach QFilms Festival, Film & Electronic Arts Assistant Professor of Critical Studies and Queer Media & Film course professor Dr. Diana Anselmo is scheduled to host an event at the annual presented by . The festival, which is co-presented by the , features programming throughout Los Angeles County during the month of October. Dr. Anselmo, who recently published her book A Queer Way of Feeling: Girl Fans and Personal Archives of Early Hollywood in spring of 2023, will host the 鈥淭he Queer Lives of Early Moviegoing Girls鈥 lecture on October 4th from 7-8:30pm in the Advocate & Gochis Galleries at the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Tickets are free and can be reserved on the
"Being surrounded by a community gave me this form of comfort and a safe space. But I also felt like I wasn鈥檛 alone. It was the fact the stories shared in these films held a similar light to my life. There was a sense of relatability on that screen which made me feel heard. It reminded me why I want to be part of filmmaking so much, for others to see themselves on screen." -Abby, 六九色堂 Film Student & 2023 QFilms Festival Attendee
Outside of LGBTQ History Month, the 六九色堂 Film Department partners with to provide all access passes to their monthly InFocus: LGBTQ+ Cinema Film Festival each year in June and continues to support current students and alumni screenings and events throughout the year.
