Little Queer Film Festival (LQFF), a new film series in Chicago, will be held at the Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., on Feb. 2-3.
Revenue from the festival, in addition to several other fundraising events and donations from supporters and partners, will go toward the financing LQFF screenings.
LQFF, launched after the annual LGBT Reeling Film Fest went on hiatus in 2012 (and it is not associated with Reeling), will be a smaller intimate experience with alternative venues during the festival and throughout the year. Venues showcasing films will be conducive to social/mingling and conversation while providing a space where the community can participate. LQFF films will touch on a wide range of issues and raise awareness of LGBT equality and social issues.
Kicking off day one of the festival is award-winning Call Me Kuchu. Veteran activist David Kato labors to repeal Uganda's homophobic laws and liberate his fellow LGBT men and women, or "kuchus." A very timely movie considering the recent move to legalize sentencing homosexuals to death in Uganda.
Next is the award-winning Kiss Me, a love story with a twist. Mia and Frida meet for the first time at their parent's engagement party and their mutual attraction is undeniable. There's just one small complication. Mia has just announced her engagement to her longtime boyfriend Tim.
The first feature by Negar Azarbayjani, the award-winning Facing Mirrors, is the first Iranian film with a transgender protagonist. Facing Mirrors is a film that explores the rare solidarity that is sometimes achieved through mutual oppression while following the development of an unlikely friendship and ensuing advocacy for a friend despite differences.
Day two of the festival begins with Lesbian Factory. What began as a documentary about the unfair treatment of foreign migrant workers in Taiwan wound up doubling as a love story following the lives of seven lesbian couples.
The second featured film, the award-winning North Sea Texas, is a coming-of-age story set on the Belgian coast. Fourteen-year-old Pim navigates his way through his teens while figuring out his feelings for his 17-year-old neighbor Gino and dealing with a single mother who cares more about her relationships with men than being a mom.
Rounding out the festival, LGFF will present the award-wining I Do. A British gay man marries his lesbian friend in order to get a green card. Things get complicated when he falls in love with the man of his dreams, jeopardizing the validity of the marriage and the friendship. Can love conquer all?
Sapphic Adventures and Jeanette Diaz Photography are producing LQFF in partnership with Center on Halsted, 2100°DG and Baby Girls & Co.
To learn more about supporting this event or to register, visit www.littlequeerfilmfest.org .