Opening with Tab Hunter Confidential, about the once closeted Hollywood actor, the Long Beach QFilm Festival will hit the Art Theatre, 2025 E. Fourth St., Sept. 10 through Sept. 13. The event will reflect on themes and issues that individuals from all aspects of life can identify with, according to its founder.
For a string of days leading into the weekend, the event will screen new and old films alike and include a Q&A with those involved with the projects, such as Patricia Velasquez, who is best known for her role in The Mummy film series and who is featured in one of the festival’s films— Liz in September.
All funds received will go toward the LGBTQ Center in Long Beach and other related community programs.
Although the festival is primarily directed at individuals who identify with the LGBTQ community, Cano said that it prides itself in its diversity and its inclusion of different ethnicities and cultures in the films presented.
“We have films from all over the world,” Cano said. “The film festival community does its job of literally scouring this planet to find the best of the best. The diversity is there.”
The festival has films stemming from various countries, such as Malaysia, South Africa and the United Kingdom. International movies such as Velociraptor and Clambake are even making exclusive debuts at the event.
“We’ve all been through heartbreak. We’ve all been through disappointment. These are issues we can all relate to,” Cano said. “And each year it seems like we get more straight allies at the film festival. They say, ‘Wow. This is a great film, and I related to it.'”
As years have progressed, more non-LGBTQ individuals have begun attending the festival. When Cano founded the event 22 years ago, he never imagined it would reach the platform it has now.
It all started by finding help in the unlikeliest of places.
“We were always surprised by how straight businesses were always so wonderfully giving with us when we began forging relationships and building networks with them,” Cano said.
But prior to that benevolence came discrimination. Cano, who identifies as gay, has faced it his entire life, having been passed up for higher positions in the workplace with seemingly no excuse, all because of his sexual orientation.
The films over the years at the festival have changed in order to reflect that aspect of society.
A featured documentary, Upstairs Inferno, deals with the violent side of discrimination, covering a 1973 incident where a gay bar in New Orleans, called the Upstairs Lounge, was deliberately set on fire.
Recently, it’s society not yet acclimating to the politics of the SCOTUS ruling on same-sex marriage that allowed gays to legally marry in all 50 states.
“These issues have always been out there and talked about and fought for, but it takes society time to catch up on certain issues,” Cano said. “Just because we have these laws pass doesn’t mean we are going to have equality automatically. That takes a lot of work and effort, and that work and effort will continue to be shown in documentaries and films.”
The festival attempts to serve as an outlet to aid society in understanding that diversity is a normal part of life.
“Sometimes, when you step out of your comfort zone, you will be delightfully thrilled,” Cano said. “A lot of my education has come from films. I’ve learned so much about other cultures and other people. And we always thrive to be very diverse.”
Cano hopes that society will one day be more accepting of others.
“I’m glad as a society we are progressing,” Cano said, “and hopefully we won’t have that discrimination anymore. We can value each person for who and what they are, and what they can contribute. Not their sexual orientation.”
Tickets for the Long Beach QFilm Festival are $12 for general admission, $50 for a 5-Film Block Pass and $140 for an All-Access Pass. Visit qfilmslongbeach.com .
