Emeryville International LGBTQ+ Film Festival

Saturday, February 28: Day-Long Festival at AMC Bay Street 16 (Emeryville) ~ 12:00pm – 10:00pm

Formerly named Drag Me to the Cinema, we return to Bay Street Emeryville for our annual Festival, while we share queer art and stories that celebrate our LGBTQ+ community. Red Carpet Entryway, with step/repeat backdrop, included!

Our festival* is divided into individual, themed 2-hour film blocks from 12:00pm to 10:00pm. Check out our programs in our drop-down menu and select the block(s) right for you. Outside the theater, we will have community engagement for guests to mingle with our participating filmmakers & artists, sponsors, and non-profit partners. Think PRIDE meets FILM FESTIVAL.

*Individual tickets per block are available. Day Passes are available with perks. Our Feature Film block 8p – 10p is SOLD-OUT. NOTE: Once you register, your name and party # will be added to our WILL CALL list.

OUR SATURDAY PROGRAM (at AMC Bay Street 16) is drafted below. Each block has up to 9 short films that fit the block’s theme. NOTE: For tickets, select an INDIVIDUAL BLOCK (or DAY PASS) in the pull-down menu, then Add to Cart.

12pm – 2pm: BLOCK: PURE.QUEER.JOY.
- “Short films that lift our spirits”. Family-Friendly’ish.
  - Gert’s Boys, USA. From the Castro to the National Mall, one woman’s love fuels a radical act of remembrance—the AIDS Memorial Quilt—challenging public silence as a generation of gay men is lost to AIDS.
  - Alyssum, USA. To celebrate her anniversary, a young woman battles perfectionism and self-doubt as her inner critic threatens to overtake her while she crafts a bouquet for her wife.
  - Campumentary, USA. A comedic and heartfelt mockumentary that unravels camp chaos, friendship, and crab costumes in a true-crime-inspired theatrical misadventure.
  - The Last Story on Earth, USA. Facing angry protesters, a determined drag queen does her best to finish a fairy tale reading at the local library — but an alien invasion puts her skills to extraordinary new tests.
  - Always Azizam, USA. Mahsa, a transgender Iranian woman, agrees to meet her partner’s family, hoping for their blessing and acceptance against all odds.
  - A New Creation Story, USA. A New Creation Story celebrates Black Trans community and retells the making of the Universe — taking us on a journey from before the first molecule was crafted until the precise moment where everything has truly come to be
  - Twice as Many Stars, USA. Heartfelt documentary portrait of a transgender ceramic artist who draws inspiration from planetary science.
  - Okay?, USA. A doctor learns to accept the loss of her mother when she helps her non-binary trans patient regain their ability to dance.
  - Stardust and Camp, Australia. A wandering cosmonaut explores an abstract, surreal art gallery and interviews the artwork, talking about queer identity, expression and belonging.
2pm – 4pm: BLOCK: RATED Q. 18+ recommended.
- “Pure Queerness”. Adult-Friendly. Short films include:
  - G L O R Y, USA. In the wake of the sudden death of his long-term boyfriend, Benji’s obsession with glory holes leads him on a psychedelic journey through the annals of his own queer consciousness.
  - Hollow, United Kingdom. A lesbian couple visit a futuristic counselling service, with only one of them knowing the true, devastating reasons for being there.
  - Mia Mio, Luxembourg. After an umpteenth after-party, Mia has an identity crisis, and for a few hours, her two best friends help her to overcome an important, if not the most important, stage in her life.
  - Everything Good, USA. Gabi has to deliver some disappointing news. To curb her anxiety, she enlists the help of her mischievous cousin and some psychedelics.
  - Matter of Poultry, USA. When an ordinary guy on the cusp of starting his dream job finds out he’s pregnant with an alien parasite, he flashes back to the time he told his teenage girlfriend to not get an abortion.
  - 172 Pushups, USA. A female soldier and a Vietnam vet bond over push-up contests, but clash over their views on same-sex marriage.
  - What We Said in the Blackout, USA. Old love never dies – especially in the dark. When two former lovers wake up naked in the middle of an urban blackout, suddenly everything that has been left unspoken demands attention. Is it just a flashback, or a sign that some stories never end?
4pm – 6pm: BLOCK: FUN IN SHORTS, presented by Frameline. 18+ recommended.
- Represents Frameline’s signature program. [more details coming].
  - Thanks, Babs!
  - Gender Reveal.
  - Poreless. A fabulous, queer, Muslim beauty entrepreneur competes in a Shark Tank-like contest after suffering an untimely allergic reaction
  - Rainbow Girls.
  - and more …
6pm – 8pm: BLOCK: DRAG ME TO THE CINEMA, presented by Fishnets and Film. 18+ highly recommended.
- “A program that integrates Drag with Queer Cinema”
  - Short films include:
    - XY, USA. A repressed convenience store clerk named Y and a trans cam girl named X have their lives tragically intersect at a bleak strip mall in today’s America.
    - Circle of Shame, USA.
    - Crystalline, USA. A drag queen haunted by addiction must battle vivid hallucinations to nail a life-changing performance.
    - Superblood, Canada. When the Earth is threatened by a terrible villain from space known only as ‘The Destroyer,’ it’s up to Team Superblood to save the day.
    - A New Creation Story, USA. A New Creation Story celebrates Black Trans community and retells the making of the Universe — taking us on a journey from before the first molecule was crafted until the precise moment where everything has truly come to be
  - Includes Drag Routines by Amoura Teese and Bonita Rose.

TICKET OPTIONS ARE BELOW:

Individual: $15-$20 per film block(s) of choice from 12pm – 8pm. Discount now through 2/14/26.
- - Open Seating.
Day Pass: $50.
- - Assigned Seating.
  - Access to all four (4) film blocks listed above, from 12pm – 8pm, on Saturday February 28 at AMC Bay Street 16.
Film Festival Pass: SOLD OUT
- - VIP Seating.
  - Access to all four (4) film blocks from 12pm – 8pm on Saturday February 28 at AMC Bay Street 16.
  - Sweet Nothing gift bag full of merch.

The Emeryville International LGBTQ+ Film Festival is Produced by Fishnets & Film, Inc., Directed by Robby Kendall. Sponsored, in part, by Bay Street Emeryville.

Sponsors include: Hot Cookie SF, Jars by Fabio Viviani, and Gunkel Architecture.

Community partners include East Bay Frontrunners & Walkers (EBFRW), Orange Theory Fitness, Frameline, and more TBA.

Price range: $15.00 through $50.00

Emeryville International LGBTQ+ Film Festival

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