Click here to view the SIGLFF26 Program Guide PDF
President’s Message 2017
Celebrating its 26th anniversary, the Sacramento International LGBTQ Film Festival is a spectacular community event consisting of three days of LGBTQ film, local food, beer, wine, and live entertainment! And, yes, we have updated our Festival name to LGBTQ to better reflect who we are as a community and as audiences for queer film.
FILMS! FILMS! FILMS! We are expanding our program this year to bring you even more great LGBTQ films. Join us at the historic Crest Theater in downtown Sacramento, CA, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, October 13, 14, 15, 2017 for some of the best queer cinema of 2017. Six feature-length films and 16 short films will be showcased.
Fabulous feature films: We open this year with Alaska Is a Drag, writer-director Shaz Bennett has expanded her short film into a rousing and crowd-pleasing debut feature that is the queer lovechild of Rocky and Hedwig. After Louie, an engaging inter-generational story starring Alan Cumming, Zachary Booth and Wilson Cruz; Signature Move directed by Jennifer Reeder and starring the sexy and talented Fawzia Mirza.
Three riveting documentaries: The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin which examines the amazing life of the celebrated San Francisco wordsmith; The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson which looks at the life and mysterious death of this transgender pioneer and her dear friend Sylvia Rivera; and our closing night film, The Lavender Scare, which tells the McCarthy-era story of an unrelenting campaign by the federal government to identify and fire all employees suspected of being homosexual. As a State employee, I am so happy to be living and working in the liberal and accepting state of California.
We have two shorts programs with 8 short films in each, which will make you laugh, cry, and gasp with pride amongst fellow film-lovers. Numerous filmmakers and special guests are expected to attend, and we are looking forward to some vibrant post-show Q&As with them (please check Faceboook and our website for updates at www.siglff.org).
New this year, our Audience Awards carry cash prizes for the winning filmmakers ($750 for best feature-length film, $500 for best short film). Your attendance and your votes support LGBTQ films and filmmakers—please join us for as many films as you can and help us spread the word to your friends—none of this can happen without you in the audience amongst our community and our allies.
See you at The Crest Theater!
Michael
SIGLFF HISTORY
Founded by Allen Cole, the Film Festival in Sacramento started in 1992, based on the student run gay and lesbian film festival at Fresno State. Organizers joined forces with the students from the California State University, Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Alliance and the brothers of the Delta Lambda Phi Fraternity and received grant funds from CSUS Associated Students Inc. to use as seed money and get the Festival started.
Held on October 8, 1992, the first year was a big success, with a sold out, one evening event at the Crest Theater. We continue this tradition of presenting the Festival in early October to celebrate “National Coming Out Day.”
Each year brings growth and opportunities to show more films, give more money to beneficiaries, and support our newest program, providing completion grants to film makers.
SIGLFF is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization (TID 94-3328744).