PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — It was pushed back a couple of times this year due to the pandemic, but the LGBTQ+ film festival qFlix Philadelphia is finally back.
The festival runs through Sunday, with both in-person and virtual screening options. Many of the films have discussions afterward where audience members can ask questions to the filmmakers and cast members.
A wide range of films from around the world are being shown at the Suzanne Roberts Theater on Broad Street in Center City.
Nearly 50 diverse films are part of the festival this year. James Duggan, executive director and founder of the festival, said it has evolved over the years.
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“When we started in 2014, I discovered that not many gay men were going to the trans films, and it concerned me,” he recalled. “Our mission wasn’t just to show films that you like. Our mission was to show films that challenge you and make you question your own thinking, maybe, and realize who we are as a people, so we decided to mix our trans films up with our cisgender films.
“We believe our stories are the soul of our community, and by sharing them, we don’t just empower ourselves, we empower the greater community at large.”
The festival also presented its Image Award to Rachel Levine, the former secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health and current U.S. assistant health secretary.
“We are encouraged as individuals to be more of ourselves,” added Duggan, “to find power in the stories, to be educated and inspired, and that will create not just a sense of diversity and inclusion, but it creates a sense of belonging.”