QFest

Date

July 8-19, 2010

The Experience

QFest is the nation’s third-largest event of its kind, attracting international cineastes for two weeks of film and flat-out partying throughout mid-July. This year the festival is returning to Center City and the Gayborhood with venues near and on the Avenue of the Arts, screening films at The Prince Music Theater and the Wilma Theater, among other locations.

The two week festival showcases 125 films — narratives, documentaries and shorts — from more than 40 countries. These films compete for the yearly audience and jury awards in a variety of categories that will be presented as part of the festival’s closing night ceremonies.

Parties and receptions take place every night during QFest and among them in 2010 is the There’s No Place Like Home Gayborhood celebration, which recognizes the growth and development of the neighborhood over the past decade.

The History

Originally titled the “Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival,” the festival first burst onto the scene in 1995 and hasn’t looked back since. QFest was created to give gay and lesbian audiences the opportunity to see films that accurately reflect their life experiences without being filtered through the “straight” Hollywood system.

Insider Tip

Get ‘em while they last: Each year the VIP passes, which include entrance to each film screening and to all the parties, sell out within days. Call in early June to reserve yours.