The 8th annual Queer Women of Color Film Festival will take place at the Novellus Theater at YBCA in San Fransisco this upcoming June 8, 9, and 10. The free event will feature 39 short films in 5 screening programs to address social justice concerns facing individuals and communities of women from diverse ethnic backgrounds who identify as LGBTQ.

The annual film festival started in one room in a community center, and has since expanded in size, outreach, and scope due to increased involvement and grants. This year’s venue, the Novellus Theater, seats 757 people. Each year, the film festival now includes a panel or performance and free refreshments provided by local restaurants and businesses.

The film festival showcases international films as well as films created by women enrolled in the Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project’s free Filmmaker Training Program, which is aimed to develop artist-activist leaders. Madeleine Lim, Executive/Artistic Director and creator of QWOCMAP, escaped persecution by the government in Singapore for her organizing work and went on to become an award-winning filmmaker.

Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (QWOCMAP) promotes the creation, exhibition and distribution of new films and videos that increase the visibility of queer women of color, authentically reflect our life stories, and address the vital social justice issues that concern our communities.