2021 Maryland Film Fest

QUEER STORIES

Expired June 1, 2021 3:59 AM
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8 films + livestream in package
BUTTERFLY
A repressed person, living in a city, confronts his internal struggle as it bleeds through into his public persona, creating a collision amongst external social norms, suppressed identity, and the surrealistic worlds of a distressed psyche.
KIND OF
Two trans masculine folks in a newly open relationship navigate their insecurities, desires, and expectations as they prepare to host brunch for friends.
Closed captions available
LIGHT ON A PATH, FOLLOW
Joaquín, a transgender person living in rural 1990s New England, is 8-months pregnant.
Closed captions available
PURE
On the eve of her cotillion ball, a young Black girl grapples with her queer identity and questions her purity.
Closed captions available
IT'LL BE OVER SOON
When the pandemic hits, two men are forced to evaluate their unexpected long distance relationship.
PLAISIR
Closed captions available
TRADE CENTER
Five gay men who cruised for sex at the World Trade Center in the 1980s and 1990s haunt the sanitized landscape of the newly rebuilt Freedom Tower campus.
Closed captions available
LILAC LIPS, DUTCHESS COUNTY
A fantastical and playful modern retelling of Narcissus in rural New York.
Q&A - QUEER STORIES
Recorded

Part of our Pride Night special event! Watch this program with Baltimore is Burning here, and join in on our virtual Pride Party at 10:15pm on Friday, May 21, streamed live for free on Twitch.


A selection of short films about LGBTQ+ self-love, relationships, and communities. These contemporary shorts span various genres and identities; the program tells stories including searching for love in the French countryside, visiting a dreamlike diner full of doppelgängers, experiencing a majestic cotillion ball, and hearing first-hand accounts of gay history at the site of one of America's greatest tragedies. These films deal with themes of trust, loneliness, belonging, presentation, and self-actualization.


Have an All Access Pass? Unlock your on-demand screening of this film here!


Total Run Time: 87 minutes


This program will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers.


Programmed by Festival Programming Associate, Garrett Stralnic.


Content Considerations: Strong language, implied sexual situations, depictions of sexual situations, harassment, implied violence.

On the eve of her cotillion ball, a young Black girl grapples with her queer identity and questions her purity. As she gains a better understanding of herself and her queerness she has to reconsider her relationship to tradition. The conflicts within her true self and the old social obligations feel almost impossible until Joy, a girl from her cotillion class, recognizes Celeste for all that she is. With the help of Joy and her best friend, Amir, Celeste finally begins to share her true self with the world.

  • Year
    2020
  • Runtime
    12 minutes
  • Language
    English
  • Country
    United States
  • Note
    English closed captions and Spanish subtitles available
  • Director
    Natalie Jasmine Harris
  • Screenwriter
    Natalie Jasmine Harris
  • Producer
    Natalie Jasmine Harris, Alexyss Robinson
  • Executive Producer
    Gwendolyn Bright, Dr. Harold A. Lancer & Dani Lancer, Mr. and Mrs. Michael A. Johnson
  • Cast
    Mikayla LaShae Bartholomew, Jacob Daniel Smith, Josca Moore
  • Cinematographer
    Khalea Ross Robinson
  • Editor
    Natalie Jasmine Harris and Denise Zhou
  • Production Design
    Saunder Lynne Boyle
  • Composer
    Carmen Lustik
  • Sound Design
    Ben Devine
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