QFest Organizers Launch LGBT New Media Festival qFLIX Philadelphia

In April word got around that QFest—Philly’s only LGBT film festival—would be cancelled this year, but organizers hinted that something new may be coming our way in the fall. Today I’m getting word on just what that something new will be.

In a video released today, QFest head Thom Cardwell announced that he is launching qFLIX Philadelphia, a weeklong festival that will focus not on traditional film, but on new media. More from the group’s mission statement:

Our vision is to preserve the tradition of the exhibition of American and international lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and queer independent film in the Philadelphia region. qFLIX Philadelphia presents this film festival for, by, and about our community. We produce this festival for the education, entertainment, and enjoyment of past, present and future generations. …

Film as an international language allows qFLIX Philadelphia to foster, support, and give access to independent filmmakers and to encourage and nurture younger ones in the art of filmmaking. Queer film inspires the imagination and encourages the journey of discovery and acceptance by both the ever-growing region’s LGBTQ and the mainstream communities.

Cardwell is getting help from Michael Busza, writer and producer of the Emmy-winning local gay web series One of the Guys. In the video, Busza explains the kinds of things you can expect to see at the festival. “New media is a new form of entertainment that is web-based. We’re talking about webisodes, web cam series. things posted directly to YouTube, things that are posted on Facebook. Anything that isn’t traditional television or traditional film.”

The complete schedule hasn’t launched yet, but Busza says they will be premiering new episodes of One of the Guys (finally!), and a brand new show called Tainted Dreams—“things that haven’t been accessible online yet.” True to QFest form, there will also be panels with new media filmmakers.

The festival is scheduled to take place at the Kimmel Center September 18-22. To get folks interested, organizers have released the below video starring drag queen Brittany Lynn, who will also serve as qFLIX’s events coordinator. It features the leggy queen strolling around the Gayborhood, dancing with locals in bars and on the streets. (She even runs into G Philly at U Bar!) The video also serves as a means to crowdsource extra funding for the festival. To donate, you can go here. And for more information on the festival: here.