The 23rd Annual: Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival

The 23^rd Annual Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival will take place, Friday, October 5 - Saturday, October 13. As in years past, the main festival venue will be the Tampa Theatre (711 N. Franklin St, Tampa), and the St Petersburg venue will be the Baywalk Muvico (151 2^nd Ave, North St. Pete).

This year’s program features 35 feature films and 39 shorts from 16 countries, including Germany, Argentina, Cuba, Uganda, Australia, Israel, France, Sweden, Iran, and Japan. The program is comprised of a mixture of narrative films like KISS ME, BEAR CITY 2, STUD LIFE and I DO; short films; and documentaries such as CALL ME KUCHU, UNITED IN ANGER, JOBRIATH AD and MARRIED & COUNTING. It ranges from art- films like JOSHUA TREE, 1951: A PORTRAIT OF JAMES DEAN and A PIRATE IN ALPHABET CITY to larger production films with recognizable casts, such as PETUNIA, GAYBY and NAKED AS WE CAME. The program also features exceptional and celebrated films of diverse themes that audiences will not see elsewhere, like the amazing Iranian feature FACING MIRRORS and the delightful documentary HABANA MUDA. The festival opens with ELLIOT LOVES, a sweet dramedy about a Dominican boy who falls in love with every guy he meets, and it closes with the fun and funny romantic comedy LOVE OR WHATEVER.

Culled from over 400 entries, festival highlights include director Ira Sachs’ beautiful and acclaimed KEEP THE LIGHTS ON, the long-awaited Eytan Fox sequel drama YOSSI and Aurora Guerrero’s coming of age Latina love story MOSQUITA Y MARI. The screening of a documentary favorite, I STAND CORRECTED, will feature a live performance by jazz musician Jennifer Leitham, and a screening of the wonderfully eye-opening doc TRANS will also be a fundraiser for our local advocacy group Trans*Action. This year’s youth program will feature a panel discussion about bullying with music video director Ryan Yezak and others. Festival favorite Rob Williams returns to Tampa with his latest hot film THE MEN NEXT DOOR. Joining us again, as well, will be the steamy actor Benjamin Lutz.

In addition to the films, we will begin and end the festival with our wildly popular parties – opening night after-party is at Liquid Lounge and the closing night party will be at Czar, both in Ybor City.  Opening night, there will be a food truck rally outside of the Tampa Theatre. This year we’re also adding a few sexy late night films on the weekends.

Program Director KJ Mohr said, “This year’s crop of films are really extraordinary. Heart-warming, sexy, incredible and profound are just a few words that come to mind thinking about the program. I can’t remember another year when so many films made me cry from emotions. What a delight for us to be able to share these great films with our Tampa Bay community.”