2020 Vancouver Queer Film Festival Shifts to Digital Platform 

Out On Screen is proud to present a virtual Vancouver Queer Film Festival (VQFF) this summer from Thursday, August 13 to Sunday, August 23, 2020.

Announced today, VQFF and Out On Screen as a whole will be guided by the leadership of new Interim Executive Director, Brandon Yan. Brandon has served as Out On Screen's Deputy Executive Director and was previously the Director of Education for Out In Schools.

"I am more than delighted to continue to be of service to Out On Screen and the communities I so deeply care about," says Yan. "In times like these, the importance of art and storytelling is even more apparent. We must remain committed to being a platform to uplift and celebrate the LGBT2Q+ stories at the margins."

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 32nd annual Vancouver Queer Film Festival has adapted to an online format in order to offer at-home audiences the best in independent queer cinema along with workshops, artist Q&As, panels, parties and - most importantly - the feeling of gathering with friends and kin. Out On Screen is working hard to ensure this year's Festival is accessible and safe for community members who are immunocompromised or part of another vulnerable sector. Tickets for VQFF 2020 will be available to the public on July 13 at www.queerfilmfestival.ca. Tickets range in price from $10 to $14 with a special COVID19 access pricing ranging from $2-$5.

Curated by Artistic Director, Anoushka Ratnarajah, the theme of this year's Festival is "Still Here".

"VQFF is on this August, and will feature films and interdisciplinary programming from queer filmmakers and artists whose work shows the many ways we fight for the fullness of our lives, for what and who we love, and for our shared futures," says Ratnarajah. "Our theme this year is 'Still Here', because our survival is an inevitable miracle. Nothing can stop us from taking root; we will always reach for the light and sky."

Illuminating and celebrating LGBTQ2+ lives in all their dimensions and complexity, VQFF is Vancouver's second largest film festival and the largest queer arts event in Western Canada. Welcoming its presenting sponsor RBC once again, this year's Festival will open on August 13th with a soon to be announced Opening Gala film and a virtual celebration of our local queer community.

The Festival's Centrepiece Gala film is Lingua Franca, an ambitious feature film that follows a trans Filipina migrant as she navigates being undocumented in a Trump-era America. The film is written, directed by and stars trans actress Isabel Sandoval, who will join audiences virtually to discuss the film in a digital Q&A.

VQFF will once again feature a variety of youth focused programming, including a Youth Gala screening of the inspirational documentary Changing The Game, which follows three boundary-breaking young trans athletes changing the face of sports in their communities and across the United States.

The Festival will continue to celebrate B.C.'s most standout emerging and established filmmakers with Festival favourite, The Coast is Queer - an evening dedicated to local talent.

Finally, this year's VQFF will close with the heartwarming queer Muslim romantic comedy, Breaking Fast, directed by Mike Mosallam.

The 2020 VQFF program will be available online at www.queerfilmfestival.ca on July 13, 2020.

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