FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Denver Film Media Contacts:
Ambriehl Turrentine: ambriehl@denverfilm.org
Keith Garcia: keith@denverfilm.org
Marty Schechter: marty@schechterpr.com
DENVER – June 30, 2025 – Denver Film announced today the lineup for its 17th Annual CinemaQ Film Festival presented by William LaBahn, Aug. 8-10 at the Sie FilmCenter, 2510 E. Colfax Ave. Festival passes, available now, are $75 for Denver Film members/$85 non-member. Individual film tickets are $13 for Denver Film members/$16 non-member and are available beginning today at 10 a.m. at denverfilm.org.
The CinemaQ Film Festival, presented by William LaBahn, begins at the Sie FilmCenter with the Aug. 8 Opening Night presentation of Twinless. Following its premiere at Sundance Film Festival and making its CinemaQ debut ahead of its theatrical release in September, this dark, introspective comedy follows two young men – Roman (Dylan O’Brien) and Dennis (James Sweeney) – who meet in a twin bereavement support group and form an unlikely friendship. The Festival will conclude on Aug. 10 with a presentation of Jimpa, an uplifting intergenerational family drama starring Olivia Colman and John Lithgow that explores the complexities of parenthood, queer identity, and the evolving meaning of family – both chosen and biological.
“I’m pleased to say that my fear every year that we’ve already reached the peak of queer cinema has yet to come to fruition” says Keith Garcia founder of CinemaQ and artistic director of the Sie FilmCenter. “This year’s film considerations were an embarrassment of riches – queer cinema is in a golden age with no sign of slowing down – which only made my job harder, but I’m confident that this year’s collection of films is truly the best of the best for the year and cover so many dynamics and angles of our LGBTQIA+ community at large. This year was very important to get it right as now is the time to be as big, bold, and visible as we possibly can and put the narrative of the queer community front and center.”
In addition to an exceptional film lineup, this year’s festival includes an Opening Night “Double Rainbow” Party on Friday, Aug. 8 at 5:30 p.m. to celebrate queer friendship, a SaturGAY Morning Cartoon + Cereal Party on Saturday, Aug. 9 at 10:00 a.m. before a screening of the animated queer adventure Lesbian Space Princess, a party celebrating the Black, queer roots of house music called Move Ya Body House Party on Sat., Aug 9 beginning at 8:30 p.m., and the Pride Palooza featuring local queer-owned businesses, arts and crafts, drinks, music and much more on Sunday, Aug. 10 at the Sie FilmCenter from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Additional events and panel discussions will be announced soon at a later date.
The Festival will also continue its BLQ (Black Lives Queerly) showcase, which partners with Black Pride Colorado to produce impact screenings of films and events that focus on Black queer stories. The BLQ program will include screenings of four films: It’s Dorothy! on Aug. 8 at 4 p.m., Queens of the Dead on Aug. 8 at 9 p.m. Move Ya Body: The Birth of House on Aug. 9 at 6:45 p.m. followed by a party celebrating house music, and Dreams in Nightmares on Aug. 10 at 1:45 p.m.
“We are honored to continue our partnership with CinemaQ through the BLQ (Black Lives Queerly) showcase,” says Dr. Tara Jae, Executive Director for Black Pride Colorado. “At Black Pride Colorado, we believe in the transformative power of storytelling to reclaim our narratives, celebrate Black queer joy, and build collective liberation. These screenings are more than events, they are acts of resistance, visibility, and healing for our community at large.”
Founded in 2009, the CinemaQ Film Festival was created to leverage the power of film to celebrate queer voices, queer visions, and queer visibility. The three-day festival is designed to showcase the best in new and classic LGBTQ+ cinema from around the world to Colorado audiences. The full schedule of film screenings, Q&As, events, and panels will be announced in the coming weeks.
Click to purchase tickets and passes.
FILMS IN PROGRAM:
IT’S DOROTHY!
Director: Jeffrey McHale
Friday, Aug. 8, 4 p.m.
Since her first adventure 125 years ago in L. Frank Baum’s classic, The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy Gale has become a touchpoint of American culture worldwide. This joyous film presents an exciting adventure in its own right, expertly weaving Dorothy’s journeys with those of the women that portrayed her from Judy Garland to Diana Ross. Is there anyone who hasn’t sometimes felt a little bit of Dorothy within?
Screening as part of BLQ
Sponsored by Black Pride Colorado
TWINLESS
Director: James Sweeney
Opening Night – Friday, Aug. 8, 7 p.m.
In Twinless, two young men meet in a twin bereavement support group and form an unlikely friendship. Roman (Dylan O’Brien) and Dennis (James Sweeney) both search for solace and an identity without their other halves and soon become inseparable outside the group.
Sponsored by Wana Brands Foundation
QUEENS OF THE DEAD
Director: Tina Romero
Friday, Aug. 8, 9 p.m.
When a zombie apocalypse breaks out in Brooklyn on the night of a warehouse party, an eclectic group of drag queens, club kids, & frenemies must put aside their drama and use their unique skills to fight against the brain-thirsty, scrolling undead.
Screening as part of BLQ
Sponsored by Black Pride Colorado
LESBIAN SPACE PRINCESS
Directors: Emma Hough Hobbs, Leela Varghese
Saturday, Aug. 9, 11 a.m.
Introverted space princess Saira is heartbroken when her girlfriend Kiki unexpectedly breaks up with her for being too clingy. Deep in the depths of despair, Saira is thrust from her quiet life when Kiki suddenly reaches out begging for help. Panicked and with just 24 hours on the clock, Saira sets out to save her ex, a fearless bounty hunter, from the clutches of the tyrannical Straight White Maliens.
HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY
Directors: Sam Feder, Amy Scholder
Saturday, Aug. 9, 1:30 p.m.
Fearless civil rights lawyer Chase Strangio battles at the Supreme Court for transgender adolescents’ access to life-saving healthcare, confronting not only the legal system but also a media landscape that distorts public perception and threatens the fight for trans rights.
Sponsored by Wana Brands Foundation
QUEER SHORTS PROGRAM
Saturday, Aug. 9, 4:15 p.m.
Disco, dead grandmas and glam heists – oh my! Kick cisheteronormativity to the curb and dive headfirst into queer chaos, joy and resilience with this eclectic collection of global shorts from Canada to Cambodia!
Films include Mo Matton’s Gender Reveal, Nana Duffuor’s Rainbow Girls, Wes Hurley’s Shelly’s Leg, May Kindred-Boothby’s The Eating of an Orange, November Nolan’s Everywhere I Look, and Chheangkea’s Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites.
Sponsored by Wana Brands Foundation
MOVE YA BODY: THE BIRTH OF HOUSE
Director: Elegance Bratton
Saturday, Aug. 9, 6:45pm
Out of the underground dance clubs on the South Side of Chicago, a group of friends turn a new sound into a global movement. Directed by Elegance Bratton, Move Ya Body: The Birth of House mixes cinematic recreation, archival materials, and revelatory interviews with the genre’s pioneers to chronicle the birth of house music, offering a celebration of the power the dance floor has to liberate us all.
Screening as part of BLQ; Followed by an afterparty
Sponsored by Black Pride Colorado
PLAINCLOTHES
Director: Carmen Emmi
Saturday, Aug. 10, 7 p.m.
Set in the charged atmosphere of the 1990s, this erotic drama follows Lucas (Tom Blyth), a promising undercover officer assigned to covertly lure and arrest gay men. However, his mission takes an unexpected turn when he is forced to defy orders after falling in love with a married man (Russell Tovey).
COMING ATTRACTIONS: AN ORGY OF GAY EROTIC MOVIE TRAILERS
Saturday, Aug. 10, 9:45 p.m.
Before home video killed the theatrical market for erotic cinema, movie trailers were a mainstay of the gay porno theatergoing experience. This (X-rated!) collection of newly preserved original trailers provides a fascinating—and often very entertaining—look at the way these films were marketed and sold, filled with lurid taglines, false promises, personal messages from the stars, and surprisingly creative editing.
Preceded by the short film AutoErotica: We Buy Gay Stuff
SHE’S THE HE
Director: Siobhan McCarthy
Sunday, Aug. 10, 11:30 a.m.
First-time director Siobhan McCarthy put together a cast and crew of almost entirely trans, nonbinary, and queer people to make this Bottoms-esque teen satire about two seniors who pretend to be trans during their last week of high school, only for one of them to find it suits them just fine.
DREAMS IN NIGHTMARES
Director: Shatara Michelle Ford
Sunday, Aug. 10, 1:45 p.m.
Three Black queer femmes in their mid-30s take a road trip across the Midwestern United States in search of their friend who has seemingly disappeared off the grid. In each city, they face new threats that test their priorities, causing personal and ideological fractures to emerge.
Screening as part of BLQ
Sponsored by Black Pride Colorado and Wana Brands Foundation
OUTERLANDS
Director: Elena Oxman
Sunday, Aug. 11, 2:45 p.m.
Cass juggles jobs as a nanny, restaurant server, and party drug dealer to make ends meet and pay for their tiny San Francisco apartment. After a one night stand with Kalli, a co-worker they have a crush on, Cass agrees to watch her 11-year-old daughter, Ari, while she goes out of town. But as days pass without word from Kalli, Cass and Ari form a bond that spirals Cass back to their own difficult childhood and the pain they’ve been running from.
JIMPA
Director: Sophie Hyde
Closing Night – Sunday, Aug. 10, 5 p.m.
Hannah (Olivia Colman) takes her teenager Frances to visit their gay grandfather Jim (lovingly known as Jimpa) in Amsterdam. But Frances’ desire to stay with Jimpa (John Lithgow) for a year abroad means Hannah is forced to reconsider her beliefs about parenting and finally confront old stories about the past.
Sponsored by Next50
Members of the press interested in covering the CinemaQ Film Festival may contact Ambriehl Turrentine at ambriehl@denverfilm.org or Marty Schechter at marty@schechterpr.com.
Presented by William LaBahn
Thank You To Our Sponsors & Partners
Black Pride Colorado, Next50, Wana Brands Foundation, AMC Networks, Consulate General of Canada in Denver, Jodi Asarch and Cammie Redpath, Jane E Rosenbaum, Best Day Brewing, Eldorado Natural Spring Water, Ratio Beerworks, Topo Chico, CBS News Colorado, City Cast Denver, HITS (95.7), arc Thrift Stores, Lavender Hill, The Clothing Cycle, Youth Seen, Colorado Office of Film, Television and Media, Bonfils Stanton Foundation, SCFD (Scientific and Cultural Facilities District)
About Denver Film
Founded in 1978, Denver Film is a membership-based, 501(c)(3) nonprofit cultural institution that produces film events throughout the year, including the award-winning Denver Film Festival and the popular, summertime series Film on the Rocks. With a vision to cultivate community and transform lives through film, Denver Film provides opportunities for diverse audiences to discover film through creative, thought-provoking experiences.
The permanent home of Denver Film, the Sie FilmCenter is Denver’s only year-round cinematheque, presenting a weekly-changing calendar of first-run exclusives and arthouse revivals both domestic and foreign, narrative and documentary – over 600 per year, all shown in their original language and format. Denver Film’s one-of-a-kind programs annually reach more than 200,000 film lovers and film lovers-in-training.
