Three Dollar Bill Cinema Managing Director Billy Ray Brewton has announced that the annual Seattle Queer Film Festival (SQFF) will be returning to both online and in-person screenings for its 26th year, with ten days of workshops, panel discussions, filmmaker Q&As, and film screenings, October 14—24.

"Our goal," Brewton said, "is to create a supportive and inclusive environment for all members of our community."

The in-person participating venues include the SIFF Egyptian, the Museum of Pop Culture, and Ark Lodge Cinemas (in Columbia City).

Brewton's statement made it clear that pandemic safety is a top priority. In-person attendees will require proof of vaccination, and masks will be mandatory. Yet accessibility is still as important as ever. Brewton added that every in-person film screening and panel discussion would be available online as well, with some additional online-only panels.

The screenings announced so far include Potato Dreams of America, the festival's opening film by Seattle's own Wes Hurley; Fanny: The Right to Rock, a true story about "one of the most important (and, sadly, forgotten) all-women rock bands in music history"; and Being BeBe: The BeBe Zahara Benet Documentary, which recounts Benet's journey from a challenging childhood in Cameroon to winning season 1 of RuPaul's Drag Race.

The only panel discussion confirmed when Brewton spoke with the SGN was the ever-popular presentation "How to Be an Effective Ally." The rest of the panels, Brewton said, would be "solidified in the next week or so."

Three Dollar Bill Cinema has been running SQFF for over two and a half decades, and has added other events throughout the year, such as the Trans film festival Translations and the short-film workshop Real Queer Youth.

Early-bird tickets for SQFF this year are on sale now, at $99 for virtual passes and $150 for hybrid passes. Go to https://threedollarbillcinema.org/seattle-queer-film-festival for more information.