Three Dollar Bill Cinema announced the winners of the 27th annual Seattle Queer Film Festival on October 26. The festival featured 150 films representing 27 countries and included an international premiere, two world premieres, and multiple PNW premieres.
The four juried competition categories include Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary Feature, Best Short Film, and Best Youth film.
The winners for this year's Seattle Queer Film Festival are:
How Not to Date while Trans — Best Short Film
Directed by Nyala Moon, the rom-com centers on a Black Trans woman navigating the perils of dating. The film has won numerous awards, including an award at Three Dollar Bill Cinema's TRANSlations: Seattle Tran Film Festival
Black As U R — Best Documentary
Directed by Micheal Rice, the jury concluded it stood out for its "depiction of the reality of living in the intersection of Black and LGBTQIA cultures without patronizing the members of the communities."
Soy Nino — Best Youth Film
Directed by Lorena Zilleruelo, Soy Niño won because of its "moving originality and compelling filmmaking that gives a glimpse into a life that has rarel been seen on screen."
The category for Best Narrative feature ended in a tie between Mars One, directed by Gabriel Martins, and El Houb, directed by Shariff Nasr. The jury noted that "El Houb's vibrant uplift of Muslim Queer stories reminds us that the more deeply personal stories are, the more relatable they are," and "Mars One queers family film in a deeply human way." Mars One is also Brazil's entry for the Academy Award for Best International Feature.
In a joint statement, Three Dollar Bill's Managing Director Billy Ray Brewton and Festival Artistic Director Kathleen Mullen said the following:
"Our jury award winners represent the diverse breath and power of Queer stories from across the globe. As the LGBTQ+ community and our rights continue to be under attack, it is more important than ever to showcase and amplify Queer imagery and storytelling on screen; representation that is integral to our vision of elevating the spectrum of queer stories to help create a just and equitable world."
Three Dollar Bill Cinema will present a festival encore, including a selection of jury and audience award winners and staff favorites. The encore screenings will be available virtually from November 4 to November 6. Audiences in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska will have a 72-hour viewing window to watch the films of their choice after the start of the film.
For tickets and more information, go to https://www.threedollarbillcinema.org