Big Films At The Seattle Queer Film Festival Include Locally Made “Potato Dreams Of America”

It’s just around the corner…the 26th Seattle Queer Film Festival, produced by Three Dollar Bill Cinema is back for live screenings in 2021 (PLUS, there will also be digital/online screenings as well). The festival runs October 14th through the 24th with a huge variety of films and programs to choose from including the big screen debut of a locally made film that has gathered tons of attention at screenings around the world…POTATO DREAMS OF AMERICA, the based on a true story film from the mind of Seattle filmmaker Wes Hurley will open the 2021 festival with a screening at the Egyptian Cinema on Capitol Hill on Thursday, October 14th.

Feature films, documentaries, short film programs, panels, workshops and Q&As will all be a part of the 55 different programs offered over the course of the 11 days of the festival at venues all over the city including the Egyptian Cinema, Northwest Film Forum, the Erickson, Broadway Performance Hall, the Museum of Pop Culture, and Ark Lodge Cinemas. And, audiences can choose between live/in-person events or online event depending on their comfort level during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Proof of vaccination and masks will be required for all live/in-person events during the festival.

And, now a word from Three Dollar Bill’s new managing director:

“Our goal is to create an inclusive and supportive environment for all members of our community,” said Billy Ray Brewton, Three Dollar Bill Cinema’s new managing director. “This extends to the safety our audience feels when they’re ‘in our hands,’ so to speak. The health and safety of our audiences and supporters is of paramount importance to us, and everything we’ve done in 2021 is to ensure that folks have an amazing time, in the most comfortable way possible.”

Other major films announced include the Closing Night Film, the documentary “FANNY: THE RIGHT TO ROCK, the riveting true story of one of the most important (and sadly, forgotten) all-women rock bands in music history, revered by everyone from Bonnie Raitt to the late David Bowie. The festival’s centerpiece film, BEING BEBE: THE BEBE ZAHARA BENET DOCUMENTARY, chronicles the story of BeBe Zahara Benet, who went from performing at Minneapolis Pride to being crowned the winner of season one of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Additional spotlight screenings will include JUMP, DARLING, a heartwarming and hilarious story of a drag queen who returns home to live with his elderly grandmother, featuring the final screen performance of the great Cloris Leachman; Lauren Hadaway’s THE NOVICE, an award winner out of Tribeca that focuses on a young rower who rises through the ranks of her school’s team; and DEATH AND BOWLING, in which a transgender actor struggles with what it means to be seen, after the beloved captain of his bowling league dies and a mysterious stranger shows up at the funeral. 

Two other locally made films will also take the spotlight including YES I AM: THE RIC WEILAND STORY, a documentary by local Seattle filmmaker Aaron Bear about Ric Weiland, the second employee of Microsoft, whose personal life as an out gay man sometimes conflicted with his work as a pioneering computer programmer. Weiland died tragically young but left behind a fortune he shared with LGBTQ non-profits. This documentary has won accolades already at screenings across the country and features actor Zachary Quinto as narrator.

And, the 2nd locally made film to look our for is:  HETERO, from local filmmakers KJ Kieras and Bentley Eldridge. It’s “about a group of kids who band together to save their beloved Gay-Straight Alliance. In focusing on both the past and future of Seattle creatives, Three Dollar Bill Cinema hopes to showcase the broad, diverse talent in the city…”

Early Bird passes are on sale right now (go HERE to snatch them up and save a ton of money!) Tickets for individual screenings go on sale Thursday, September 16th at the Three Dollar Bill website!