ALL The Sapphic Films, Parties and Events At Seattle Queer Film Festival 2022!

For the women who love women, there are a lot of terrific options for cinematic fun at the upcoming Seattle Queer Film Festival produced by Three Dollar Bill Film kicking off this Thursday, October 13th and running through Sunday, October 23rd.

And, it’s not just movies…theres are parties, events, live performances, and workshops to check out as well.

We got all the Sapphic events listed below but to check out the entire schedule and to buy passes/tickets go to https://threedollarbillcinema.org/sqff

Opening Night Gala: WHAT THE FUNK?!

Oct 13 | 7:30 PM at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian With burlesque before and at our Lo-Fi after party!

WHAT THE FUNK?! A love letter to the POC Community is the story of the first inaugural What the Funk?! BIPOC Burlesque Festival, held here in Seattle Washington, over a three day period in August 2019. 

Featuring burlesque performances before the film by Android Allure (Grand Master Funk 2022) and D’Monica Leone (The Imperial Mr. Gay Washington!) Stick around after the film for a Q&A with director Adriana Guiman, founder Mx. Pucks A’Plenty, and Rebecca M. Davis.

SQFF 2022 Opening Night Party

Oct 13 l 9:30 PM at Lo-Fi, 429 Eastlake Ave East

Swing by LO-FI Performance Gallery for food, music, and burlesque performances by PNW Featured Performers 2022 Carmen Caliente, Dulce D’jour, and Lavish Leone (The Imperial Ms. Gay Washington).Free for SQFF pass holders or if you purchased a ticket to What The Funk?! Otherwise it’s a sliding scale suggested donation of $10-25 at the door for non ticket/pass holders starting at 10p!

SLEEP WITH ME

Oct 14 | 5 PM at NW Film Forum

dir. Samantha Lee; 2022; Philippines; 60 min.Harry (Janine Gutierrez), a wheelchair user who works as a nighttime radio DJ, meets Luna (Lovi Poe), who has a rare condition that only lets her fall asleep in the daytime. But it’s not all glitter and roses as Harry gives love advice she doesn’t know how to follow, and Luna finds herself feeling grumpy and aloof as she learns how to stop keeping everyone at a distance. As the two connect, they have to figure out how to overcome the obstacles that prevent them from falling in love.

Tegan & Sara’s HIGH SCHOOL 

Oct 14 | 6:45 PM at NW Film Forum

d.Clea DuVall; 2022; USA; 80 min. Ep. 1–3. Tegan and Sara’s hit memoir of the same name is brought to life in the exciting new series HIGH SCHOOL produced by Amazon Freevee and directed by actress Clea DuVall (Happiest Season). We will screen the first three episodes of this coming of age drama of teenage angst and sisterly love and conflicts.

Starring Tik Tok sensations, real life sisters, Railey and Seazynn Gilliland, portraying the famous twin singers in this fictionalized adaptation. Featuring fantastic music from The Smashing Pumpkins, Violent Femmes, and Green Day, HIGH SCHOOL is set in 1990’s grunge culture when Tegan and Sara were young dreamers figuring out their queer identity in the landscape of the Canadian prairies.

GIRLS GRRRLS GXRLS SHORTS

Oct 15 | 1 PM at MoPOP

Sensual, sexy, fun, and fiery! These women take beautiful and heartbreaking risks as they address old relationships and build new ones within their queer identity in these short films.

FINDING HER BEAT

Oct 15 | 5 PM @ NW Film Forum

With performance by Seattle Kokon Taiko!

d. Dawn Mikkelson and Keri Pickett; 2022; United States; 88 minBig Drums, Big Dreams! Despite widespread female participation, Japanese Taiko drumming has traditionally been a male art form. Taiko remains very much a male centered performance art today. Drum master Jennifer Weir (Executive Director, TaikoArts Midwest) has a dream to change all of this;what if the world’s best female and nonbinary Taiko drummers from North America and Japan (including Tiffany Tamaribuchi, Kaoly Asanao, Chieko Kojima, and Megan Chao-Smith) came together for a two week cultural exchange culminating in an electrifying one night show? Finding Her Beat follows Weir through the inspiring process of manifesting this dream. Listen as these artists smash gender roles and redefine power on their own terms.

Centerpiece Gala: YOUTOPIA

Oct 15 | 6:45 PM @ Broadway Performance Hall

Co-sponsored/presented by Seattle Gay Scene!!

d. Scout Durwood; 2022; USA; 92 min.

Our centerpiece gala is a comedy double feature starting with the PNW premiere of YOUTOPIA  Director, actor, comedian Scout Durwood in attendance!

About the film: After a devastating breakup with her girlfriend, Scout inadvertently becomes the leader of a hipster millennial cult. But when members of the cult start to disappear, she soon discovers that her journey of self-discovery could trigger the end of civilization as we know it and is forced to take on her biggest opponent yet: herself. Featuring eleven music videos, a dog with eyebrows, and lots of jumpsuits, there’s something for everyone in YOUTOPIA.

Learn more: https://threedollarbillcinema.org/youtopia

Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/iuIn6CIf6jQ

Watch in person on the 15th or virtually anytime October 13-23 throughout WA, OR, ID, and AK! 

GAL PALS WATCH LIVE!

Oct 16 | 1:15 PM @ The W Hotel

Gal Pals Watch is a project born of Sarah Neilson and Alicia Lavery-Mullins’ shared desire to watch a ton of queer movies and talk about them. In this live episode, the gals will be discussing their takes on SQFF pick ERIN’S GUIDE TO KISSING GIRLS!

ERIN’S GUIDE TO KISSING GIRLS

Oct 16 | 2:15 PM @ Erickson Theatre

d. Julianna Notten; 2022; USA; 90 min

Thirteen-year-old Erin Hallard has a plan: to kiss a girl before high school. She spends hours every day with her best friend Liz scheming, making cosplay outfits, and drawing and writing fanfic about their favorite comic, Lunar Girl and Scarlett Sparrow. Liz and Erin team up to combat their mortal enemies and Erin hopes she can count on Liz to help her in her master plan. Liz finds out she’s been accepted into a prestigious high school for athletes and will attend a different school from her best friend, just as a new girl and former child star, Syndi, joins their class. ERIN’S GUIDE TO KISSING GIRLS is a coming-of-age story that shows what happens when adolescent friendships and crushes mix for the first time.

MARS ONE

Oct 16 | 4:30 PM @ NW Film Forum

d. Gabriel Martins; 2022; Brazil; 115 min.
Portuguese with English subtitles

The Martins are a family of dreamers living in Brazil during the time following the inauguration of Bolsonaro, a far-right president. Each family member is dealing with their own dreams for a better future. The eldest daughter Eunice is falling in love with a woman and figuring out how to move in with her. Tércia, the mother, is struggling to break the curse that she believes has occurred. Wellington, the father, just wants to provide for his family and have his only son Deivinho become a soccer star. And Deivinho is secretly planning his future trip to Mars. MARS ONE is a tender love story and family drama that premiered at this year’s Sundance Festival and is the winner of the 2022 Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding Intergenerational Feature at OUTFEST Los Angeles, and now Brazil’s choice for their Academy Award entry.

CONTENT WARNINGS: IMPLIED VIOLENCE, NON-EXPLICIT SEXUAL SITUATIONS

NELLY & NADINE

Oct 16 | 2:15 PM @ NW Film Forum

d. Magnus Gertten; 2022; Sweden / Belgium / Norway; 92 min.
French, English, Swedish with English Subtitles

An epic love story unfolds in this riveting documentary about the Belgian opera singer Nelly Mousset-Vosand and her life-long partner Nadine Hwang, who met and fell in love on Christmas Eve in the Ravensbrück concentration camp in 1944. Despite being separated during the last months of WWII, Nelly and Nadine managed to reunite and spend the rest of their life together in Venezuela. Their love story, which was kept a secret from their families, is rediscovered by Nelly’s grandchild Sylvie, who opens the never before seen personal archives and brings forward their story. The diary, photographs, Super 8 footage, and audio recordings of resistance members reveal harrowing memories of the camp, Nelly’s relationship with Nadine, and their life after the war.

SAPPHIC SOIREE (Pre-func Party!)

Oct 19 | 6-8 PM @ THE WILDROSE

Join us for a meetup at WILDROSE prior to our screening of Maybe Someday. Dancing, music, drinks, and sapphics will be abundant!

MAYBE SOMEDAY

Oct 19 | 8:15 PM @ NW Film Forum

WILDROSE meetup beforehand!

d. Michelle Ehlen; 2022; USA; 91 min.

Michelle Ehlen (writer, director, and star of MAYBE SOMEDAY) comes back to SQFF (HETEROSEXUAL JILL and S&M SALLY) with a drama about love, friendship, and finding yourself after a breakup. Jay is moving to LA after separating from her wife. Along the way she stops to visit her high school best friend Jess, who she used to be secretly in love with, and ends up staying for a while to sort her life out. As she settles in to her new life, she meets Tommy, an amateur standup comedian who becomes her new gay best friend as they bond over comedy and life’s hard knocks. Ehlen brings a hopeful and entertaining story about self-realization and getting through the hard times, reminding us that we really do get by with a little help from our chosen family!

MOTORBIKE/SUPERDYKE

Visual art, film, and zine workshops

Museum of Museums

Oct 19-23

Experience this collaborative multimedia installation by Cheryl Hamilton and lisa g based on lisa g’s diaries about coming out and sorting through queer stereotypes circa 2000. Make your own zine page at workshops throughout the week and join Lisa and Cheryl on Friday, Oct 21 for the opening party!

PETIT MAL

Oct 20 | 9 PM @ NW Film Forum

d. Ruth Caudeli; 2022; Colombia; 88 min.

Spanish Modern queer love and romance abound in PETIT MAL! Martina, Laia, and Anto are part of a passionate, fun-loving throuple. All three are visual artists, finding inspiration within each other, the family they’ve formed, and their backyard barbecues. When Laia must leave for a long-term project, their relationship faces a test, as Martina and Anto deal with shifting dynamics and the reconceptualization of the two’s relationship with each other. Through intense intimate moments that play out like a cycle of emotions, the audience experiences, alongside Martina and Anto, how to adapt within love to make it deep, compassionate, and judgment-free. Directed by SQFF alumni filmmaker Ruth Caudeli (EVA AND CANDELA).

PURE GRIT

Oct 20 | 5 PM @ NW Film Forum

d. Kim Bartley; 2021; United States; 88 min.

Sharmaine Weed lives to race! An award-winning Indigenous bareback horse racer, Weed has taken a year off to care for her sister Charity, who was paralyzed after a traumatic racing injury, and is now going back on the circuit. Surrounded by family, Sharmaine attempts to build a new life with her girlfriend, Savannah, on Wyoming’s Wind River reservation. Unfortunately, peace at home proves fragile and the young lovers are forced to move to the city. When racing season starts, Sharmaine and Savannah hit the road, ready and willing to put it all on the line to make a triumphant return to the race track. Winner of the Best Irish Feature Documentary Award at the Galway Film Festival, this is a gripping documentary about an Indigenous horse racer who is willing and ready to live her dreams.

THE VENUS EFFECT

Oct 21 | 6:45 PM @ NW Film Forum

d. Anna Emma Haudal; 2022; Denmark;104 Minutes
Danish with English subtitles

In an idyllic and serene rural community in Denmark, Liv works on the family farm, gardening and making wine. Her carefree life is matched by her spirit, but when chaotic and unique Andrea moves into her uncle’s apple orchard seeking refuge from her stressful city life, Liv finds herself undergoing a crisis of identity. As the two strike up a romantic relationship, Liv comes to learn that there is much more to life than she ever realized, inside and out of her tight-knit community. THE VENUS EFFECT is a romantic comedy that underscores the importance of love, lust, and connection.

VULVEETA

Oct 21 | 9 PM @ NW Film Forum

d. Maria Breaux; 2022; USA; 92 min

Twenty plus years ago the riot grrrl band Vulveeta was on the brink of becoming the next big thing, until lead singer Grrrilda Beausoleil suddenly decided to call it quits. Now, on the eve of her 50th birthday, Grrrilda wants to get the band back together. Grrrilda invites a documentary crew to come along for the ride in an attempt to capture every success, failure, and mood swing. With decades-old drama and their reluctance to use social media, there is only one question: can they pull it together enough to play their big reunion show?

LOVING HIGHSMITH

Oct 22 | 12 PM @ SIFF Cinema Egyptian

d. Eva Vitija; 2022; SWITZERLAND/GERMANY; 83 min

“Writing, of course, is a substitute for the life I cannot live, am unable to live.” – Patricia Highsmith Venture into the brooding, private world of author Patricia Highsmith (“Strangers on a Train”, “The Price of Salt/Carol”, and “The Talented Mr. Ripley” series) with filmmaker Eva Vitija as she explores how Highsmith’s art and life were intimately connected. LOVING HIGHSMITH interweaves excerpts from the author’s private diaries, novels, and films along with first person interviews of family and ex-lovers (including author Marijane Meaker/”Ann Aldrich”) to piece together a portrait of a woman driven by creativity,who ultimately lived a tumultuous, conflicted life.

WHEN TIME GOT LOUDER

Oct 22 | 4 PM @ SIFF Cinema Egyptian

d. Connie Cocchia; 2022; USA; 114 min.

Going off to college can be complicated for anyone, let alone someone with a brother who has autism and is nonverbal. And parents who are unsure of what to do with a half-empty nest. When Abbie meets the older, more experienced Karly at a college party, she is instantly smitten. Her world is completely changed and her family feels very far away, until a crisis happens that calls her back to help her brother. Connie Cocchia’s searing drama paints a compelling portrait of a family in flux; a young woman discovering herself for the first time on her own, and the familial bonds that somehow always bring us back home. Starring Willow Shields (The Hunger Games), Lochlyn Munro (Riverdale), and Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost), WHEN TIME GOT LOUDER is an emotionally complex picture of finding oneself and still being loyal to your family.

YOU CAN LIVE FOREVER

Oct 23 | 12:30 PM @ NW Film Forum

d. Mark Slutsky & Sarah Watts; 2022; Canada; 96 minutes
English and French, with English subtitles

Following the death of her father, Canadian teen Jamie moves in with her Jehovah’s Witness Aunt and her husband. Jamie grapples with her sudden immersion into this deeply rule-bound community, but strikes up a quick and intense friendship with Marike, the daughter of one of the congregation’s elders. Their strong connection shifts into something more, and we follow the pair’s challenges in expressing and accepting their love for each other. As the congregation becomes aware of their relationship, Jamie’s sense of her own desires and self become too strong for her to remain in the community. YOU CAN LIVE FOREVER is a coming-of-age story that explores what it means to subvert deeply rooted expectations in an enclosed community.