Help Support Three Dollar Bill Cinema As It Enters Its 30th Year

December 22, 2025• byMichael Strangeways

**Emma Corrin and Maika Monroe in 100 Nights of Hero.**

All arts organizations have growing pains and as they enter their 30th anniversary year, our own THREE DOLLAR BILL CINEMA is coping with a few of their owns in a challenging fiscal climate. (Not to mention, viewing habits for cinema have drastically changed as well.) In 2025, the film event producing LGBTQ+ non-profit had to cut events and they combined their two biggest festivals, the Translations transgender film festival and the longer running Seattle LGBTQ Film Festival into one festival which oddly happened in July, a time of year that no one thinks of going to see arty queer films. But, I digress…

For 2026, they’re hoping to raise $30,000 to help them keep the doors open to provide LGBTQ+ film events for the Seattle metro area. If you can, throw them a buck or two or $300.

https://donorbox.org/still-queer-as-a-three-dollar-bill-celebrating-30-years

Since 1996, Three Dollar Bill Cinema has been bringing queer stories to the big screen—bold, unapologetic, and made for us. Thirty years later, we’re still here, still rolling film, and still as queer as a three dollar bill.

To mark the occasion, we’re launching $30K for 30 Years—a fundraiser to ensure the next generation of queer and trans film thrives in Seattle.

Your support keeps our screens lit, our voices loud, and our history alive. Let’s make the next 30 years just as iconic.

They’re also looking for new blood, including new board members!

As we wrap up an important year for our organization, we want to sincerely thank you for your support during our 30th anniversary. This milestone gave us a meaningful moment to look back on the stories, filmmakers, and community members who have shaped Three Dollar Bill Cinema and you were a big part of that.
This past year also marked a thoughtful shift in how we approach our film programming. We brought together our two long-running festivals into one combined event: the Queer & Trans Film Festival. By uniting the 30-year history of the Seattle Queer Film Festival with the 20-year legacy of TRANS|lations, we created a single festival that honors both traditions while making space for new connections and conversations.
Because of your support, we’re able to:
Share films by, for, and about LGBTQ+ people and their familiesSupport queer and trans filmmakersFoster community dialogueOffer educational opportunities like our filmmaker seminar and workshopContinue uplifting queer stories in our region
As we look ahead, we’re entering a time of rebuilding. We’re thinking carefully about the future of this organization and how we can strengthen it for the years to come. If that inspires you, we’re looking for people who want to help shape what’s next.
If you’re a passionate go-getter interested in volunteering or joining our board, we’d love to hear from you. Please reach out at Ed@threedollarbillcinema.org to get involved.
Thank you again for your support and for being part of this community!

Still Queer as a Three Dollar Bill: $30K for 30 Years

Donate to Our 30th Anniversary Fundraiser

Join the Three Dollar Bill Community!

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About the Author: Michael Strangeways

As the Editorial Director/Co-Owner, Michael Strangeways writes, edits and does about a million other jobs for Seattle Gay Scene, Puget Sound's most visited LGBTQ news, arts and entertainment website now celebrating its 14th year as a media outlet. A semi-proud Midwesterner by birth, he's lived in Seattle since 2000. He's also a film producer who would like you to check out the Jinkx Monsoon documentary, "Drag Becomes Him" now available on Amazon.com. In his spare time, he gets slightly obsessive about his love for old movies, challenging theater, "otters", vodka, chocolate, "I,Claudius", Lizzie Borden, real books made out of paper, disaster films, show tunes, Weimar era Germany, flea markets, pop surrealistic art, the sex lives of Hollywood actors both living and dead, kitties, chicken fried steak, haute couture and David Bowie. But, not necessarily in that order.