OutSouth Queer Film Festival
LocationDurham, North Carolina
PredecessorNorth Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
Established1995
WebsiteOfficial Website

The OUTSOUTH Queer Film Festival is an annual LGBT film festival produced by the Carolina Theatre in Durham, North Carolina, typically held in mid-August. The festival has been credited in previous years as the second largest LGBT film/video festival in the Southeastern United States.[1] It has been consistently hosted in the same venue each year.

The festival debuted in 1995 as the Q Film Fest, renaming itself in the following year to North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. In 2020, festival organizers announced that the festival would change its name again to OutSouth Queer Film Festival.[2][3]

Programming

OUTSOUTH is international in its focus, screening and occasionally opening selected films and inviting filmmakers and actors from the screened films to attend.[4] The three individual theater venues are in the same building and each are dedicated to the festival's programming.

The festival's program size has varied over the years. For many of its first years, the festival was typically a four-day event (Thursday through Sunday) and has attracted an average of 10,000 patrons each year. In 2012, OUTSOUTH expanded to a full week, bridging across two weekends.[5] The festival has since reduced back down to a four-day program with an extended Après-Fest in the week following.[6]

Awards

The Festival has given a variety of awards to screened films over the years. Awards have been historically divided into Men's, Women's, and Trans categories and also divided on film length.

Audience Awards
YearCategoryWinnerReference
2011Men's International ShortBoys Like You[7]
2012Men's FeatureThe Men Next Door[8]
Women's FeatureCloudburst[9]
DocumentaryWish Me Away
2013Men's FeatureSouthern Baptist Sissies[10]
2014Men's FeatureMore Scenes from a Gay Marriage[11]
Women's FeatureTru Love
Short FilmElectric Indigo
2015Men's FeatureBetter Half and Upstairs Inferno (tie)[12]
Women's FeatureMargarita with a Straw
Trans FeatureFrom This Day Forward
2016Men's FeatureWhat's the Matter with Gerald?[13]
Women's International ShortRose
DocumentaryThe Freedom to Marry
2017Men's FeatureA Very Sordid Wedding[14]
Trans FeatureApricot Groves
DocumentaryBehind the Curtain: Todrick Hall
2018Men's FeatureMy Big Gay Italian Wedding
Women's FeatureFreelancers Anonymous
Trans FeatureTransmilitary[15]
DocumentaryTo a More Perfect Union: U.S. v Windsor
ShortKick the Can[15]
2019Comedy FilmThese Thems[16]
Drama FilmFrom Zero to I Love You
Foreign FilmThe Shiny Shrimps
Documentary FilmGay Chorus Deep South
2021Short FilmThe Forgotten Place[17]
2023DocumentaryStudio One Forever[18]
Narrative FeatureTwo Lives in Pittsburgh[19]
2024Short FilmSunflowers at Night[20]
Jury Awards
YearCategoryWinnerReference
2012Men's International ShortHouse for Sale[21]
2013Men's FeatureScenes from a Gay Marriage[22]
2014Men's FeatureMore Scenes from a Gay Marriage[11]
2015Men's Feature4th Man Out[23]
Women's FeatureALTO
2016Men's FeatureRetake[24]
Women's FeatureAWOL
Trans FeatureGirls Lost
2017Men's International ShortSisak[14]
Women's Long Form ShortLily
Women's FeatureCat Skin
Trans International ShortDusk
Trans FeatureApricot Groves
2018Men's FeatureEvening Shadows[15]
Men's International ShortFreefall and Turn It Around (tie)
Men's ShortThe Date Project
Women's FeatureFreelancers Anonymous
Women's International ShortMarguerite
Trans FeatureTransmilitary
Trans International ShortSomething About Alex
2019Drama FeatureThe Garden Left Behind[25]
Lesbian Web SeriesAnne Plus
Long Form Dramatic ShortMiller & Son
Romantic Comedy Feature2 in the Bush: A Love Story
US Drama ShortBrothers
US FeatureLast Ferry
US Comedy ShortThe Handyman
Men's International ShortCarlito Leaves Forever
Emerging ShortMasks
2020ShortOne More Please[26]
2021ShortSheer Qorma[17]
Long Form Dramatic ShortFabiu
2022Men's International ShortNeuzeit[27]

References

  1. ^ Morris, Neil (2007-08-22). "Carolina Theatre reopens for the North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival". INDY Week. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  2. ^ "North Carolina Gay + Lesbian Film Festival Will Be Renamed Outsouth Queer Film Festival in 2020". Carolina Theatre of Durham. 2019-03-01. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
  3. ^ King, Mary (2020-11-11). "Renamed Last Year and Reborn Online This Year, OutSouth Queer Film Festival Celebrates 25 Years". INDY Week. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  4. ^ "The 2024 Out100: Chuck Wheeler". www.out.com. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  5. ^ "2012 N.C. Gay and Lesbian Film Festival Headliner Kathy Griffin Will Perform Live at DPAC Aug. 10th". Triangle Arts and Entertainment. 2012-08-09. Archived from the original on 2012-10-16. Retrieved 2025-09-29.
  6. ^ "2018 NC Gay + Lesbian Film Festival Guide". Issuu. Archived from the original on 2024-12-27. Retrieved 2025-09-29.
  7. ^ "North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (2011)". IMDb. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  8. ^ "The Men Next Door (VOD)". Bounty Films. 2018-02-23. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  9. ^ LAPIERRE, GRACE. "Movie “Cloudburst” is touching tale of LGBTQ+, senior romance". The Daily Evergreen. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  10. ^ "North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (2013)". IMDb. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  11. ^ "North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (2014)". IMDb. Retrieved 2019-10-31.
  12. ^ "Audience Award Winners | Carolina Theatre - Downtown Durham, North Carolina". Carolina Theatre. Archived from the original on 2019-03-29. Retrieved 2025-09-29.
  13. ^ "North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (2016)". IMDb. Retrieved 2019-10-31.
  14. ^ "North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (2017)". IMDb. Retrieved 2019-10-31.
  15. ^ "North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (2018)". IMDb. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  16. ^ "North Carolina Gay + Lesbian Film Festival | Carolina Theatre - Downtown Durham, North Carolina". 2019-10-31. Archived from the original on 2019-10-31. Retrieved 2019-10-31.
  17. ^ "North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (2021)". IMDb. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  18. ^ "North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (2023)". IMDb. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  19. ^ Adams-Friedson, Kahmeela (2023-09-27). "Two Lives in Pittsburgh explores parenting a gender-fluid child in a difficult world". Pittsburgh City Paper | News, Dining, Music, Best Of, Arts, Film. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  20. ^ "North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (2024)". IMDb. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  21. ^ "North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (2012)". IMDb. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  22. ^ "North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (2013)". IMDb. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  23. ^ "NCGLFF Jury Award Winners | Carolina Theatre - Downtown Durham, North Carolina". www.carolinatheatre.org. Archived from the original on 2016-07-01. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  24. ^ Carolina Theatre of Durham. "2016 Jury Awards". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  25. ^ "North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (2019)". IMDb. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  26. ^ "North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (2020)". IMDb. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  27. ^ "North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (2022)". IMDb. Retrieved 2025-09-30.