The first annual Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival took place in 2001, the weekend after 9/11.
Pam Powell, a founding member and festival director from 2002-2008, said they were waiting for films to arrive, with several coming from distributors in New York on the first day of the festival.
“Miraculously I think we got the last of the 15 films, a couple of hours before the festival started,” she said.
Nonetheless, the passion project proved to be a success, marking the beginning of an annual event. Powell estimates that about 1,000 people — members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies — attended over three days at Key Cinemas.
In 2002, a previous festival director penned a letter about why they hosted the event after the terrorist attack.
They wrote, “Our decision was based, in part, in the fact that as LGBT neighbors, we face a very real form of terrorism everyday, and it is important for us to celebrate who we are.”
A quarter century later, the independent festival is still showcasing LGBTQ+ cinema from across the world. This year’s festival is Nov 7-13 at Kan-Kan Cinema & Bar.
There are general guidelines for submission. In order to be shown at the festival, films must have a queer protagonist or focus on the LGBTQ+ life. Some exceptions are made if the filmmaker is queer-identifying. The team jokes about the films being “gay enough.”
The annual event has been used as a fundraiser with proceeds going to IYG, a nonprofit that provides safe spaces and support for LGBTQ+ youth. Though the partnership has ended, the festival has raised over $75,000 for the organization since 2001, according to the festival leaders.
‘These are films you can’t really see at any other place’
Jim Grim has been to each Indianapolis LGBT film festival. He attends film festivals year round, but what keeps him coming back to this one is the quality and number of options. He said it’s the same reason why his friends in Florida tune in virtually, too.
“I haven’t been as faithful to others because this one is so outstanding. It’s a privilege to have it here and I wish more people took advantage of it,” Grim said.
Grim told Mirror Indy about “Talbott Street 1980-1986,” a documentary about the iconic gay downtown nightclub, which premiered at the 2010 festival in front of a packed house at the Indianapolis Museum of Art (Newfields). For him, it’s one of the most memorable watches in all his years attending the film festival.
Ted Letherer was a longtime attendee before joining the film selection committee around 2012. He and his partner saw the event advertised in NUVO in the early 2000s.
“I grew up a cinephile. I was attracted to the community around (the festival),” Letherer told Mirror Indy. “These are films you can’t really see at any other place.”
Over the years, the Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival has experienced changes, but has shown resilience.
They’ve gone from judges receiving mailed-in traditional film reels in the early days to digital files on hard drives. They also moved around to different locations — the bygone Key Cinemas, The Tobias Theater at Newfields, IU-Indianapolis and currently Kan-Kan Cinema & Bar.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival went on, opting to make it virtual.
Fans and first-timers looking to learn about what films have been part of Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival can browse all of the flyers and programs created since 2001 in an online archive compiled by graphic designer and current festival director Matt Mutchmore.
Watch and choose your favorite film
From Nov. 7-13 at Kan-Kan Cinema & Bar, moviegoers can watch over 30 short films, feature films and documentaries. There will also be a Q&A with filmmaker Kevin Hartford and a drag performance by Vanity Rex.
Visit indylgbtfilmfest.com for the full schedule, showtimes and tickets.
Letherer said the selection committee received almost 300 submissions this year. Only 32 films made it in the festival.
A jury of six past festival organizers will select one winner for the Best of Festival award, which includes a cash prize. Audience members can also vote for their favorite film.
Here’s a look at some of the films on deck:
Shorts Showcase
This movingly tender animation, directed by Baz Sells and based on Dean Atta’s eponymous poem, follows two boys on a journey of self-acceptance and love — for each other and themselves.
Doc Shorts Showcase
“AutoErotica: We Buy Gay Stuff”
For decades in San Francisco, AutoErotica owner Patrick Batt has curated artifacts from closed gay bars, vintage leather magazines, activist pins and rare 8-mm films. During the COVID-19 pandemic, customers lead a campaign to save the business.
Vintage Shorts
When a string of gruesome Malibu murders shocks the shore, Captain Monica Stark dives headfirst into a world of shaking bikinis, muscled surfers, a wannabe surf babe with a split personality and a mom with an agenda. Before the movie starts, Vanity Rex will host and promise laughs and campy beach-party mayhem.
A correction was made on Nov. 4, 2025: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the festival would have a virtual option.
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Mirror Indy reporter Mesgana Waiss covers arts and culture. Contact her at 317-667-2643 or mesgana.waiss@mirrorindy.org.
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