Philadelphia International
Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
July 10 - 21, 2008

Philadelphia Film Festival
March 26 - April 7, 2009

Founded in 1991 as the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema, the Philadelphia Film Festival has become one of the fastest-growing film festivals in the country with nearly 70,000 attendees, earning the respect of the film industry and the notice of media as diverse as Filmmaker Magazine, Fangoria, and the The Wall Street Journal.

For two weeks in April, the Festival presents as many as 300 works on film and video, ranging from star-studded studio features to daring experimental student shorts. Anywhere from 40-50 nationalities are represented annually, with the latest works from such standard-bearers as France and Italy screening alongside new voices from Estonia, Lebanon, South Africa, and beyond. Film celebrations range from screening premieres to event celebrations, hosting an array of guests that has included such luminaries as Susan Sarandon, Laurence Fishburne, Steve Buscemi, Patrick Swayze, Ed Burns, Malcolm McDowell, Mary Louise Parker, Morgan Freeman, Ken Russell, Robert Downey, Alan Rudolph, Larry Clark, Melvin Van Peebles, Susan Seidelman, and John Sayles.

Festival programming is arranged into thematic sections, including World Focus, American Independents, Documentary Traditions, Cinema of the Muslim Worlds, New Korean Cinema, Animation, and the utterly unique and often alarming Danger After Dark, a celebration of genre film from around the world. The Festival also hosts an exclusive showcase of regional filmmaking, entitled Festival of the Independents.

In 2001, the Festival instituted a Juried Competition for Best Feature, Documentary, and Short Film, and it distributes ballots to all ticket holders to determine Audience Awards. The Festival also hosts an annual "Set in Philadelphia" screenplay competition in collaboration with the Greater Philadelphia Film Office.

Previous Festivals:   2008   2007   2006   2005   2004   2003   2002   2001

Founded in 1995 by TLA Entertainment Group, the Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival is the third largest event of its kind in the US, and the largest on the East Coast. Its uninhibited programming and a packed calendar of parties have also earned it the title of "sexiest gay and lesbian film festival in the country" from Out and About Magazine.

For two weeks in July, following Philadelphia's Independence Day festivities, the Festival presents as many as 200 features, documentaries and shorts, as well as truly fabulous special events like a sing-along Xanadu, a screening of the 1970s adult classic Heavy Equipment in the original 3-D, and a live staged reading of Todd Stephen's Another Gay Movie, with Scott Thompson, Lypsinka and Matthew Rush.

Proudly claiming a commitment to new visions and a level of hospitality that is unmatched on the festival circuit, the Festival has earned a special place in the hearts of GLBT filmmakers. It has been selected to premiere such hits as Dirk Shafer's Circuit, C. Jay Cox' Latter Days, and even Elvira-Mistress of the Dark's Elvira's Haunted Hills. It has hosted an array of guests that include Clive Barker, Mart Crowley, Cheryl Dunye, Barbara Hammer, John Waters and Chi Chi LaRue.

The Festival hosts a Juried Competition for best features and shorts (gay male and lesbian) as well as Audience Awards, selected by the viewers.

Previous Festivals:   2007   2006   2005   2004   2003   2002   2001