2026 Reel Out Charlotte Program

REEL OUT CHARLOTTE The Queen City’s LGBTQ Film Festival

2026

MAY 13

Bar Argon

MAY 15-17

Independent Picture House

A program of

WELCOME Our 18th Season To our beloved fellow film nerds— We’re thrilled to welcome you to another season of Reel Out Charlotte. This year, we’re proud to present a diverse lineup of more than 20 short and feature-length films, carefully selected from a vibrant pool of submissions.

After months of screening, debating, and curating, we’re excited to share these standout stories with you. Now it’s time to sit back, settle in, and let independent film transport you.

And now, it’s your turn—vote for your favorites and let us know which films moved you most. Your voice helps shape the future of this festival.

We’re so glad you’re here. Your presence sustains the region’s only annual LGBTQ film festival and strengthens Charlotte’s arts and culture community.

Reel Out Charlotte is more than a festival—it’s a shared space to celebrate storytelling, creativity, and connection.

Thank you for supporting independent LGBTQ cinema and for being part of this community. We hope these films entertain, challenge, and inspire you.

See you at the movies,

Meredith Thompson Managing Director Charlotte Pride

Our Sponsors

Thank you to our Reel Out Charlotte Short- and Feature Film Committees, as well as the board and staff of Charlotte Pride who make Reel Out Charlotte possible.

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SCHEDULE Date Time

Film/Event

May 13

7:00 PM

Body Blow followed by a drag performance

May 15

6:30 PM

Annual LGBTQ Shorts Night Presented by K&L Gates preceded by welcoming words

8:45 PM

Pillion

11:30 AM

Starwalker

2:15 PM

Eva

5:05 PM

Summer’s Camera

7:15 PM

Moonlight followed by a talkback with Charlotte Black Pride

1:00 PM

State of Firsts followed by a talkback with The Freedom Center for Social Justice & local LGBTQ political leaders

4:10 PM

Submerged Queer Spaces

6:40 PM

Sunday Shorts Showcase Presented by Hispanic Federation followed by closing remarks

May 16

May 17

Vote after each film: film with the highest ranking will earn Best Feature: Viewers Choice!

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WEDNESDAY Body Blow

DEAN FRANCIS | 2026 | 99 MIN. | AUSTRALIA | CRIME WEDNESDAY, MAY 13 | 7:00 PM | FREE | BAR ARGON Aiden, a young cop battling sex addiction and reeling from sexual misconduct allegations, embarks on a risky undercover mission. His partner, a corrupt cop’s daughter, introduces him to Cody, a captivating male sex worker controlled by a drug lord drag queen. As Aiden’s indiscretions make him vulnerable to blackmail, he dives deeper into a perilous world, eventually getting entangled in a deadly robbery. Torn between duty and love, Aiden flees with Cody, only to discover he’s an unsuspecting pawn in a longstanding police conspiracy.

This film will be followed by drag performances.

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FRIDAY Annual LGBTQ Shorts Night

PRESENTED BY K&L GATES FRIDAY, MAY 15 | 6:30 PM | 112 MIN. | FREE Join Reel Out Charlotte for our annual LGBTQ Shorts Night, a free community event highlighting a variety of the best new short films from the United States and beyond.

VOTE FOR BEST SHORT - VIEWERS CHOICE AWARD You will receive a paper ballot to choose the film YOU think represents the best short among those shown.

How you vote and the criteria you use are up to you. Vote for the film that moved you, the film you thought had the best production value, or the one you thought had the best plot it’s up to you!

Ronita Rambo Michael Doshier 2025 | 12 min.

United States

My Dear Watson Jacob McKee 2025 | 11 min.

United States

Mean Goals Ahuatl Amaro 2025 | 17 min.

United States

Lienzo César Saldívar 2025 | 15 min.

Mexico

Just Between Us Zac Hug | 2025 15 min.

United States

Cat Sitters Claren Grosz 2024 | 11 min.

Canada

Ripple Jacob Norris 2025 | 15 min.

United States

PRESENTED BY:

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FRIDAY Pillion

HARRY LIGHTON | 2025 | 107 MIN. | IRELAND, UNITED KINGDOM | DRAMA FRIDAY, MAY 15 | 8:45 PM A timid man is swept off his feet when an enigmatic, impossibly handsome biker takes him on as his submissive.

THIS FILM IS PRESENTED BY CHASERS.

SATURDAY Starwalker

COREY PAYETTE | 2025 | 116 MIN. CANADA | MUSICAL SATURDAY, MAY 16 | 11:30 AM Star, an Indigi-Queer Two-Spirit lonesome call boy has become newly entranced by the world of drag when they are introduced to The House of Borealis, a popular drag house led by their charming matriarch, Mother. Star’s newfound passion propels them to face a cultural past once neglected, but when painful memories re-emerge, their love for drag and their new family is put to the test. Alongside Levi and the rest of their sisters in drag, Star journeys through the realization of who they are, leading to the creation of a persona that blends their grounded cultural spirit with a unique take on drag: Starwalker.

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Eva

WILLIAM REYES | 2025 | 92 MIN. | HONDURAS, COLOMBIA | DRAMA SATURDAY, MAY 16 | 2:15 PM Eva, a trans woman, takes on the care of her granddaughter after the sudden death of her daughter-in-law.

While processing the grief, she tries to help her son connect emotionally with the baby. Amid tensions, reproaches, and silence, mother and son embark on a path toward mutual understanding and the reconstruction of their family bond.

THIS FILM IS PRESENTED BY CINE CASUAL.

Summer’s Camera DIVINE SUNG | 2025 | 83 MIN. | SOUTH KOREA COMING OF AGE DRAMA SATURDAY, MAY 16 | 5:05 PM After her father passed away, Summer stopped taking photos.

One day, she falls for Yeonwoo, the school’s soccer star, and takes her picture with her late father’s camera. When she develops the film, she finds mysterious photos of her father’s high school lover. In these photos, Summer uncovers a secret about her father. Will she be able to pursue her first love and uncover her father’s hidden truth?

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SATURDAY Moonlight

BARRY JENKINS | 2016 | 111 MIN. | UNITED STATES | DRAMA SATURDAY, MAY 16 | 7:15 PM The tender, heartbreaking story of a young man’s struggle to find himself, told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love, while grappling with his own sexuality.

Please stay after this 10th anniversary screening for a talkback with members of Charlotte Black Pride.

SUNDAY State of Firsts CHASE JOYNT | 2025 | 93 MIN. | UNITED STATES | DOCUMENTARY SUNDAY, MAY 17 | 1:00 PM A portrait of Sarah McBride’s historic run to become the first trans Member of Congress, the backlash that ensues, and her fight for change amidst intensifying political extremism.

This film will be followed by a talkback with the Freedom Center for Social Justice and local LGBTQ+ political leaders.

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Submerged Queer Spaces

JAKE CURTIS DUBOWSKY | 2012 | 100 MIN. UNITED STATES DOCUMENTARY SUNDAY, MAY 17 | 4:10 PM This documentary examines queer history through an approach of urban archeology. As San Francisco grew and gentrified, communities changed, shifted, and were displaced.

Bars, restaurants, parks, alleys, bathhouses, and other gathering spots of the queer community were remodeled, repurposed, rebuilt, or destroyed. Submerged Queer Spaces looks at the architectural remains of historic sites and buildings in San Francisco.

THIS FILM IS PRESENTED

BY QUEER DESIGN COLLABORATIVE.

Sunday Shorts Showcase PRESENTED BY HISPANIC FEDERATION SUNDAY, MAY 17 | 6:40 PM | 100 MIN. Pakka Iniyavan Elumalai 2025 | 18 min.

Netherlands

You’re Doing Great Vita Mei Hewitt, Julie Lindsey | 2025 22 min. | United States

First Date Hailey Vest | 2025 18 min.

United States

Never Never Never John Sheedy | 2025 18 min. | Australia, United Kingdom

Demon Twink Steven George 2025 | 25 min.

United States

PRESENTED BY:

These films will be followed by closing remarks.

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Charlotte Pride on your

Reel Out Charlotte Film Festival Taking Hispanic causes to heart hispanicfederation.org