DiverseWorks on Wednesdays: Qfest Pre-Party & Preview
Qfest Artistic Director Kristian Salinas and Festival Administrator Stephanie Saint Sanchez will present a preview of this year’s wide array of festival offerings. Qfest opens Thursday, July 23 and runs through Monday, July 27. Click here for the full schedule and more information.
DiverseWorks on Wednesdays is sponsored by Saint Arnold Brewing Company and Topo Chico USA.
About Qfest
QFest is dedicated to promoting the arts as a powerful tool for communication and cooperation among diverse communities by presenting programs by, about, and of interest to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer community.
QFest is a sponsored project of The Southwest Alternate Media Project (SWAMP), a 501c3 dedicated to promoting the creation and appreciation of film, video, and new media as art forms of a multicultural community.
The story of QFest begins in 1996, when a group of maverick arts organizations collaborated and created The First Annual Houston Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, better known as The HGLFF. Inaugurated by Loris Bradley of DiverseWorks, Liz Empleton of Rice Cinema, Sarah Gish of Landmark Theatres, and Marian Luntz of The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The HGLFF would soon grow to include Steve Buck of The Angelika Film Center and Andrea Grover of The Aurora Picture Show. In its early years as a multi-venue annual event, The Southwest Alternate Media Project (SWAMP) served as the festival’s non-profit fiscal sponsor. The first co-presidents of the HGLFF were Gudrun Klein and Andrew Edmonson, followed by Margaret Zigman and Ernie Manouse. In 2005, Margaret Zigman became the festival’s President.
In 2006, the festival’s tenth anniversary, under then-Board President Sixto Wagan, Rob Arcos, formerly of Landmark Theatres, was named Festival Director and Kristian Salinas was named Program Director. Now charged with creating its own program, the festival condensed its previous two week run into a five-day weekend. In 2007, led by new Executive Director Kristian Salinas, The HGLFF’s 11th year launched with a new name – QFest.
Entering its 19th year, QFest returns to its roots, once again engaging The Southwest Alternate Media Project as its Fiscal Sponsor. Sharing philosophies and missions, SWAMP and QFest mutually benefit one another through their partnership, and as a result, positively impact the cultural landscape of the Greater Houston Area.