A Message From the Board Of Directors

Grab your popcorn, it’s time for ImageOut! We’re very excited to bring you the best LGBTQ cinema from around the world again this October. Our 11-day Festival of movies, art exhibitions, and parties presents a tremendous opportunity for Rochester’s LGBTQ community and our allies to come together. Whether it’s informal conversations in the concession line, post-film discussions with filmmakers, or taking at an art show, the moments spent together is the perfect time to make new friends and deepen existing relationships. Further, movies are meant to be enjoyed on the big screen in the company of others. Comedies are funnier in a theater full of laughter and dramas are at their best when others are there to share in the emotional journey.

Over the last 27 years, ImageOut has evolved into a year-round celebration of the cultures and stories of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender people. In addition to the 40 film programs, our Festival also includes the release of our annual ImageOutWrite literary journal and a reading of select works from the book at Writers & Books on October 23rd. Our year-round offerings include collaborative projects with several of our community partners and regular art shows at The Visual Studies Workshop, RoCo, and Gallery Q. This year we introduced ImageOut Extra, a new bi-monthly film series at The Cinema Theater. These double-feature programs will not only gather the ImageOut family together on a more regular basis, but also help us deliver even more outstanding LGBTQ cinema.

In the pages that follow you’ll find in-depth descriptions of this year’s films written by local volunteers to help you select the programs that are perfect for you. You’ll also find details about our upcoming events including the Festival Eve Party at Volo on October 10th (details on page 32) and the Closing Night Party at Geva Theater Center on October 19th (details on page 84). Lastly, this guide contains information on the many ways in which we work to make our films and events accessible to everyone. We offer a variety of discounts and free ticket programs to help remove financial obstacles; all venues are fully accessible; and sign language interpretation is available by request for all of our films. Finally several thank-yous are in order. Thank you to our film venues The Little Theatre and The Dryden Threatre at The George Eastman Museum. The financial support of our members, grantmakers, sponsors, and advertisers is essential to our success; thank you. ImageOut is made possible by our remarkable team of dedicated volunteers. Thank you for your time, talent, and passion. You are the lifeblood of this festival.

See you at the movies!

THE IMAGEOUT BOARD OF DIRECTORS