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.
Date Time Film/Event SCHEDULE
May 13
May 15
May 16
May 17
Body Blow followed by a drag performance
Presented by Hispanic Federation followed by closing remarks 7:00 PM 6:30 PM 8:45 PM 11:30 AM 2:15 PM 5:05 PM 7:15 PM 1:00 PM 4:10 PM 6:40 PM
Annual LGBTQ Shorts Night
Presented by K&L Gates preceded by welcoming words
Pillion Starwalker Eva Summer’s Camera
Moonlight followed by a talkback with Charlotte Black Pride State of Firsts followed by a talkback with The Freedom Center for Social Justice & local LGBTQ political leaders
Submerged Queer Spaces
Sunday Shorts Showcase
Vote after each film: film with the highest ranking will earn Best Feature: Viewers Choice!
Body Blow
WEDNESDAY
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.
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 plotit’s up to you!
Ronita Rambo
Michael Doshier
2025 | 12 min.
United States
Mean Goals
Ahuatl Amaro
2025 | 17 min.
United States
Just Between Us
Zac Hug | 2025 15 min.
United States
Ripple
Jacob Norris
2025 | 15 min.
United States
PRESENTED BY:
My Dear Watson
Jacob McKee
2025 | 11 min.
United States
Lienzo
César Saldívar
2025 | 15 min.
Mexico
Cat Sitters
Claren Grosz
2024 | 11 min.
Canada
Pillion
FRIDAY
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.
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.
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?
THIS FILM IS PRESENTED BY CINE CASUAL.
Moonlight
SATURDAY
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.
Submerged Queer Spaces
JAKE CURTIS DUBOWSKY | 2012 | 100 MIN. UNITED STATES DOCUMENTARY
SUNDAY, MAY 17 | 4:10 PM
THIS FILM IS PRESENTED BY QUEER DESIGN COLLABORATIVE.
Sunday Shorts Showcase
PRESENTED BY
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.
SUNDAY, MAY 17 | 6:40 PM | 100 MIN.
Pakka
Iniyavan Elumalai 2025 | 18 min. Netherlands
First Date
Hailey Vest | 2025 18 min. United States
Demon Twink
Steven George 2025 | 25 min. United States
PRESENTED BY:
You’re Doing Great
Vita Mei Hewitt, Julie Lindsey | 2025 22 min. | United States
Never Never Never John Sheedy | 2025 18 min. | Australia, United Kingdom
