Q Cinema: More Than A Film Festival

To those on the outside looking in, Fort Worth’s Q Cinema probably looks like just another film festival.

Truthfully, though, Q Cinema is much more than the yearly Fort Worth gay and lesbian film festival. It’s where Fort Worth’s gay and lesbian leaders go to see and be seen. And it’s also a lot of fun — both for those who want to get to know people and those who enjoy quality gay and lesbian films they often can’t see with an audience anywhere else.

For the GLBT community in Fort Worth, the Q Cinema film festival is the biggest event of the year — and plenty of people show up for its related events throughout the year.

Q Cinema History

Founded in 1998 by Todd Camp and Shawn Moore, Q Cinema is now run by Camp and a board of directors.

The organization started by offering occasional film screenings and discussion groups at Texas Christian University. Then, Moore had an idea. Why not expand to a yearly festival and bring in some of the best gay and lesbian movies, documentaries and shorts from around the world?

The festival began in 1999 and has since been held at a variety of venues around Fort Worth, mostly at the former Caravan of Dreams Theater downtown — now called Four Day Weekend Theater — and at Rose Marine Theater on the city’s Northside.

Q Cinema Today

Additional events have been held throughout the year since Q Cinema’s inception, but QCinema now offers at least one event every month — often two or three.

In addition to frequent screenings of important and entertaining films, Q Cinema presents live events under the name QLive! These include theatre presentations, readings and frequent open-mic comedy nights.

Occasional fundraising events and other special presentations round out a full schedule of activities each year for the organization that started with only a few film screenings in a TCU classroom.

More Than A Film Festival

With a mission of “providing a voice” for GLBT people through film presentations, videos and live programs, Q Cinema has become one of the most vibrant and active organizations in Gay Fort Worth.

In fact, there’s no better way to get to know the movers and shakers in Gay Fort Worth than by attending some Q Cinema events.

The first person you’ll want to meet is organizer Todd Camp, a man who is somehow related to everything that happened in the city to, for or by gays and lesbians. As a reporter and former full-time employee of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, he’s one of the most well-connected people in the city.

Other board members of the festival are also influential in their circles, too, so don’t ignore them.

You won’t want to ignore the pretty men and handsome women who surround you at their events either. You might find one waiting for a connection of a different kind.

Those outside the gay community have also recognized how important the film festival and related events are to the community.

In 2008, Fort Worth Weekly staffer’s chose Q Cinema as the best place to meet someone of the same sex. While other events and clubs have taken the Weekly’s top spot in years since, there’s no denying the importance of Q Cinema to Gay Fort Worth’s present as well as its past.

Q Cinema is, as you can see, more than just a movie night.

Actually, Q Cinema is three things: It’s a world-class yearly festival. It’s a successful community organization with frequent events attended by the most powerful gays and lesbians in town. And it’s a bit of meat market for those looking for someone of the same sex to share a night or a lifetime.

Those are all good things.

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