Tag! Queer Shorts Festival presents a vibrant perspective on queer life in its 11th anniversary edition on April 6-7, bringing 51 all-new films to Portland’s Hollywood Theatre. Celebrating the work of both local filmmakers and directors from as far away as Tunisia and Iran, Tag! selections are thought provoking, humanizing, and often a bit disruptive to typical discourses around sex, gender, and relationships.
This year’s program offers four curated thematic blocks, each one with an eclectic mix of animation, music video, narrative fiction, dance, and documentary. Festival attendees will have the chance to see dozens of unique films and interact with directors between screenings.
Shows start at 3pm and 7pm each day of the festival. This year’s event opens with the #queerfam program, a collection of films about finding belonging and community. The first day ends with #bestcoast, an amazing display of local talent including projects from marginalized youth working with Portland nonprofit Outside the Frame, a quirky horror short by Queer Screams festival director JT Seaton, and a stop-motion gem by animator Nick Boxwell. The second day explores queer resistance in the #actingup program, and the festival ends on a high note with #ensemble, a kaleidoscope of 15 high-energy films that draw from a range of queer identities and experiences.
A complete catalog of films is available at tagqsf.org.