Reel Q Celebrates 40 Years: October 3-11, 2025
This year, Reel Q: Pittsburgh’s LGBTQ+ Film Festival, celebrates its 40th anniversary with the most accessible festival in its history. Running October 3-11, 2025, Reel Q spans two weekends across five Pittsburgh venues: The Andy Warhol Museum, Row House Cinema, City of Asylum’s Alphabet City, Carnegie Mellon University, and Mary’s Bar.
To celebrate our 40th anniversary Reel Q is launching “Pay What You Can" admissions for the first time across all screenings, making queer film more accessible than ever in Pittsburgh.
The milestone season will feature regional premieres, international films, documentaries, and over 20 short films. Highlights include:
Opening Night presents a 40th Anniversary Screening honoring Reel Q’s four decade legacy as one of the nation’s pioneering LGBTQ+ film festivals, we will be screening a selection of local short films from 1985-present at the Andy Warhol Museum.
The weekend doesn’t stop there, we start Saturday Oct 4th out at Row House Cinema with Assembly, an award-winning documentary exploring visionary artist Rashaad Newsome as he transforms a historic military facility into a Black queer utopia, blending art, AI, and performance.
Saturday ends with Venus of Mars, followed by a Q&A with director Emily Goldberg and glam rock icon Venus de Mars, trans pioneer and lead singer of All the Pretty Horses. Keep the night going at Trace Brewing with a live performance by Venus and local trans musician Levi at 9PM.
Our shorts programs are a one-of-a-kind curated experience you’ll only find in Pittsburgh. This includes our Global Shorts program at City of Asylum at Alphabet City on Monday Oct 6th at 7PM, showcasing powerful queer stories and perspectives from every region of the world. Our other short programs include: Transtastic Shorts, a powerful collection of films spotlighting the voices and lived experiences of trans and nonbinary creators. We round out our short film programs with Teen Shorts, a fabulous collection of short films that highlight young identity, for the young and young at heart.
Our second weekend begins Friday Oct 10th at Carnegie Mellon University’s McConomy Auditorium with the regional premiere of the 2025 39th Berlinale Teddy Award winner, Lesbian Space Princess, which follows introverted lesbian space princess Saira on a mission to rescue her ex from evil incel aliens. Stay for a screening of Just Kids, a documentary that follows three teens in states that restrict gender-affirming care.
Ending our festival, join us for a screening of Transexual Menace. Reel Q and The Wendi Miller Legacy Project, present this landmark film from 1996 that captures the first Transgender Lobby Day in Washington, D.C., 30 years ago this October. This rarely seen classic is an essential piece of trans history, presented at Mary’s Bar on Oct 11th at 6PM, encore at 9PM.
“Reel Q has always been about more than just film, it’s about community, connection, and visibility,” said T.J. Murphy, Executive Director. “As we celebrate 40 years, expanding to multiple venues and adopting a new ‘Pay What Makes You Happy’ model, we’re honoring our past while also creating a festival that’s more accessible and inclusive than ever. In a time when queer visibility is vitally important, Reel Q continues to strive as Pittsburgh’s home for LGBTQ+ cinema.”
Screenings will take place at The Andy Warhol Museum, Row House Cinema, City of Asylum’s Alphabet City, Carnegie Mellon University’s McConomy Auditorium, and Mary’s Bar.
Full Schedule:
Oct 2 - 5801
5:30 PM | Pre-Festival Happy Hour Kick-Off
Oct 3 - The Andy Warhol Museum / Lawrenceville
7:00 PM | Pittsburgh Shorts Retrospective
Oct 4 - Row House Cinema / Lawrenceville
3:00 PM | Assembly
5:00 PM | HaMapah / The Map
6:30 PM | Venus of Mars
8:30 PM | Dreams in Nightmares
Oct 5 - Row House Cinema
3:00 PM | Heightened Scrutiny
5:00 PM | Transtastic Shorts
6:30 PM | United In Anger + Short
Oct 6 - City of Asylum / Alphabet City
7:00 PM | Global Shorts
Oct 10 - CMU / McCormick Theater
6:30 PM | Lesbian Space Princess
8:00 PM | Just Kids
Oct 11 - CMU / McCormick Theater
1:00 PM | Sabbath Queen
3:30 PM | Teen Shorts Program
Oct 11 - Mary’s Bar
6:00 PM | Transexual Menace
9:00 PM | Transexual Menace
Full schedule and tickets are available now at reelq.org/2025-festival.
About Reel Q
Founded in 1985, Reel Q has spent four decades amplifying LGBTQ+ stories, providing a vital cultural outlet for Pittsburgh’s queer communities and allies. Today, Reel Q is the longest-running film festival in Pittsburgh and the sixth oldest LGBTQ+ film festival in the world. Through its annual festival and year-round programming, Reel Q continues to showcase queer artistry, foster dialogue, and celebrate visibility through film.
Reel Q is made possible through the generous support of The Pittsburgh Foundation, Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, Duolingo, and our community partners.
