GLAAD, Frameline, and NewFest are coming together to celebrate queer cinema and filmmakers at the 40th edition of the Sundance Film Festival. GLAAD joins with two of the world’s most notable LGBTQ+film festivals to host “Cheers, Queers,” a panel and party in Park City on Friday, January 19, co-presented in partnership with Acura and co-host IMDbPro at the Acura House of Energy at 550 Swede Alley. 

The event will include a “Queer Film is Activism” panel featuring Alok Vaid-Menon, filmmaker Alex Hedison (director, ALOK), Allegra Madsen (Director of Programming at Frameline), David Hatkoff (Executive Director at NewFest), DaShawn Usher (Director of Communities of Color and Media at GLAAD), and Natalie Jasmine Harris (Director, Grace), moderated by Anthony Allen Ramos (Vice President of Communications and Talent at GLAAD). The panel will be followed by a mixer to toast the LGBTQ filmmakers and community members in attendance. 

Friday, January 19, Alex Schmider (Producer and Director of Transgender Representation at GLAAD) will be among the community leaders participating in the “IMDbPro and Prime Video present: Intentionally Intersectional” panel moderated by Latasha Gillespie (Global Head of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility for Amazon MGM Studios, Prime Video, and Freevee) featuring a discussion about authentic and inclusive representation in the entertainment industry and the growing emphasis on showcasing characters with intersecting identities. GLAAD and IMDbPro, the essential resource for entertainment industry professionals, have an ongoing and collaborative relationship, with GLAAD recently consulting on options for IMDbPro members to self-identify as LGBTQ+, among other identities.

The weekend’s activities will close on Monday by spotlighting transgender storytellers at The Box Theater. This will include a fireside chat, hosted by entertainment journalist Shar Jossell, with trans director Yance Ford about his career and the premiere of his latest documentary Power at the Sundance Film Festival. This will be followed by a filmmaker conversation spotlighting storytellers and organization representatives Moi Santos (Manager, Sundance Institute), River Gallo (Actor/Screenwriter/Producer, Ponyboi), and Sav Rodgers (Filmmaker and Founder, Transgender Film Center) moderated by Schmider to discuss the impact of authentic personal storytelling and the increasing value of community inclusion and connectivity in the entertainment industry. 

ABOUT GLAAD

GLAAD rewrites the script for LGBTQ acceptance. As a dynamic media force, GLAAD tackles tough issues to shape the narrative and provoke dialogue that leads to cultural change. GLAAD protects all that has been accomplished and creates a world where everyone can live the life they love. For more information, please visit www.glaad.org or connect with GLAAD on Facebook and Twitter.

ABOUT FRAMELINE

Frameline’s mission is to change the world through the power of queer cinema. As a media arts nonprofit, Frameline’s integrated programs connect filmmakers and audiences in San Francisco and around the globe. Frameline provides critical funding for emerging LGBTQ+ filmmakers, reaches hundreds of thousands with a collection of over 250 films distributed worldwide, inspires thousands of students in schools across the nation with free films and curricula through Youth in Motion, and creates an international stage for the world’s best LGBTQ+ film through the San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival and additional year-round screenings and cinematic events. For more information on Frameline, visit www.frameline.org.

ABOUT NEWFEST

Founded in 1988, NewFest is New York’s largest presenter of LGBTQ+ film & media and the largest convener of LGBTQ+ audiences in New York City. NewFest’s mission is to give voice and visibility to the full scope of the LGBTQ+ experience through films and programs that entertain, educate, and empower. NewFest presents year-round screenings and events, including the annual New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival, which celebrated its 35th edition in 2023, as well as NewFest Pride and Queering the Canon. NewFest launched the Black Filmmakers Initiative in 2020, and the New Voices Filmmaker Grant, in partnership with Netflix, in 2022.  In bringing diverse audiences and filmmakers together, NewFest creates spaces and conversations that have the capacity to open minds, shift cultural bias, and create positive change. For more information, visit www.NewFest.org.