Park City, UT (Special to The Hollywood Times) 1/20/24 – In a first-time partnership, GLAAD joined with two of the world’s most notable LGBTQ+film festivals to host “Cheers, Queers,” a panel and party in Park City on Friday, co-presented in partnership with Acura and co-host IMDbPro.
The event included 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 director Natalie Jasmine Harris (“Grace”).
The panel, moderated by Anthony Allen Ramos, vice president of communications and talent at GLAAD, was followed by a mixer to toast the LGBTQ filmmakers and community members in attendance.
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.
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. It also 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.
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.
