Playing: When: September 19–21, 2025
Where: Theatre 29, Twentynine Palms + Tiny Pony afterparties
Tickets: VIP passes and single tickets available now at 29QFF.com
By Teri Kinne
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 9/18/25 – Indy film fans, head to the high desert now. The only film festival in the High Desert returns September 19th through 21st, 2025 bringing cinematic sizzle to the Mojave. From horror to high camp, 29QFF in Twenty-nine Palms is a welcome celebration of independent storytelling, with screenings, panels, and events set against the radical desert landscape.
After last year’s sold-out debut, festival co-directors Graham Kolbeins and Jonathan Andre Culliton have returned with a bolder, more international program that still keeps its roots deep in desert sand. This year’s festival expands to include global voices — in collaboration with Thailand’s Bangkok LGBTQ+ Film Festival — while maintaining a strong spotlight on local High Desert filmmakers.
Expect late-night screenings, drag hosts, and plenty of desert weirdness. The festival opens with SLAY ALL DAY: QUEER HORROR, a block of spooky shorts hosted by drag king Mr. Her, followed by an afterparty at Yucca Valley’s iconic Tiny Pony. Saturday’s programming highlights French filmmaker Alexis Langlois’ neon-soaked Queens of Drama and the gala event Under the Joshua Trees, featuring drag performances, local food, and a raffle of desert-proud prizes. Sunday wraps with River Gallo’s acclaimed feature Ponyboi and the festival’s irreverent Golden Coyote Awards, where 9-1-1: Lone Star actor Brian Michael Smith will receive this year’s Coyote Courage Award.
29QFF is more than a film festival — it’s a celebration of queer culture blooming in the desert, a place where cinema, performance, and community meet under the wide Mojave sky. Whether you’re a filmmaker, a cinephile, or just in it for the pizza, drag, and good vibes, this is your invitation to make a weekend of it.
Follow @29queerfilm for the full lineup and live updates from the desert.
The Hollywood Times is a proud media partner of 29QFF.
