CATHEDRAL CITY, CA (The Hollywood Times) 8/21/26 – LGBTQ+ cinema, community, conversation and philanthropy come together Thursday, August 27, when The Filmmakers’ Gallery presents a special screening of the acclaimed queer romantic comedy THROUPLE at Mary Pickford is D’Place in Cathedral City.
The evening will feature screenwriter and star Michael Doshier in person, with George Sinatra, Director of Community Engagement for The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert, serving as special guest moderator for a post-screening Q&A.
Even better, 20% of ticket proceeds will benefit The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert, making the evening an opportunity to enjoy independent LGBTQ+ filmmaking while supporting an organization that provides essential programs, services and connections throughout the Coachella Valley.
I am especially looking forward to getting back out into our wonderful desert community and supporting events like this one. Film has always had a remarkable ability to bring people together, start conversations and remind us that our experiences of love, friendship and belonging can take many different forms. I hope to be there representing The Hollywood Times and sharing this special evening with our readers.
Directed by Greyson Horst and written by Doshier, THROUPLE centers on Michael, a gay singer-songwriter whose casual encounter with married couple Georgie and Connor evolve into something much more intimate and emotionally complicated.
As Michael begins discovering what he truly wants from love and life, he is simultaneously confronted by the fear that his closest friendship may be slipping away.
The result is a funny, sexy and heartfelt exploration of communication, vulnerability, friendship and the courage required to ask for what we really want.
The 92-minute film stars Doshier alongside Tommy Heleringer and Stanton Plummer-Cambridge and blends romantic comedy, drama and Brooklyn’s underground music scene into a decidedly modern queer love story.
THROUPLE enjoyed screenings at major LGBTQ+ festivals including Frameline, NewFest, Wicked Queer, Out on Screen and OUTshine before being acquired by Dekkoo Films for U.S. distribution and receiving a theatrical release in 2025.
The film’s themes feel particularly relevant at a time when conversations surrounding relationships, chosen family, intimacy and identity continue to evolve.
At its heart, THROUPLE isn’t simply about three people attempting an unconventional relationship. It is about honesty, with our partners, our friends and, sometimes most importantly, ourselves.
Doshier is a filmmaker, writer, musician and performer whose work frequently examines identity, belonging and the contradictions of queer life.
A graduate of NYU Tisch’s Dramatic Writing program, he received the Venable Herndon Award for Excellence in Screenwriting and has also developed a career as an award-winning live performer.
Following THROUPLE, Doshier turned his attention toward RONITA RAMBO, a project bringing his queer storytelling perspective to the southern Ozarks. Its feature screenplay won the 2025 Missouri Film Office’s Missouri Stories Competition, while the resulting proof-of-concept short has earned festival recognition including an Audience Award at Boston’s Wicked Queer.
Having Doshier present provides desert audiences with something streaming cannot replicate: the chance to hear directly from the artist about what inspired the story, how it evolved and what he hopes viewers take away from it.
Following the film, George Sinatra will moderate a conversation with Doshier.
A longtime Palm Springs resident, fundraiser and community advocate, Sinatra currently serves as Director of Community Engagement for The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert, developing partnerships, fundraising opportunities and programs connecting residents and organizations with The Center.
His career in the Coachella Valley nonprofit community has included work with organizations such as DAP Health and the Palm Springs Art Museum.
That community perspective should make Sinatra a natural fit to guide a conversation about a film centered on relationships, identity, honesty and belonging.
The festivities begin at 6 p.m. with a one-hour mix-and-mingle in the Mary Pickford grand lobby featuring Doshier and Sinatra. Lite bites will be served, with a no-host bar available.
The Filmmakers’ Gallery will introduce the program at 7 p.m., followed by the screening at approximately 7:15 p.m. The Q&A with Doshier, moderated by Sinatra, will immediately follow the film.
Event producers Paul Belsito and Steven Roche, through their nonprofit organization The Filmmakers’ Gallery, have made it part of their mission to bring audiences together around both contemporary and classic LGBTQ+ cinema while raising awareness and support for community organizations.
That combination, entertainment with purpose, is something worth celebrating.
As LGBTQ+ stories continue finding broader audiences, gatherings like this remind us why seeing those stories together still matters. There is something special about sitting inside a theater with members of your own community, laughing together, perhaps squirming together, and then talking about what we have just experienced.
And THROUPLE certainly gives audiences plenty to talk about.
Event Details
THROUPLE — Fundraiser Screening & Q&A
Thursday, August 27, 2026
6:00–10:00 p.m.
Mary Pickford is D’Place
36850 Pickfair Street
Cathedral City, CA 92234
Special Guest: Michael Doshier, Screenwriter/Star
Moderator: George Sinatra, The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert
6–7 p.m.: Mix & Mingle with lite bites and no-host bar
7 p.m.: Welcome from The Filmmakers’ Gallery
7:15 p.m.: THROUPLE screening
Immediately following: Q&A with Michael Doshier and George Sinatra
20% of ticket proceeds benefit The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert.
Tickets are available through Eventbrite
By Valerie Milano, The Hollywood Times
