Cinema St. Louis is proud to present the 19th Annual QFest St. Louis Film Festival, our annual celebration of LGBTQ+ film and queer culture, which runs from June 12 to June 21, 2026. 

This year, our theme is OUT, LOUD, a reflection of visibility, resilience, and joy at a moment when living openly can still feel like an act of courage. The festival brings together films that challenge, provoke, and connect, honoring the essential role cinema continues to play in helping LGBTQ+ communities see themselves, find one another, and imagine new possibilities. 

The festival opens on Friday, June 12, with a 10th Anniversary screening and discussion of the film Moonlight. Barry Jenkins, the film won the Academy Award for Best Picture, marking a historic moment as the first LGBTQ-focused film with an all-Black cast to receive the honor. Its quiet, poetic approach and groundbreaking representation have made it one of the most influential films of the 21st century, reshaping how stories about race, queerness, and vulnerability are told on screen.

QFest 2026 also features the best in contemporary queer cinema, including dozens of short films from around the world, and the documentaries Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World and The Dads about a community of fathers of trans and nonbinary children as they are forced to choose family over country as a powerful anti-trans agenda takes hold in the United States.

And for the first time, QFest expands beyond traditional film with a live taping of the sapphic dating game show Closet Space. This Missouri-born event reimagines the genre by centering authenticity, agency, and connection, reflecting a new wave of queer storytelling grounded in community.

The Trans Youth Art Sale returns for its second year at the Hi-Pointe, celebrating the creativity, perspective, and talent of trans and nonbinary youth artists. Featuring a wide range of work across mediums, the sale offers a chance to experience and support the next generation of artists in a welcoming, public space. It’s an opportunity for the community to show up, connect, and celebrate our youth.