Watch CBS News

The 17th Annual QFest Opens This Week

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Filmmakers and actors from West Philly to Hong Kong will be showcased in the 2011 Philadelphia Q-fest film festival.

This is a film festival in support of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community. Ray Murray, artistic director of Qfest says over the past 17 years, the types of movies shown in this film festival have changed.

"Years ago, I would say they were coming out, first love, family stories; but as gays and lesbians have kind of expanded out into the arts, there's a lot of different stories," says Murray. "So we have like lesbian space aliens, there's gay time travelers. We still have the coming outs and the first loves but there's also political films, films about Muslims, African Americans, Asian Americans. Happily, it's really expanded the story lines."

You can hear Hadas Kuznits interview with Ray Murray in this CBS Philly "At Your Leisure' podcast…

This year, the ten-day festival boasts over 80 films and nearly as many guests for post-film discussions. All tickets are $10 each. Qfest runs from July 7th through the 18th.

For more information, go to www.qfest.com.

Reported By Hadas Kuznits, KYW Newsradio

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.