LGBTQ+ residents herald Merced Queer Film Festival as symbol of city’s evolving inclusion
As the arts make a triumphant return to Merced after COVID-19-caused interruptions, local groups are rallying to put on a first-of-its-kind event that champions creativity, cinema the LGBTQ+ community.
The first annual Merced Queer Film Festival will span May 19-22, ushering in a celebration of LGBTQ+ pride and talent just ahead of Pride Month in June.
Over 170 feature-length and short films either created by or reflective of the LGBTQ+ community have been submitted so far.
Films will be screened throughout the city at various locations, including the Merced Multicultural Arts Center (MAC), Merced Theatre, Mainzer Theatre, Applegate Park, The Partisan and other places downtown.
The event is the brainchild of Robert Jerome Pagan, executive director of the nonprofit Workshop 44 and a Merced County resident with deep roots in the theater world. The organization is dedicated to exploring theater, film and other performing arts in novel ways.
Film and the arts as a vital way for different groups of people to learn about each other’s lives, joys and struggles, Pagan said. An active member of the LGBTQ+ activism community, he’s hoping the event will do just that.
Pagan is acting as the festival’s co-director alongside Merced Pride Center Executive Director Jennifer McQueen. LGBTQIA+/2S Collaborative Outreach Director Adam Lane and MAC Executive Director Colton Dennis also collaborated with Pagan and McQueen to bring the event to life.
“What it means to me is visibility and being seen,” Pagan said of the festival. “That, to me, is a true gateway to diversity and inclusion and progress.”
Progress gained, lost and regained
Merced residents have seen celebrations of diversity, inclusion and progress come in starts and stops over the years.
Merced’s LGBT Community Center was asked in 2014 to remove its flag by the building’s owner. The center’s staff said that they informed the property’s owners during the rental process that they wanted to use the flagpole, but were later told that only the American and California flags could be flown at the site.
Other messages intended as symbols of solidarity have also been shot down by the City Council before on account of being too politically charged for the city. A proposed Black Lives Matter street mural was rejected last year after a barrage of residents publicly opposed it.
Also last year though, the Pride Progress Flag was hoisted in Bob Hart Square for the first time during Pride Month.
The modified Pride flag represents historically marginalized members of the LGBTQ+ community with a forward-facing arrow made of transgender Pride colors of blue, pink and white, as well as black and brown stripes to represent people of color.
Raising the flag over the heart of Merced was overwhelmingly hailed as a positive step toward a more inclusive city by officials and residents alike.
The Queer Film Festival too has been welcomed with a rush of local support, Pagan said — another testament to the strides made in creating a Merced that’s more welcoming to diversity.
One goal Pagan has for the festival is that it will help break down stereotypes of the Central Valley as a racist and homophobic place. There is still progress to be achieved, he said, noting the LGBTQ+ flag burned in Merced during Pride Month last year.
“(But) Merced has grown,” Pagan said. “I think at the heart of Merced is love.”
Merced Queer Film Festival event details
With scores of short and feature-length movies slated to show over the course of the festival, showings span from comedies to dramas to animated films submitted by creators across the world. Screenings include both family-friendly and mature films.
The common thread between all is that each movie either was made by a LGBTQ+ creator or contains story lines and characters who are LGBTQ+.
“Yes, they’re queer movies, but they’re not just queer movies. They’re movies that have heart,” Pagan said. “There is going to be something for everyone.”
Pagan said the festival was born out of a desire to highlight LGBTQ+ cinema while also honoring the people of Merced and its local businesses.
“COVID destroyed a lot of what we had downtown,” Pagan said. “I wanted to do something to be prideful but also share art.” His hope, he said, is that the festival will lift the community’s spirits and be a boon the the local economy.
The four-day Queer Film Festival will kick off May 19 with an all-day celebration of student filmmakers, according to the event schedule. Panels and other events will also be held at the MAC all day.
Days two and three will feature movie screenings at the MAC and Mainzer Theatre, VIP lounge showings, movies outside and free screenings at the Partisan. Award ceremonies, panels and workshops will also be held.
Evenings will close out with an age 21-plus after hours party at The Partisan. Drag, burlesque sand other shows are also planned. “It’s an event, it’s not just movies,” Pagan said.
The festival’s closing day will include more movie showings, including a red carpet premier of Workshop 44’s “An Oscar Winning Movie” and an award show.
A variety of ticket options are available for those interested, including discounted passes for students and Central Valley residents. Tickets go on sale Saturday at FilmFreeway.com. All screenings at The Partisan are free, according to the event schedule.
More information can be found at www.mercedqueerfilmfest.org.
This story was originally published April 27, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
