Utah Queer Film Festival (UQFF) has been expanded to offer the best in queer film festival titles as a year round series. Join us for beloved classics and modern thought provoking journeys into LQBTQIA+ stories that shape our community, our state, and the world beyond.
This fall, UQFF is sharing stories of the struggle for identity.
The first title, Cruising, is the controversial gay leather slasher film from 1980 that still captures the imagination today Directed by legendary auteur, William Friedkin, the film is much greater than the sum of its larger than life parts and is presented with support from Salt Lake City Leather Pride.
UQFF’s last titles of the season, In the Best Interests of the Children and Lesbian Custody are presented in dialogue with each other as they are cinematic companions created to highlight the familial challenges of lesbian mothers post divorce. Both films explore the legal, moral, and human factors involved in these child custody battles with wisdom and humor.
RSVP now to learn more!
*The annual Utah Queer Film Festival will be held November 6th – 8th, 2026.
Upcoming Events
Cruising
Captain Edelson (Paul Sorvino) tasks young rookie Steve Burns (Pacino) with infiltrating the S&M subculture to try and lure the killer out of the shadows – but as he immerses himself deeper and deeper into the underworld, Steve risks losing his own identity in the process.
UQFF Year-Round
Wed, October 21, 2026 at 7:00 pm
In Person | Utah Film Center 375 W 400 N (west entrance)
Utah Queer Film Festival 2026
Utah Queer Film Festival returns for its 23rd year to provide the best in local, domestic, and international queer focused cinema. Formerly known as Damn These Heels, UQFF proudly showcases films, filmmakers, and events that make a difference in Salt Lake City. UQFF is now hosted at the new Utah Film Center screening room and event space.
UQFF Year-Round
Fri, November 6 to Sun, November 8, 2026
In Person | Utah Film Center 375 W 400 N (west entrance)
2026 Utah Queer Film Festival: Second Nature: Gender and Sexuality in the Animal World
Debunking myths that females are “inferior” and being queer is “unnatural,” Second Nature follows trailblazing trans Evolutionary Biologist Dr. Joan Roughgarden as she meets other groundbreaking scientists exploring the 1500+ animal species who engage in same-sex sexual behavior and parenting, change sex, form matriarchies, and more…
Through the Lens, UQFF Year-Round, Utah Queer Film Festival
Fri, November 6, 2026 at 6:00 pm
In Person | Utah Film Center 375 W 400 N (west entrance)
2026 Utah Queer Film Festival: This Is Ballroom
Inspired by the landmark documentary Paris Is Burning, This Is Ballroom traces Rio de Janeiro’s ballroom scene back to its origins in the 1960s, when non-white drag performers created their own competitions in response to racial exclusion.
Black, Bold & Brilliant, UQFF Year-Round, Utah Queer Film Festival
Sat, November 7, 2026 at 1:00 pm
In Person | Utah Film Center 375 W 400 N (west entrance)
In the Best Interests of the Children & Lesbian Custody
In the Best Interests of Children is a 1977 feature-length documentary “about who lesbian mothers and their children really are.” Made by the feminist filmmakers’ collective Iris Films to help lesbian mothers facing custody battles.Lesbian Custody explores the legacy of In the Best Interests of the Children. Nearly 50 years later, filmmaker Frances Reid, one of the film’s original creators, reconnects with Julie Stevens, the daughter of Reid’s late partner and co-director Liz Stevens.
UQFF Year-Round
Wed, December 16, 2026 at 7:00 pm
In Person | Utah Film Center 375 W 400 N (west entrance)
