Thousands Attend OUTSOUTH Queer Film Festival in Durham

The Carolina Theatre of Durham’s Annual LGBTQ+ Film Festival a Success

DURHAM, September 14, 2023—Approximately 4,000 people attended the Carolina Theatre of Durham’s annual OUTSOUTH Queer Film Festival in August. The festival was August 10-13 with re-screenings August 14-17. 

OUTSOUTH celebrates a worldwide glimpse of LGBTQ+ life through a diverse array of entertaining and sophisticated shorts, documentaries, and feature films. 

The festival screened 95 international, national, and local films. In addition to screening films from across the world, several films were created in North Carolina or featured an NC filmmaker.    

This year’s audience selected films “Studio One Forever” for Best Documentary Feature Film, and “Two Lives in Pittsburgh” and “Big Boys” for Best Narrative Feature Film. These films showcase the impact of America’s first gay disco, a father’s journey of learning his son is dressing in girls’ clothes, and a coming-of-age story through an LGBTQ+ lens, respectively. 

Beginning in 1995 as “A Salute to Pride” and running from 1996-2019 as the North Carolina Gay + Lesbian Film Festival (NCGLFF), the festival was renamed OUTSOUTH in 2020. Since its inception, the festival has been a tentpole event that brings the community together. Discover Durham named OUTSOUTH a Signature Event for Durham, the highest honor bestowed on a cultural event or attraction by the organization. 

OUTSOUTH has received national and international accolades by consistently being ranked as one of the “Top 10 Queer Film Festivals in the U.S.” In 2021, the festival was named one of “20 Fantastic LGBTQ+ Film Festivals Around the Globe,” by Moviemaker Magazine. 

OUTSOUTH was presented by The Forest at Duke and sponsored by Advance Auto Parts, The City of Durham, and Xperi, among other local and national businesses. 

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About The Carolina Theatre of Durham: 

Carolina Theatre of Durham, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which manages the city-owned Carolina Theatre at 309 W. Morgan Street, Durham, NC 27701. Carolina Theatre of Durham, Inc. is dedicated to presenting vibrant, thought-provoking film and live performances that contribute to the cultural and economic vitality of downtown Durham and the Triangle Region. More information at carolinatheatre.org. 

Contact: Jordan Hewitt Beard
Senior Director of Marketing, Carolina Theatre of Durham
(919) 560-3040 | jordan@carolinatheatre.org