The Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival (aGLIFF) was founded in 1987 and became a 501c3 in 1995. The festival has grown tremendously in size and scope from a short four-day run of four films primarily focused on coming out and AIDS to a multimedia event with over 150 films depicting myriad issues across cultures, class, gender, age, and region.

The primary activities of aGLIFF occur during the festival held annually for 10 days during the months of September and October. The festival showcases features and shorts, mainstream and avant-garde. Symposia and panels have explored current political and social trends; and increasingly the festival serves as a venue for first-time filmmakers. Special shorts programs have focused on youth issues, adoption by gay and lesbian couples, Asian, Latin American, and African identity/cultural issues, and hate crimes against gays and lesbians.

The festival has expanded in purpose to combine entertainment with community outreach and education and is implementing year-round programming and community projects.

Mission 

aGLIFF cultivates high-quality gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender filmmaking that enlightens, educates and entertains all our community by exhibiting and supporting the best in recent GLBT national, international and regional films and videos.

Population Served 

The constituency served by aGLIFF is primarily the gay and lesbian communities of Central Texas as well as members of the growing independent film industry in Austin. aGLIFF has about 600 members and the 2005 festival engaged over 10,000 filmgoers, approximately 70% of whom were gay or lesbian. As aGLIFF has grown in scope and vision, the constituency has broadened and diversified. The organization has evolved from a festival focused primarily on entertainment and the experiences of American gay men into a community organization committed to reflecting and speaking to a broad range of issues across cultures, gender, age, race and regions.

Goals 

• To create positive and visible images relevant to gay and lesbian lives
• To educate the community about gay and lesbian issues
• To show and promote the best in gay and lesbian films and videos

External links

• Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival (aGLIFF) Official Website