Out on Film 2026 - In Their Own Words: More Documentary Shorts

From the venue:

Community is built by those who refuse to stand down, remain silent or leave anyone behind. These five documentaries introduce people transforming love, gathering places, music and personal testimony into powerful acts of queer resistance.

For Indian Pakistani American Khalid Quraishi, his daughter’s decision to marry the woman she loves becomes a joyous affirmation of faith and family. In Palm Springs, the Tool Shed provides leather-loving, sex-positive LGBTQ+ elders—including some of the oldest survivors of the AIDS epidemic—with sanctuary and chosen family. Nearly 100 members of the Austin Gay Men’s Chorus raise their voices in defense of Texas trans youth. A beloved Vancouver vintage store offers generations of outcasts, dreamers and seekers far more than clothing: it gives them a place to belong. And Memphis-based trans musician Alex da Ponte reclaims his voice onstage and in life through an intimate portrait of transition, parenthood and the healing power of music.

Expected Attendance:

Welcome to Tool Shed - Andrew Klaus-Vineyard, Director/Producer

Burcu's Angels - Burcu Özdemir, Featured Subject

Come On, Boy - Sarah Fleming, Producer/Director & Alex da Ponte, Talent

Shorts:

Never Stand Down: The Quraishi Family - For Indian Pakistani American Khalid Quraishi, his daughter Zunaira’s announcement that she was ready to marry the woman of her dreams was a joyous, even miraculous, occasion. Having lived through the Partition, persecution, and the harrowing threat of nearly losing Zunaira to illness, Khalid never once doubted what his Muslim faith had taught him to believe was most important of all: his love for his family.

Welcome to Tool Shed - The documentary takes an in depth, searing dive into the colorful community of queer senior citizens who congregate at the Tool Shed, a long-standing gay bar and sanctuary for queer people in Palm Springs, CA. Many of its denizens are the oldest survivors of the AIDS epidemic. This film talks about the warrior mentality and spirit, the fortitude and the humor, and the queer community’s emphasis on chosen family that has seen them through centuries of hate, discrimination, and persecution. The Tool Shed provides an oasis in the dessert for leather loving, sex-positive seniors and their admirers. The film examines the generation who never expected to become senior citizens in the face of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and decades of oppression, who now find themselves trailblazers again as the first openly LGBTQ seniors.

This Is Texas - Nearly 100 voices strong, the Austin Gay Men’s Chorus takes the stage at GALA to defend Texas trans youth. At its heart is Finn, a quiet trans singer who finds his courage and shows how music can rise as protest and power.

Burcu's Angels - At the heart of Vancouver, Burcu’s Angels is more than just a vintage store; it’s a haven, a stage, and a sanctuary. For thirty years, this vibrant space has welcomed outcasts, dreamers, and seekers, offering more than clothes; it offers belonging. Owned by Burcu Özdemir, a Turkish queer elder, the store has become a pillar of the community, often described as a “coming out center” for generations of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

Come on, Boy - Life is about transitions, and Alex has experienced many in recent years. Parenthood, divorce and gender transition. COME ON, BOY is an intimate, lyrical portrait of the Memphis-based musician as he reclaims his voice both on stage and in life.

Beginning in the present with a live concert performance, the film traces Alex’s journey through life, exploring what it means to rebuild a sense of self. Blending archival footage with new material, the film becomes both a time capsule and a song of transformation: an honest, hopeful meditation on identity, belonging, and the power of music to heal and connect. COME ON, BOY captures the universal longing to be seen and heard for who we truly are.