The 2nd Annual 29 Queer Film Festival Spotlights All Walks of Queer Life

Founded by Twentynine Palms residents and queer filmmakers Graham Kolbeins and Jonathan Andre Culliton, the 29 Queer Film Festival is the first LGBTQ+ festival in California’s high desert region, serving as a three-day celebration of queer love, hope, and resilience in its now-2nd annual installment.

This year, the festival runs from Friday, September 19 through Sunday, September 21, showcasing a diverse range of queer life on the big screen. From a drag queen fighting off an alien invasion to an intersex sex worker running from a drug deal gone wrong, the 2nd Annual 29 Queer Film Festival is determined to highlight queer stories in every color, shape, and size imaginable, providing much-needed representation and solace during a time when LGBTQ+ rights remain under attack.

The Last Story on Earth (2024) dir. Aaron Immediato

A woman (Lady Pixie Dust played by Pickle) stands in a blue spotlight. She is wearing a pink dress and a blonde wig. She is inside and it is daytime. — LA-based drag queen Pickle plays Lady Pixie Dust in *The Last Story on Earth* (2024). Photo courtesy of 29 Queer Film Festival.

Directed by Los Angeles-based filmmaker Aaron Immediato, The Last Story on Earth (2024) is an 18-minute sci-fi/horror short that follows Lady Pixie Dust (played by beloved LA-based drag queen Pickle), whose Drag Queen Story Hour at her local library is invaded—first, by a gaggle of angry protesters and then by a full-blown alien regime.

The film was shown during the festival’s Opening Gala (cheekily titled “Slay All Day”) alongside five other shorts that deal with a wide range of themes under the fun and thrilling banner of queer horror. While the sci-fi element in The Last Story on Earth comes a little out of nowhere, Pickle’s charming star performance as master storyteller Lady Pixie Dust, alongside the film’s lovely cool-toned cinematography, tells an engaging story that—at its witty core—preaches the importance of empathy and acceptance.

Queens of Drama (2024) dir. Alexis Langlois

Two women (Louiza Aura as Mimi Madamour and Gio Ventura as Billie Kohler) stand on stage, the former holding a microphone and spotlit and the latter standing in the shadows with a hand over her face. They are inside and it is nighttime. — L-R: Louiza Aura as pop star Mimi Madamour and Gio Ventura as punk icon Billie Kohler in *Queens of Drama* (2024). Photo courtesy of 29 Queer Film Festival.

Written and directed by French filmmaker Alexis Langlois, Queens of Drama (2024) is a fantastical music comedy that follows Mimi Madamour (Louiza Aura) and Billie Kohler (Gio Ventura), two pop and punk icons in the making who, over the course of half a century, fall in and out of love with one another, as told by an obsessive stan by the name of Steevy Shady (played by renowned French musician Bilal Hassani). Touching on themes of class, celebrity culture, and parasocial relationships, this genre-bending directorial debut is ultimately a celebration of queer love in all of its camp messiness.

Originally premiering at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, Queens of Drama is a bold lesbian romance laced with wit, style, and a whole lot of passion. From its absolutely gorgeous cinematography to its impressive musical performances, the film succeeds not only in portraying a steamy romance between “bougie” Madamour and “fleabag” Kohler, but also in paying homage to the drama of the early 2000s pop scene as well as iconic camp horror stories like The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. While the editing is, at times, a little too reminiscent of a late-night gameshow and the story ends in a parody of itself, Queens of Drama is a wild ride from start to finish that will leave viewers yearning for more from newcomers Aura, Ventura, and Langlois.

After What Happened at the Library (2025) dir. Syra McCarthy

A drag queen stands at a kitchen counter, spotlit within a dark room. They are in full glam, looking off to the left of the camera. They are inside and it is nighttime. — Kyle Casey Chu as a fictionalized version of herself in *After What Happened at the Library* (2025). Photo courtesy of 29 Queer Film Festival.

Directed by San Francisco-based filmmaker Syra McCarthy and written by renowned drag queen Kyle Casey Chu (aka Panda Dulce), After What Happened at the Library (2025) is a 15-minute drama short that follows a drag queen struggling to reclaim their identity after a disturbing event, based on Chu’s true story of far-right extremists storming her Drag Queen Story Hour in 2022. Devastatingly heartfelt in all the right places, the film’s protagonist recounts her traumatizing experience to the world, an ironic parallel as Chu plays a fictionalized version of herself.

On the 29 Queer Film Festival’s second day, the short was shown during the “Wigging Out” program beside eight others that feature “a strange stew” of “audacious, personal stories of queer life.” Visually stunning and emotionally touching, After What Happened at the Library is a must-see story of overcoming trauma in the face of unexpected public scrutiny.

Ponyboi (2024) dir. Esteban Arango

A man (Murray Bartlett as Bruce) and a woman (River Gallo as Ponyboi) sit a bar. Ponyboi is looking off to the right of the camera. They are inside and it is nighttime. — L-R: Murray Bartlett as Bruce and River Gallo as Ponyboi in *Ponyboi* (2024). Photo courtesy of 29 Queer Film Festival.

Directed by Columbian American filmmaker Esteban Arango and written by star River Gallo, Ponyboi (2024) is a crime thriller that follows the titular character, Ponyboi, a young intersex sex worker who must confront his troubled past after a drug deal gone horribly wrong. Alongside an astonishingly talented cast—Dylan O’Brien as abusive drug dealer Vinnie, Victoria Pedretti as pregnant Jersey girl/BFF Angel, and Murray Bartlett as shockingly kind stranger Bruce—River Gallo delivers an incredible performance as a lost intersex person struggling to break free from a traumatizing past, dangerous present, and unknown future, based on their 2019 short film of the same name.

Originally premiering at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, Ponyboi is a lovingly shot film whose New Jersey setting, neon aesthetic, and sex worker protagonist trying to survive an impossible situation is reminiscent of Sean Baker’s Anora (2024). Despite their clear similarities, there is something far more authentic under Ponyboi’s surface than the Best Picture winner, as Gallo’s story doesn’t shy away from portraying the horrifyingly abusive circumstances sex workers—particularly impoverished BIPOC and LGBTQ+ sex workers—have faced and continue to face, under the guise of a crime’s unraveling. While the plot demands a faster pace, Ponyboi’s performances and themes speak for themselves, cementing Gallo as one to watch.

Intervention (2023) dir. Kamonkarn Samutratanakul

Two women (Kwancheewan Krisanayuth as Lin and Thanisa Laurent as Jane) stand in front of a yellow wall. Lin in leaning against the wall and Jane is poking at her arms, smiles on their faces. They are outside and it is nighttime. — L-R: Kwancheewan Krisanayuth as Lin and Thanisa Laurent as Jane in *Intervention* (2023). Photo courtesy of 29 Queer Film Festival.

Directed by Thai filmmaker Kamonkarn Samutratanakul, Intervention (2023) is a 30-minute romance short that follows devout Catholic Lin (Kwancheewan Krisanayuth), who sits alone at a bar until she meets the alluring Jane (Thanisa Laurent), sparking an unforgettable connection.

The film’s international premiere took place during the 29 Queer Film Festival’s “Queer Planet” program, showcasing seven queer stories from “all over the rainbow and across the globe.” While Intervention runs a little too long given its straightforward premise, its vivid lighting, charming protagonists, and central theme of desire versus faith make the short a welcome addition to the festival’s rich catalogue.

Deep Dish Dimples (2025) dir. Manuel Villarreal

One woman (Angelica Ross as Lazette) and one man (Brian Michael Smith as Gio) lie in a field of flowers, smiling at one another. They are outside and it is daytime. — L-R: Angelica Ross as Lazette and Brian Michael Smith as Gio in *Deep Dish Dimples* (2025). Photo courtesy of 29 Queer Film Festival.

Directed by Mexican-American filmmaker Manuel Villarreal, Deep Dish Dimples (2025) is a 9-minute short that follows Gio (Brian Michael Smith), a Black trans man who comes face-to-face with his pre-transitioned self after enlisting his best friend Lazette (Angelica Ross) for help with burying an unknown dead body.

Showcased during the 29 Queer Film Festival’s second annual Golden Coyote Awards (hosted by special honoree and star Brian Michael Smith), Deep Dish Dimples is filled to the brim with excellent performances, lovely cinematography, and unruly ghosts (both literal and figurative). While the rich themes of queer identity, complex familial relationships, and self-acceptance could’ve been better explored within a longer runtime, Deep Dish Dimples is a special film that is right at home at this groundbreaking festival nestled in the California desert.