Festival Data:

• Established: 1982
• Genre: Gay - Lesbian (click to see)

• Has Panels
• Has Seminars

Festival Website:

Festival Description:

The Pittsburgh International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (PILGFF) began in 1982 as the Lesbian and Gay Film Series, a project of the Pittsburgh’s Gay and Gay Community Center, with the goal of providing opportunities for viewing media by and about lesbian and gay people and their experiences.  In 1985 the Film Series became a separate event, formed its own Board of Directors, and launched the first film festival in 1986 with the cooperation of Pittsburgh Filmmakers.
 
In 1987 the Film Festival incorporated, was granted non-profit status, and applied for funding as a major, new, and innovative presenter of lesbian and gay media in Pennsylvania and the nation. 
 
In 2006, the organization changed its corporate name to the Pittsburgh Lesbian and Gay Film Society in order to show its dedicated commitment to become an organization that provides year round activities.  The Pittsburgh Lesbian and Gay Film Society is now the proud presenter of the Annual Pittsburgh International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.   
 
The Pittsburgh International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival has grown to a ten-day film festival each October, presenting over fifty films and videos in a number of venues, as well as producing, hosting, and participating in a wide array of cultural and community events throughout the year. The Pittsburgh International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival serves the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities in Pittsburgh and the surrounding tri-sate region.  In addition, PILGFF provides a crucial service to the cultural vitality of Pittsburgh, designed to support lesbian and gay artists, and to provide a much needed cultural outlet for the lesbian and gay communities in Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas.
 
While the Pittsburgh International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival typically highlights major feature films of interest to the lesbian and gay community, we also provide a much-needed venue for independent film and video from the United States and abroad.  The Film Festival also sponsors an educational symposium featuring an internationally acclaimed figure in lesbian and gay media.  Past speakers have included independent filmmakers Isaac Julien, Peggy Gilpin, Cheryl Dunye, Rob Marshall, and art critic and AIDS activist Douglas Crimp.

In addition to offering the latest in big and small screen entertainment, PLGFS sponsors social events throughout the October film festival at some of Pittsburgh's most popular gay and gay-friendly nightspots. There is plenty of time to get involved with the annual Pittsburgh International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.