QFest St. Louis (19)

Festival start: 12 June 2026      Festival end: 20 June 2026

QFest St. Louis, now in its 19th year, showcases films that illuminate LGBTQ+ lives and celebrate queer culture. Submissions should speak to LGBTQ+ audiences in a clear and intentional way.

QFest is presented by Cinema St. Louis, the organization behind the St. Louis International Film Festival.

Conditions for Eligibility:

This is a competitive, curated event, and submission does not guarantee an invitation.

All films must fulfill the following requirements:

1) Be relevant to LGBTQ audiences (featuring LGBTQ characters, themes, creators, or issues at the core of the work).

2) Be fully completed by the entry deadline (NO works-in-progress).

3) Be a St. Louis theatrical premiere, meaning no previous public, ticketed theatrical screening in the St. Louis metro area (St. Louis City, St. Louis County, and adjacent Illinois counties). Private cast-and-crew screenings and educational classroom use do not count as theatrical screenings.

4) Be submitted with English subtitles if in a language other than English.

5) Be submitted with complete entry information and appropriate payment.

6) Not be available for general public streaming or rental (YouTube, Vimeo, iTunes, VOD, etc.) in the St. Louis region before the festival dates. Limited festival-only or geo-blocked screenings may be considered, but priority will be given to true premieres.

IF YOUR FILM IS ACCEPTED, THE FOLLOWING IS REQUIRED. FAILURE TO COMPLY AND MEET DEADLINES WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE REMOVAL FROM THE FESTIVAL

THE HI-POINTE THEATRE ONLY PROJECTS DCPs. ALL SCREENINGS WILL REQUIRE A DCP.

- Signed Filmmaker Agreement by May 11, 2026 that includes an updated film synopsis of no more than 3 sentences, 3 film stills, and other materials necessary to process and promote your film.

- DCP delivery by May 22, 2026 (all screenings will require a DCP)

Entry Procedure:

Provide complete information on Festhome. Films should be submitted as secure online screeners on the platform.

All entrants will be notified of the status of their submission by e-mail from Festhome no later than May 4, 2026

Notification of acceptance or rejection will not include criticism or feedback specific to your entry.

All invited films must be immediately available for upload or delivery on invitation.

Eligible works must have been completed after January 1, 2024.

Cinema St. Louis (CSL) will not be held responsible for any legal disputes regarding the exhibition of this film. Music rights and all copyright clearances are the sole responsibility of the filmmaker.

Please contact Emmett Williams at Cinema St. Louis for questions and clarifications.