Reel Q’s film festival showcases LGBT culture

and Gay Film Society, which presents the festival.

Opening night will feature two films: “Signature Move,” at 7 p.m., about a closeted Pakistani lawyer who learns a valuable lesson after hiding her love for women as well as her training in Mexicanstyle wrestling, from her overbearing Muslim mother; “Tom of Finland,” at 9:30 p.m., biopic of Touko Laaksonen, a decorated officer who struggles with returning home after serving his country in World War II. His homoerotic drawings of muscular men skyrocketed him fame in the closeted ‘50s and ‘60s.

“‘Tom of Finland’ is one of my favorite films of this year’s festival,” Mr. Leib said. “It is a beautifully shot, docudrama-style film telling the story of this historic figure in the culture of gay men.”

The selection team looks for films that meet the educational and cultural needs of its audience. Mr. Leib said they choose from films that are submitted to the festival, as well as films that are shown at other LGBT Film Festivals held in San Francisco and Toronto.

His other favorite films being shown during the festival include “The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin,” the story of a gay-rights pioneer; “God’s Own Country,” a modern “Brokeback Mountain”; and “A Million Happy Now’s” a lesbian flick for soap opera fans.

This festival will end with “Cherry Pop,” a lighthearted film about a night in a small-town gay bar that is home to a number of drag queens, played by several “RuPal’s Drag Race” alumni.

An opening night party will be held Friday at Pierce Studio and a closing night party on Oct. 21 at Tilden, the after-hours club above 941 Saloon.

For the full schedule, go to www.reelq.org. Single movie tickets, festival passes and student discounts are also available.