Virginia Queer Film Festival Announces Official Selections for Inaugural “Queer Ear” Audio Storytelling Program

The Virginia Queer Film Festival (VAQFF) has announced the Official Selections for Queer Ear, its inaugural program dedicated to LGBTQ+ audio storytelling, debuting October 2–4 at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.

Created to expand equitable and accessible forms of media storytelling, Queer Ear invited audio-only works under 30 minutes spanning fiction, nonfiction, podcasting, documentary, and experimental storytelling. Response to the inaugural call was so strong that VAQFF expanded the program beyond its planned in-person showcase to include a complementary virtual showcase. All Official Selections will be available online during the festival, with works under 10 minutes additionally presented in person.

The inaugural Queer Ear Official Selections are: Ionian Blue by Allison Cossitt; A Funeral for Freedom by Jacqui Fulton, Love Me: Undeniable by Cristal Duhaime; Love Me: Half and Half by Talia Augustidis; How Laganja Estranja Taught Jay Jackson to Let Her Hair Down by TMI Project; Yoga and Growth with Jillian Modes by Ess Suwalsky; Cam Morris by Ess Suwalsky; See You Tomorrow by Darnell Brown; Story of Stone by Tanner Slick; Amaza Lee Meredith: Love and Home by Brandi Howell; Riding Red — Podcast Episode from Radio Reimagine by Jess Clarke, and Out in the South: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner by Cathleen Rhodes.

“Queer Ear expands VAQFF’s understanding of what belongs at a film festival—and what queer storytelling can look, feel, and sound like,” said Blake Pfeil, member of the VAQFF Board of Directors. “By creating space for work made without cameras or screens, we’re celebrating artists who construct worlds entirely through listening.”

The Queer Ear screening block will also include “Queer Ear: Telling Stories Beyond the Screen,” an interactive workshop and showcase exploring how sound creates images in the listener’s imagination and how accessible audio tools can open new possibilities for LGBTQ+ storytellers.

The 2026 Virginia Queer Film Festival takes place October 2–4, 2026, at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Additional information about Queer Ear and the complete festival program will be announced ahead of the festival.

For more information about becoming a sponsor of the Virginia Queer Film Festival, finding how to purchase tickets, or how to get involved, please visit www.vaqff.org or find us on Facebook or Instagram.

About the Virginia Queer Film Festival

The Virginia Queer Film Festival provides access to films by, for, and about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people and their families, and a forum for LGBTQ+ filmmakers to share and discuss their work with audiences. The Festival is held on the campus of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia and is the first of its kind in Virginia and one of only a handful of LGBTQ+ film festivals in the American South. We foster a community that feels included and invested in our work and programs. We demonstrate expression and practice of intersectionality, anti-oppression, and social justice in queer communities, arts, and education. For more information, please visit VAQFF.org, follow us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.