Waterford City’s Pride of the Déise are bringing LGBTQ+ filmmakers to the forefront of their online Pride this year with the premier of ‘Queer Vision’.

The LGBTQ+ film festival, Queer Vision, runs from the 4th to the 6th of June, with an aim to promote queer arts. Queer Vision celebrates and promotes LGBTQ+ storytelling, nationally and internationally. It will host an exciting programme of short films, documentaries and music videos, while thematically exploring aspects of queer life. Queer Vision also seeks to explore films that address the queer struggle – as they describe; “films that deal with the challenges facing our LGBTQIA+ siblings in Ireland and worldwide.”

The organisers share, “The aim of Queer Vision is to showcase local, national and international LGBTQIA+ cinema, and to help foster and promote the Irish LGBTQIA+ filmmaking community.”

The Queer Vision Film Festival will also have an awards ceremony presented online, sponsored by Waterford City and County Council. The three awards for the festival are: Best Overall Production, Best LGBTQIA+ Representation and the Audience Award. Submissions have now closed; award applicants will be notified of the outcome on June 2 and the award ceremony will take place June 4.

Pride of the Déise is a not-for-profit, volunteer led organisation based in Waterford City. It provides a platform of solidarity for LGBTQ+ people in the South East of Ireland.

As the fine folk behind the organisation explain; “A celebration of Waterford’s inclusion and diversity, Pride of the Déise promotes Waterford City as a safe place for everyone. A mixture of speakers, workshops and performances culminates in a Pride festival that everyone can be proud and benefit from.”

If you’d like to check out the amazing films involved, all screenings for Queer Vision Film Festival are free of charge. For further festival information, email [email protected] or visit the Pride of the Déise Facebook page.