Image courtesy DAvid Wolff
For 15 years, OutReels Cincinnati has provided a platform for LGBTQ+ stories that might otherwise go unseen by local audiences. Through independent features, documentaries, and short films, the festival has built its identity around a belief that representation matters, not only in the stories told on screen, but in the conversations they inspire afterward.
This year, that mission takes on new significance as OutReels celebrates its 15th anniversary at the recently reopened Mariemont Theatre, November 6 to 8. The move marks a new chapter for the festival, which previously held screenings at venues including the Warsaw Federal Incline Theater. Now operating under the stewardship of nonprofit Cindependent Film Festival, the Mariemont offers OutReels a new setting for its programming. The weekend features filmmaker discussions, social gatherings, and events designed to bring audiences together.
According to OutReels cofounder and festival director David Wolff, who established the festival alongside Chuck Beatty in 2012, the decision was also driven by a desire to support another nonprofit film organization. OutReels already has a relationship with Cindependent, helping to select LGBTQ+ films for its annual festival, making the partnership a natural extension of their shared commitment to independent cinema.
https://ohiolesbianarchives.org/
“I feel like the stars aligned with our 15th anniversary and the Mariemont reopening this fall,” says Wolff. “It gives us a ‘real’ movie house where we can really make the festival into an event.”
For audiences, the new location offers a more celebratory setting. Friday’s opening festivities begin with a happy hour on the theater’s patio, complete with a lavender carpet, photo backdrop, and an OutReels cocktail. Throughout the weekend, attendees will have opportunities to meet filmmakers, participate in discussions, and connect with one another. That emphasis on connection has remained central to OutReels since its founding.
At its core, the festival seeks to educate, entertain, and enlighten audiences through films reflecting the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community. Wolff notes that even within the community itself, experiences and perspectives vary widely. Building a well-rounded lineup means recognizing those differences while introducing audiences to stories outside their own experiences.
The festival receives many submissions through FilmFreeway, an online platform connecting filmmakers with festivals around the world. Organizers review the films and determine which titles best contribute to the year’s programming. The goal is not simply to select individual standouts, but to assemble a collection representing a broad range of identities, experiences, and approaches to storytelling.
For Wolff, that process reflects a larger commitment to authenticity and visibility. He recalls hearing from attendees who, after watching a film, expressed that it was the first time they had seen someone like themselves represented on screen. Those moments underscore why festivals like OutReels continue to matter.
A Weekend of Stories, Both Local and International
This year’s lineup spans narrative features, documentaries, and short films, with stories from Ohio and across the globe, including work from Poland and Iran.
The festival opens Friday at 7:30 p.m. with Bookends, a 99-minute feature that sets the tone for a weekend interested in the complicated ways people experience love, identity, and connection. Saturday’s programming begins at 1 p.m. with Shorts of All Sorts, a collection of eight short films offering audiences a sampling of the different voices and filmmaking styles represented throughout the festival.
Two Ohio-connected films are among Saturday’s notable selections. At 3 p.m., Iden, A Story of Love explores a transgender story rooted in the Dayton and Yellow Springs area. Director Catherine Zimmerman is scheduled to attend and participate in a post-screening discussion.
https://ohiolesbianarchives.org/
At 5 p.m., Free Beer Tomorrow turns its attention to Columbus’s Summit Station, a former lesbian bar whose history speaks to the importance of LGBTQ+ gathering spaces. The bar’s legacy is now commemorated with a historical marker. Director Julia Applegate is scheduled to attend the screening and participate in a discussion afterward. The celebration continues at 6:45 p.m. with a fittingly named “Free Pizza Today” gathering on
the theater’s patio.
Saturday concludes at 8 p.m. with Glitterbaited, a romantic comedy and the first-ever feature from director Cameron Cole, who is scheduled to attend the screening and participate in a post film discussion.
Sunday’s lineup shifts toward stories of love, memory, and the preservation of LGBTQ+ history. At 1 p.m., the festival presents Summer Lost, a love story exploring the challenges of dementia and the role relationships play in navigating changes in memory and identity. Wolff singled out the film as one of the selections he is especially excited for audiences to experience.
“Summer Lost is just a beautiful, quiet film,” says Wolff. “It is about love and sacrifices. I watched the film and was swept up in the story and I think it will resonate with many people.”
Perhaps the weekend’s most historically focused programming arrives at 3 p.m. with Our Stories: Shorts, a collection of three documentaries: Shelly’s Leg, Bachelors Only, and Lesbians in Boystown. The screenings will be followed by a discussion titled “Why It Is Important to Preserve and Record LGBTQ History,” featuring Lasse Lau, director of Bachelors Only; Jacob Hogue, author of Cincinnati Before Stonewall: The Untold Queer History of the Queen City; and Avery Plummer, director of development and community engagement at the Ohio Lesbian Archives.
The conversation addresses a concern extending beyond cinema itself: how LGBTQ+ experiences are documented, remembered, and passed down to future generations. For communities whose stories have often been overlooked or excluded from mainstream historical records, preserving those experiences becomes an important act of cultural continuity.
The festival concludes Sunday evening with screenings of How You See Me and Mermaid, the latter of which recently received the Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature at Reeling, Chicago’s LGBTQ+ film festival.
https://ohiolesbianarchives.org/
Throughout the weekend, attendees can also participate in a fundraising raffle featuring donations from local organizations and businesses, including Kroger, Playhouse in the Park, Cincinnati Zoo, and New Riff. All proceeds help support the festival’s continued programming.
More Than a Film Festival
While the lineup offers a diverse collection of stories, OutReels’s larger purpose extends beyond what appears on screen.
“Festivals like ORC are important because our stories matter, representations matters,: he says. “Especially younger members of the LGBTQ community need to know they are not alone. That there is a whole community out there.”
For Wolff, the festival is also about creating an environment where audiences can encounter unfamiliar perspectives and engage with one another. He hopes attendees leave having experienced something they had not previously considered, whether through a film, a filmmaker’s perspective, or a conversation with another audience member.
That mission feels especially relevant in a time when much of what audiences watch is experienced individually, often through streaming services and recommendation algorithms. Film festivals offer an alternative, bringing people into a shared space where stories can be experienced collectively and discussed afterward.
The partnership with Cindependent reinforces that philosophy. With the Mariemont Theatre recently reopening under nonprofit stewardship, both organizations share an interest in strengthening Cincinnati’s independent film community through collaboration, visibility, and programming that extends beyond traditional moviegoing.
Looking ahead, Wolff hopes the partnership will bring more filmmakers to Cincinnati, expand opportunities for audience engagement, and continue providing a platform for stories that deserve to be heard. As OutReels enters its 15th year, its guiding principle remains straightforward: Everyone should have the opportunity to live authentically and share their story.
In that way, OutReels Cincinnati’s anniversary is about more than commemorating 15 years of screenings. It represents an ongoing commitment to visibility, preservation, and the shared experience of cinema, reminding audiences that sometimes the most meaningful part of a film begins after the credits roll.
OutReels Cincinnati takes place November 6 to 8 at the Mariemont Theatre.
