We should be grateful for the abundance of film festivals in the area.
When the Fort Lauderdale Film Festival and Miami Festival realized they were competing for limited resources, they decided to merge and became OutShine Film Festival, which not only screens in both cities but offers two festivals, spring and fall, plus an at-home streaming option. The fall festival opens in Fort Lauderdale on Oct. 16 with Richard Linklater’s haunting, queer-inflected chamber drama, “Blue Moon,” set in 1943, and starring Ethan Hawke. The closing night, screening of “Jimpa,” starring Olivia Colman as Hannah, who travels to Amsterdam with her nonbinary teen, Frances (Aud Mason-Hyde), to visit their estranged father, Jim (John Lithgow), a vibrant, openly gay man navigating life and love in his later years. When Frances expresses a desire to stay with Jim for a year, Hannah must confront her own beliefs about parenting, family, and identity. An after-party concludes the Fort Lauderdale portion festival; the Miami portion starts next week. For more information, and the full schedule, go to outshinefilm.com.
OH, MR. GRANT!
Speaking of grateful, The Our Fund Foundation awarded a total of $370,000 in grants through its 2025 Arts & Culture Fund on Oct. 15. The grants support 19 organizations and LGBTQ-specific projects in Broward and Miami-Dade counties that inspire creativity, foster belonging and strengthen community through shared experiences. The Our Fund Foundation’s 2025 LGBTQ+ Arts & Culture Fund and Culture Fund Grant recipients include:
ArtsUnited: For fostering the creative expression of LGBTQ artists by providing exhibition opportunities and community engagement through the arts.
Black LGBTQ+ Liberation, Thou Art Woman: since 2014, this event series has uplifted and connected BIPOC LGBTQ+ women and their allies through live performance and visual art.
Brévo Theatre, Freshly Rooted: Live Out Loud: a 2026 program amplifying Black, Brown, and LGBTQ artists through bold, socially engaged theatre.
Florida Atlantic University Foundation, 2025-2026 Fair Play Initiative: now in its sixth season, FAU Theatre Lab’s Fair Play Initiative commissions and develops new plays exploring the LGBTQ experience.
Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida: uplifting audiences with powerful performances that celebrate diversity and promote social justice through music.
Hued Songs, Any Other Way, A Hybrid Arts Experience Celebrating Jackie Shane: a hybrid digital and live performance that creates QR activations across Sistrunk and Fort Lauderdale neighborhoods, celebrating Jackie Shane's Black queer legacy.
Island City Stage: produces professional theatrical works that explore LGBTQ themes and bring impactful stories to South Florida audiences.
Kutumba Theatre Project: Reviving Baby GirL: Amplifying Non-Binary Lesbian Voices: a reimagining of Baby GirL, centering a nonbinary lesbian’s journey of love, identity, and belonging through inclusive theatre.
Lesbian Thespians Theater 2025-2026: providing opportunities for lesbian playwrights, directors, and performing artists to showcase scripts with lesbian content.
OUTShine Film Festival: showcasing LGBTQ cinema, building community and advancing representation through the art of film.
Miami Book Fair at Miami Dade College: LGBTQ+ Authors Series: A Bold Commitment to LGBTQ+ Voices: presenting a diverse range of LGBTQ+ authors and programming during Miami Book Fair 2025.
Pioneer Winter Collective, Every Body Dances: Pioneer Winter Collective’s Broward Expansion: a dynamic season of groundbreaking queer dance in Broward County, uniting bold performances with community-centered workshops.
Plays of Wilton: Staging original works and contemporary plays with an emphasis on stories relevant to the LGBTQ community.
South Florida Pride Concert Band: unites musicians of all backgrounds to perform concerts that inspire pride, acceptance and cultural enrichment.
Stonewall National Museum, Library and Archives; preserves and shares LGBTQ history and culture through its extensive collections, exhibitions and educational programs.
The McKenzie Project, Healing Through Expressive Arts and Theater Conservatory: an arts and storytelling program uplifting LGBTQ youth through workshops, public art and a digital archive of lived experiences.
The Pride Center at Equality Park, Arts with Pride, a cultural arts initiative, celebrating LGBTQ lives and stories through music, film, visual art and creative expression.
Thinking Cap Theatre: produces bold and innovative performances that challenge conventions and amplify underrepresented voices, including LGBTQ stories.
Zoetic Stage Inc., “The Inheritance Part 1”, By Matthew López: a landmark production of Matthew López’s The Inheritance Part 1, presented January 8–25, 2026 at the Adrienne Arsht Center in downtown Miami.
