Lisa Dettmer, Host and Co-Founder of KPFA Women’s Magazine interviewed QWOCMAP’s Executive Director Madeleine Lim and Managing Director Kebo Drew about our 22nd annual International Queer Women of Color Film Festival.
“SF Frameline, QWOCMAP and remembering Jill Lessing.” Broadcast June 8, 2026
“You have to be able to imagine a better world to get to a better world. And so this is one of those times where we get to watch films that look at the issues that are definitely very much on our minds all the time, and we get to think about what types of world we want.”
Listen to the interview in KPFA: https://kpfa.org/episode/womens-magazine-june-8-2026/
Or in Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXDnIopO8t8
Dennis Harvey highlighted the 22nd Festival in his “Screen Grabs” roundup column in 48 Hills.
“Screen Grabs: Audre Lorde rises again at Queer Women of Color Film Fest”
Published June 7, 2026.
“Features include a revival of the award-winning 1995 A Litany for Survival: The Life and Work of Audre Lorde, a portrait of the late (in her words) “Black, lesbian, feminist, mother, warrior poet” whose principle subject was social injustice in all forms; and a new documentary, Quba!, which looks at the oppressive past history and improving current state of LGBTQ rights in Cuba. Some filmmakers will be present at the Presidio Theater’s on-site screenings in SF, and the festival is not just free (though online ticket registration is required), but takes pains to be accessible for a full range of patrons with disability issues.”
Read the article: https://48hills.org/2026/06/screen-grabs-audre-lorde-rises-again-at-queer-women-of-color-film-fest/
SF/Arts published a spotlight about our 22nd annual International Queer Women of Color Film Festival, written by Sura Wood.
“2026 International Queer Women of Color Film Festival”
Published May 29, 2026
Read the article: https://www.sfarts.org/event/2026-international-queer-women-of-color-film-festival-2oVN37eKMziSaNbcvzQwfP
“Among the 47 offerings by queer women, nonbinary and trans filmmakers of color are: a newly restored print of “A Litany for Survival: The Life and Work of Audre Lord,” an award-winning 1995 portrait, spanning the fifty-year career of a queer black feminist/activist icon; ¡Quba!, directed by Kim Anno, a Bay Area-based queer black Japanese American artist and filmmaker, exploring Cuba’s rocky road towards LGBTQ+ equality; and, Ebony Marie Bailey’s “Hannah Mayree: Songs of Reclamation,” a short in which a musician and community organizer reclaims the banjo’s Black roots by building instruments from scratch.”
Frank Sterling, Host of Full Circle on 94.1 KPFA interviewed QWOCMAP’s Executive Director Madeleine Lim and Managing Director Kebo Drew about our 22nd annual International Queer Women of Color Film Festival.
“Full Circle.” Broadcast May 29, 2026.
“Those of us who are queer and trans in our families and in our culture, we have had to build those bridges and be those bridges. And so that really is what our film festival is… it’s a space that centers our experiences as queer and trans people of color. And then we invite everyone to come and celebrate with us.”
Listen to the interview in KPFA: https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=478575
Or on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXDnIopO8t8
The San Francisco Bay Times published an article about QWOCMAP and our 22nd annual International Queer Women of Color Film Festival, written by Kristie Song.
“QWOCMAP’s Programming Upholds Queer, Trans Communities Amidst San Francisco’s Unraveling Arts Landscape”
Published May 21, 2026
Read the article: https://sfbaytimes.com/qwocmaps-programming-upholds-queer-trans-communities-amidst-san-franciscos-unraveling-arts-landscape/
“What lies ahead for San Francisco’s eclectic, radical art spheres remains murky; but organizations like the Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (QUOCMAP) are not waiting passively for things to change. They are charting their own resilient and resistant paths forward.
Since 2000, the San Francisco-based nonprofit has carved out its own liberatory imprint, pressing into the city a transformative, inclusive film space where LBTQIA+ people of color create and have their stories amplified.
QWOCMAP has led free filmmaking workshops and fellowships that provide accessible resources for queer and trans people of all skill levels, and continues to host an international film festival that platforms revolutionary, defiant, and joyful narratives of queer and trans Indigenous folks, Black people, Muslims, disabled community members, and other LBTQIA+ people of color from around the world. The festival is also ranked in the top 3 most accessible film festivals in the world, and, of those, is one of two that offers audio descriptions for every film screened. ”
In June 2025, our founding Executive/Artistic Director Madeleine Lim had the honor of receiving a Pride Commendation from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
Supervisor Connie Chan presented this recognition during Pride Month for Madeleine’s accomplishments as an award-winning filmmaker and 25 years of building QWOCMAP – Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project.
In her speech, Madeleine shared the story many of you know – how being among a few queer woman of color at film festivals led her to ask: “If we are not the ones telling our own stories, who will?”
Listen to the speech on Instagram or Facebook, or read the transcript below.
“For about 2 or 3 years, at every Film Festival that I attended, whether it was LGBTQ film festival, or people of color film festival, or human rights film festival, I found myself among one handful of queer women of color filmmakers. And it occurred to me, if we are not the ones telling our own stories, our own lives, our own communities, our own experiences, who will?
I knew as an independent filmmaker I would make one film every 3-5 years because of the fundraising involved. But I knew if I taught filmmaking, I could teach an art form that is so expensive, that has an economic barrier associated with it. In one year, if I have 40 participants, in 10 years I would have had 400 participants.
In 25 years, we have had over 500 films created by our queer women of color, nonbinary transgender people of color communities. 500 plus films. No other arts institution in the world has this collection of films about our community.
I was so not trying to start a nonprofit. I was really trying to make change, and it happened to be through film and teaching.
We just presented our annual Film Festival, it was our 21st Queer Women of Color Film Festival a couple of weeks ago at the Presidio Theatre. We had over 1,500 people come through the 3 days. We screened over 49 films through 7 screening programs.
It took us 20 years to grow our organizational budget to $500,000. 20 years. Because racism, sexism, homophobia are blatant in fundraising. Queer women of color are constantly perceived as a niche within a niche within a niche, when in fact we are really bridges. When that happens, our lives are devalued, our work dismissed.
This years marks our 25th anniversary of our organization. It’s a huge milestone for us. However, in March unfortunately we had a grant, two grants actually, from the San Francisco Human Rights Commission cancelled.
$500,000 is half of our organizational budget. It was not fair, it was wrong, it was unjust, and unfortunately there is no recourse. It would have supported a 2nd year of our queer and trans Black filmmakers artist fellowship. No similar program exists in the entire country, except here in San Francisco at QWOCMAP. The second grant would have supported a queer and trans apprenticeship program. It would…both grants would have developed workforce, would have been workforce development.
There were 38 organizations that got their grants cancelled. They were all people of color led organizations that served people of color communities.
So San Francisco is a beacon, shining brightly globally. This beacon is made up of hundreds of diverse, multiple lights. Lights that are our grassroots community-based nonprofit organizations that provide a much-needed anchor, especially right now during this tumultuous, unpredictable, stormy period. Hundreds of local lights coming together to create this global beacon that we live and call home in San Francisco.
I implore you, support your local anchor arts and culture organization. QWOCMAP is queer-led, immigrant-led, people of color led. Protect the most vulnerable among us. Because if we don’t, who will?
We are celebrating Pride. To be honest, my heart is heavy. These budget cuts have had an emotional, physical, mental impact toll on all of us. We have been operating on reserves all year. It’s our 25th anniversary and I am afraid that our doors might not stay open after this year.
So thank you for this recognition, it is much appreciated, and happy Pride everyone.”
The San Francisco Bay Times published an article about QWOCMAP’s 25th anniversary, written by Managing Director T. Kebo Drew, CFRE.
“Why Our Stories Matter More Than Ever: QWOCMAP at 25”
Published June 12, 2025
Read the article: https://sfbaytimes.com/why-our-stories-matter-more-than-ever-qwocmap-at-25/
“Our film festival is unique: it’s completely free, fully accessible, and open to everyone, with ASL interpretation, audio description, open captions, and COVID-conscious protocols. We believe our community deserves good things—including the chance to see ourselves as the complex, powerful people we’ve always been.
Queer and trans stories have survived book burnings and budget cuts, library raids, and legislative attacks. Our dreams will survive what’s coming. When we’re erased from the status quo version of history, we stitch fragments of the past into vibrant new stories. When someone attempts to silence us, we sing louder. When they try to steal our futures, we dream bigger, brighter, bolder.
Come dream with us. All of our lives depend on it.”
KPFA’s Womens Magazine broadcasted an interview with founder and Executive/Artistic Director Madeleine Lim about our 21st annual International Queer Women of Color Film Festival.
“Celebrate Queer Pride with SF Frameline and QWOCMAP film festivals”
Published June 9, 2025
Listen to interview here: https://kpfa.org/episode/womens-magazine-june-9-2025/
“This Monday June 9th at 1-2pm pm on KPFA Radio’s Women’s Magazine I will be talking about the two most important Queer film festivals in the U.S., the San Francisco Frameline LGBTQI + film festival and QWOCMAP…In the second half of the show I talk to Madeleine Lim, founder and executive director of the Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project or QWOCMAP. QWOCMAP presents their 21st annual International Queer Women of Color Film Festival this year and it is offered for free, and runs from June 13th-15th at San Francisco’s historic Presidio Theatre in the Presidio National Park. And we talk to Kirthi Nath who is an award winning South Asian lesbian filmmaker, whose lushly beautiful and touching film PARAMITA is being featured at QWOCMAP. For more info check out the website at qwocmap.org/festival."
The SF/Arts posted about our 21st annual International Queer Women of Color Film Festival.
“2025 International Queer Women of Color Film Festival”
Published June 2025
Read the article: https://sfarts.org/event/2025-international-queer-women-of-color-film-festival-51YbMCK3QSGSx25zBsh1qK
“The fest’s theme, “Fierce Determination,” says it all about a carefully curated program embracing an array of subject matter, relationships, travails, cultures and fights against adversity with an emphasis on variety and self-acceptance– on earth and other places. Take futuristic excursions like “Mother of the Closet,” where a queer black student and her lover are transported to another dimension, and “I Am Glitching,” in which a robot designed for peak perfection finds beauty in flaws.”
48 Hills published an article about QWOCMAP’s first-ever satellite screening of our International Queer Women of Color Film Festival—Queer Asian World Cinema, part of San Francisco’s first Chinatown Pride celebration.
“BIG WEEK: First-ever Chinatown Pride procession presents local heritage, al fresco drag”
Published May 21, 2025
Read the article: https://48hills.org/2025/05/big-week-first-ever-chinatown-pride-procession-presents-local-heritage-al-fresco-drag/?ref=newsletters.48hills.org
“This first-time special Chinatown Pride, Bay Area QTAPI week, and AANHPI Heritage Month program by International Queer Women of Color Film Festival was so popular it sold out well in advance—but never fear, because the selection of shorts is available for free online! Thusly, you will not have to miss out on such gems as Myra Angeline Soriaso’s A Catholic Schoolgirl, in which a young Filipina pines for a nun, nor the heartbreak of Bùi Phương Thảo’s Mom, I just broke up with a girl.
