Reel Out Charlotte is the Queen City's annual LGBTQ film festival and a program of Charlotte Pride. Our film festival showcases the best in LGBTQ-themed short, documentary and feature-length films each year. Charlotte Pride is the leader in LGBTQ visibility in Charlotte and the Carolinas. Since its founding in 2000, Charlotte Pride has expanded its year-round programming and partnerships to better connect community members with its mission, vision, and values. It is now one of the largest LGBTQ Pride organizations in the American Southeast.

Reel Out Charlotte is one of Charlotte’s premier arts and cultural events, which has brought thousands of attendees together to celebrate the artistic, cultural, and historical contributions of LGBTQ and ally individuals, all through the power of film. Each year, we work to strengthen our program by expanding the diversity and subject matter of the films we show. In addition, to enhance the overall experience for filmgoers, we have introduced new features to engage our community, including our new audience awards and free admission events to educational film screenings and panel discussions.

Awards & Prizes

Best Short Film - Viewers' Choice ($500 prize)
Best Short Film - Jury Award ($200 prize)
Best Feature Film - Jury Award ($300 prize)

Rules & Terms

1) Submissions must be about or of interest to the LGBTQ community.
2) Running Time: 16 minutes or less from beginning titles to ending credits for short films; at least 60 minutes running time for feature-length films.
3) Deadline: April 7, 2024. Notification: April 21, 2024.
4) Works-in-progress and rough cuts will not be accepted. Only one submission of each film is accepted.
5) Fees: $25 per submission for short films; $45 per submission for feature-length films.
6) Only one entry per director and/or producer per film submission category.

For all inquiries, please contact film@charlottepride.org
6 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Jacob Roberts

    Wonderful festival. Excellent communication. Thank you for including Half in this year's line-up. I hope to come back in the future, and highly recommend submitting!

    May 2022
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  • Latesha Merkel

    While I couldn't attend in-person, the communication for this festival was top-notch! A wonderful event to be a part of and support. Thank you for showing my film Embrace at this year's festival!

    May 2022
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  • Lucy Collins

    Such a wonderful experience! So honored to have been selected!

    November 2021
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  • WOW FILMS

    Great festival supporting our community! I highly recommend submitting to Reel Out Charlotte!

    May 2019
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  • Asia LeMasters

    My film EVOKE was selected to be a part of Reel Out. I sadly was not able to attend, but the process along the way was wonderful and great exposure for my film. Definitely would recommend submitting!

    July 2018
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