Reel Affirmations (RA) is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

, all-volunteer

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upon ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Founded in 1991 and held every year in mid-October, as of 2011 Reel Affirmations was one of the largest LGBT film festivals (in terms of attendance) in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

's ''

Gay Life Gay Life was a weekly newspaper about LGBT culture, gay culture published by the LGBT Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland. It was distributed in Baltimore, Maryland and throughout the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic re ...

'' newspaper called it "one of the top three films festivals for the entire LGBT community." A 2007 guidebook claims it was one of the largest LGBT film festivals in the world.Yenckel and Frommer, p. 283. A listing of LGBT film festivals claims it is the largest all-volunteer film festival in the world.

Organization

Reel Affirmations is a program of

One In Ten "One in Ten" is a song by British reggae band UB40, released in July 1981 as a single from their second album '' Present Arms''. It became the band's fourth top-ten hit, peaking at number seven on the UK Singles Chart. Background and release ...

, a Washington, D.C.-based LGBT non-profit arts organization. One In Ten is overseen by a board of four officers and nine board members. Until 2009, a full-time, paid executive director oversaw the day-to-day operations of the organization. But as of 2011, its operations were run by the board and three volunteer directors. All One In Ten programs, including Reel Affirmations, are conceived, organized, and implemented by volunteers. Planning for Reel Affirmations begins after the conclusion of each year's festival. Deposits are placed to secure venues, and corporate sponsors are secured (an ongoing process which lasts until August). Programming teams for

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

s, women's

shorts Shorts are a garment worn over the human pelvis, pelvic area, circling the waist and splitting to cover the upper part of the legs, sometimes extending down to the knees but not covering the entire length of the leg. They are called "shorts" b ...

, men's shorts, and

documentaries A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in term ...

begin researching and screening films in February. Films are secured by contract beginning as early as May, although most contracts are not finalized until early July. A coordinating committee oversees implementation of

VIP A very important person or personage (VIP or V.I.P.) is a person who is accorded special privileges due to their high social status, influence or importance. The term was not common until sometime after World War 2 by RAF pilots. Examples incl ...

relations, hospitality, volunteer coordination, marketing,

embassy A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...

relations,

public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. P ...

, and other aspects of the film festival. Most funding for Reel Affirmations comes from corporate sponsorships and ticket sales. Additional support comes from

grants Grant or Grants may refer to: Places *Grant County (disambiguation) Australia * Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia United Kingdom *Castle Grant United States * Grant, Alabama *Grant, Inyo County, C ...

provided by the D.C. city government. Reel Affirmations previously sponsored a two-day film festival which coincided with Capital Pride. The program began sponsoring monthly film screenings titled RA Xtra beginning in 2000,''Reel Affirmations 15 Program Guide.'' Washington, D.C.: One In Ten, 2005. but stopped these events after RA15 in 2005. RA Xtra resumed in November 2010. The organization also formerly sponsored "Divas Outdoors", a two-movie outdoor screening of classic gay-related movies at

Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens is a decorative arts museum in Washington, D.C., United States. The former residence of businesswoman, socialite, philanthropist and collector Marjorie Merriweather Post, Hillwood is known for its large decorativ ...

, the former home of Marjorie Merriweather Post (heiress to the

Post cereal Post Consumer Brands (previously Post Cereals and Postum Cereals; also known as simply "Post") is an American breakfast cereal manufacturer headquartered in Lakeville, Minnesota. The company, founded in 1895 by C. W. Post, owns a large portfoli ...

fortune).Najafi, Yusef. "One in Ten's Debt." ''Metro Weekly.'' March 25, 2010.
/ref>

History

Early years

Reel Affirmations was co-founded by Barry Becker, Mark Betchkal, Matthew Cibellis and Keith Clark,

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

residents of Washington, D.C., who wished to found a gay arts organization.Plowman, Terry. "Rehoboth Beach Film Fest Makes A Splash at the Box Office." ''Delaware Today.'' October 2000.
Accessed 2012-04-22. They began meeting in 1990, and founded the LGBT arts organization

, with Reel Affirmations as the organization's first program.* Howe, Desson. "Gay and Lesbian Festival." ''Washington Post.'' October 16, 1992. The four sought the advice and input of

Frameline The Frameline Film Festival (aka San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival) (formerly San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival; San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival) began as a storefront event in 1976. The first ...

, then the largest LGBT gay film festival in the U.S. With financial and administrative assistance from Frameline, the first Reel Affirmations film festival opened on October 11, 1991. The first festival venue was the Biograph Theater in Georgetown. The 10-day festival screened 62

short subject A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

s and

to 2,500 attendees. The opening night film was ''My Father Is Coming'', and the closing night film was ''

Together Alone ''Together Alone'' is the fourth studio album by New Zealand-Australian recording artists Crowded House. It was released in October 1993 and was their first album to feature multi-instrumentalist Mark Hart as a full band member. Unlike the band' ...

''. In 1992, the festival expanded to screen its opening night film at the Cineplex Odeon Embassy Theatre in the District. Author

Armistead Maupin Armistead Jones Maupin, Jr. ( ) (born May 13, 1944) is an American writer notable for ''Tales of the City'', a series of novels set in San Francisco. Early life Maupin was born in Washington, D.C., to Diana Jane (Barton) and Armistead Jones Maup ...

opened the festival. RA2 screened 76 short and feature-length works shown at the Biograph. The following year, the festival screened 24 features and 44 shorts and added screenings at the

Goethe-Institut The Goethe-Institut (, GI, en, Goethe Institute) is a non-profit German cultural association operational worldwide with 159 institutes, promoting the study of the German language abroad and encouraging international cultural exchange and ...

and

Charles Sumner School The Charles Sumner School, established in 1872, was one of the earliest schools for African Americans in Washington, D.C. Named for the prominent abolitionist and United States Senator Charles Sumner, the school became the first teachers' college ...

. With the film festival on firm financial footing, Frameline did not provide administrative and financial support for RA3. The festival continued to expand in 1994, screening 130 films and dropping smaller venues (Biograph, Sumner School) while adding larger ones (such as the West End 1-4 cinema). The festival also conducted a screening at the

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is an art museum beside the National Mall, in Washington, D.C., the United States. The museum was initially endowed during the 1960s with the permanent art collection of Joseph H. Hirshhorn. It was des ...

—one of the first gay events to be held in a

federal Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

building. 1994 was also the year the festival scored its first U.S premiere. By its fifth anniversary in 1995, Reel Affirmations was the fourth-largest LGBT film festival in the United States in attendance, with more than 12,000 attendees. Although the festival screened only 102 films that year, it expanded to a fifth large venue (the AMC Courthouse Theatre in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

). A year later, it dropped two of its smaller venues in favor of the 275-seat Goldman Theatre in the D.C.

Jewish Community Center A Jewish Community Center or a Jewish Community Centre (JCC) is a general recreational, social clubs, social, and Fraternal and service organizations, fraternal organization serving the Jewish community in a number of cities. JCCs promote Jewish ...

Dupont Circle Dupont Circle (or DuPont Circle) is a traffic circle, park, neighborhood and historic district in Northwest Washington, D.C. The Dupont Circle neighborhood is bounded approximately by 16th Street NW to the east, 22nd Street NW ...

Lincoln Theatre years

Reel Affirmations' growth led it to move out of the Cineplex Odeon Embassy and West End theaters in 1998. The film fest moved into the 1,200-seat historic Lincoln Theatre located near U and 14th Streets, N.W. RA8 screened more than 140 feature films, shorts and documentaries at the two venues. 1999 was a turning point for Reel Affirmations. Several years of declining attendance by women led festival director Sarah Kellogg to create a special women's program. The event, known as the Women Filmmakers Brunch, has continued ever since and features women filmmakers, screenings, and a discussion of films with particular appeal to women. RA9 also was the only LGBT film festival of the season to screen '' Boys Don't Cry''. The award-winning film debuted in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, screened at Reel Affirmations, and then opened in theaters nationwide. In honor of the festival's continuing success, the

Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance The Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance (GLAA) of Washington, D.C. is a United States nonprofit organization, not-for-profit organization that works to secure legal rights for gays and lesbians in the District of Columbia. GLAA is a non-partisan ad ...

bestowed its 2004 Distinguished Service Award on Reel Affirmations festival director Sarah Kellogg."GLAA Announces 2004 Distinguished Service Awards."
Press release.

. February 23, 2004. Accessed January 2, 2008. In 2006, RA 16 screened more than 100 movies to more than 30,000 attendees during its 10-day run.

Post-2008 festival

In 2008, in addition to the Lincoln Theatre, the film festival used several locations including the

, Sixth & I Synagogue, and Landmark E Street Cinema (all in Washington, D.C.), as well as the

AFI Silver AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center or commonly known as AFI Silver is a three-screen movie theater complex in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, north of Washington, D.C. Its main auditorium hosts the DC Metro area's third-largest commercial ...

theater in

Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially unincorporated, in practice it is an edge city, with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 censu ...

.Chibbaro, Jr., Lou. "'Reel' Debt Delays Festival." ''Washington Blade.'' August 2, 2010.
/ref> In 2009, Reel Affirmations struck a relationship with the

Shakespeare Theatre Company The Shakespeare Theatre Company is a Regional theater in the United States, regional theatre company located in Washington, D.C. The theatre company focuses primarily on plays from the William Shakespeare, Shakespeare canon, but its seasons inc ...

. The film festival did not use the Lincoln Theatre, holding its larger film screenings at the company's

Sidney Harman Hall Sidney Harman Hall is a theater at Sixth and F Streets NW in Washington, D.C. It is part of the Harman Center for the Arts, along with the Lansburgh Theatre. It is the home of the Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC). Built for $89 million, the bui ...

. Festival executive director Margaret Murray left in November 2009 after four years as RA head—leaving the festival with about $40,000 in debt.Geidner, Chris. "Spring Affirmations." ''Metro Weekly.'' July 30, 2010.
/ref> According to the ''

Washington Blade The ''Washington Blade'' is a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) newspaper in the Washington metropolitan area. The ''Blade'' is the oldest LGBT newspaper in the United States and third largest by circulation, behind the ''Philadelphi ...

'', an LGBTQ newspaper in D.C., a number of factors were responsible for the debt: A diminishing number of corporate sponsors, the timing of Murray's resignation (just as donor recruitment was beginning for the following year), lack of preparation by RA for Murray's departure, an increasing number of popular LGBTQ events competing with the festival in October, fewer advertisers in the festival's program booklet, poor weather during several days of the 2009 festival, discontinuation of the festival's VIP program (which left it dependent on single ticket sales), and a heavy drop in single ticket sales. Many board members left the organization, new board members were recruited, and three volunteers took over RA's day-to-day operations. In July 2010, RA organizers announced that the film festival would move from October 2010 to April 2011 because of funding shortfalls. One news source reported that RA organizers had intended to hold an October film festival, but a community fundraiser brought in only $5,000—far less than hoped, and not enough to allow an October festival to occur. The move to April was prompted, in part, by the hope that a $75,000 D.C. government grant would allow the festival to occur. However, on March 8, 2011, RA officials cancelled the April event because of continuing heavy debt and because several grants had not been awarded to the organization.O'Bryan, Will. "October Affirmations." ''Metro Weekly.'' March 8, 2011.
/ref> Festival organizers scheduled the 20th Reel Affirmations LGBTQ film festival for October 13–22, 2011. Additional changes occurred during the 20th film festival. The film festival no longer held events at the Shakespeare Theatre Company. The primary film festival venue was

Lisner Auditorium Lisner Auditorium is a performance venue sited on the Foggy Bottom campus of The George Washington University, at 730 21st Street Northwest, Washington, D.C. Named for Abram Lisner (1852-1938), a university trustee and benefactor whose will provide ...

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

(GWU). Other venues included GWU's Documentary Center, GWU's Marvin Center Amphitheatre,

Atlas Performing Arts Center The Atlas Performing Arts Center is a multiple space performing arts facility located on H Street in the Near Northeast neighborhood of Washington, DC. Housed in a renovated Art Deco movie house, the facility is home to several arts organizatio ...

, the FHI 360 Globe Theater, and the West End Cinema (one of the original venues for the film festival in the early 1990s).Miller, Shauna. "Affirming Images." ''Express Night Out.'' October 13, 2011.
Accessed 2012-04-22.Ebner, Juliette. "D.C.'s Gay Film Festival Rebounds After Tumultuous Off Year." ''Washington Blade.'' October 13, 2011.
Accessed 2012-04-22. The festival also instituted an "Embassy Screening Series," in which LGBTQ films from a specific country were screened at that nation's embassy in Washington, D.C. Screenings occurred at the Embassy of Israel and Embassy of France, and by the Embassy of Germany at the Goethe-Institut. The Women and Filmmakers' Brunch continued to be held, although the venue was now the U.S. Navy Memorial Heritage Center's Arleigh Burke Theater. Festival volunteer coordinator Mark Heckathorn estimated that the festival would draw 20,000 attendees in 2011. Reel Affirmations continued to recover from its financial crisis in 2012. In March 2012, it held an "Oscar Party" (with muscular men covered in gold welcoming patrons) in which the public was invited to view the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

s in a gay-friendly setting. Reel Affirmations hosted a truncated four-day festival (November 1–4) in 2012. Once more, its venues changed. The festival returned to its long-time venue at the D.C. Jewish Community Center and the Goethe Institut as well as its RA Xtra venue at the

Carnegie Institution for Science The Carnegie Institution of Washington (the organization's legal name), known also for public purposes as the Carnegie Institution for Science (CIS), is an organization in the United States established to fund and perform scientific research. Th ...

."Reel Affirmations Returns." ''Washington Blade.'' November 1, 2012.
Accessed 2012-11-07.

End of annual festival

Reel Affirmations ceased to offer an annual film festival at the conclusion of the 2012 event. One In Ten turned the Reel Affirmations program over to The DC Center, a nonprofit organization offering several different programs to the local LGBTQ community. The DC Center reestablished the RA Xtra program of monthly film screenings, which it offered beginning in 2015. Reel Affirmations planned a three-day film festival for August 28–30, 2015, at the Gala Hispanic/Tivoli Theatre.

Awards

Reel Affirmations presents four major awards each year. Each award is bestowed based on audience balloting. Honors are given for Best Feature, Best Documentary, Best Male Short, and Best Female Short. Beginning in 2011, Reel Affirmations added two new awards. These included a First Time Director and a Best International Movie award.
''

Metro Weekly ''Metro Weekly'' is a free weekly magazine for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community in Washington, D.C., United States. It was first published on May 5, 1994. ''Metro Weekly'' includes national and local news, interviews w ...

.'' October 24, 2011. Accessed 2012-03-31. Reel Affirmations formerly distributed a Plant-A-Seed filmmaker grant at the end of each festival. The grant was established in 2000. It was supported by audience donations and a silent auction held throughout each year's festival, and varied in amount from year to year. The grant was awarded by the One In Ten board to a filmmaker or filmmakers who had previously produced a feature film, short or documentary, and was intended to help the filmmaker complete a current work in progress. This grant was discontinued in 2008. The festival re-established its filmmaker's grant award in 2011, renaming it the Keith Clark & Barry Becker Filmmaker Award (in honor of the co-founders of the festival).

References

Bibliography

*Dickey, Jeff. ''The Rough Guide to Washington, D.C.'' London: Rough Guides, 2011. *Yenckel, Jim and Frommer, Pauline. ''Pauline Frommer's Washington D.C.'' Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley, 2007.

External links

Reel Affirmations

One In Ten, the parent organization of Reel Affirmations
{{good article American film awards Film festivals in Washington, D.C. LGBT events in Washington, D.C. LGBT film awards LGBT film festivals in the United States Film festivals established in 1991 1991 establishments in Washington, D.C.