San Francisco Transgender Film Festival

1997
High contrast white and black text of the film festival name, website, location, and date, against a blue background.

High contrast white and black text of the film festival name, website, location, and date, against a blue background.

Type of festival
transgender  
Location

San Francisco, California, United States of America

Images
Shawna Virago stands in front of a microphone on a dark stage, strumming a sparkly-red guitar. She is wearing a short black sleeveless dress paired with black gloves and red lipstick. She has short platinum-white hair and a shoulder tattoo.
High contrast white and black text of the film festival name, website, location, and date, against a blue background.
History

Founded in 1997 and originally named Tranny Fest, the San Francisco Transgender Film Festival (SFTFF) was North America's first transgender film festival. Originally a biennial event, SFTFF screened films and videos by transgender and gender variant media artists whose work challenged stereotypes. As a result of overwhelming audience demand the festival became an annual event in 2005.

San Francisco Transgender Film Festival. “Mission & History.” Accessed July 11, 2022. https://sftff.org/about-us/mission/.

Tranny Fest: Transgender and Transgenre Cinema was held in San Francisco, California, on November 22, 1997. It has been operating continuously from 1997 through the present—annually from 1997 to 1999, then biennially to 2005, and annually since then. In 2011, the festival changed its name to the San Francisco Transgender Film Festival.

Festival Workers
Festival Editions