Join us for our annual event at Auckland Pride Festival - a day of short films, panel discussions and networking. Celebrate queer, lgtbqia+, takatāpui & rainbow voices in the Aotearoa screen industry. Meet like-minded people, watch great films and hear from queer filmmakers about their process. All levels of filmmaking experience are welcome.

When: Sat 21st Feb, 11am - 5pm (come and go as you please!)

Where: The Button Factory, 2 Abbey Street, Auckland CBD (near K Rd)

We are proud to be part of Auckland Pride Festival 2026

SCHEDULE

10:30am - Doors open - Grab a seat, tea and coffee available

11:00am (88 mins) - SHORT FILM SCREENING

6 queer shorts from around the world

AutoErotica: We Buy Gay Stuff | Dir. Jeremy von Stilb | USA | 2025 | English | 17 min

Behind an unassuming "We Buy Gay Stuff" sign in San Francisco's Castro district — complete with a striking leather daddy illustration — lies an unexpected treasure trove of queer history.

On a rural apple orchard, Tomasi and Api navigate their claustrophobic environment and the pressures of masculinity.

Left alone on their farm, a brother and sister's bond is tested when a forbidden boyfriend's arrival ignites hidden desires.

When Adam, a self-absorbed and lonely millennial, wakes one morning to find his estranged half brother on his doorstep, he must face the family he’s been running away from.

Rainbow Girls | Dir. Nana Duffuor | USA | 2025 | English | 16 min

Three young Black trans women decide to take matters into their own hands, staging an audacious heist targeting the city's most exclusive luxury brands.

When Max agrees to catch up with his high-school bully Adam, Max's grudge begins to manifest in horrific ways in a fancy restaurant because, well, revenge is a dish best served cold.

12:40pm (20mins) - Break - Hot drinks and snacks available

1pm (60mins) - PANEL DISCUSSION - Is My Story Queer Because I Am?

Identities like queerness are part of a writer’s lens, regardless of whether the story is exploring queer themes and characters or not. Storytellers identifying openly as queer may bring with it pressure to represent the queer community and give voice to the queer experience. But writers are multi-faceted and queerness is just one aspect of themselves they bring to the work.

Join us for a discussion with writers Todd Karehana (Socks, The River, Ahikāroa), K-Ci Williams (Literally Dead) and Connor Amor-Bendall (The Clitoris Conundrum) as they talk to writer Holly Hudson (Bust Up, Shortland Street, Auckward Love) about the internal and external pressures on queer writers, when their work is ‘queer,’ and how these affect their approach to telling new stories.

2pm (30mins) - Break - Hot drinks and snacks available

2:30pm (60mins) - QUICK CONNECTIONS

Are you looking to meet more queer filmmakers in Tāmaki Makaurau? Are you looking for a queer producer? Do you have a short film idea you want to make but don’t have a team?

Come along to our Quick Connections session at Auckland Pride this year - the not-so-speedy speed-dating event where queer filmmakers get the chance to meet like-minded creatives and potentially their next collaborators. An MC will help participants meet those around them by giving prompts and facilitating discussion.

Quick Connections is a facilitated networking event where we curate a series of 10-minute round tables between participants, with an MC to help spark conversation. Sign up in advance to let us know what types of creatives you’re hoping to connect with and we’ll seat you at tables with potential matches. Walk-ins are welcome. Please arrive 15 mins in advance so we can start promptly at 2:30pm.

Sign up for Quick Connections here

3:30pm (90mins) - CELEBRATE!

Mingle and celebrate another great year for queer film. Drinks and snacks available.

This will also be an opportunity to talk with Proud Voices On Screen about application requirements for the Feature Writers Incubator and Rainbow Shorts.

5:00pm - End!

This event is made possible with the generous support of Auckland Pride Festival, the Rule Foundation Fund and the FNxRF Fund

Contact the host of Proud Voices on Screen at Auckland Pride Festival 2026