QDoc Film Festival began in Portland in 2006, when Russ Gage and filmmaker David Weissman set out to create a festival devoted entirely to queer nonfiction. Drawing on their experience with San Francisco’s Frameline Film Festival and a shared belief in documentary as a vital record of LGBTQ+ life and history, they presented the first QDoc at the Clinton Street Theater in 2007. Nearly two decades later, QDoc remains the only film festival in the world dedicated specifically to LGBTQ+ documentaries and their makers. Each year, its carefully curated program brings together world premieres, award-winning films from Sundance, Berlin, Tribeca, Hot Docs and other leading festivals, alongside bold new work from emerging filmmakers. Just as important as the films themselves are the conversations that follow. QDoc prioritizes bringing directors, producers and documentary subjects to Portland, giving audiences the rare opportunity to engage directly with the people behind the stories on screen. In 2017, longtime attendees Molly King and Deb Kemp, both lifelong supporters of the arts and seasoned marketers and event producers, took over leadership of the festival, carrying forward the intimate, filmmaker-centered spirit established by its founders. Today, QDoc is both a standout event on Portland’s cultural calendar and a meaningful gathering place for the Pacific Northwest’s LGBTQ+ community, chosen family and allies. Across 18 editions, it has celebrated queer lives in all their complexity, preserved histories too often overlooked and made space for new voices, urgent ideas and genuine connection. In 2026, QDoc marks 20 years since its founding and returns to Cinema 21 from October 23–25.
