Reel Resistance Fellowship

Where Queer History Meets Art & ACTIVISM

In 1969, just weeks after Stonewall, Atlanta made its own mark on LGBTQ+ history. A police raid on a screening of Lonesome Cowboys—an experimental Andy Warhol film exploring homoeroticism and gender nonconformity—targeted members of our community and sparked a wave of resistance. That night helped give rise to the Georgia Gay Liberation Front and eventually led to the founding of Atlanta Pride.

Today, as attempts to erase LGBTQ+ voices from our classrooms and cultural records grow louder, Out On Film and the Atlanta Pride Committee are reclaiming that spirit of defiance through storytelling.

Introducing the Reel Resistance Short Film Fellowship

The Reel Resistance Fellowship is a six-month program designed to empower LGBTQ+ filmmakers across Georgia to explore and document our community’s rich and complex history through short-form documentaries and narrative films.

Each year, up to five filmmakers—emerging or established—will be selected to create 8–10 minute films that spotlight pivotal people, places, and movements that have shaped queer life in Georgia.

Fellows will receive:

  • A $3,000 production stipend (distributed in two phases)

  • Mentorship from filmmakers, historians, archivists, and civil rights leaders

  • Access to research materials and community networks

  • A premiere screening of completed work in June 2026

These films will serve as living archives—works of “artivism” that not only reflect the past but help shape the future.

Fellowship Kickoff Summit: August 1–2, 2025

The program will launch with a two-day summit in Atlanta, bringing together filmmakers, LGBTQ+ civil leaders, archivists, and scholars for panels, workshops, and community-building sessions.

Anyone interested in learning more or engaging with the themes of the fellowship is welcome to attend—registration is encouraged but not required to apply.

This project is funded in part by grants from The Community Corps, South Arts, and Larch Creative Fund, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and Georgia Council for the Arts.

Applications Open in August

Join us in preserving our stories, honoring our history, and resisting through art. Join the newsletter to be notified when applications open.

Tell the story. Be the resistance.