By: Joseph R. Castel
Photos by: JC Olivera Photography
QFilms will hold its 32nd LGBTQ film festival at the 100-year-old Art Deco, Art Theatre in Long Beach from Sept. 4 – 7. Sixty films will screen over four days at the Art Theatre, conveniently adjacent to The LGBTQ Center Long Beach where the festival will hold its opening night reception on Sept. 4th.
One of the films slated for opening night is based on a Long Beach incident. “Plainclothes” focuses on the bathroom entrapment of gay men cruising shopping malls and bathrooms in Long Beach, as featured in a Los Angeles Times article. Lucas (Tom Blyth), is a closeted undercover cop who falls for a married man (Russell Tovey) who he’s entrapped. What begins as a sting operation becomes intimate and volatile, blurring the lines between secrecy and desire, watcher and watched. Plainclothes premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and won a Jury Award.
Another highlight of the festival will be the documentary Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion which showcases the six-decade career of award-winning iconic costume designer, Bob Mackie. For those who aren’t into pop fashion, Mackie is the legendary Hollywood designer to the stars. He’s dressed everyone from Judy Garland (during his historic stint on the Judy Garland Show 1963) to the stars and guest stars on The Cher Show, and the Carol Burnett Show of the 1970s.
Festival goers are in for a royal pop treat as, Mackie, 86, will be participating, in person, in a Q&A with QFilm founder Robert Cano, immediately following the Friday, Sept. 5TH screening. This is definitely a rare opportunity to hear the legendary icon speak about his career.
Mackie also dressed superstar performers such as Elton John, Diana Ross, The Supremes, Tina Turner, Ann-Margret, and Miley Cyrus, for their concert appearances. He even dressed the timeless effervescent Marilyn Monroe in the nude sequined gown (the one Kim Kardashian stretched out at the Met Ball). Monroe wore Mackie’s glamourous nude couture for President Kenney’s 1962 televised scandalous birthday where she sang “Happy Birthday,” drunk, drugged or both.
This bio doc includes interviews with Cher, Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence, Bernadette Peters, and Pink, along with fashion celebrities he has inspired, such as Rupaul, Tom Ford and Zac Posen.
Of course, no Mackie Bob retrospective would be complete without a first-person account of some of his most iconic looks from The Carol Burnett Show’s “Startlett” O’Hara to Cher’s 1986 Academy Awards look with a feathered headdress. And let’s not forget Elton John’s classic LA concert costume where he performed in a dazzling sequined Dodger baseball uniform at Dodger stadium, which was recreated in Elton’s bio pic, Rocket Man.
As a teen, I remember watching Carol Burnett spoofing ‘Gone with the Wind’s” Scarlet O’Hara’s character in the scene where the southern belle rips down the plush green velvet drapes of her war-torn mansion to make herself a gown to impress Rhett Butler. Of course, Mackie brilliantly keeps the drapes attached to the curtain rod on Burnett’s shoulders so the comedian can deliver the now classic line, “I just saw it in the window and had to have it.” This is one Hollywood documentary not to be missed.
For more info on film schedule, tickets, and parking, visit: https://qfilms2025.eventive.org/welcome
About QFilm
For over 30 years, QFilms has been a welcoming space for thousands of movie lovers, industry professionals, and community members, offering thought-provoking screenings, engaging filmmaker Q&As, lively mixers, and exclusive parties. It’s a place where everyone, regardless of their background, can come together to celebrate the power of storytelling and the LGBTQ+ community.
Proceeds from QFilms directly support The LGBTQ Center Long Beach, which has served the community for over 40 years by advancing equity for LGBTQ+ people through culturally responsive advocacy, education, programs, and services.
Each year, The Center supports more than 10,000 individuals through programs such as HIV and STI testing, youth and older adult services, mental health counseling, legal assistance, domestic violence support, and a wide range of support and social groups.