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ABOUT CGACFF

The Cherry Grove Archives Collection Film Festival was established in 2015 as a cinematic celebration of Cherry Grove's proud 170-year history and that of other LGBTQ communities all around the world.

While this summer weekend event is a vital fundraiser for the Archives' operating and digitizing costs, our goal is to bring people together to both educate and celebrate our culture with a bounty of fabulous films.

Our beautiful beach community has supported and nurtured LGBTQ artists, performers and musicians since it began, which is why we are dedicated to presenting films that bring gay history to life. It's vital that we don't forget our past, and by taking a look back at where we've come from, we may have a better vision of the future.

The festival began as a way of sharing the archival films, current documentaries and experimental works that reflect Cherry Grove (Fire Island) from our extraordinary past to our colorful present. The CGACFF also spotlight projects that speak to our unique environment and outrageous community, from film makers everywhere.

The Cherry Grove Archives Committee (CGAC) has diligently been preserving everything from 8 millimeter films to family albums- all donated by members of the community who have graciously decided to share their lives and experiences.

Each CGACFF is a curated collection of documentaries, short films and restored masterpieces that speak to the LGBTQ experience of our beach community and others abroad.

Through our festival we seek to showcase works from queer communities around the globe. We hope to present everything from films about beach life to political activism, films that express individuality and the pursuit of equality.

We are proud to have showcased films such as- "I Always Said Yes: The Many Lives of Wakefield Poole", "Camille", "The Panzi Invasion", "After Louie", "Woman on Fire", "Grove Girls", "Happy Birthday Marsha", "Reel in the Closet" and many more.

Since our first CGACFF in 2016 we have showcased many queer creators and projects that reflect the LGBTQ experience...we are also proud to have screened films from community members like Greg Scarnici, Carl Luss, Parker Sargent, Uzi Parnes, Chris Bogia, George Lyter, Mike Fisher, Stephanie Trudeau, Joyce Callo and Koitz.
We have welcomed guest directors, actors, and writers to discuss their projects and LGBTQ filmmaking. Alan Cummings entertained us with his saucy brand of humor, Tom Bianchi joined us to talk about the importance of preserving the sexuality of our queer communities in the Archives, Brooke Guinan came out to meet the Cherry Grove Fire Department and we had a stimulating discussion with author Esther Newton about her work documenting the history of the Grove.
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