After Funding Threats, Desperado LGBTQ+ Film Festival Makes Phoenix Comeback

Arizona’s only LGBTQ+ film festival will return later this month after a wave of community support and local funding revived an event that was nearly canceled amid federal threats over diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

The Desperado LGBTQ+ Film Festival will be held on Jan. 30-31 (updated from Jan. 24-26) at the Third Street Theater in downtown Phoenix, marking a new chapter for the festival that was founded in 2009 at Paradise Valley Community College (PVCC).

The festival was among cultural programs shuttered in early 2025 after federal executive orders from President Trump threatened funding for programs tied to diversity, equity and inclusion. Event organizers announced in July that the 17th annual festival would be canceled, citing fears that continuing could jeopardize federal funding for the college.

LOOKOUT was the first outlet to report on the festival’s closure in July last year, which drew nationwide coverage and condemnation of the school district and the Trump administration. The closure also led the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ film festival, NewFest, to establish a free online festival for Arizonans.

“The college has always been extremely, extremely supportive of the initiative,” said festival co-director Dale Heuser, a faculty member who advises the college's Pride Club that created the festival. “Technically, the executive orders really aren't supposed to impact student clubs, but because we received so much financial support from the college, it kind of put us in a different light.”

For PVCC, that meant not only halting Desperado, but also freezing other cultural events and specialty scholarships. But the announcement sparked an unexpected wave of support.

“We had so much community outreach from people wanting us to keep the festival going,” Heuser said. “The amount of emails that we've received from different organizations offering their theater or help finding grants was really quite astonishing.”

LGBTQ Film Festival Continues After Arizona Ban

With Desperado cancelled due to Maricopa Community College’s capitulation toward Trump, the nation’s largest queer film festival is bringing free virtual screenings to Arizona audiences.

LOOKOUTTuesday Mahrle (she/her)

That response convinced organizers to bring Desperado back as an independent event, separate from the college. The festival secured a grant from the City of Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture, and several local sponsors stepped up to help fill funding gaps.

Finding a venue proved to be the biggest challenge. After multiple recommendations, organizers settled on the Third Street Theater, which is operated by the Phoenix Center for the Arts. The theater recently underwent renovations, including new seating, a new sound system and a new projector.

“One of the challenges for Desperado being at Paradise Valley is that we're so far north, and we've always known that with a central location, we’d do better,” Heuser said. “It's easy parking, and it's right off the light rail. It's also a decent-sized theater that holds around 175 people. It just made sense.”

While past festivals were student-led initiatives, the separation from PVCC means students won't play as large a role in the 2026 event. However, Heuser said organizers made necessary adaptations to keep the festival alive. The 2026 festival will be smaller than in previous years, featuring five film events instead of the typical 10 to 12. Heuser described the decision to downsize as strategic, given the new venue and uncertain market.

“There's a lot of really good films that didn't make the cut, just because we only had a limited number of slots,” Heuser said.

One highlight will be “It’s Dorothy!,” a documentary exploring the cultural connection between “The Wizard of Oz” and the LGBTQ+ community. The film features one-on-one interviews with multiple actors who have played Dorothy over the years. The director, Jeffrey McHale, who has local ties, will attend the screening.

Desperado Film Festival Shutters Amid DEI Policy Changes

Paradise Valley Community College ends Desperado after 16 years, linking the decision to compliance with federal policies against diversity programming.

LOOKOUTTuesday Mahrle (she/her)

“The Wizard of Oz is just such a big part of gay culture,” Heuser said. “The film talks about the whole tie with Judy Garland and the queer community, and how it ties into the Stonewall riots, and it's part of our history.”

Filmmakers who have screened their work at previous Desperado festivals recall the warm reception and sense of community the event fostered.

“Desperado really is a great festival,” said Regan Latimer, director of “Bulletproof: A Lesbian's Guide to Surviving the Plot.” Her film, which explores queer representation on TV and its impact on the LGBTQ+ community, screened during the 16th annual festival. “Events like Desperado give you an opportunity to come together and meet other people like you and you get to see your stories on screen.”

Organizations including Phoenix Pride, Equality Maricopa, Trans Spectrum of Arizona, and the Phoenix Film Festival are helping promote the 2026 event through social media and their networks.

Despite the challenges of operating independently, early response to the festival has been strong. Organizers have already sold nearly 60 all-access passes, an unusually high number for this point before the event. Heuser said they kept the all-access pass price lower than normal to encourage people to try the new venue.

Deborah Craig, co-director of “SALLY!,” a documentary about feminist activist Sally Gearhart that won Best Documentary at the 2025 festival, said the community’s response to save Desperado demonstrates the importance of perseverance.

“When times are hard, we cannot give up hope, and hopefully film festivals help spur that hope,” Craig said.