Featured Directors

Carla Elizabeth Hernandez

Carla's Journey

Carla Hernandez is the child of Salvadoran parents who immigrated to Canada. Her directorial debut, Queer Fear, premiered at TAG! in 2020 and was an official selection at Kaleidoscope, Reelout, and Queerbee festivals to name a few.

Queer Fear

Carla's piece is a deeply personal film that illustrates the long search for self-acceptance that reached a crisis point during the pandemic.

Through our collaboration with YouthSeen/La Conextion, we were able to get a closer perspective directly from Carla on being a first-time filmmaker of color and on the life experiences that inform their art.

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James Quedado

From Actor to Director

Bay Area artist James Quedado is one of several successful TAG! directors who made the leap from acting to directing. James is best known for his role in the 2002 gay romance Under One Roof directed by Todd Wilson.

Chinx

James joined us live in 2019 for the screening of his first festival short, Chinx. This film is a poingnant representation of the racism and stereotyping that are rampant on gay dating apps and it draws on his own hurtful experiences in those virtual spaces.

James joined TAG! and our partners at YouthSeen/La Conextion in 2020 for a live chat about his film and we've made it available for you to watch now!

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Janaya Greene

From Actor to Screenwriter

Janaya Greene is a Chicago-born screenwriter who wrote the award-winning short film Veracity while still in high school. The film was shown on Showtime and Hulu and can now be streamed on Amazon Video.

Black Media Access

Now a freelance writer and motivational speaker, Janaya is passionate about giving voice to queer Black experience and building community.

Janaya joined fellow Chicago organizer and creative Adam McMath for a discussion on the challenges and potential for Black artists in the film industry hosted by TAG! and YouthSeen/La Conextion.

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Quincy Woo

Local Portland Talent

Quincy Woo is a filmmaker and photographer based in TAG!'s hometown of Portland, Oregon where he supports local businesses and other independent filmmakers. Quincy's film Midnight Rhythms was a TAG! 2022 Official Selection.

Midnight Rhythms

Portland becomes a character in Woo's Midnight Rhythms. Quincy and the crew weave the City of Roses with thoughtful ease into this multi-layered tale of self-loathing and inner work. The film features Quincy's original poetry exploring intersectional queer experience in a space that is not always welcoming:

Sometimes I find myself seeking shallow interactions. Drinking in the conversations;
getting drunk on pleasantries.
Playing along with the charade.
Eventually, I shun the blaring warning signs,
ignore the thoughts taxing my mind,
let misplaced trust numb it with time;
'cause shallow is better than empty.

Clarice Teh

Finding Expression

Clarice Teh is a Singapore-based multidisciplinary artist whose work explores queerness, relationships, and culture. Their film Glimpse was an Official Selection for TAG! 2022.

Taking a Look at Glimpse

A partly experimental, partly conversation-less documentary, Glimpse is an exploration of gender performance and identity. With its vibrant colors and sweet transitions, this short emblazons without uttering a word, the importance, or perhaps the silliness, or perhaps the weight of gender and how it influences our identity from how we dress to how we think of ourselves . We are invited to witness their exuberance and cheekiness, which results in a lovely viewing experience.

Ryan Luis Fuller

Emerging Queer Artist

Ryan Luis Fuller (all pronouns) is a California-based creator. Their experimental nonfiction piece I Fell Asleep Upside Down and Let the Blood Rush to my Head was an Official Selection for TAG! 2022.

Complicating Queer Narratives

TAG! directors often challenge mainstream narrative and aesthetic traditions. Ryan takes us on an intense sensory journey through their sexual awakening. With images and soundscapes that alternate between jarring and vulnerable, they paint a trajectory of emerging sexuality that lands far from the Love, Simon-style representation of queer adolescence with gritty vignettes that juxtapose desire, connection, and pleasure with confusion, trauma, and a world eager to exploit queer brown bodies. As Ryan told us, "sex and love can be confusing for some at a young age like myself and I wanted to capture this moment of time where I was at my lowest..."

Atlas O. Phoenix

Visionary and Auteur

Atlas O. Phoenix (they/them/theirs), is an award-winning director, writer, producer, actor, and editor who creates films that are dark, powerful, and emotive. The film adaptation of their stage piece Do I Qualify for Love? was a TAG! 2022 Official Selection.

Film as a Force for Good

Atlas shared their thoughts with TAG! about their 2022 submission:

"At this point in my filmmaking journey, as I embrace becoming transmasculine, in my 50's, I want to create films that not only explore the darkness of my soul; I want to examine its flight to the light. Queer auteurs are an enormous inspiration to me, because our stories are powerful and are about overcoming obscene social obstacles based on our sexual orientations and gender expressions. For some of us, this includes a radical bias towards the color of our skin, both outside and within our collective community. If we are vigilant about rejecting tropes, cliches, and tokenism, queer cinema will continue to evolve into a powerful and inspiring force for good in the world.

Atlas is currently producing a new project, Beautiful Boi. Learn more about it!