All the goss behind our fundraising film series
Hopefully you’ve noticed that Wellington Pride Festival is hosting a movie screening every month! We talk to one of the event’s co creators - committee member and all around sweetheart Steven S about what we’re up to.
Why are we doing film fundraisers as part of Wellington Pride Festival?
By popular demand, of course! Feedback from our survey on the 2025 Festival was that people wanted more films and queer culture! So what better way to raise some funds for the 2026 Festival!
Having run a couple now, we have also seen how these film fundraisers are a way to get our community and our allies together. It’s been so much fun!
How are you choosing the movies, and why the heck aren’t you screening them in a movie theatre?
The criteria are secret, of course, but it’s actually mostly through word of mouth. Me and others in the Pride Festival Committee have been talking about this endlessly, with each other and our friends. We are looking for queer content, of course, but particularly depicting moments in queer herstory or exploring queer themes. We want these fundraisers to be IN the community, in places where we go to congregate and support us. Plus, it gives us room to make them full-blown experiences.
For example, we screened Cabaret at a cabaret (Ivy Bar), and I had so much fun dressing up in theme to host it alongside legendary drag king King Markiss.
Then we brought together a full collectivist experience for Pride (the 2014 movie) by putting it on at two/fiftyseven, a community-focused work and event space, where we brought in the PSA union, protest singers, had a craft stall and ran a bake sale!
The For Future’s Sake Choir teach us the old union song ‘Solidarity Forever’
What do you have planned coming up for us?
The next few movies are super-exciting! We have The Hunger coming up in September - for our queer horror fans. It’s going to be at Underworld Tavern - it doesn’t get more dark and creepy than that! And then a camp classic, The Birdcage in October, at none other than Scotty & Mal’s Cocktail Bar! We may or may not be working with an old school drag queen for the evening ;)
I wanna support your fundraising efforts! How can I get involved?
There are lots of things you can do. Firstly, come to our movies, spread the word and bring your friends!
But also, it takes a village to run a festival, so hit us up at the Pride Committee if you want to donate your time, skills or money!
if you run a venue and reckon a movie would work at your place let us know! Plus we’re always looking for prizes to give away too.
Sponsorship is tight in this economy and we need all the help we can get, especially if you have experience with fundraising or connections to potential donors.
And of course we’re also looking for courtroom supporters for our HRRT legal case.
2026 is the 40th anniversary of the original Newtown Gay and Lesbian Fair AND the 40th anniversary of homosexual law reform in New Zealand, and I’ll give you a hint: it’s not a coincidence they happened together in the same year!
