Three Dollar Bill Cinema fosters deeper community engagement by showcasing queer film programming, educational experiences, and social dialogue. Q&A is proud to be a partner on one of their three main programs: Seattle Queer Film Festival.

The creative utilizes the classic motif of a filmmaker to showcase the inked typography inside a set of hands framing the scene. The stark white flanking of a sprocketed-edge pride flag made for an eye-catching instant read of the festival theme. This design was used for print marketing and digital campaigns, and our favorite creative production house, kontent partners, put the concept in motion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq3bVt4u8YI

BACKGROUND

Our initial partnership with Three Dollar Bill Cinema began in 2020, during the height of the pandemic and the national cry for deep cultural shifts. Everyone involved in the project lived and/or worked in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, where much of the city’s unrest centered. Q&A’s office is located adjacent to the East Police Precinct and Cal Anderson Park, where thousands gathered that spring and summer to demand a reckoning with racial injustice, homelessness, and the building of a more equitable nation.

EXECUTION

The team at Three Dollar Bill Cinema understood they couldn’t view the festival from the same lens as in the previous 24 years. Although they were celebrating 25 years of queer cinema, it was no time to celebrate‑it was a time to stand strong. A time to support those voices that needed to be amplified and to acknowledge the isolation we were all feeling. Even while most were sequestered in their homes, through the festival we could come together virtually.

Our 2020 concept paid homage to the Winslow Homer painting “Christina’s World,” the epitome of loneliness and a longing to be a part of something greater. We worked closely with illustrator Tom Van Deusen to recreate the scene from the neighborhood. We highlighted demands displayed on posters, buildings, and barricades—some current and some recalling historic struggles that continue to this day.