Resisting Narratives of Erasure Alumni in the Spotlight at CINEQUEER 2026

We are thrilled to celebrate two of our own at this year's CINEQUEER: A Queer Film Night!

Visionary Justice StoryLab proudly partners annually with Southern Fried Queer Pride — an Atlanta-based organization empowering Black queer and QTPOC centered communities in the South through the arts — for their annual film showcase celebrating the work of Southern queer and trans filmmakers. This year, CINEQUEER takes place Sunday, June 28, at the Plaza Theatre as part of the festival's closing weekend, and we couldn't be more excited about who's in the lineup.

Two Resisting Narratives of Erasure fellowship alumni will have their films featured:

Jay Najeeah (she/they) is a freelance filmmaker, writer, dramaturg, and artist-activist hailing from Columbia, SC. Based in DC, their work is grounded in both Theatre of the Oppressed pedagogy and the principles of Black Feminism. Jay is bringing their film HAG to the CINEQUEER stage.

Maia Elise Helvy is an Atlanta-based filmmaker, mixed media artist, and creative director whose work centers on the vibrant narratives of Black Queer women and Non-Binary individuals. Her film Mercury's Star: Makenna's Story, which was an original RNE short film, will also be screening.

Seeing RNE alumni go on to show their work at platforms like CINEQUEER is exactly what this fellowship is built for — supporting filmmakers whose stories deserve to be seen, celebrated, and shared.

Get your tickets to CINEQUEER here and join us in showing up for these visionary storytellers.