Don Thompson LGBTQ+ Film Festival

Thank You for Making Lambdas 2025 Don Thompson Film Festival Incredible

THANK YOU for joining us at the 2025 Don Thompson Film Festival! This year’s festival was truly unforgettable, and we owe it all to the incredible attendees, talented filmmakers, and dedicated contributors who brought it to life.

Highlights Worth Celebrating:

  • A huge thank you to our inspiring panelists—Joel Kim Booster, Sherry Cola, River Gallo, and Solomon Georgio—for sharing their invaluable perspectives on being queer in the entertainment industry.
  • Gratitude to Board Members Alysha Menakaya and Conor Fetting Smith for their tireless efforts in making this festival a reality.
  • And of course, a round of applause to the remarkable filmmakers who amazed us with their creativity and storytelling by contributing their films.

It’s your passion, talent, and support that make gatherings like this so special. We can’t wait to see you again next year for another fantastic festival!

We hope to see you at our next event, the 32nd Annual Scholarship Benefit – Garden Affair, on April 5 at the beautiful Maybourne in Beverly Hills. We hope to see you there!

2025 Festival Panelists

Joel Kim Booster

Joel Kim Booster is a Chicago-bred, Los Angeles-based stand-up comedian, writer and actor. He is best known for writing and starring in Searchlight Pictures’ Fire Island, which earned him two Emmy nominations, along with a “Best First Screenplay” nomination at the Independent Spirit Awards. The multi-hyphenate has also been seen starring opposite Maya Rudolph in the Apple TV+ comedy series Loot.

Booster’s comedy has been defined as “unfiltered” and “preternaturally confident.” His first hour-long comedy special, Joel Kim Booster: Psychosexual, exploring his experiences and observations as a gay Asian American male with commentary on identity, sexuality, cultural expectations and more, debuted on Netflix in 2022. The special was nominated for a Critics Choice Award and named one of the best comedy specials of 2022 by Variety. He also appears in Freeform’s Chrissy & Dave Dine Out , which follows Chrissy Teigen and David Chang as they crack the restaurant scene wide open in Los Angeles.

Booster’s other TV and film credits include Sunnyside (NBC), Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO), Shrill (Hulu), Search Party (TBS), History of the World Part II (Hulu), BoJack Horseman and Big Mouth (Netflix), American Dad (Fox) and Viper Club (YouTube Premium).

Sherry Cola

Sherry Cola is a comedian, actor and writer. Best known for her role as Alice Kwan on Freeform’s critically acclaimed hit drama series Good Trouble, Cola has also proven her versatility with a range of other roles.

In 2023, she showcased her comedic talent as one of the four leads, Lolo Chen, in the comedy Joy Ride. Aside from her live-action roles, Cola has lent her voice to several animated projects, including Pixar’s animated feature Turning Red. Her other film credits include Endings, Beginnings and Music.

Born in Shanghai, China, Cola relocated to the United States with her family at the age of four, settling in the San Gabriel Valley. She pursued her education at California State University, Fullerton, where she was actively involved with the campus radio station.

After establishing her career in radio, Cola expanded her artistic reach to stand-up comedy and improv, regularly producing new material. She has appeared in various television series, including Amazon’s I Love Dick, Transparent, Life in Pieces and Claws. Additionally, she served as a Grand Marshal at San Francisco Pride 2022, underlining her commitment to her LGBTQ+ community. Cola continues to lend her voice to discussions about injustices within her Asian and LGBTQ+ communities, emphasizing the importance of representation and equality.

River Gallo

River Gallo (they/them) is a Salvadoran-American filmmaker, actor, writer and intersex activist. Their feature PONYBOI premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Dramatic Competition. River wrote, produced and starred in the film, making it the first narrative feature created by and starring an out intersex artist in cinema history. PONYBOI won the Grand Jury Award for Best US Feature at Newfest New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival, and River won Best Performance at the Torino Film Festival; it will be released theatrically June 27th by Fox Entertainment Studios. PONYBOI is based on their 2019 short film of the same name, which was executive produced by Emma Thompson and Stephen Fry, and premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.

In 2023, River was the subject of the critically-acclaimed feature documentary EVERY BODY, directed by Academy Award-nominated director Julie Cohen. In the commercial space, River has directed advertising spots for Facebook, Maison Margiela and MTV. For their work in the arts and on social justice issues, River made the 2023 OUT 100 list and won a GLAAD Rising Star Media Award. That same year, IndieWire named River named one of the “10 LGBTQIA+ Film and TV Creators on the Rise.”

Solomon Georgio

Solomon Georgio is an actor, writer, producer and director who made his television debut as the featured comedian on CONAN (TBS) in February 2015. He followed it up with appearances on Drunk History, The Meltdown with Jonah & Kumail and This is Not Happening (all Comedy Central), Flophouse (VICE TV), Last Call with Carson Daily (NBC), 2 Dope Queens (HBO) and a second appearance on CONAN.

​On October 2017, Georgio’s first half-hour comedy special premiered on Comedy Central Stand Up Presents. His debut album with Comedy Central Records, HomoNégro Superior, is also available.

As a writer, Georgio has written for Shrill, High Fidelity and Adam Ruins Everything (all Hulu), Crashing (HBO) and Spongebob Squarepants (Nickelodeon). He currently hosts the podcast The Juice with Solomon Georgio on Sirius XM.

About the Festival

The Don Thompson LGBT Film Festival began as an outdoor movie-night fundraiser coordinated by one of the founding board members and former presidents of the Lambda LGBTQ+ Alumni Association, Amy Ross PhD ’86, and LA Frontrunners. One of our most popular annual events, the DTFF is a showcase for films produced, written and/or directed by, and/or starring LGBTQ+ Trojans, as well as for films that address areas of interest to our community. The festival is also a great launching pad for up-and-coming filmmakers and a prime networking opportunity.

2025 Don Thompson LGBTQ+ Film Festival Awards

Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 Don Thompson LGBTQ+ Film Festival Screening Selections!

The Lovers – Pilot (2024)

Synopsis: An inter-related network of sexual and spiritual workers finds their ways through rapidly changing unknowns.

Luka Fisher

Bio: Luka Fisher is a queer woman of the trans experience. She is an artist, composer and cultural producer. She is currently pursuing an MA in Curatorial Studies at USC.

Dreamweaver (2024)

Synopsis: During the Satanic Panic, Mary attends a slumber party hosted by her secret crush, Heather, in her ultra-religious household, only to question the true intentions of the family and herself.

Tai Lyn Sandhu

Bio: Tai Lyn Sandhu is an 18-year-old filmmaker, writer and activist from Queens, New York. She aspires to tell stories of social issues through the lens of horror and satire. She currently interns in development at American High and is pursuing a BFA in Film & Television Production at USC.

I Didn’t Like You (2024)

Synopsis: As Emilia and Maxine spy on their best friend’s first date, they come to realize the chemistry might not be between the couple they anticipated.

Parker Fenady

Bio: Parker Fenady is a filmmaker, SAG-AFTRA actor and recent graduate of USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. She made her feature film debut in You Can’t Run Forever, released by Lionsgate in May 2024. Parker recently completed production on her short film, I Didn’t Like You, marking her debut as a writer/director.

God’s Voice (2024)

Synopsis: God’s Voice directs priest Luke, and his boyfriend Mark in opposite directions. Which God’s Voice should be listened to?  Three USC grads collaborated: Brandon Shim, Danny Abrahms & Viken Kazandjian.

Brandon Shim

Bio: Brandon Shim produced God’s Voice. Originally from Honolulu, Hawaii, Brandon earned both a BA in Political Science & Economics and an MBA from USC.  At the Walt Disney Company and other media companies, he has conducted in-depth financial analysis.

Unmasking (2024)

Synopsis: After a surreal microaggression at a diner, an autistic woman and her genderqueer BFF make a pact to explore who they are underneath the “masks” of neurotypicality and the gender binary.

Amin El Gamal

Bio: Amin El Gamal is an Arab American actor and producer. He’s best known for playing Cyclops on PRISON BREAK, which made him the first openly queer Muslim actor to play a leading role on TV. As a producer, Amin recently wrapped the shorts UNMASKING and WITNESS. He is an associate producer at FlipNarrative and a graduate of Stanford and USC.

HOME IMPROVEMENT (2024)

Synopsis: On his birthday, a handyman father and his two sons participate in some home improvement as they chat about loss, freedom and identity.

Marquise Mays

Bio: Marquise Mays is an award-winning filmmaker and film professor living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Marquise’s films are careful renderings of Black life on and off screen, specifically as it relates to the Black Midwestern experience. His work has been featured and distributed by the Criterion Channel, PBS, ITVS, BET, AspireTV and The Redford Center.

Photos