Backyard Docs

Say hi to us at Three Rivers Film Festival! Backyard Docs Festival Director @hansenbursic will be speaking on the “PLEASE FUND ME — Financing Your Film” panel as part of @filmpgh ’s Filmmaker Conference. Saturday, November 22 at the Even Hotel Downtown Pittsburgh. Link in @filmpgh ’s bio for more info.

Our 5th Annual Backyard Docs Film Festival was the best one yet! Thank you to everyone who came out to watch a documentary and support indie filmmaking last month. From rooftop screenings of UFO docs to intimate workshops with award-winning filmmakers, we were proud to host so many premieres and filmmakers this year. Huge shoutout to the filmmakers, volunteers, and sponsors who made this event possible. We can’t wait for next year! THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS Presenting Sponsors @100daysinappalachia and @videoconsortium Community Partners @pointparkfilm @pointparkcmi @silvereyecenter @lightbulb_rentals @screenshotasia and Doc Salon Drink Sponsor @jackworthgingerbeer Media Sponsor @publicsource Fiscal Sponsor @reelqpgh 📸: @crostonc & @picgrasshopper

Tonight! Join our friends at @reelqpgh for an exciting retrospective screening of the 2003 rock doc VENUS OF MARS at @rowhouse_lawrenceville . This screening will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker and star and a party at @tracebrewing which includes a performance by Venus herself! Staring Venus, the lead singer of the glam rock band All The Pretty Horses, VENUS OF MARS is both a unique coming out story of Venus’ gender-redefining journey, and the truly contemporary love story between her and her wife weathering dramatic changes in uncharted relationship territory. Don’t miss your chance to catch this gem! Pay what you can tickets available in @reelqpgh ’s bio.

It’s ReelQ Day in Pittsburgh! Join us in celebrating 40 years of @reelqpgh by watching a some world class documentaries at the festival, starting today through next weekend. One documentary we are super excited to watch is @heightenedscrutiny this Sunday at @rowhouse_lawrenceville ! Heightened Scrutiny follows Chase Strangio, ACLU attorney and the first out trans person to argue before the Supreme Court, as he fights a high-stakes legal battle to overturn Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth. The film exposes the dangerous role of mainstream media in fueling anti-trans legislation, uncovering how biased coverage drives hate, endangers lives, and threatens democracy itself. You can get tickets and explore the whole program with the link in @reelqpgh ’s bio.

Didn’t get enough docs last weekend? Our friends at @reelqpgh have got you! Join us this Saturday for ASSEMBLY, a dynamic and rhythmic doc that’s right up our alley. Artist Rashaad Newsome converts an ex-military space into an artistic sanctuary exploring Black and queer identity. Features performances by dancers, musicians, and poets, focusing on resistance through art, vogue culture and healing. This Saturday, Oct 4th, at @rowhouse_lawrenceville . Get tickets with the link in @reelqpgh ’s bio.

We’re thrilled for @thefoxchaseboy to screen Saturday Sept. 27 at 3:30 @backyarddocs Made in PA Short Film Program at the Melwood Screening Room.

Filmmakers and creatives, don’t miss our free industry programming this Saturday at the Melwood Screening Room! We are excited to host visiting and local filmmakers for a workshop and panel as part of the Backyard Docs Film Festival. Read more below. Space is limited! Reserve your spot with the link in our bio. WORKSHOP: Animating the Documentary - 10 am Join award-winning filmmakers and animators for an engaging workshop on how to bring your nonfiction stories to life with animation. The workshop will be feature a discussion between @hansenbursic (dir of “Trans Heaven, Pennsylvania”), @imogenpranger (dir of BYDFF’s “Mail Myself To You”), and @mkbrangan (News & Nonfiction Freelance Animator at Crosswalk Media) who will share their creative processes, technical tips, and real-world examples of integrating animation into documentary storytelling. PANEL: Creating in our Backyard: Nonfiction Production Roundtable - 2 pm This roundtable is a meeting of the minds, bringing together acclaimed nonfiction filmmakers, production studios, visual journalists, and storytellers from across the Rust Belt and Appalachian regions to share their experiences, challenges, and successes working close to home. This discussion will feature @kristalsotomayor (Founder of @sotomayor.productions ), Hansen Bursic (Founder of @hansenbursicfilm ), Colleen C Brady (Founder of @littleechoproductions ), @stephaniestrasburg (Senior Photojournalist, @publicsource ), and @thealexisdjohnson (Senior Reporter, @axiospgh ), moderated by Nick Childers (Co-Lead Organizer, @videoconsortium PGH / Founder of @backyarddocs ). All of our industry programming is sponsored by @videoconsortium .

From queer art in Amish Country to a foundryman in America’s Heartlands, this year’s short film showcases are sure to be a festival favorite! Join us Friday and Saturday for two can’t miss shorts programs you can read about below. TELLING OUR STORIES — This Friday @ @theparkwaytheater This program showcases five compelling short documentaries that weave personal and historical archives into vivid narratives that preserve memory, explore identity, and connect past to present. Feat: @imogenpranger ’s “Mail Myself to You”, Jack Highberger’s “Spina Americana: A Photographer’s Journey”, @pnickcurran ’s “‘Hell or High Water’: Southern Western Virginia, Three Weeks After the Flood,” @lydiacornett & @britfry ’s “Tessitura”, and Marcellus’ “Talking Walls.” MADE IN PA — This Saturday @ Melwood Screening Room This shorts program celebrates Pennsylvania’s rich documentary storytelling, from intimate portraits to powerful social narratives. These films capture the diverse people, places, and stories that define the Keystone State. Feat: Ben Samuels’ “TWO RIVERS”, @cucumberapocalypse ’s @amishcountryqueer , @kristalsotomayor ’s “Expanding Sanctuary”, Gerad Argeros & @kaya88 ’s @thefoxchaseboy , and @d_helmick ’s “Death: The Life of Mike Egan”. Sponsored by @videoconsortium ! Link in bio to get tickets!

Get absorbed into a dynamic urban symphony with our Closing Night film, TRIPOLI / A TALE OF THREE CITIES! Directed by Pittsburgh-based filmmaker @raedrafei , this deeply personal, poetic journey follows the director as he goes on a quest back to his home city of Tripoli in Lebanon, integrating and reflecting on queerness in the city. This Sunday, September 28, at the McConomy Auditorium at CMU. Get tickets in our bio! We are excited to co-present this screening with our friends at @screenshotasia and The Humanities Center at Carnegie Mellon University as well as with our fiscal sponsor @reelqpgh .

Get ready for an out of this world cinema experience with our centerpiece film, THEY’RE HERE! An official selection of the Tribeca Film Festival, follow a community of New Yorkers who experience close encounters with UFOs, prompting lifestyle changes as they grapple with the implications. Filmmakers and stars will join us for a special Q&A after the screening followed by a party! This screening will be set under the stars this Saturday, September 27th, on the roof of @fieldday.life in Lawrenceville. Link in bio to get your tickets! This screening is sponsored by @videoconsortium .

Pittsburgh’s documentary film festival is back this week! Join us this week for four days of docs in venues across the city, all a part of the 5th Annual Backyard Docs Film Festival. 🗓️ Sept 25 - 28th. Get tickets now with the link in our bio!

The 2025 Backyard Docs Film Festival is right around the corner, and we couldn’t be more excited to gather for films, conversation and community. Each year, Backyard Docs celebrates nonfiction cinema that explores Appalachian and Rust Belt identity. It showcases films and filmmakers directly connected to our region, or those whose work shares in our stories and culture. This year’s festival is slated for Sept. 25-28 in Pittsburgh. It features 11 shorts, five works-in-progress, and three features, including a U.S. premiere! As sponsors of this year’s festival, we’re proud not only to support the full slate of films but also to share our own short, “Hell or High Water,” on screen with you all. See you there! Tickets are available now at backyarddocs.com