GAZE International LGBTQ+ Film Festival

Name

GAZE International LGBTQ+ Film Festival

Legal name

GAZE Film Festival

Website

https://gaze.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film Festival & Cultural Events

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Exhibition (51213), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPADAKAD

Film Festivals & Festival Organizers

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Film & Video Production/Distribution/Exhibition (Cinemas, Film Festivals, Screenings)

SECONDARYMPAGAEAG

Arts & Culture Community Festivals (Multidisciplinary Arts Weeks)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Live Entertainment & Events (Concerts, Theater, Festivals)/Cultural Festivals & Community Events

SECONDARYMPADAKAH

Community & Cultural Screenings (Museums, Cultural Centers)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Film & Video Production/Distribution/Exhibition (Cinemas, Film Festivals, Screenings)

Keywords

• LGBTQIA film festival
• Independent film screenings
• Filmmaker mentorship programs
• Queer cinema events
• Community film programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from selling tickets to festival screenings at partner cinema venues.
2. StarGAZE Programme: Professional development programme for emerging LGBTQIA filmmakers, likely supported through grants and sponsorship.
3. Support/Donations: The festival operates a Support section with options to Subscribe (newsletter), Volunteer, and StarGAZE membership.
4. Volunteer Programme: Volunteers support festival operations; the programme serves as a community engagement and talent pipeline mechanism.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

GAZE International LGBTQIA Film Festival is an annual Dublin-based film festival that curates and screens LGBTQIA+ cinema for audiences and allies. The festival operates as a one-week event at partner cinemas and runs StarGAZE, a year-long professional development and mentorship programme supporting emerging LGBTQIA filmmakers through networking, mentorship, and festival platforming opportunities.

Product overview

GAZE International LGBTQIA Film Festival is a single annual film festival event focused on LGBTQIA+ cinema. The core offering is the festival itself, which takes place over one week in Dublin. A supplementary initiative called StarGAZE provides year-long professional development and mentorship for emerging LGBTQIA filmmakers, offering access to industry talent, networking events, and festival platforming opportunities. The festival has been running for over 30 years and accepts film submissions through FilmFreeway.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GAZE International LGBTQIA Film Festival Annual one-week film festival held in Dublin at the Light House Cinema and Irish Film Institute, showcasing curated LGBTQIA+ cinema for audiences, filmmakers, and allies. The festival runs late July to early August each year.
• StarGAZE Year-long professional development initiative supporting six emerging LGBTQIA filmmakers annually through mentorship from senior Irish and international creative talent, networking events, talks, screenings, and platforming opportunities at the festival. Open to Irish-resident LGBTQIA filmmakers working towards a debut feature-length project or television pilot.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• National Talent AcademiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Talent Academies provides support to the StarGAZE professional development initiative, which supports six emerging LGBTQIA filmmakers annually through mentorship, networking, and platforming opportunities at the festival.
• Light House CinemacoreOthersLight House Cinema serves as the primary venue for GAZE Film Festival screenings, hosting the majority of festival events and screenings in Dublin.
• Irish Film InstitutecoreOthersIrish Film Institute serves as a secondary venue for GAZE Film Festival screenings, complementing the Light House Cinema venue in Dublin.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Outfest: Outfest is the Los Angeles-based LGBTQ+ film festival and one of the most prominent globally. It overlaps directly with GAZE's mission of platforming queer cinema, running filmmaker labs, and engaging community audiences, though at substantially greater scale and Hollywood proximity.
• Frameline (San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival): Frameline is one of the world's longest-running and largest LGBTQ+ film festivals, held annually in San Francisco. Like GAZE, it curates queer cinema for audiences and filmmakers, runs filmmaker development programming, and leverages strong community partnerships — operating at a much larger scale.
• Mardi Gras Film Festival: Sydney's Mardi Gras Film Festival is an LGBTQIA+ film festival operated by Queer Screen. It is a direct international peer to GAZE as an annual queer cinema event tied to a broader LGBTQIA+ identity/cultural movement, with comparable community-driven programming.
• BFI Flare LGBTQIA+ Film Festival: BFI Flare is the UK's largest LGBTQIA+ film festival, run by the British Film Institute in London. It is the most direct international peer to GAZE — both are annual LGBTQIA-focused film festivals with mentorship programmes for emerging filmmakers, though BFI Flare operates at significantly larger scale.
• Image+Nation Montréal LGBTQ+ Film Festival: Image+Nation is one of the world's oldest LGBTQ+ film festivals, based in Montreal. It is a direct peer as a long-running dedicated queer film festival with year-round activities and community programming, comparable to GAZE's heritage positioning.
• NewFest: NewFest is New York's LGBTQ+ film festival and year-round queer cinema organization. It is directly comparable to GAZE as a curated LGBTQIA+ film festival with year-round programming and emerging filmmaker support, serving a major metropolitan audience.
• Inside Out 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival: Inside Out is a Canadian LGBTQ+ film festival based in Toronto with a year-round programming arm. It is a direct peer given its similar focus on platforming 2SLGBTQ+ cinema, emerging filmmaker support, and operating as a non-profit community-driven organization.
• Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival: Iris Prize is a Cardiff-based international LGBTQ+ short film competition. It is comparable to GAZE as a smaller-scale dedicated LGBTQIA+ film festival with strong programming credentials and a focus on emerging queer filmmakers, though focused on shorts rather than features.

Others

• Light House Cinema: Light House Cinema is GAZE's primary screening venue in Dublin and a notable independent arthouse cinema operator. It is a key channel partner for festival exhibition rather than a competitor, but its programming choices and venue availability directly shape GAZE's exhibition capacity.
• Irish Film Institute: The Irish Film Institute operates as both a GAZE venue partner and a broader Irish cinema organization. While not a direct competitor, it is a key ecosystem reference — a national cultural institution with film programming, archives, and education that frames the operating environment for GAZE's screening-based model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GAZEfilmfest
• YouTubeyoutu.be/PHfYZgj4Y2o
• Facebookfacebook.com/gazefilmfest
• Instagraminstagram.com/gazefilmfest
• TikToktiktok.com/@gazefilmfest?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gaze-international-lgbt-film-festival

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GAZE International LGBTQ+ Film Festival