Casandra Alston

Casandra Alston is Board President for aGLIFF (All Genders, Lifestyles, and Identities Film Festival) here in Austin, TX. aGLIFF is the 5th longest running LGBTQ+ film festival in North America and the longest running film festival in Austin as they head into their 33rd year taking place this August 6th-9th at Alamo South Lamar. The festival showcases features and shorts, in addition to mainstream, and avant-garde films. Symposia and panels explore current political and social trends; and increasingly the festival serves as a venue for first-time filmmakers. Special shorts programs have focused on the issues faced by LGBTQ+ youth, immigration of LGBTQ+ people, gender identity and expression, adoption, marriage, military service, religion, racial identity, cultural issues, and hate crimes against LGBTQ+-identified people. In addition to our annual fall film festival, aGLIFF cultivates future LGBTQ talent in the film industry. In collaboration with the Austin School of Film, every summer aGLIFF hosts the Queer Youth Media Project, a summer camp workshop series teaching queer and ally youth the entire filmmaking process – from writing, production, editing and promotion.