Resident Impacts for Queer Film Festivals: Assessing Benefits and Loyalty in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Abstract

Within tourism and hospitality, research and focus on the festival and event industry has been increasing. However, research on smaller art and culture festivals has been lagging. Small-to-medium sized art and culture festivals and events are key contributors to society and impact well-being for local communities, resident attendees, and tourist attendees. More specifically, queer film festivals are experiencing a rapid increase in both quantity of festivals worldwide and total attendance at festivals in recent years. These festivals, which celebrate LGBT2Q+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Two-Spirit, Queer and additional identities) people and communities, have a key place as history makers, storytellers, and community gathering places within the LGBT2Q+ community. The current research examined the diversity of attendees at the 31st annual Vancouver Queer Film Festival (VQFF) in 2019. VQFF is an initiative of Out on Screen, a LGBT2Q+-oriented organization based in Vancouver. The 31st edition of VQFF in 2019 attracted nearly 10,000 people over the 100+ film screening sessions during the 11-day festival. An examination of socio-cultural impacts of VQFF on the local community and resident attendees’ expectation for future programming was completed using a 54-question Qualtrics survey. Questions were asked about future programming, community benefits, subjective wellbeing, cultural/educational impacts, and demographics. With a sample size of 362, a structural equation modeling analysis showed a direct relationship between cultural/educational benefits, community benefits, and subjective well-being. In addition, community benefits and subjective well-being contributed positively to loyalty with an indirect connection between cultural/educational benefits and loyalty. Regarding future programming, respondents had higher interest for art and cultural-related programming as opposed to education-related activities. Implications for industry and researchers as well as future research areas are discussed.