 SQFF was inspired by early gay film festivals in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Olympia, WA, popping up in the early 1990s.Skylar Fein moved to Seattle in 1994 and brought together Alan Goldwasser, Clair Kavanaugh, Gary Tucker, Rachel Venning and Sam Whiting to start a similar one in Seattle.In 1995, the organization incorporated, produced a few shorts programs with live music (including one with Sleater Kinney) and programmed a 10-week summer archival series.