The festival runs from late September to Early October each year, just prior to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.

The festival is produced by Closet Cinema—a non-profit group based in Albuquerque, whose goal is to highlight the LGBT experience through hosting the SWGLFF among other events.

The events of the festival included a panel discussion held after the showing of Meth: Hitting Rock Bottom, and "Mucha Muchachas: A Day of Women in Films" which followed the format created during the previous year, which set aside one day to focus on women in film.

[7] The films represented dramas and documentaries from over fifteen countries in attempt to create a very cross-cultural experience.

The Audience Award winners were Thom Fitzgerald's Cloudburst (feature), Mark Freeman's Transgender Tuesdays (documentary), and Mitsuyo Miyazaki's "Tsuyako".