A film festival that has become a tradition in a Bergen County town will have to take place virtually this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Mama Gloria,” a documentary featuring the life of Gloria Allen and the history of the transgender movement, is one of 14 films that will be screened virtually at the annual Teaneck International Film Festival.

“’Mama Gloria’ is a legend in the transgender community in Chicago, where she lives and started a charm school for homeless trans youth,” says “Mama Gloria” director Luchina Fisher.

Fisher says that the film is a personal project.

“It’s driven by the love that I have for my daughter who is 17 and identifies as transgender,” Fisher says.

Jeremy Lentz, the festival’s executive director, says that that festival’s focus on social issues makes it vital, even if the pandemic prevents in-person screenings.

“We’re a social justice festival. We have a permanent theme of activism, making changes,” he says. “We felt that we have an obligation to our community at large to provide a platform and a space where people can have conversations.”

The festival begins Friday with the first screening and will last through Nov. 25.