OPENING NIGHT GALA ARISTOTLE AND DANTE DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE

Fans of Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s YA novel sensation and newcomers to the story alike will delight in this big screen adaptation of a truly dreamy comingof-age romance. Aristotle and Dante (Max Pelayo and Reese Gonzales), two Mexican-American teenagers living in El Paso, Texas meet by chance one summer at the community pool, and quickly click into a close-knit friendship. Dante, the product of a free-spirited artistic household, opens Ari’s eyes to a world of new possibilities, but in order to fully embrace this fresh perspective, Ari must confront the secrets he’s been keeping hidden. That includes grappling with some long-suppressed family history, and dealing with emotions that bubble to the surface when Dante temporarily moves out of state.

With a dynamite cast that includes Eva Longoria, Eugenio Derbez, Kevin Alejandro, Veronica Falcón, and Isabella Gomez, directed by Outfest Screenwriting Lab alum Aitch Alberto, and produced by an all-star team that includes none other than Lin-Manuel Miranda, the film radiates with a passion the elevates the all-too-painfully familiar pangs of adolescent desire into the cosmos. When combined with an ensemble that creates an intricate portrait of familial bonds brimming with warmth, you have a recipe for one of the finest queer films of the year.