2022 Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival Film Guide

v Help Entertainment Fans discover LGBTQIA+ stories, characters and creators!

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P R E S E N T I N G

G R A N D

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G R A N GT RO AR NS T O R S

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A LETTER FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ANNIVERSARIES ARE BEAUTIFUL, exciting, daunting, and even scary at times.

This summer, it will have been three years since I joined Outfest. As a local Angeleno, most of my memories were attending Outfest LA during the late-nineties, as a fresh-faced film school graduate. In preparation to celebrate our 40th Anniversary I found myself down the rabbit hole that encapsulates four decades of anyone’s life. The major headlines and names that popped up as fast as drag queen’s stubble were names like Larry Horne, Gus Van Sant, Jamie Babbit, Jim Fall – and films like Mala Noche, But I’m A Cheerleader, The Celluloid Closet, Trick, and Party Monster as well as Shari Frilot’s Platinum Oasis early days at the Coral Sands Motel – a personal favorite.

I kept asking myself though, why Outfest? How did the 1982 Gay and Lesbian Media Coalition of Los Angeles grow into the internationally recognized org it has become today? The theme that emerged was like much of our queer history – it was built on the shoulders of countless forgotten individuals that we’ve coined as, THE ARCHITECTS of OUTFEST.

A LETTER FROM OUR FESTIVAL DIRECTOR FOR OUR 40TH YEAR, it seemed the task at hand for our programming team was to craft a lineup that not only spoke to the many diverse communities that form our LGBTQIA+ family, but also represented a snapshot of four decades’ worth of queer cinema history. Easy as pie! Fortunately, the films this year did us the courtesy of being both a re-examination of how our community has (or has not) been presented in film history, and a radical reimagining of the kinds of stories we get to tell. I think of how 20 years ago, our Legacy Centerpiece film Far from Heaven inserted an overtly queer narrative into a 1950s melodrama, and then smile at how this year’s Platinum short film, The Actress, finds brilliant trans artist Isabel Sandoval placing herself within Douglas Sirk’s All That Heaven Allows. I see the first episode of docuseries Queer for Fear talk about all the coded and suggested queerness within a century of the horror genre, and then I marvel at the barrage of innovative, explicitly queer horror films in our program like Attachment, Hypochondriac, HeBGB TV, and closing night gala They/Them. More and more, the films we see cease to present themselves as only for one specific subset of our community, but bring us together to share the spotlight. That is cause for celebration as we look forward to the next 40 years.

MIKE DOUGHERTY Director of Festival Programming

This festival we celebrate the 1st edition of the Architects of Outfest – honoring those who we believe have made significant contributions to the org over the years. Please join me, the board, our staff, and volunteers in celebrating those who made our 40th Anniversary possible. We are also celebrating one of the most inclusive sets of galas, centerpiece films and overall programs in history – not only exhibiting a wide-range of genres in cinema but stories, artists and talent that reflect nearly every side, corner, and voice of the LGBTQIA+ community.

We hope this sets the bar for like-minded festivals around the world.

Warmest regards Always and Happy Fest Everyone.

FAR FROM HEAVEN

THE ACTRESS

ATTACHMENT

THEY/THEM

DAMIEN S. NAVARRO Executive Director

Reframing history for a Queerer future

The first LGBTQ+ arts and media virtual museum of its kind Available free to the public theoutmuseum.org

HOW TO EXPERIENCE A MEMORABLE FESTIVAL WHEN DO TICKETS GO ON SALE?

TICKET PRICES REGULAR IN-PERSON SCREENINGS: $14 VIRTUAL SCREENINGS: $8 CENTERPIECE SCREENINGS: $18 FORD UNDER THE STARS: $20 PLATINUM ALCHEMY PARTY: $25 VIRTUAL PASS: $55 (Get access to all virtual screenings) OPENING NIGHT GALA VIP (Orchestra/Loge) Preferred (Front Balcony) General (Rear Balcony) *All Gala tickets include entry to the After Party CLOSING NIGHT GALA Preferred (Orchestra) Seating General (Balcony) Seating *All Gala tickets include entry to the After Party

$175 $80 $40

$75 $55

Outfest members receive the following discounts: 15% OFF ALL TICKETS PRICES To become an Outfest member, please visit OUTFEST.ORG/MEMBERSHIPS or call 213.480.7088

Outfest strives to be accessible to all our patrons and accommodate a variety of needs. We will continue to expand our accessibility policies and practices in effort to provide accommodations for attendees and guests.

IN PERSON SCREENINGS • All festival venues are wheelchair accessible, full details on venue accessibility are available at OutfestLA.org/venues.

• Early access for patrons with accessibility or mobility needs is available – please see a Theater Manager or venue staff for accomodation.

• Service animals trained to

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specifically assist people with disabilities are welcome at all official festival theaters venues.

American Sign Language interpretation will be offered at select events and panels.

VIRTUAL SCREENINGS • Outfest aims to offer as many films as possible with closedcaptioning, open captions, or descriptive sound. Please visit OutfestLA.org/accesibility for a full list of accessible screenings.

For any additional questions, requests or suggestions, please contact support@ outfest.org. For more information on festival accessibility visit OutfestLA. org/accesibility.

STAY UPDATED Please visit us on social media or at OutfestLA.org to stay updated with the latest information.

Wednesday, June 22 Friday, June 24

WHERE CAN I BUY TICKETS? ONLINE: OUTFESTLA.ORG Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week IN PERSON AT THE OUTFEST BOX OFFICE @ THE DGA JULY 15-24 Weekdays: 6:00pm - 10:00pm Weekends: 10:00am - 10:00pm

COVID-19 POLICIES Outfest is following all lawfully required COVID-19 health and safety protocols in Los Angeles Department of Health guidelines and will continue to update and revise our protocols to reflect the most current safety standards.

MEMBER TICKET DISCOUNT

ACCESSIBILITY

OUTFEST MEMBERS: GENERAL PUBLIC:

@OUTFEST

The Outfest LA LGBTQ+ Film Festival is an ideal summer destination for everyone, whether you’re a cinephile, social butterfly, traveling from out of town, or an ally, there’s something for everyone at #OutfestLA! We’ve partnered with some amazing hotels and restaurants in Los Angeles to make your Outfest LA experience unforgettable!

To stay updated on partner discounts and information visit OutfestLA.org/attend.

In accordance with current Los Angeles Department of Health guidelines, proof

VOLUNTEER Are you interested in volunteering with Outfest? Our volunteers are vital to the success of the organization and create a memorable experience for all patrons. We have a variety of roles available across the festival, including box office, event staff,

CODE OF CONDUCT Outfest is committed to providing every attendee* - audience, storyteller, volunteer, and staff member - with an enjoyable, engaging, healthy, polite, and harassment-free experience that embraces the inclusiveness and individuality of all. Harmful verbal or non-verbal language, disruptive behavior, harassment or disrespect of personal space, gender identity/ expression, and violation of any current health or safety protocols are

of vaccine is not required for venue entry. Masks are strongly encouraged for all attendees. Exceptions noted below: •

ARE YOU A CINEPHILE/ARTSY TYPE? YOU’LL LOVE:

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The Platinum experimental screenings at the REDCAT The Platinum section of the festival showcases the bold innovators and cutting-edge creators of experimental LGBTQ+ media and performance and celebrates the adventurous renegades of queer culture.

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Films from Legacy Project: The Outfest UCLA Legacy Project is the only archive in the world exclusively dedicated to preserving LGBTQ+ moving images, and this year we’re thrilled to be sharing retrospective gems such as a rare 35mm print of Patrik-Ian Polk’s Punks and the most recently restored addition to the Legacy Project: Greetings from Washington, D.C. And, of course, you won’t want to miss Todd Haynes, Julianne Moore, and Christine Vachon live in person for the 20th Anniversary screening of the swoon-worthy Far From Heaven!

STAY AT citizenM Los Angeles Downtown hotel 361 S Spring Street, Los Angeles CA 90013

Plaza de la Raza requires masks be worn inside the theater

Outfest staff will be required to be vaccinated and tested throughout the festival

DO YOU LIKE TO ATTEND EVENTS AND PARTIES? YOU’LL LOVE:

ushers, photographers, videographers and more. Outfest Volunteers also get a variety of benefits, including free tickets to festival screenings, an Outfest year-round membership, volunteer appreciation days and more. Visit OutfestLA.org/ volunteer for more information and to sign up.

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The Outfest Opening and Closing Night Galas

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The Platinum Alchemy Party Shimmer and bounce with us all night long in two rooms of the historical Catch One. It’s going to be an outrageously sexy

evening with Big Freedia, The Queen of Bounce music, Moor Mother’s 700 Bliss, and the queer supergroup Commando plus all the other incredible artists and DJs contributing to the evening will make it one of the wildest, weirdest, and most unforgettable queer events you have ever gotten down at. It will be golden!

STAY AT The Los Angeles Athletic Club 431 W 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90014

ARE YOU TRAVELING FROM OUT OF TOWN? not acceptable and will be dealt with immediately.

See something, say something - email safety@outfest.org to notify staff of any incident. *Outfest reserves the right to remove an attendee immediately for the violation of our Code of Conduct policy. Individuals removed will not receive reimbursement for any badge, tix or benefit purchased. They may also be permanently banned or lose membership, the ability to purchase future tickets, passes, and other related privileges without prior notification or reimbursement.

YOU’LL LOVE:

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Outfest Under the Stars @ The Ford Sister to the famous Hollywood Bowl and nestled in the Hollywood Hills – pack a picnic and bring a friend to Outfest Under the Stars, where you will meet Hollywood icons of past and present, laugh with hundreds of fellow LGBTQ+ and ally attendees, and be entertained by unforgettable live performances.

Noche Icónica @ Plaza de la Raza. A celebration of Queer Latinx/Afro-Latinx culture, beats, stories and voices. Both nights will feature an outdoor mercadito,

music, hosted bar, and screenings of truly amazing queer films. This event is free to the public!

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The Community Clubhouse @ Outfest Festival Headquarters. Outfest is putting a spotlight on LGBTQ+ stories and the community. 5 local organizations will host an event at the festival in the “Community Clubhouse” located at the Festival Headquarters (Directors Guild of America). More information on events and schedules will be updated on OutfestLA.org/attend.

STAY AT JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE 900 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015

OPENING NIGHT GALA

ANYTHING’S POSSIBLE

CLOSING NIGHT GALA

DIR. BILLY PORTER | USA | 96 MIN. THURSDAY | JULY 14 | 7:30PM | ORPHEUM THEATRE

WORLD PREMIERE High schooler Kelsa (Eva Reign) glides into her senior year with a tight-knit group of besties, a happy home life with her fiercely supportive mother (Renée Elise Goldsberry), and future prospects for college looking exceedingly bright. When romance blooms between Kelsa and her handsome classmate Khal (Abubakr Ali), it should be the cherry on top of a stellar year...if only Kelsa’s best friend didn’t have her heart set on Khal too. Soon, teenage jealousy takes hold, and Kelsa’s trans identity becomes the subject of gossip and controversy,

while Khal finds his own friendships suddenly on shaky ground. But high school drama is no match for the crackling chemistry between the two sweethearts, leading to one of the most endearing, joyous onscreen teen romances in years.

Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning multi-hyphenate artist Billy Porter makes his feature directorial debut with this exhilarating tale, showcasing a gift for creating moments of musicality and magic within a story that’s still grounded in reality.

THE FUTURE X

OPENING NIGHT GALA PERFORMANCE

The Future X is an explosive new pop group discovered on TikTok. In an unprecedented celebration of both world class singing and dancing, the group is made up of three singers and four dancers - Angie, Luke, Maci, Jayna, Sasha, Tray, and Drew. Smart lyrics, powerful hooks and a fresh sound for today. Get ready for a high energy, captivating performance.

Guided by a perceptive script written by Ximena García Lecuona, the kids in this film approach life with a refreshing honesty, using language steeped in the younger generation’s grasp of social media to tackle their problems with intelligence and flair.

But the greatest gift the film offers is simply watching two phenomenally charismatic young lovers radiate old school movie star charm in a romance that finally breaks new ground — a long awaited development for a genre as old as the art form itself!

THEY/THEM

DIR. JOHN LOGAN | USA | 90 MIN. SUNDAY | JULY 24 | 7:00PM | THE ACE

When a busload of queer and trans teens arrive in the deep woods at Whistler Camp — a conversion therapy camp with a mission statement to restore young people to a “gender normative lifestyle” — they see right through the counselors’ ingratiating attempts to set everyone at ease. Led by the iron-willed pair of Jordan (Theo Germaine) and Alexandria (Quei Tann), the campers band together to resist the psychological warfare wrought by short-tempered counselors and a perma-smiled therapist (Carrie Preston). But what about the masked, knife-wielding intruder lurking just outside their cabins?

This film from Academy Awardnominated screenwriter turned firsttime director John Logan, (Hugo, The Aviator, Skyfall) and horror connoisseurs Blumhouse Productions, They/Them represents a game-changer for the genre. Where queer characters and themes were once coded, assumed, or outright villainized, here is a story where our community are the heroes and avengers, combating both the horrors wrought by so-called conversion therapy, and the lurking, creepy dangers that make this genre such a thrill. There could not be a more perfectly timed, empowering rebuke to the idea that we can be wished, willed, or legislated out of existence.

U.S. CENTERPIECE

PLATINUM CENTERPIECE UNIDENTIFIED OBJECTS

HeBGB TV

DIR. JUAN FELIPE ZULETA | USA | 100 MIN. WEDNESDAY | JULY 20 | 7:00PM | DGA 1

DIRS. JAKE MCCLELLAN, ERIC GRIFFIN, ADAM LENHART | USA | 78 MIN. SATURDAY | JULY 16 | 7:00PM | REDCAT

Peter, a self-described “college-educated, homosexual dwarf,” keeps to himself in his apartment as he reels from the recent loss of his closest friend. His solitary existence is up-ended when his quirky neighbor Winona shows up at his door with a favor to ask: she’d like to borrow his car so she can drive to the remote Canadian field where aliens are due to beam her aboard their spaceship.

WORLD PREMIERE A retro-horror TV cable box infiltrates a neighborhood when a brother and sister stay up past their bedtime to sneak in some late-night viewing. Suddenly, Knuckle Head appears in their living room and begins to curate nostalgic queer killer content that might just make them never sleep again! This queer tribute to goofy horror hijinks and cable access shenanigans is destined to be a cult classic. Jam packed with strange skits, scary songs, bawdy humor, and creepy characters all aiming for a cheap laugh. How does a vampire deal with puberty? Will a loving lesbian movie night go to hell? Created by a DIY filmmaking trio from small town Pennsylvania, this year’s platinum centerpiece will include an opening live action, spooky immersive experience, to guide viewers into the most ridiculously terrifying Halloween TV special ever seen on the big screen.

Led by a sensational pair of performances from Matthew Jeffers (TV’s New Amsterdam) and Sarah Hay, this disarming and wholly original take on the roadtrip comedy finds its charm and its power in spotlighting characters who rarely get the lead roles. Directed with a fabulous visual flair by first-time feature helmer Juan Felipe Zuleta, this film demonstrates the thrilling rewards of watching previously sidelined characters take center stage.

DOCUMENTARY CENTERPIECE MAMA BEARS

DIR. DARESHA KYI | USA | 90 MIN. FRIDAY | JULY 22 | 7:15PM | DGA 1

In Texas, Kimberly overhears her four-year-old Kai praying for God to take her home to Jesus rather than having to live as a boy.

In Oklahoma, Sara is bedridden and cries for days after her son Parker comes out. In California, as her daughter Tammi decides to allow herself to find love with another woman after wrestling with 33 years of religious guilt, Tenita is taking the first steps to understanding. Across the country, there are over 30,000 “Mama Bears” who work to make the world kinder and safer for LGBTQ children of all ages. While they may come from strict religious upbringings and consider themselves devout Christians, the fierce love they have for their queer and trans children is unwavering, pushing them to choose not to be hateful reflections of a loving God. Daresha Kyi is unflinching as she points her lens towards families whose faith has been challenged, documenting their journeys with care and empathy. Both intimate and thoughtprovoking, follow these mamas as they take their own brand of grassroots advocacy across the country, one hug at a time.

As part of the film’s special centerpiece screening during Outfest Los Angeles, director Daresha Kyi, the film team, and the leadership of the Mama Bears organization will be on the red carpet. They will be joined by special guests who will help them rally parents of color to protect their LGBTQIA+ children, and jumpstart vitally important conversations within communities of color about the importance of love, acceptance, and inclusion.

LEGACY CENTERPIECE FAR FROM HEAVEN (20TH ANNIVERSARY) DIR. TODD HAYNES| USA, FRANCE | 107 MIN. SUNDAY | JULY 17 | 6:30PM | DGA 1

20TH ANNIVERSARY SCREENING IN 35MM

with Todd Haynes, Christine Vachon, and Julianne Moore in person!

In the 1950s, director Douglas Sirk achieved his greatest commercial and artistic triumphs with a series of brilliant, socially conscious melodramas. Films like All That Heaven Allows, Written on the Wind, and Imitation of Life — sumptuously filmed, larger-than-life productions populated by Hollywood legends. They incisively explored issues of class, race, and inequality while delivering all the swooning romance and heightened drama audiences craved. Sirk’s distinct style has been cited by queer filmmaking legends as an influence, and in 2002, it provided inspiration for Todd Haynes’ masterpiece, Far From Heaven.

From the first frame, Haynes’ meticulous recreation of a Sirkian world envelops the senses, but this is not simply an homage to a great filmmaker, it’s a radical reimagining of what was possible in ‘50s era Hollywood filmmaking. Through the story of picture perfect housewife Cathy Whitaker finds herself falling for her handsome Black gardener in the wake of discovering her husband’s hidden queerness, Haynes frankly addresses issues that in actual 1950s films remained coded, while nimbly maintaining the attitudes and language of the era. This stunning film, which earned four Academy Award nominations, also represents perhaps the finest work in the ongoing filmmaking trio of Haynes, producer Christine Vachon (who has worked with Haynes since their breakout 1991 feature Poison), and star Julianne Moore (who joined the two for 1995’s Safe, and several more films after). Outfest is honored to welcome all three to this special 20th anniversary screening to discuss their undeniably iconic partnership.

TRANS, NON-BINARY & INTERSEX SUMMIT SATURDAY | JULY 23 | 3:00PM | DGA 1

Now in it’s 6th year, the newly renamed Outfest Los Angeles Trans, Nonbinary & Intersex Summit will showcase a multitude of trans, nonbinary & intersex experiences as a vision for the future of our lives. This year’s summit is a time-capsule titled Manifesting Our Future – a call to action to imagine ourselves 50 to 100 to 1000 years from now. While trans, nonbinary

and intersex people have garnered varying levels of visibility, the goal of this year’s summit is to unpack how visibility can shape our collective future. With visibility comes backlash and greater threats to our safety and belonging; but visibility also brings the power to imagine and the responsibility to uplift each other. To manifest the future, you envision it. Storytelling is a manifestation of

our imagination and the futures we dream of as trans, nonbinary and intersex people.

The future is ours, the future is here, and right now more than ever, we have the power to manifest it.

The 2022 6th Annual Outfest Trans, Nonbinary & Intersex Summit will feature four back to back programs:

RAQUEL WILLIS KEYNOTE SPEAKER Raquel Willis is a Black transgender activist, award-winning writer, and media strategist dedicated to elevating the dignity of marginalized people, particularly Black transgender people. Throughout her career, Raquel has held impactful positions like Director of Communications for The Ms. Foundation, executive editor of Out magazine, and a national organizer for Transgender Law Center (TLC).

In 2018, she founded Black Trans Circles, a project of TLC, focused on developing the leadership of Black trans women in the South and Midwest by creating healing justice spaces to work through oppressionbased trauma and incubating community organizing efforts to address anti-trans murder and violence.

Featuring a live story performance from “The Moth” storyteller, actress & intersex activist Tatenda Ngwaru, and a sneak-peek look at “A Study of Self Hyponsis,” an upcoming book of poetry and visual album from SalvadoranAmerican filmmaker & intersex advocate River Gallo – this artist to artist conversation showcases two brilliant intersex artists and brings them together in conversation on why intersex representation matters and what we can do to move toward greater visibility for intersex stories.

LIVE STORY PERFORMANCE

by Tatenda Ngwaru (10 mins) SNEAK PEEK FROM “A STUDY OF SELF HYPNOSIS”

by River Gallo (3 mins) This multi-media project includes a debut book of poetry and visual album exploring trans, intersex and non-binary identities as both gender expressions and philosophies of liminality and transcendence. Through personal and confessional storytelling, “A Study of Self Hypnosis” investigates the kaleidoscopic and psychedelic journey of transition, reckoning with self-induced trances, dictated by personal trauma, addiction, sexual abuse, romance, and set free by mysticism.

Artist to Artist Conversation between River Gallo and Tatenda Ngwaru

COMEDY SHOWCASE

WE ARE NOT A JOKE… BUT WE ARE FUNNY

FILMMAKER PERSPECTIVES

Trans, nonbinary and intersex people are not a joke, but we can certainly deliver them. There is humor in our experience. We are Not A Joke… But We Are Funny is a comedy showcase featuring some of the funniest trans, nonbinary and intersex comedians today - emceed

by D’Lo, featuring Nori Reed, Jes Tom, 7g, River Butcher, and Kai.

THE ANTI-HERO FRAUD

by Zen Pace and Dana Aliya Levinson (14 mins)

A woman getting by with petty credit card fraud questions who she wants to be when her latest target surprises her with an unforeseen proposition.

Q&A with Zen Pace and Dana Aliya Levinson, moderated by Zackary Drucker

FILMMAKER PERSPECTIVE #2

OUR BODIES, OUR CHOICE

MY ABORTION SAVED MY LIFE

by TransLash Media, created by Imara Jones, directed and produced by Ruby Rose Collins and Tiler Wilson, featuring Cazembe Murphy Jackson (9 mins)

Cazembe Murphy Jackson (he/him), a Black trans activist living in Atlanta, Georgia, shares why his access to abortion was vital to his life. [CW/TW: sexual assault, rape, homophobia and transphobia]

TRANS BODIES, TRANS CHOICES

by TransLash Media, created by Imara Jones, directed and produced by Ruby Rose Collins and Tiler Wilson, featuring Jack Qu’emi Gutíerrez (7 mins)

After an unplanned pregnancy and unsuccessful Plan B contraceptive, Jack Qu’emi (they/them) sought abortion access in central Florida.

FRAUD

WHY INTERSEX REPRESENTATION MAT TERS

She will be releasing her debut memoir about her coming of identity and activism with St. Martin’s Press in 2022.

FILMMAKER PERSPECTIVE #1

Filmmaker Perspectives showcases short films from emerging trans, nonbinary & intersex filmmakers, using film to explore the multitude of trans, nonbinary and intersex experience.

Each short is followed by a moderated conversation with the filmmakers or talent, and offers a glimpse into a particular theme or issue.

During her time at Out, she published the Trans Obituaries Project to highlight the epidemic of violence against trans women of color and developed a communitysourced 13-point framework to end the epidemic. This project won a GLAAD Media Award. Raquel is a thought leader on gender, race and intersectionality.

She’s experienced in online publications, organizing marginalized communities for social change, non-profit media strategy and public speaking while using digital activism as a major tool of resistance and liberation.

ARTIST TO ARTIST CONVERSATION | TOWARD VISIBILITY:

Virtual introduction by Imara Jones. Q&A with Cazembe Murphy Jackson and Jack Qu’emi Gutíerrez, moderated by Jaden Fields

PROGRAMMED BY: Kieran Medina SPECIAL THANKS: Zackery Alexzander Stephens, Zackary Drucker, River Gallo, Brian Michael Smith, Neil Landau, Valerie Stadler, Farhaad Virani, Keisha Zollar, Nova Cypress Black, Chris Renfro, Raul Martin Romero and Good Robot of Bad Robot Productions

NARRATIVE FEATURES CHRISSY JUDY

DOS ESTACIONES

Every gay guy has that one friend who can’t get their act together, but we can’t help but love them to pieces anyway. For thirty-something Chrissy, that’s his best judy, Judy, an endearing but perpetually messy ride-or-die who’s always got more than a few cocktails in the tank.

Together, they’re an inseparable —bordering codependent — twoqueen drag act scraping by in the bars of New York. When Chrissy decides to leave town for his successful boyfriend, Judy’s left to pick up the pieces and forge a solo path in life and love with no one to lean on but himself. In striking black-and-white, director/writer/actor Todd Flaherty imbues Judy’s story with brilliant shades of heart and resilience to transform a misunderstood archetype into a tenacious superstar.

In the highlands of Jalisco, the heiress of a tequila factory is so focused on fighting to maintain her family legacy in the face of encroaching American competition, that she risks losing sight of herself along that way. Juan Pablo González casts his observational eye on the complex life of Señora Maria, and ​​ delivers a layered portrait of a queer woman and her community that deepens the common narratives about rural Mexico. By building quiet, hypnotic sequences that unspool like a kaleidoscope of her daily life — merging Maria’s professional trials with her personal affection for a new employee — the film powerfully builds into a stunning examination of power and its limits, all anchored by a magnetic lead performance by Teresa Gómez which garnered her an acting prize at Sundance.

DIR. TODD FLAHERTY | USA | 96 MIN. FRIDAY | JULY 15 | 7:00PM | DGA 1

ALL KINDS OF LOVE

ATTACHMENT

Max, a stubborn gay man, is reeling from his recent divorce from his commitment-phobic husband. Starting over would be easier if Max’s shaky living situation didn’t frequently land him on his ex’s couch, where he inevitably interrupts whatever sexual escapade of the moment is playing itself out. Soon, Max becomes accidental roommates with a younger hip nerd who is as romantically challenged as he is, and sparks unexpectedly begin to fly. Longtime Outfest alum David Lewis’ feel-good and refreshingly sex-positive romantic comedy makes the welcome choice to expands its point of view beyond Max’s own troubles. What results is an open-hearted, sensitive story about people trying to follow their hearts, be it within an intergenerational romance, a late-in-life throuple, or through the eyes of an artistic trans man looking for love in all the wrong places.

It’s every lesbian’s fear — what if the partner with whom you’re U-Hauling is possessed by a demon? Maja is a Danish actor unhappy with the direction of her career after playing a Christmas elf in a beloved jingle. Then she meets Leah, a young Jewish student visiting Denmark, and falls headover-heels for her. When Leah suffers a health scare, Maja offers to come back to London with her so she can care for her and keep their fledgling relationship going. Their homecoming in Leah’s Hasidic neighborhood is less than hospitable. Leah’s mother Chana is deeply secretive and increasingly overbearing. As Maja tries to ingratiate herself into Leah’s home and community, she starts to fear that the cause of Leah’s sickness — and Chana’s iciness — are rooted in supernatural terrors of Jewish folklore.

DIR. DAVID LEWIS | USA | 76 MIN. SATURDAY | JULY 23 | 12:00PM | DGA 1

DIR. GABRIEL BIER GISLASON | DENMARK | 105 MIN. SATURDAY | JULY 16 | 6:15PM | HARMONY GOLD

THE FIRST FALLEN

DIR. RODRIGO DE OLIVEIRA | BRAZIL | 107 MIN. SUNDAY | JULY 17 | 3:30PM | DGA 2

BREAKING THE ICE

DIR. CLARA STERN | AUSTRIA | 102 MIN. FRIDAY | JULY 22 | 9:30PM | DGA 2

When it comes to ice hockey, Mira is no holds barred. As her team’s captain, she can’t afford to let her guard down and she leads with precision and determination. If only her personal life were that easy. Between her grandfather’s dementia getting progressively worse, her brother Paul disappearing for days on end, the family vineyard barely staying afloat,

and her mother being no help at all — she’s barely keeping them together as the only responsible one left in the family. It’s a tenuous existence that gets shaken up when the freewheeling Theresa joins the ice hockey team, unsettling the usually uptight Mira. It all comes to a head one late night, lost in Vienna. Can she finally learn to let go and be free to find love?

Suzano, Humberto, and Rose are three friends living in a small Brazilian town in 1983. Their lives are as fraught with happiness and heartbreak as any gay men or trans women of the era could expect. As the first wave of the AIDS epidemic takes hold in their community, their chosen family’s bond must grow even stronger. With energy, humor, and righteous anger, director Rodrigo de Oliveira creates a drama that is full of life. Powerful performances, vibrant color, and dramatic craft propel The First Fallen into an emotional journey that’s just as thrilling as any action picture, and that burns with the fiery passion of art that’s both entertainment and activism.

DIR. JUAN PABLO GONZÁLEZ | MEXICO | 99 MIN. FRIDAY | JULY 15 | 7:15PM | DGA 2

GIRL PICTURE

DIR. ALLI HAAPASALO | FINLAND | 100 MIN. FRIDAY | JULY 22 | 7:00PM | DGA 2

Bursting with the incandescent energy and uncontainable wild emotions that one experiences when on the cusp of their young adulthood, director Alli Haapasalo’s tremendous Sundance awardwinning coming of age story cuts through the choppy waters of late-teenage apprehension, to ride the waves of exhilarating selfdiscovery. Wild child Mimmi and the more reserved Rönkkö — best friends for life — spend every Friday working together at a smoothie stand in the mall. Everything changes when Mimmi meets ice skating champion Emma, her soon to be first love, and Rönkkö decides to take her sexual awakening into her own hands. Featuring unforgettable performances from its central trio and music from the likes of Perfume Genius, Haapasalo crafts a queer cinema instant classic. By grounding her characters in authentic feeling, she captures the cathartic beauty of breaking out of childhood and sprinting into your future.

NARRATIVE FEATURES MY EMPTINESS AND I (MI VACIO Y YO)

MONEYBOYS

Outfest alum Adrián Silvestre partners with co-writer and lead actress Raphaëlle Perez to create a colorful, layered portrait of a life in flux. Perez plays Raphi, a low-level office worker with dreams of being an artist. When Raphi is diagnosed with gender dysphoria, her story becomes a deeply humane exploration of the choices one trans woman makes as she learns to re-enter the dating world, demand more from her sex life, and come into her own as a gifted writer and performer. Bursting with vitality and exuberance, the community that forms around Raphi is inspirational, led by a support group of multigenerational trans women played by the subjects of Silvestre’s Outfest Award-winning documentary, Sediments. This is an invigorating cinematic experience, destined to become a queer classic.

Director C.B. Yi’s gritty and tender debut feature explores the emotional entanglements and secret world of street hustlers — or “Moneyboys” — working their clients and making a living in big city Beijing, where gay life is taboo but a surplus of demand survives in the shadows. Far from his home in rural China, twenty-something Fei rises in their ranks as a wet-behind-the-ears newcomer while sending along his earnings to the conservative family he left behind in the countryside. But when their disapproval irrevocably complicates his position, his life in the profession shifts as he seeks a new chapter in love without price tags attached. Yi’s tactile sensitivity and assured sense of direction with actors and their environment evokes a longing to belong against the shimmering mystery of starting your life anew.

DIR. ADRIÁN SILVESTRE | SPAIN | 98 MIN. SATURDAY | JULY 16 | 1:00PM | HARMONY GOLD

LONESOME

MARS ONE (MARTE UM)

Down and out and on the run, handsome drifter Casey rolls into big city Sydney with a longing for connection and an untold past in the countryside. Adrift within the all-consuming hook-up scene of this unknown urban labyrinth, he strikes up a friendship with charismatic fellow hustler Tib after crossing paths in bed. Their connection quickly settles into a physical and emotional partnership that offers the promise of a new beginning for them both but only if they can survive the secrets and sinister forces that surround them. With an eye towards finding the sublime where others might look away, director Craig Boreham crafts an erotic, sensitively tuned vision of striking vulnerability that dares to kindle hope and redemption against the most impossible odds.

In this Sundance darling about a young woman discovering her queerness and taking a brave leap into new love, Brazilian director Gabriel Martins weaves a tender family drama with a sensual love story. Set in the postelection tumult of Bolsanaro’s regime, we meet a working class family of four, each with their own wishes for their future. Eldest sister Eunice has just met her great love in Joana, but hesitates to reveal her true self to her family members each dealing with their own challenges. Avoiding the dramatic trappings of the coming out narrative, Martins instead shows us a casual, easy love progressing naturally. Bathed in all the colors and music Brazil has to offer, Mars One is a celebration of life in the face of tragedy, and the enduring familial love that carries through it all.

DIR. CRAIG BOREHAM | AUSTRALIA | 95 MIN. SATURDAY | JULY 23 | 9:30PM | DGA 1

DIR. GABRIEL MARTINS | BRAZIL | 115 MIN. THURSDAY | JULY 21 | 7:00PM | DGA 2

DIR. C.B. YI| FRANCE | 120 MIN. WEDNESDAY | JULY 20 | 9:45PM | DGA 1

Content advisory: Depictions of violence

Content advisory: This film contains intense scenes of a graphic sexual nature.

PETER VON KANT

PHEA

One of contemporary cinema’s most prolific and stylish artists, François Ozon’s (8 Women, Summer of ‘85) latest breathes dazzling new life into a landmark of the queer canon. This tale of romantic obsession uses the framework of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s 1972 masterpiece The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, and remolds it to focus on prickly film director Peter (Denis Ménochet), whose friend and frequent star Sidonie (a superb Isabelle Adjani) introduces him to young aspiring actor Amir. Peter is instantly infatuated, but with the beautiful Amir’s star rising and attention wandering, the potential rejection sends Peter’s temper into overload.

No one is safe, including Peter’s long-suffering, silent assistant and his understanding mother (Fassbinder regular Hanna Schygulla), and the result is an explosive actors’ showcase that needs to be seen to be believed.

Phea is an aspiring singer/songwriter who feels stuck. Her music career has stalled, and her relationship to her girlfriend Justine is on the precipice. So when Justine stops answering her calls, Phea tries to find her to get some explanation — but she is soon drawn into the orbit of a dangerous human trafficker that puts her own life, and Justine’s, on the line. She swiftly discovers that she would do whatever it takes to save her lover. Come for the emotionally and politically resonant lesbian spin on the myth of Orpheus, and stay for the extraordinary debut and music of Sherika Sherard — the singer/songwriter cast as Phea after the director saw her busking in a London tube station.

DIR. FRANÇOIS OZON | FRANCE | 85 MIN. SUNDAY | JULY 17 | 9:30PM | DGA 1

MAYBE SOMEDAY

DIR. MICHELLE EHLEN | USA | 91 MIN. SATURDAY | JULY 23 | 7:00PM | DGA 1

When her wife devastatingly asks for a separation in order to explore other options, Jay decides to pick up her life and move across the country to start anew. Halfway through the trip, she makes a pit stop to visit her high school best friend, a single mother raising a young daughter. Haunted by the memories of her crumbling marriage and holding out for a second chance, Jay postpones the rest of her trip. She’s paralyzed in her grief

until she befriends a charismatic gay man whose outlook on love forces her to come to terms with her new reality. Michelle Ehlen (Heterosexual Jill, S&M Sally) returns to Outfest LA with an honest and heartfelt journey: a love letter to the people who help pick us up when our hearts are broken, and the beauty of discovering the strength to create a fresh start.

DIR. ROCKY PALLADINO | UNITED KINGDOM | 93 MIN. SATURDAY | JULY 16 | 1:15PM | DGA 2

Preceded by EDIBLE Dir. Kandis Golden, 2021, 18 min.

NARRATIVE FEATURES PLEASE BABY PLEASE

DIR. AMANDA KRAMER | USA | 95 MIN. FRIDAY | JULY 15 | 9:30PM | DGA 1

THREE HEADED BEAST

DIRS. FERNANDO ANDRÉS, TYLER RUGH | USA | 83 MIN. TUESDAY | JULY 19 | 9:45PM | DGA 1

In director Amanda Kramer’s neon-drenched, highly stylized 1950s Manhattan, greaser gang The Young Gents stalk the streets. When they stage an attack at the doorstep of newlyweds Suse and Arthur (Andrea Riseborough and Henry Melling), witnessing the violence awakens the couple’s dormant fantasies of smashing through their expected gender roles. Suse, spurred on further by a conversation with her rebellious upstairs neighbor (a sublime Demi Moore), imagines herself as the femme dom star

of elaborate S&M daydreams. While Arthur finds a welcome home for his softness and sensitivity in the gangs’ sexy leader (Karl Glusman). Fantasy bleeds into reality, and both squares and criminals alike give into temptation.

Kramer’s deliciously entertaining, star-studded tour-de-force becomes a sensual exploration of how acting wrong can sometimes feel so right.

Preceded by FOU DE BASSAN Dir. Yann Gonzalez, 2021, 4 min.

During a hot Texas summer, bisexual couple Peter and Nina begin to explore the boundaries of their open relationship. Everything seems good; sometimes they’ll even spend the afternoon in the beds of their lovers before returning home. But as the couple rejoices in the simple pleasures of being free to explore their desires, their foundation

SHALL I COMPARE YOU TO A SUMMER’S DAY? DIR. MOHAMMAD SHAWKY HASSAN

SUBLIME

THREE TIDY TIGERS TIED A TIE TIGHTER

YOU CAN LIVE FOREVER

In this queer contemporary musical from Egyptian director Mohammad Shawky Hassan, soft speaking voices, and a dreamlike soundscape of Egyptian pop music pull you in. Based on a diary of the filmmaker’s personal love stories, and told in the form of a tale from One Thousand and One Nights, Hassan’s film gives us a glimpse into the sensual experiences of gay Egyptian men. Telling their stories with humor, tenderness, and wit, the power of prose commands attention and allows viewers to be completely swept up in Hassan’s unique vision.

With gorgeous colors, handsome actors, and imaginative editing, Shall I Compare You To a Summer’s Day? is a cinematic delight.

Somewhere along the Atlantic coast in Argentina, teenage Manu spends his days hanging out and playing bass guitar in a band alongside his best friend Felipe — with whom his passionate chemistry may be developing into something more than friendship. As Manu wrestles with the unexpected emotional turmoil of falling in love for the first time, let alone with his male best friend, vibrant scene-building thrusts the film into an unsteady realm of complicated feelings and breathtaking intimacy. Tension builds as jealousy and nerves creep forward into the fray, threatening to break the bond between these two boys. Filled with stolen glances and rushes of discovery, director Mariano Biasin vividly conveys the mercurial complexities of coming of age alongside an intimate tale about the value of friendship.

Brazilian director Gustavo Vinagre scored the Teddy Award for Best Feature Film at this year’s Berlinale for this dazzling journey through a not-too-distant future. Jonata, Pedro and Isabella — three friends in the working-class suburbs of São Paulo — each attempt to make their way in a world that’s been harshly affected by rampant capitalism, and a pandemic whose disease threatens to claim cherished memories. New friendships and first loves are prey to forgetfulness, but this trio of young queer stalwarts fight the plague via their shared experiences and collective memories.

Outrageous and thought-provoking, this film brims over with humor, absurdism, and witty narrative devices that build to an unforgettable climax.

This debut feature from directing team Mark Slutsky and Sarah Watts tells a tender story within a Jehovah’s Witness community about a teen girl falling in love for the first time in the wake of her father’s death.

Jaime is secure in her queerness, but her crush Marike is too devout to fully live in her truth. Their relatives and neighbors are portrayed as loving, but unmoving in their adherence to traditional gender roles. Marike adheres to them, and tries to get Jaime to do the same, causing conflict between the young lovers. But the two can’t stay away from each other, stealing glances at dinner and having flirtatious sleepovers. And when the community catches on to their secret love, Jaime must choose between being with Marike or being true to herself.

EGYPT, LEBANON, GERMANY | 66 MIN. THURSDAY | JULY 21 | 9:45PM | DGA 2

Preceded by EXALTED MARS Dir. Jean-Sébastien Chauvin, 2021, 18 min.

DIR. MARIANO BIASIN | ARGENTINA | 100 MIN. MONDAY | JULY 18 | 7:00PM | PLAZA DE LA RAZA

DIR. GUSTAVO VINAGRE | BRAZIL | 86 MIN. SATURDAY | JULY 16 | 3:45PM | HARMONY GOLD

begins to crack as Peter’s new boyfriend Alex asserts his feelings and unique place within this delicate arrangement. This microbudget gem from directors Tyler Rugh and Fernando Andres stands out with a rare and exquisite narrative alchemy, crafted through emotionally attuned scenes built from the messy beauty of human passion.

DIR. SARAH WATTS, MARK SLUTSKY | CANADA | 96 MIN. SATURDAY | JULY 23 | 3:45PM | DGA 2

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT OUTSET ALUMNI

SAV RODGERS

he/him

In October 2018, Outfest organized a screening of the budding cult classic Jennifer’s Body. Sav Rodgers may have only been visiting Los Angeles, but the event called out to him. The raucous night was his first taste not only of the city’s festival scene but also of the careful curation that guides Outfest yearound. The experience is what pushed him to apply to the Outfest Outset Young Filmmakers Project.

The following year proved to be transformative for Rodgers. Outset gave him the push he needed: “It was an opportunity for me to move to Los Angeles and find queer community for the first time in my life. I made countless friends and found new mentors.” Moreover, it was in his Outset class where he met his writing partner, Taylor Gates. “I’ll always be grateful for the experience.”

Since that fateful evening watching Megan Fox tear through the screen spouting Diablo Cody’s endlessly quotable campy dialogue, Rodgers—who’s currently in post-production on his debut feature documentary, Chasing Chasing Amy— has come to further appreciate the space Outfest carves out for filmmakers like himself. “Community and queer spaces are incredibly important to me.

Outfest provides both. I’ve met some of the most incredible people all through a shared passion for independent queer cinema. The value of that bond can’t be overstated.”

OUTFEST ANTHONY MEINDL ACTING FELLOWSHIP ALUMNI

D’LO

he/they

The title of D’Lo’s various shows over the years—which include Ramble-Ations, D’FunQT, D’FaQTo Life and To T, or not To T, which just finished a run at the Kirk Douglas Theater here in Los Angeles—capture the voice of this queer/ transgender Tamil-Sri Lankan-American actor/writer/comic. There’s an ebullience to their work that shines through even on the page. A longtime friend of the festival (D’Lo estimates they first got involved with it back in 2009 through his work with Adelina Anthony as director for her solo show at the Redcat), the multihyphenate performer was part of the Outfest Anthony Meindl Acting Fellowship in 2019. It’s an experience they remember fondly because not only did it help them hone their skills (they still recall how helpful and sensitive teachers like Barbara Howlin and Nina Rausch were then) but because they got to meet a number of actors they remain in contact with.

“Outfest is another family for me. I love how something so huge can feel so intimate. It is not just a place to gather, but it’s a place to be in further amazement of the magic that queer creators have. Everytime I go to an Outfest event, I remember how much community I have even if I don’t get to see everyone as often. GODS BLESS THE QUEERS!”

SHORTS PROGRAM FOR LOVE

ALL THE LOVERS

NORTH STAR

BEAUTIFUL STRANGER

COME TO MY WINDOW

FELLAS THAT WERE IN THE MOOD

A quiet look at one’s life as we age. Time and connection are altered in these memorable shorts. How do our former and current lovers imprint on our lives? Whether it’s a Taiwanese lesbian rock singer reconnecting with her first love after 30 years, or two strangers meeting on a train in Spain — how do we measure the truth and vulnerability of life? Through the legacy of a pioneering lesbian-lover-filmmaker, or is it perhaps through a rancher and his ailing husband. These queer elders’ shorts display pride and power of love no matter how far away in time you get from them.

Hot-blooded passion mingles with down-and-dirty desire in these sensual short films that explore the erotic possibilities of gay male experience. Across an international spread of sumptuous visions from talented filmmakers stretching the limits of their medium, this host of eclectic characters navigate the politics of throupledom, dating app dilemmas, and how to choose the perfect bedroom partner for the first time. Not to mention, through immersive first person cinematography, the chance to invite the viewer (you!) in as a third. Join us for this voyeuristic voyage into only the most pleasurable of realms.

LOVE, BARBARA (Dir. Brydie O’Connor) 15 Mins. THE EPHEMERAL (Dir. Jorge Muriel) 20 Mins. NORTH STAR (Dir. P.J. Palmer) 30 Mins. ENCORE MARTHA (Dir. Natasha K. Sung) 24 Min.

BEAUTIFUL STRANGER (Dir. Benjamin Belloir) 26 Min. FIRSTS (Dir. Jesse Ung) 17 Min. OPEN TO IT (Dir. Greg Wolf) 22 Min. SORRY, I CAN’T TALK RIGHT NOW (Dir. Bia Jurema) 9 Min. THREE’S COMPANY (Dir. Steve Balderson) 30 Min.

SATURDAY | JULY 16 | 4:00PM | DGA 2

SATURDAY | JULY 16 | 9:00PM | DGA 2

It’s about all of us! Each film demonstrates the true beauty of authentic LGBTQIA+ relationship experiences and the united themes of loss, dedication, isolation, love, sorrow, spirituality, and family. In these films you’ll see a celebration of queerness, the struggle to come out to your family, the heartbreak of letting loved ones go, and more moments of genuine connection and intimacy. Tonight — we celebrate intimacy and relationships.

HIGH JUMP (Dir. Lennert Madou) 12 Mins. I WISH I NEVER FUCKING MET YOU (Dir. Jacob Charton) 10 Mins. FOSTER (Dir. Jordi Wijnalda) 12 Mins. THE SPIRIT GOD GAVE US (Dir. Michael Donte) 20 Mins. FOR LOVE (Dir. Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor) 12 Mins.

FIRECRACKER (Dir. Caroline Guo) 14 Mins. THE BOWER (Dir. Marco Alessi) 18 Mins. TOP BOTTOM TOP (Dir. Graham Kolbeins) 3 Mins.

UP CLOSE

FOREIGN UNCLE

BLEND INTO MY FAVORITE COLOR

BOY SHORTS

These aren’t your average Saturday morning cartoons, and they are certainly not for kids. A medium that inherently lends itself to the surreal — with boundaries and constraints only limited to that of the imagination — animation is seemingly the perfect vessel for LGBTQIA+ stories. Whether illustrating spoken word poetry or diving into a childhood memory, documenting bi visibility, dismantling personal trauma or flooding the rainbow floor your first day in the dorms — these films encompass a full array of animation styles, techniques, and perspectives. Gorgeous imagery and bursts of color punctuate this program that is sure to open your mind, touch your heart, and keep you marveling at the wonder.

Affirming, seductive, and hysterical stories come together in fabulous fashion to comprise this year’s dazzling collection of marquee gay male shorts. Whether it’s a camping trip on Catalina Island, a construction crane overlooking the buildings of Beirut, a trip to visit your boyfriend’s parents in Beijing or a chance encounter on a London balcony, the men in these evocative and deeply felt films from around the world search for a stage to plant their feet and live their truths out loud. Unique dilemmas arise — an accidentally ingested edible here, a lurid sex tape from a US Senator there — but by trusting their instincts or leaning on their community for support, they each demonstrate the true beauty of authentic gay experience.

SATURDAY | JULY 16 | 6:30PM | DGA 2

BI THE WAY (Dir. Amir Ovadia Steklov) 16 Mins. flooded daisies (Dir. PoeticMoment) 2 Mins. HOT TODDY (Dir. Mary Sette) 17 Mins.

LIPSTICK OF THE BRAVE (Dir. Bill Plympton) 6 Mins. MEN IN BLUE: 12 STORIES (Dir. Francisco Bianchi) 3 Mins. NEW MOON (Dirs. Jeremie Balais, Jeffig LeBars, Raul Domingo, Colman Domingo) 11 Mins. RAINBOW FLOOR (Dirs. DeLeon Warren, Barry Strum) 14 Mins. SINGLE (Dirs.Tilly Robba, Steph Jowett) 12 Mins. TOGETHER/ APART (Dir. David Amberg) 7 Mins. UP CLOSE (Dir. Sam Gurry) 4 Mins.

SATURDAY | JULY 16 | 11:00AM | DGA 1

BRUTAL (Dir. Sam McConnell) 13 Min. CATALINA (Dir. Tyler Rabinowitz) 16 Min. F^¢K ‘€M R!GHT B@¢K (Dir. Harris Doran) 12 Min. FOREIGN UNCLE (Dir. Sining Xiang) 20 Min. A FOX IN THE NIGHT (Dir. Keeran Anwar Blessie) 11 Min. WARSHA (Dir. Dania Bdeir) 15 Min.

QUEER PARIVAAR

MONDAY | JULY 18 | 9:30PM | DGA 1

LESBIAN MISERABLES

GET HAPPY

GIRL SHORTS

The world’s on fire! Forget your troubles by watching a delightful collection of shorts centered on coming-of-age, quiet joyful moments, and experiencing the wild rollercoaster of falling in love for the first time. These feel-good flicks will certainly make you forget all about getting ready for the judgment day.

Don’t be shy! A treasure trove of shorts all about women, their desires and gender presentation. From a queer femme’s kink party to solitary birthday celebration. This year we celebrate self-acceptance, aspiration, lesbianism, rebirth for all generations, all those who came before and all those who shall come after us. Stories in search of healing in Nigeria, a taxi ride in Los Angeles, a heartfelt sex talk in a hospital hallway in Spain, to a dyke on a motorcycle in Brazil.

FRIDAY | JULY 15 | 9:45PM | DGA 2

SEQUIN (Dir. Averi Israel) 4 Mins. TANK FAIRY (Dir. Erich Rettstadt) 10 Mins. IS THIS THE ONE? (Dir. Stephanie Mata) 8 Mins. WUSS (Dir. Rubing Zhang) 12 Mins. THE LAST HUMAN PERSON ON EARTH (Dir. Ryan Michael Hoskins) 14 Mins. QUEER PARIVAAR (Dir. Shiva Raichandani) 27 Mins.

ALL THE CROWS IN THE WORLD (Dir. Tang Yi) 14 Mins.

FRIDAY | JULY 22 | 9:45PM | DGA 1

THE BIRTH OF A BEAUTIFUL BUTCH (Dir. Gia-Rayne Harris) 3 Min. BLOOD HANA (Dir. M.G. Evangelista) 15 Min. A WILD PATIENCE HAS TAKEN ME HERE (Dir. Érica Sarmet) 26 Min. LESBIAN MISERABLES (Dir. Tess Paras) 3 Min. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, YOU MADE IT (Dir. Yuelei Song) 6 Min. CAR THERAPY: UNCOUPLING (Dir. Jennelle Williams) 7 Min. NENENA (Dir. Johaira Michelle Dilauro) 1 Min. MASQUERADE (EGÚNGÚN) (Dir. Olive Nwosu) 15 Min. YES, GODDESS (Dir. Randa Jarrar) 12 Min. MY FIRST CHOICE (Dir. Carlota Callén) 6 Min.

SHORTS PROGRAM ADAM, EVE AND THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT

LATINXCELLENCE

EL MARIJUANO

SPACESHIP

TUESDAY | JULY 19 | 9:30PM | PLAZA DE LA RAZA

Excellence doesn’t even begin to describe the storytelling on display in this year’s collection of Latinx shorts. Full of heartache, longing, dancing, manicures, and a little weed, these stories celebrate the importance of our sacred connections — not just to the people in our lives but to our culture.

Whether honoring a grandparent, stressing over a quinceañera, saying an emotional goodbye, or finding your way back to someone, we know one thing is true, our strength comes from the love we give to the ones we hold dear — and our excellence comes from the bonds we have to each other.

¡NAILS! (Dir. Eliana Pipes) 5 Mins. ADAM, EVE AND THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT (Dir. R.B. Lima) 20 Mins. BLESSED AND HIGHLY FAVORED (Dirs. Marianna Amelinckx, Julieta Messmer) 8 Mins. EL MARIJUANO (Dir. Andre Lara Cervantes) 18 Mins. I SHOULD FEED MY CAT (Dir. Abram Cerda) 17 Mins. LAS PLANTAS DE MIS ABUELOS (Dirs. Nicolas Jara, Lilith King-Smithson) 1 Min. MERCURY RETROGRADE (Dir. Gustavo Gamero) 6 Mins. RECUERDO DE UNA TARDE EN LA AZOTEA (Dir. Tavo Ruiz) 9 Mins. SPACESHIP (Dir. Jorge G. Camarena) 19 Mins.

FIRST DOWN

VALENTINE

OUR TRUTH, OUR HISTORY

OUTSIDE THESE WALLS

Whether they’re intimate short documentaries or narrative reenactments of key queer moments throughout history, the shorts in this collection introduce us to previously unknown but nevertheless vital tales of LGBTQIA+ communities past and present. Gifted non-fiction filmmakers allow us to spend a few moments with inspirational queer athletes, and trailblazing Muslim leaders. Members of the legendary House of LaBeija write letters ruminating on their personal stories, and actors boldly take on the persona of towering figures like James Baldwin. Altogether, these films weave a tapestry of queer life from all corners of the world that finally tell their small but significant stories.

Lovebirds in flux, frenemies, and rocker con artists are just some of the offerings of this truly transformative block. These filmmakers are challenging what audiences know as “trans stories” by daring to dream bigger than the usual fanfare. This collection of luminary narratives reflects the possibilities of storytelling for trans and nonbinary communities onscreen.

TUESDAY | JULY 19 | 7:00PM | DGA 2

THE BALDWIN ARCHIVES (Dir. Laura Seay) 8 Mins. FIRST DOWN (Dir. Carrie Stett) 12 Mins. HOLDING MOSES (Dir. Rivkah Beth Medow) 17 Mins. THE HOUSE OF LABEIJA (Dir. Fredgy Noël) 10 Mins. LEGACY (Dir. Giovannie Espiritu) 1 Min. THE LETTER MEN (Dir. Andy Vallentine) 9 Mins. PORTAL (Dir. Rodney Evans) 12 Mins. TWO-SPIRIT (Dir. Mónica TaboadaTapia) 15 Mins. UNITY MOSQUE (Dir. Nicole Teeny) 7 Mins.

SUNDAY | JULY 17 | 1:30PM | DGA 1

FRAUD (Dir. Zen Pace) 13 Mins. PRITTYBOI (Dir. Nicolas Collins) 4 Mins. MONSIEUR LE BUTCH (Dir. Jude Dry) 12 Mins.

CODE SWITCH (Dirs. Davis Alexander James, Mx. Roti) 5 Mins.

PIERCING (Dir. Nate Gualtieri) 7 Mins. PERENNIAL (Dir. Griffin Cubero) 15 mins. VALENTINE (Dirs. Beck Kitsis, Chris McNabb) 10 Mins. MY TRIP TO SPAIN (Dir. Theda Hammel) 28 Mins.

LUV, ME

KEEP/DELETE

THE NEWER QUEER CINEMA

TURN AND FACE THE STRANGE

Operating across diverse filmmaking styles, from narrative comedy, to bracing documentary, to enthralling avant garde techniques, the directors in this program (all of them age 25 or younger) possess the electrifying energy of a younger generation honing their craft and blossoming into their authorial voices. With only a few years of experience under their belts, these artists demonstrate a seasoned professional’s control of the medium, and provide a blueprint to the inspiring new possibilities for the queer storytelling of the future.

This collection of bizarre shorts is bound to leave you puzzled, horrified, or downright thrilled. Watching voyeuristic neighbors, murderous perfume salesmen, college catfishers, sapphic classically-trained musicians, and spurned sci-fi lovers struggling to deal with their relationship hangups. It’s time to embrace the surreal and the fantastical with these out-there fever dreams.

WEDNESDAY | JULY 20 | 9:30PM | DGA 2

BLOOMING (Dirs. Sitong Cao, Yuanxin Qiu) 1 Min. the beginning & the middle (Dir. Alexis G. Zall) 10 Mins. CANS CAN’T STAND (Dirs. Matt Nadel, Megan Plotka) 19 Mins. ELE OF THE DARK (Dir. Yace Sula) 13 Mins. HALF (Dir. Jacob Roberts) 11 Mins. CARTAS PARA AXÉL (Letters to Axél) (Dir. Miles Adonay Lopez) 23 Mins.

LUV, ME (Dirs. Nicolas Jara, Yen Dinh) 10 Mins. ONE LIFT AT A TIME (Dirs. Flo Singer, Ben Dame) 9 Mins.

SATURDAY | JULY 23 | 6:15PM | DGA 2

LOLLYGAG (Dir. Tij D’oyen) 10 Mins. ANACONDA (Dir. Joshua Amar) 12 Mins. DOOLEY DOES MURDER! (Dir. Donta ‘Dawn’ Storey) 11 Mins. DON’T GO WHERE I CAN’T FIND YOU (Dir. Rioghnach ni Ghrioghair) 20 Mins. SUCCESSFUL THAWING OF MR. MORO (Dir. Jerry Carlsson) 15 Mins. KEEP/DELETE (Dir. Kryzz Gautier) 19 Mins.

Content advisory: Some films contain depictions of violence.

BLACK BEAUTY

FIVE SONG TOUR

WE GO OUR OWN WAY

WHEN WE TOUCH

The relentless pursuit of finding your voice and yourself is on full display in this collection of trans, nonbinary, and gendernonconforming stories. Changemakers, precocious teenagers, small-town aficionados, and the bold, creative expressions of trans femmes showcase the beauty within the breadth of trans experiences.

Love, longing, heartbreak, and impulse are in this set of girls’ shorts.

Through an intimate, distinctly queer lens as they seek emotional freedom, love and self-discovery in a place that embraces their queerness. Whether it’s the first date, finding identity, or past relationships, all those seemingly innocuous moments that become part of us and shape who we choose to connect and be intimate with.

Past loves reignite, new one’s blossom, and legacies come to life when these shorts resolve to write exciting new chapters in their own stories.

MONDAY | JULY 18 | 9:45PM | DGA 2

WEST BY GOD (Dir. Scott Lazer) 13 Mins. BUILD OR DESTROY (Dir. Rashaad Newsome) 6 Mins. cosboi (Dir. Gosha Shapiro) 15 Mins. PUT THE BRIGHTS ON (Dir. Raymond Rea) 17 Mins.

PUNCH LINE (Dir. Becky Cheatle) 10 Mins. GOOD PRESSURE (Dirs. Caesar Osiris, Shea Diamond) 4 Mins. BLACK BEAUTY (Dir. Elle Moxley) 26 Mins.

SUNDAY | JULY 17 | 8:30PM | DGA 2

MINUTES (Dirs. Alix Eve, Olivia Dowd) 14 Min. LUCKY FISH (Dir. Emily May Jampel) 8 Min. FIRST DATE (Dir. Carly Usdin) 11 Min. PAUSE (Dir. Jacquelynn Auger) 15 Min. KING MAX (Dir. Adèle Vincenti-Crasson) 21 Min. YOU (Dir. Nicole Eckenroad) 4 Min. WORK (Dir. April Maxey) 13 Min. FIVE SONG TOUR (Dir. Chloe Jury-Fogel) 13 Min.

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HOW TO FEST | FILM THEMES Are you new to the world of film festivals and wondering “How to navigate over 200 films?!” or “ Which films are for me?!” We at Out fest don’t want to leave you hanging — WE GOT YOU!!

Along with a pull out grid to plan out your fest, we want this guide to help find your vibe! You’ll see these icons throughout the guide to help you navigate and find the flicks and events that are right for you — Happy Fest and welcome!

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HORROR

SPANISH LANGUAGE

TEEN-FRIENDLY

Do you love a jump scare? A fan of all things paranormal? Maybe spooky season is where you come to life. Check out films like HeBGB TV and Attachment to get your horror fill.

One of the world’s most widely spoken languages, Spanish languages films like Dos Estaciones and Mi Vacio y Yo are not to be missed at this years festival.

Gen-Z is one of the most out and proud queer generations of our time, so bring them along and watch films like You Can Live Forever and Girl Picture to celebrate their ferocity.

COMEDY

ROMANCE

TGI (TRANS, GENDER

Who says being queer can’t be funny?! Get your laugh on with All Kinds of Love, our Comedy Night at The Ford with a block of funny shorts and stand-up, and a screening of God Save the Queens complete with live performances!

Romance is all about all things love — and sometimes lust — check out films like Breaking the Ice and Nelly & Nadine if you’re into films that give you that fluttery feeling

BIPOC

WOMEN’S INTEREST

LA LOCAL

People of color have been in the world of film forever, and with films like Mama Bears and Moneyboys showing at this years festival, our talent, creativity and beauty thrives on the silver screen.

Girls on film is the vibe with these picks! Please Baby Please and a screening of the new series A League of Their Own puts ladies to the front on the big screen

It’s in our name! Outfest LA pays homage to our lovely locals with films like Manscaping and Hypochondriac, check ‘em out and catch these Cali vibes.

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DIVERSE, INTERSEX)

The factual and fictional stories of Trans, Gender Diverse and Intersex folks are prominetly featured at this years festival. check out Anything’s Possible for teen crushes and besties and Passion for a kiss of extra romance

THURSDAY, JULY 14TH

5:30 PM

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E L U D E H C S FILM GUIDE

9:30 PM

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ORPHEUM

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PLAZA DE LA RAZA

THURSDAY, JULY

21ST

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9:30 PM SHORTS: FELLAS THAT WERE IN THE MOOD

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ND

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7:15 PM MAMA BEARS

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9:45 PM GIRL SHORTS

7:00 PM GIRL PICTURE

9:30 PM BREAKING THE ICE

8:00 PM GOD SAVE THE QUEENS

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3:45 PM YOU CAN LIVE FOREVER

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BY CROOK

6:15 PM TURN AND FACE THE STRANGE

8:00 PM I HAVE TO LAUGH: COMEDY NIGHT AT THE FORD

THE FORD

SUNDAY, JULY 24TH

10:00 PM

9:30 PM HYPOCHONDRIAC

DGA 1

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3:00 PM TRANS, NONBINARY, AND INTERSEX SUMMIT 1:15 PM UYRA - THE RISING FOREST + CHAAC AND YUM

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20TH Y L U J , Y A D S E N WED

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7:00 PM LOVE & GRAVITY

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9:45 PM SHALL I COMPARE YOU TO A SUMMER’S DAY

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7:00 PM SIRENS

8:00 PM UNCONVENTIONAL

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7:00 PM YOUTOPIA

6:15 PM QUEER RIOT

9:30 PM STAY ON BOARD: THE LEO BAKER STORY

7:00 PM MARS ONE

THE FORD

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6:30 PM FAR FROM HEAVEN

7:00 PM SHORTS: OUR TRUTH, OUR HISTORY

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TUESDAY, JULY 1

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3:15 PM A CONVERSATION WITH CLIVE BARKER + NIGHTBREED (THE DIRECTOR’S CUT)

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SUNDAY, JULY 17TH

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1:45 PM EPISODIC SHOWCASE: LOS ANGELS IN FOCUS

11:00 AM BOY SHORTS

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DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

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SHORT PROGRAMS

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3:30 PM CELEBRATION LAUGHTER, THE LIFE AND FILMS OF COLIN HIGGINS

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FORWARD

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As this year’s Outfest gets underway, we are proud to be part of celebrating the next generation of LGBTQIA+ storytellers.

We’d like to once again voice our support for

this

amazing

community

of

artists—those who are creating change, one story at a time. Congratulations on all your accomplishments!

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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT LEGACY PROJECT ALUMNI

MAY HONG HADUONG

she/her

The year was 1998. May Hong HaDuong was twenty years old. She was at home from college for the summer and she needed an outlet. Anything to get her out of the house. That’s how she first decided to volunteer for Outfest—even when it meant making the trek from Orange County to Los Angeles to do so.

That volunteer opportunity led, in turn, to an internship more than seven years later and later still, as an Outfest Legacy UCLA Project Manager. Outfest was where HaDuong discovered her life’s purpose; she still recalls the way the 1999 film guide beckoned all who attended the festival to feel like they’d found where they belonged: “Welcome Home,” read its tagline. “For a place that fosters queer community through the life cycle of moving images, there is no place like Outfest.”

Now, as the director of the UCLA Film & Television Archive, which includes the Outfest UCLA Legacy Project Collection (the most extensive queer moving image archive on the planet) HaDuong continues to champion the desire to excavate queer history and keep it alive for generations to come.

“Preservation,” as she puts it, “particularly for communities bound together by erasure, is a genealogical act. I wish to leave a mark in the world by preserving the voices, art, and stories that have kept me alive.”

SCREENWRITING LAB ALUMNI

NOVA CYPRESS BLACK

they/them/theirs

“AFFIRMING AF.” That’s how NOVA CYPRESS BLACK describes their experience at Outfest’s Screenwriting Lab. It’s a sentiment that cannot be overstated: “5 stars. 10s across the board. I genuinely clicked with every mentor I was matched with.”

This wasn’t just a case of having found a space where their talents were to be nurtured. But it was a networking nexus where every and all aspects of the process of filmmaking was explored with attention and care. “Carlton Daniel, Jr. gassed me up to write a feature. With Keisha Zollar I was able to vent about my economic anxieties & she graciously demystified the financial components of the TV industry. juliany f. taveras & I kiki’d about coming from theater & teaching artist work in NYC & staying true to our politics while navigating this Hollywood shit.”

In the kind of Outfest connection we love to boast about, mentor Marja LewisRyan went even further, hiring BLACK as a staff writer for season 3 of The L Word: Generation Q. Here was a tangible example of the promise and premise of the community-building Outfest prides itself on. It’s also why the 2022 GLAAD List finalist (for their one-hour sci-fi pilot BLACKSEED) will always go to bat for the fest.

“I am always singing Outfest’s praises. I’m always encouraging folks to submit to their programs, attend their events, etc. It means staying connected, giving back, and remembering that we are never, ever alone.”

O u t fe s t L A2 0 2 1 . c o m

37

EPISODICS A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN

QUEER FOR FEAR

CRAZY/SLEEP WITH ME

Free advanced screening of the series’ first two episodes with talent in attendance!

From the Bride of Frankenstein to Norman Bates and most every ghoul, goblin, and being from another world in between, horror films have been soaked in queerness since the genre’s inception. Queer filmmakers like James Whale layered the characters from their enduring classics with the outsider energy of the LGBTQIA+ community; other directors like Alfred Hitchcock channeled the works of queer authors Daphne du Maurier and Patricia Highsmith into sometimes troubling tales of gay villainy. In the first episode of this thrilling new docuseries, presented by Shudder and produced by Bryan Fuller (Hannibal) and Steak House, queer horror experts like Lea DeLaria, Marcus Hu, Kimberly Pierce, and Oz “son of Anthony” Perkins guide us through a century of our community’s contributions to the canon. Revealing delectable details about old horror classics and shining new light on undiscovered treasures. They also debate the age-old question — Rebecca’s Mrs. Danvers…was she a service top?

WORLD PREMIERES

TUESDAY | JULY 19 | 7:15PM | DGA 1

Upon receiving a letter from her husband that he’s returning home from the war, Carson Shaw (Abbi Jacobson) does the only sensible thing a woman can do — she immediately runs off to Chicago to try out for the All-American Girls Baseball League. In this thoroughly charming and blessedly queer ensemble comedy, inspired by Penny Marshall’s iconic 1992 film, Carson’s journey introduces us to dozens of women primed to be the next big thing in baseball — never mind the waning crowds and sexist owners with zero confidence in their talent. Along the way, potential romance brews among the players (with The Good Place’s D’Arcy Carden more than obliging as several girls’ object of affection!), and gifted athlete Max Chapman (Chanté Adams) vows to break through barriers and become the league’s first Black player.

SATURDAY | JULY 16 | 9:00PM | HARMONY GOLD

TUESDAY | JULY 19 | 9:30PM | DGA 2

It’s hard to be a hopeless romantic when you’re living with a disability or disorder, but the protagonists in this duo of episodics are figuring out how to live their best lives with the support of the family they surround themselves with, whether chosen or biological.

CRAZY, created by Rachel Leyco and Sheena Midori Brevig, follows Jaz and Leyna, two friends now at odds as their love lives begin to overlap. Jaz is busy figuring out the messy aftermath when her overbearing Filipino mother flushes her bipolar medication down the toilet. Meanwhile, Leyna’s anxiety ramps up after her girlfriend breaks up with her, causing angry retorts in Japanese and some unpleasant physical symptoms. Their journeys converge as they begin to take those first steps to being OK, in this honest and empowering story.

EPISODIC SHOWCASE: LOS ANGELES IN FOCUS

QUEER RIOT

Los Angeles has long been the epicenter of the television industry, so it’s only fitting that this year’s episodic showcase highlights five bold and original works from homegrown L.A. talent! Biting comedy and emotional drama to sexy romance and relationship fails. This collection of brand new episodics runs the gamut of genre, perspective, and plotlines, and combines to form an exciting portrait of new queer storytelling. From established television pros to newcomers with fresh takes on the form, each of these new hopeful

The Hoot, an underground theater located in the basement of a former nun’s residence, is the locale for this brand new one-hour comedy special created by Page Hurwitz and Tatiana von Fürstenberg. In a highly emotional moment, a close-knit group of eight LGBTQIA+ comedians take to the stage for the very first time after lock down. Led by headliner Margaret Cho, we see each of these gifted performers expertly work the

SATURDAY | JULY 16 | 1:45PM | DGA 1

series represents the possibilities available to the TV landscape when LGBTQIA+ storytellers are given the tools and access to tell their own stories.

GAY, ASIAN, IMMIGRANT (Dir. Ushmey Chakraborty) 10 min. halfsies (Created by Des Moran, Dir. Brad Klipfel) 23 min. HOW NOT TO BE A JUNKIE (Dir. Michelle Peerali) 20 min (UN)CLAIMED (Dir. Carolyn Ratteray) 24 min. WISHY WASHY (Dir. Sam Rosenberg) 7 min.

Samantha Lee’s Sleep With Me is a tender romance for insomniacs.

Harry DJs the overnight shift at the local radio station, doling out relationship advice “because every broken heart deserves to be heard.” Living as a person with a disability in an ableist society, she’s learned to let the microaggressions wash over her, and uses her positivity to help others find love. Until her eyes meet with Luna, who has a sleep disorder that only allows her to sleep during the day.

Luna isn’t always the most pleasant person to be around, having learned not to let people get too close. Their connection is immediate, but can their love overcome the obstacles they both have to face?

Content advisory: CRAZY contains depictions of mental illness and substance abuse

SUNDAY | JULY 17 | 6:15PM | DGA 2 crowd and get huge laughs with distinctly queer material, while behindthe-scenes they have open-hearted conversations with each other about the unique space they’ve created in an industry that can be inhospitable to queerness. It’s a tender portrait of community that strikes a balance between lifting one another up, while gently competing for the light.

OUTSET: THE YOUNG FILMMAKERS PROJECT

COLIN HIGGINS This year Outfest has partnered with the Colin Higgins Foundation to launch the Colin Higgins Youth Filmmaker Grant, a new initiative centered on providing LGBTQIA+ youth filmmakers with financial support to continue their work.

Three filmmakers have been selected as recipients and will each receive a $15,000 grant to support their professional development in the film industry. Join us for the award ceremony and a special presentation of the awardees’ films. The ceremony will be followed shortly by a sneak preview of the documentary Celebrating Laughter, The Life and Films of Colin Higgins directed

by Nicholas Eliopoulos.

OUTFEST IS THRILLED to present the 2020 OutSet Shorts at the Festival and the talented group that participated in the program during its pivot due to the pandemic. OutSet: The Young Filmmakers Program was created to empower and

educate LGBTQ young people to tell their stories through film. A new crop of fellows between the ages of 16 and 24 participated in OutSet, a sixmonth filmmaking lab led by industry professionals and mentored by Outfest alumni filmmakers.

EMORY CHAO JOHNSON

JAE LOONEY

RIVER VARGASON

FERNANDO LOPEZ

JESS DOSS

STEPHANIE MATA

FARRAH SU

NICOLAS JARA

YEN DINH

GABE MILLER

NOAH CAUSEY

YUELEI SONG

JACOB CHARTON

RAQUEL DIAZ

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, YOU MADE IT is playing in Girl Shorts I WISH I NEVER FUCKING MET YOU is playing in All the Lovers IS THIS THE ONE? is playing in Get Happy

LUV, ME is playing in The Newer Queer Cinema REVELATIONS. is playing in the the Platinum Showcase

DOCUMENTARY FEATURES ALL MAN: THE INTERNATIONAL MALE STORY DIRS. BRYAN DARLING, JESSE FINLAY REED | USA | 83 MIN. SATURDAY | JULY 16 | 7:15PM | DGA 1

Who could have guessed that an American revolution of fabulously redefined masculinity would begin with the jock sock? None other than International Male magazine founder Gene Burkard, whose groundbreaking mail-order catalog — filled with flashy pages of gorgeous models in chic menswear — became a shared language and aspirational sanctuary between gay

men in and out of the closet since 1979. Narrated by Matt Bomer and featuring interviews with Burkard himself, Carson Kressley, Drew Droege, and former International Male staffers, this intoxicating and eye-catching doc charts the rise and dominance of the magazine alongside the cultural shifts and health crises that forged the modern gay movement.

A RUN FOR MORE

ART AND PEP

Frankie Gonzales-Wolfe is running for City Council in San Antonio. With 23 years of political activism under her belt, a husband who served in Afghanistan, and a successful corporate track record, it’s hard to see why she might not be a popular choice. But Frankie is a proud, Latinx, trans woman, and in Texas, it makes an uphill political battle something vastly more personal. Shot over the course of four years, director Ray Whitehouse immerses us into the joyous triumphs and intimate struggles of her unique campaign, and its impact on the city, the LGBTQ community, and on Frankie herself. At a time where legislatures across the country are passing bills that attack the lives of trans people, Frankie’s journey and tenacious spirit are an inspiration as she attempts to make history as the first elected openly transgender official in her state.

WORLD PREMIERE

DIR. RAY WHITEHOUSE | USA | 82 MIN. SUNDAY | JULY 17 | 11:00AM | HARMONY GOLD

Content advisory: contains descriptions of anti-LGBTQIA+ violence Preceded by UNIDAD: GAY & LESBIAN LATINOS UNIDOS Dir. Gregorio Davila, 2022, 40 min.

DIR. MERCEDES KANE | USA | 88 MIN. SUNDAY | JULY 17 | 11:00AM | DGA 1

On Halsted Street in Chicago sits Sidetrack, a behemoth gay club that draws a large crowd, serving up slushy drinks and showtime singalongs on Sundays. Art Johnstone and Pepe Peña, partners in life and in love, opened it as a single storefront with no sign and beer cases as seating in 1982, projecting music videos on a screen. The story of Sidetrack is not just the history of one of the city’s most important cultural landmarks (now 1500 square feet after seven expansions), but also a look at the long struggle for equality and the right to love freely. From being on the frontlines of the AIDS crisis to co-founding Equality Illinois, Art and Pep have been leading the fight to make Illinois one of the most progressive protectors of LGBTQ+ rights in the country.

FRAMING AGNES

IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY

In 1958, a young trans woman named Agnes entered a study about sex disorders at UCLA to get the gender-affirming care she needed, by any means necessary. Her story was long considered to be exceptional until never-before-seen case files of other patients were found in 2017. Directed by Chase Joynt (No Ordinary Man) and featuring an all-star cast of transgender artists and performers, Framing Agnes uses re-enactment and genre-blurring storytelling techniques to breathe new life into previously unknown people who redefined gender in the midcentury. Featuring Angelica Ross, Jen Richards, Zackary Drucker, Silas Howard, Max Wolf Valerio, and Stephen Ira.

In this documentary, filmmaker Victoria Linares traces the life of her cousin Oscar Torres — a pioneer of Caribbean cinema, participant in leftist movements during the 1940s, and most crucially a fellow queer person in the family. Torres’ story was largely erased and lost to time, which sets Victoria on a journey of self-discovery and historical excavation by unearthing memories and staging re-enactments of her cousin’s unproduced screenplays. Linares weaves together expressive sequences with immense skill, piecing together a powerful portrait of Torres’ creative and political legacy through the power of cinema.

JEANNETTE

LOVING HIGHSMITH

Queer single mother and bodybuilder Jeannette Feliciano believes that strength is to show love. Director Maris Curran (Five Nights in Maine, 2015) opens a door into a woman’s life after she was dramatically affected by the Orlando Massacre at Pulse. This exacting, candid yet penetrating documentary offers a unique perspective about a woman’s resilience. The film is an eyeopening look at what it means to survive and overcome trauma with pain and beauty. Jeannette is a moving documentary that goes from trauma toward healing, finds support through community, and still reminds us about the crisis era we are living in.

With her second feature documentary, director Eva Vitija weaves an intimate portrait of enigmatic novelist Patricia Highsmith. Exploring her upbringing in Texas and her tumultuous life with her emotionally distant mother, and the many lesbian relationships that personified Highsmith’s private life. A troubled alcoholic, Highsmith lived life boldly, traveling often and engaging in many short-lived love affairs. Most notably, the film gives us insight into the writing and reception to Highsmith’s landmark lesbian novel The Price of Salt – famously adapted to film as Carol – while also alluding to the queer themes in her more popular Ripley novels. Using her diary entries with commentary from her family and former lovers, Highsmith and her writing comes into sharper focus, giving us an honest look into the mind of a troubled, brilliant artist.

DIR. CHASE JOYNT | USA | 75 MIN. SUNDAY | JULY 17 | 4:00PM | DGA 1

DIR. MARIS CURRAN | USA | 78 MIN. WEDNESDAY | JULY 20 | 7:15PM | DGA 2

DIR. VICTORIA LINARES VILLEGAS DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, USA | 84 MIN. MONDAY | JULY 18 | 9:30PM | PLAZA DE LA RAZA

Preceded by ASÍ EN LA TIERRA COMO EN EL CIELO Dir. Mireya Martinez, 2022, 11 min.

DIR. EVA VITIJA | SWITZERLAND, GERMANY | 83 MIN. SUNDAY | JULY 17 | 4:30PM | HARMONY GOLD

DOCUMENTARY FEATURES PREJUDICE AND PRIDE

MAKE ME FAMOUS

DIR. BRIAN VINCENT | USA | 93 MIN. SUNDAY | JULY 17 | 2:00PM | HARMONY GOLD

A madcap romp through the 1980’s NYC downtown art scene through the lens of the colorful career of ambitious painter, Edward Brezinski, who is hell-bent on making it. Brezinski’s quest for fame provides an intimate portrait of the art world’s attitude towards success, failure, fame and fortune, notoriety, and erasure. Viewers are introduced to a series of eccentric characters who reveal the unsung painter through their memories of both Edward’s antics and his extreme artistic drive. Their tales also unveil the queerly rollicking history of the Lower East Side art movement from an insider’s point of view.

MANSCAPING

DIR. BRODERICK FOX | USA | 62 MIN. MONDAY | JULY 18 | 7:15PM | DGA 1

Director Broderick Fox crafts an intimate portrait of three queer men who are reimagining the traditional barbershop: Richard Savvy, Australia’s “naked barber,” is a former Sydney Mr. Leather who invites you to leave your shame and clothes at the door, and to add the transformative power of kink to your cut. Devan Shimoyama is a visual artist whose barbershop painting series draws upon Afrofuturism and drag to envision the Black barbershop as a more inclusive space. Jessie Anderson is the proprietor of Big Bro’s Barbershop, where trans, gender non-conforming, and queer customers don’t have to hide their true selves to get a haircut.

Together, their inspirational stories envision a path that cuts through the toxicity of male fragility in favor of social inclusion and personal freedom.

DIR. EVA BELING | SWEDEN, FINLAND, ICELAND | 100 MIN. MONDAY | JULY 18 | 7:00PM | DGA 2 Sweden: it’s brought us tinned herring, the Volvo station wagon, and more queer movies and movie stars than you could possibly imagine. At once riveting and illuminating, filmmaker Eva Beling takes viewers on a breathlessly entertaining ride through the history of LGBTQ+ cinema in her home country, and reveals its surprisingly seismic social impact on culture in Sweden and abroad in the western world. Whether it’s Greta Garbo producing gender-bending passion projects in pre-code Hollywood, digging deeper into the psychosexual dimensions of Ingmar Bergman’s Persona, a softcore exploitation boom, or landmark arthouse classics like Fucking Åmål, there’s no shortage of fascinating chapters in this largely untold story to American audiences. If you thought The Celluloid Closet and Disclosure taught you everything you needed to know, it’s time to bust out the ABBA Gold and take notes on your new favorite queer movies you never knew existed.

SIRENS

DIR. RITA BAGHDADI | USA, LEBANON | 78 MIN. SUNDAY | JULY 17 | 7:00PM | HARMONY GOLD

Pink hair glowing under stage lights, war paint applied, clad in all black, and lips snarled, Lebanon’s Slave to Sirens is ready to shred. Maya’s guttural vocals pierce your soul as the pulsating rhythm created from Alma’s bass and Tatyana’s drums replaces your heartbeat. Anchoring it all are Lilas and Shery, the guitarists whose intricate melodies, riffs, and licks rival the complexities of life they must navigate as founding members of the first (and only) Middle Eastern all-female thrash metal band. Documentarian Rita Baghdadi artfully captures their friendship, queer identities, and the myriad of challenges they face while raging against the machine. Headbanging required.

Preceded by REGRET TO INFORM YOU Dir. Yusuf Shadeed Nasir, Benji Schwimmer (Contributing Director), 2022, 13 min.

UÝRA - THE RISING FOREST DIR. JULIANA CURI | BRAZIL, USA | 72 MIN. SATURDAY| JULY 23 | 1:15PM | DGA 2

NELLY & NADINE

PAT ROCCO DARED

DIR. MAGNUS GERTTEN | SWEDEN, BELGIUM, NORWAY 92 MIN. THURSDAY | JULY 21 | 7:15PM | DGA 1

DIRS. BOB CHRISTIE, MORRIS CHAPDELAINE | CANADA 90 MIN. SATURDAY | JULY 16 | 9:45PM | DGA 1

Starting from a photo and a box in an attic, Director Magnus Gertten’s film tells the unlikely love story of two women who meet on Christmas Eve, 1944, in the Ravensbrück concentration camp.

When Nelly’s granddaughter decides to go through some of her later grandmother’s things, the epic tale unfolds of Nelly and Nadine. The film charts both the life they lived before they met and their incredible journey after. This documentary takes you on a journey of survival, espionage, tragedy and most of all, love.

Activist, artist, filmmaker, and entertainer Pat Rocco’s legendary career spanned decades. Encompassing nude male erotic films, documentaries that bore witness to crucial moments in queer history including speeches by Harvey Milk. In this exploration of Rocco’s work and life — which features lovingly restored versions of some of Rocco’s rarest films — filmmaker Charlie David sits down with Rocco for exclusive interviews prior to his death in 2018.

Ever the good-natured showman, Rocco’s candid talks reveal the daring personality required to create work that valued, desired, and celebrated queer bodies when popular culture labeled them as shameful — revealing this to be a vital record of an unforgettable trailblazer.

STAY ON BOARD: THE LEO BAKER STORY

DIR. NICOLA MARSH, GIOVANNI REDA | USA | 72 MIN. THURSDAY | JULY 21 | 9:30PM | DGA 1 WORLD PREMIERE

From Flower Films and Pulse Films comes this raw and immersive feature following competitive skating icon Leo Baker, who in the lead up to the 2020 Olympics, is faced with the decision to transition to become his truest self or not while competing on the international stage at the highest level of the sport he loves. Stay on Board is Leo’s journey balancing the gendered world of sports, society, and skate culture, which ultimately leads him to doing the punkest thing imaginable...

In this poetic and visually hypnotic odyssey through the Amazon rainforest, Indigenous artist Uýra harnesses the interconnecting power of their native, queer, and trans identities to blaze a trail of ecological activism and LGBTQ+ pride across big cities and small villages alike. Crafting garments of eye-popping color and objects found along the way into stunning transformational performances, their reveries dazzle against the decay of environmental racism and transphobia to educate local audiences and remind them of the transformative powers of art and advocacy. Uýra reclaims the natural splendor and ancestral spirit of the land by brilliantly connecting themselves and their work as a prayer to the earth, proving that creative expression and collective action can renew the ground on which they walk. A piece of bold and expressive cinema that seems to hold the future in its hand, this journey is nothing short of a miracle.

Preceded by CHAAC + YUM Dir. Roberto Fatal, Xav SF, 2022, 12 min.

SCREENWRITING LAB 2020

SCREENWRITING LAB 2021

SATURDAY & SUNDAY | JULY 16 & 17 | 11:15 | DGA 2 SATURDAY & SUNDAY | JULY 23 & 24 | 11:15 | DGA 2

CARLTON DANIEL JR.

HE/HIM

Haunted by nightmares, musical prodigy, Junior Carmichael, returns home to his family’s funeral parlor in Cleveland, Ohio in order to salvage his grip on reality. While finding his place in the world, he must come to terms with his family, community, and the man he loves.

COURTNEY ANDUJAR HILLARY ANDUJAR

SHE/HER

A teenager casts a spell to bring her fantasy crush to life and inadvertently awakens an evil entity that begins feeding on the girls at her reform school.

OUR LAST SUMMER (Feature)

In this family-driven film, trans guy Caleb drags his BFF Roxy as his fake date to his sister’s Southern wedding, where they struggle to keep the lie under wraps amidst surprising new feelings for each other.

HE/HIM

BEFORE THE NIGHT ENDS (Feature)

BEFORE THE NIGHT ENDS is a gay teen road movie that unfolds on a single Saturday night when two boys from the low-income outskirts of São Paulo, Brazil, go on a journey to try to get into an expensive gay club downtown.

CHRIS RENFRO

THEY/THEM

ONE BIG HAPA FAMILY (Animated Episodic)

Maeve, a self-sabotaging alcoholic with dangerous coping mechanisms, is desperate to move past a bad breakup—but her plans of recovery are ruined when she learns that her ex-girlfriend has mysteriously gone missing, and she’s forced to risk everything to figure out what happened. (Dead to Me meets Search Party.)

When a gay, biracial high school band geek decides to make the most popular boy in school fall in love with him, he lets his witch-in-training younger sister perform a love spell. When her magic accidentally enchants his gym sock, he has to do what he can to cover the damage and still maybe get the boy of his dreams

DAMON ROYSTER

THEY/THEM

I LOVE YOU LIKE A BROTHER (Episodic) In a working-class Catholic neighborhood where it’s a mortal sin for men to talk about their feelings, 16-year-old closeted trans woman Kassandra and her pretentious bipolar brother Jack must learn to open up to each other if they’re going to escape Northeast Philadelphia…

KRISTIN SLANEY HE/HIM

APPQUEEN (Episodic) Damon, a pompous, pretentious, and newly out gay man attempts to make himself romantically ready for Mr. Right by using his Grindr app and meeting up with Mr. Right-Now.

JABARI MCDONALD BLACK MUD (Episodic)

In the wake of his grandfather’s death, history Ph.D. student KHALIL goes down south to search for a legendary Confederate treasure buried on the land where his enslaved ancestors once worked. Little does he know that the slave master’s descendants are also looking for it and it’s a race to see who can find it first.

LINDSAY CALLERAN SHE/HER

AGORA BOREALIS (Feature) After a 13-year-old who finds a suicide note discovers the person who wrote the note is still very much alive, she embarks on a mission to convince him that life is worth living (without letting him know she’s found his note).

HE/HIM

SHE/THEY

CAITY (Feature) While managing her family’s local haunted house with her alcoholic father, Paul, 16-year-old Caity navigates the evaporating space between childhood and adulthood.

NOVA CYPRESS BLACK THEY/THEM

HE/HIM

A group of senior citizens stuck in a suburban desert purgatory finds their bizarre, banal lifestyle upended by the arrival of a newcomer hellbent on getting into heaven.

RAUL MARTIN ROMERO

NATALIE JASMINE HARRIS SHE/THEY

SOMEWHERE ELSE (Episodic)

In summer 1991, a closeted teenager travels the bumpy road to self-acceptance when his estranged gay uncle returns home, dying of complications from HIV/AIDS.

SHE/HER

TEXTS FROM YOUR EX (Episodic)

EMMA MCIVOR

THE WEDDING DATE (Feature)

JOHNNY ALVAREZ

HE/HIM

AMANDA MOHR

HE/THEY

SHE/HER

LOVESPELL (Feature)

LEANDRO TADASHI

CODY STICKLES KEA TREVETT

SHE/HER

HOMEGOING (Feature)

GARY JAFFE

Join us for an exclusive opportunity to see the 2020 and 2021 Outfest Screenwriting Lab projects come to life before your eyes. Scenes have been selected from each of the nineteen scripts to be directed

by Outfest alumni, and performed by an allstar cast. The Outfest Screenwriting Lab has shepherded over 100 scripts, a dozen of which have gone on to be produced feature films. There will be light breakfast before each of the readings, so join us for these readings!

HE/HIM

BEARS (Episodic)

BEARS is a half-hour dramedy that follows a queer, multicultural couple in search of their own definition of marriage and the in and outs of gay Bear culture in the South.

PURE (Feature) For 17-year-old Celeste, senior year in her affluent Black community means following family tradition and becoming a debutante… but she longs for a different kind of coming out.

OATES WU

HE/HIM

WATER HAS ANOTHER DREAM (Feature) After suffering an injury, Liuming, a young Chinese competitive diver, sees his dream of being a world-class athlete shattered. As an escape, he takes part in a training program in America, unlocking a world of sex, kink, love. He matures rapidly with unavoidable growing pains.

THE OTHER SIDE (Episodic) When death separates a queer couple, they both indulge in addictive magic to find their way back to each other.

SAV RODGERS TAYLOR GATES

HE/HIM SHE/HER

I LOVE YOU, MARGOT ROBBIE (Feature) Transgender teenage boy Felix McNeil’s high school start was nearly ordinary — breaking an arm, crushing hard on a girl, and juggling the inevitable woes of adolescence — but when a larger-than-life, boundlessly supportive imaginary friend in the form of Margot Robbie falls into his world from a billboard, things take a turn for the extraordinary.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT OUTFEST FUSION ALUMNI

ANDREW AHN

he/him

Andrew Ahn’s latest film, Fire Island, may celebrate the joys of a beachside queer enclave out on the east coast, but his heart has always been out west. A native Angeleno, the Korean-American filmmaker has made a career out of uplifting characters and communities that are seldom front and center in contemporary American fare.

It’s no surprise to find that his first brush with Outfest was a screening of Lee-Song Hee-Il’s film No Regret in 2007. Attending the event by himself (as a closeted college student, no less) was an eye-opening experience for Ahn: “I remember how special it was for me to see a queer Korean story on the big screen.”

That feeling of being seen and to help others see themselves, in turn, is how he understands the mission of Outfest altogether. “Outfest is a community that values expression — we tell stories, we show our love and support for each other. As queer people, we are so often silenced or ignored in greater society. Within Outfest, we get to celebrate each other.”

That’s precisely what he felt when he first screened his films Andy and Dol (First Birthday) at Outfest Fusion back in 2011 and 2012 respectively. Being part of Outfest Fusion helped the budding filmmaker witness not only the kind of audience he could imagine but the kind of stories he felt emboldened to make. “It was so special to meet a community of filmmakers, programmers, and audiences who were queer people of color. I felt inspired and motivated to continue telling queer Korean American stories.”

OUTFEST LOS ANGELES ALUMNI

SYDNEY FREELAND

she/her

Sydney Freeland’s very first Outfest outing took place in 2014. That was the year her feature film debut, Drunktown’s Finest played the festival—and announced her as a talent to watch. Not only did the film walk away with a Grand Jury Award (Outstanding American Narrative Feature) but also with the Audience Award (HBO Outstanding First Narrative Feature).

Recalling that experience, Freeland most focuses on the connection she was able to see forged between her project and the filmgoers who came out in support of it.

“It was an amazing experience getting to show the film to such a diverse audience.

The film resonated with people in the way I had intended, and as an artist that is a very fulfilling feeling.”

But over the years, what she’s come to most appreciate about the festival is the connections it’s helped her nurture with fellow queer creatives. “I’d say that the network of fellow directors, writers and actors that I’ve met through Outfest has been amazing. So many of us keep in touch, and I’ve even gone to work with several other peers from the festival circuit.” And, like many other Outfest alumni, Freeland has seen her profile rise and rise since she first visited the festival all those years ago—including most recently directing episodes of shows like Rutherford Falls, Reservation Dogs, The Wilds, and even Marvel’s upcoming Echo, which is slated to come out in 2023.

OUTFEST UNDER THE STARS @ THE FORD

UNCONVENTIONAL

DIR. KIT WILLIAMSON | USA | 90 MIN THURSDAY | JULY 21 | 8:00PM | THE FORD

WORLD PREMIERE: WORK IN PROGRESS SCREENING From Kit Williamson, the creator of the Emmy-winning dark comedy series EastSiders on Netflix, this bold new work follows eccentric, queer siblings Noah and Margot Guillory and their significant others Daniel Charles and Eliza Slate, as they try to start an unconventional family while navigating their thirties. Noah and Daniel are slated to be the donor dads to Margot and Eliza’s pregnancy, but each couples’ private complications — adding a third to the relationship, a never-ending graduate school existence, an

GOD SAVE THE QUEENS

on-again/off-again connection to necessary meds — threaten to throw the arrangement into chaos. At its heart, Unconventional maps the rocky terrain of trying to stay sane in an unstable world and, most importantly, trying to hold onto the bonds we share. Featuring Kit Williamson, Aubrey Peeples, James Bland, Briana Venskus, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Constantine Rousouli, Willam Belli, Jenna Ushkowitz, and Kathy Griffin.

credit: SERGIO GARCIA

I HAVE TO LAUGH: COMEDY NIGHT AT THE FORD

SATURDAY | JULY 23 | 8:00PM | THE FORD

Live stand-up showcase featuring the cast of Queer Riot — Margaret Cho, River Butcher, Brad Loekle, Akeem Woods, and Daniel Webb followed by comedy shorts!

Because unbridled queer joy is a top priority for Outfest, we’ve cooked up this special comedy event dedicated to keeping the belly laughs coming all night long. Bring your picnic dinner and your beverage of choice, and get ready for a good time. The night begins with a lineup of live standup comedy featuring Margaret Cho and the rest of the cast of Outfest 2022 selection Queer Riot. That’s followed by a collection of some of the most gut-busting short films we could find. From moody gay ghosts, to a neighbor’s extremely loud coital activity, to a bisexual meetup that somehow turns Satanic. The stories our filmmakers have concocted bring the funny in a big way...and what better way to experience it than under the stars with hundreds of your closest queer friends?

DILDO (Dir. Jake Muñoz Consing) 1 Min. FERNANDA (Dir. Mary Angélica Molina) 13 Mins. THE LADIES (Dir. Jill Gutowitz) 9 Mins. THE PARANORMAL COMMUNICATOR (Dir. Tyler Miguel Mercer) 5 Mins. THE SYED FAMILY XMAS EVE GAME NIGHT (Dir. Fawzia Mirza) 11 Mins. TELL ME SOMETHING I DON’T KNOW (Dir. Neal Suresh Mulani) 15 Mins. TROY (Dir. Mike Donahue) 16 Mins.

UNICORN (Dir. Matt Porter) 14 Min.

TELL ME SOMETHING I DON’T KNOW

UNICORN

THE SYED FAMILY XMAS EVE GAME NIGHT

THE LADIES

DIR. JORDAN DANGER | USA | 87 MIN. FRIDAY | JULY 22 | 8:00PM | THE FORD

Drag heavyweights Alaska Thunderfuck, Laganja Estranja, Kelly Mantle, and Jordan M Green star in this hilarious, raw, and surprisingly emotional dramedy about the lives of four struggling Los Angeles drag queens.

Whether coming to blows over a shared lover, waiting indefinitely for a big break, or finding themselves aging out of headliner status, each queen’s got a major crisis that lands them directly into a group therapy retreat — where they learn it may be more than chance that brought them together. Featuring appearances from Drag Race stars Manila Luzon,

Honey Davenport, and Michelle Visage, God Save the Queens follows in the Priscilla tradition of queens who are both fabulously entertaining onstage, and true-to-life backstage when the wigs and makeup come off.

Screening preceded by live performances from Alaska, Laganja Estranja, Kelly Mantle and Jordan M Green!

Screening with COCK N’ BULL 3 Dir. Nathan Adloff, 2021, 24 mins

SPECIAL EVENTS MESSY MOVEMENT FOR FILM, TV, AND STAGE

CONCORD PITCH EVENT

PRESENTED BY RASHIDA KHANBEY MILLER

WEDNESDAY | JULY 20 | 7:00PM

SUNDAY | JULY 17 | 1:15PM | DGA 2

Whether you’re a film professional or not, the Concord Pitch Event will be a great opportunity to learn about the process of developing a film and watch filmmakers pitch their stories to an audience. 15 Projects will be presented to our esteemed jury including a surprise judge. The chosen pitches will be developed with up to $25,000 in financing. Each pitch lasts no more than 5 minutes. Join us in person to see the pitches!

LIVE READ: OUR LADY OF THE SIX TRAIN

The Messy Movement Practice somatic dance experience is designed to help people feel stronger in the body, decrease stress, and increase confidenceembodying their sensual self through movement. Messy Movement Lab builds upon this foundational practice to support entertainers in building self-awareness and voice around their psychological safety needs while engaging the body as a vehicle for communicating moments of passion, eroticsim and longing in any script. Through our signature sensual movement sequence for storytelling actors can learn safer ways to express their erotic self beyond explicit sex simulation. Through movement we create new worlds where intimacy can be communicated in a multitude of ways on camera and stage. We invite attendees of all experience levels to begin the conversation with their body.

WHO IS THE EXPERIENCE FOR?

FROM LOVE IN GRAVITY

This experience is for feminine spectrum actors, directors, writers and producers who are curious about creating new pathways for intimacy on screen through movement.

TUESDAY | JULY 19 | 7:00PM | PLAZA DE LA RAZA

In this special live read event, Robin de Jesus, Jessica Marie Garcia, Alycia Pascuale-Peña and more voice a script by Dominic Colón about young Bronx kid Lil Ito and his first Pride in 2003. Though Ito’s first encounters with romance and sex get complicated, he’s aided by visions of an iconic Latina pop artist.

OUTFEST PRESENTS TIFFANY BILLINGS’ JETÉ

Love in Gravity, a new scripted podcast series presented by ViiV Healthcare and dedicated to stories by and for the queer Latinx community, premieres this summer with weekly episodes written and performed by some of today’s hottest Latinx talent. In advance of its episode release, join us for a live read of Our Lady of the Six Train, a funny and tenderhearted script written by multi-talented artist Dominic Colón. It’s 2003 in the Bronx, and Lil Ito is about to attend his first Pride. When his first complicated encounters with sex and romance get to be too much, Ito is guided by mystical visions of his favorite pop star Jessie Kah, a timeless Latina artist.

LA’S PREMIER DANCE EXPERIENCE! A star-studded evening of dynamic, vivacious, and captivating performances, located in the heart of West Hollywood, at Heart WeHo. On the 20th of July, 2022, Outfest will be joining forces with Jeté’s Creator, Producer, & Director, Tiffany Billings, to present a special edition of her monthly, live dance experience featuring performances by some of the industry’s top choreographers, performers, and dancers. The mission of Jeté is to provide a platform for artists to share their talents and originality with the audience in an

LE BEAU MEC SUNDAY | JULY 17 | 9:15PM | HARMONY GOLD

In this compelling feature from the golden age of French Gay adult cinema, American director Wallace Potts entreats us to enter the world of athlete, hustler, stripper, and it-boy Karl Forest. Filmed on location in parks, bars, and the streets of Paris, the brutishly narcissistic Forest narrates his early life, predilections, and philosophy of male beauty (including his own), while enacting fantasies of encounters with working men, soldiers, and his adoring public. Hailed internationally in the gay press for its narrative and erotic intensity, the film was long considered

lost until the negatives were located in a garage in Montgomery, Alabama. Potts’ lover, famed dancer Rudolf Nureyev, choreographed the scintillating cabaret striptease, and legendary cinematographer Nestor Almendros captured the sculpted, elusive Forest at his physical peak — granting a fascinating and revelatory glimpse into the inner world of the man everyone is after.

DCP. New 4K restoration by IndieCollect in collaboration with Gerald Herman and the Estate of Wallace Potts.

It’s sure to be a night to remember.

ANCIENT FUTURES: ART INSTALLATION DGA LOBBY

Ancient Futures is a three part installation celebrating transgender life, beauty and resilience. The piece consists of video, photo and sculpture created by a collective of queer and trans artists and their allies. Creative Director Lio Mehiel conceives of the project as a poetic imagining of trans people as angels here on earth — “perhaps we are here visiting from an ancient future. Trans-angels offer a path to a utopia where everyone can access their own embodied creativity, collective care is possible, and beauty grows in the most unlikely places.”

Set in an abandoned desert ghost town along route 66, the three works imagine trans-angels thriving amidst the dilapidated architecture. They emerge from the rubble of yesterday’s “America” and wear the debris like couture.

The video piece, Purgatory, reimagines the Bible’s creation myth with Adam and Eve recast as trans by filmmaker Dulcinee DeGuere. The photo series, Reborn, is by photographer A. Klass in collaboration with artist Lio Mehiel. The sculpture series, Angels, is crafted by sculptor Holly Silius.

By KOBE WAGSTAFF

Live, in-person performance of this episode includes actors Robin de Jesus (tick, tick… BOOM!), Jessica Marie Garcia (On My Block), Alexia Garcia (Pose), Jason Genao (On My Block), Alycia Pascuale-Peña (Saved by the Bell), Edison Ventura Mata Diaz, Manny Ureña, and more! (Actors appear schedule permitting)

intimate setting, while also educating and redirecting where we are going as an artistic community. The event has proven to be highly sought after by both entertainers and the general public alike, and has been billed as “The Dance Industry’s Leading Choreography Showcase.” Tickets can be purchased at HeartWeHo.club prior to the event. Follow @clubjete on Instagram for updates and info!

PLATINUM Platinum showcases the bold innovators and cutting edge creators of experimental LGBTQ media and performance. Notoriously provocative, perversely confrontational, and wickedly weird Platinum celebrates the adventurous renegades of queer culture.

Awards

PLATINUM FEATURES SATURDAY | July 16 | 4:00pm | REDCAT

END OF WONDERLAND

Dir: Laurence Turcotte-Fraser, 2021, Canada, 86 min.

Weaving images from both the personal and the professional, The End of Wonderland takes viewers on a fantastical journey through the life and mind of Tara Emory, a trans artist working on her passion project: a trans sci-fi porn epic called Up Uranus. With sets and characters influenced by 1950s low-budget sci-fi, Emory’s vision is realized with tongue firmly in cheek, unafraid to be earnest and playful. The film follows Emory for several years, showcasing her talents as a sex worker, comic strip artist, costume designer, set designer, automechanic and more. Most notably, the film confronts Emory’s problems with hoarding that she inherited from her father, using her pending eviction as an opportunity for self-reflection and artistic evolution.

Preceded by: WINTER INSECT, SUMMER FLOWER: Dir: Tee Jaehyung Park, Gbenga Komolafe, 2021, USA, 11 min.

SUNDAY | July 17 | 12:30pm | REDCAT

ESTUARIES

MAVERICK

SUNDAY | July 17 | 3:15pm| REDCAT A Conversation with Clive Barker followed by NIGHTBREED – Director’s Cut The 2022 inaugural Maverick Award is being presented to the groundbreaking horror icon, Clive Barker. Barker isn’t just a filmmaker but an avant-garde playwright, an impressionist painter, and a literary juggernaut. The macabre, experimental, and thought-provoking characters he has brought to life on the big screen are nuanced, complicated, and subversively queer. Barker’s tales are filled with examinations of bodies, desire, and the sensation of going beyond prescriptive sexuality. His films shine a light on the oppressive nature of heteronormative power structures while providing glimpses of queer liberation by showing monsters as the good guys. Join us for a conversation and Q&A, the presentation of the award, and one of the few theatrical screenings ever of Nightbreed - The Director’s Cut.

PLATINUM

Dir: Lior Shamriz, 2022, USA, 110 min.

It is 2017, just months after a car crashes through the front window of a Los Angeles art space, tragically killing Bdalak, a nonbinary, rising star in the world of performance art. Bdalak’s partner Eli (Lior Shamriz), a queer Mizrahi musician with a past as an activist in Palestine/Israel, had planned on marrying them for a green-card.

Now Eli spends his time adrift and lost, communing with others over his grief and struggling with the everlooming threat of being deported. He soon meets Myrna, an artist making work about immigration, who Eli feels must certainly be able to solve his immigration situation. Dramatic and full of cynicism, the film is inspired by director Lior Shamriz’s own experiences immigrating to the U.S during the Trump administration.

Preceded by: REMNANTS: Dir: Priomo Justice Schiappa, 2021, USA, 7 min.

SATURDAY | July 16 | 9:30pm | REDCAT

HYPOCHONDRIAC

Dir: Addison Heimann, 2021, USA, 96 min.

Will, a young, Latino, gay potter, is sexy and sociable. His boss is terrible, but he has a great boyfriend and a fantastic job. Unfortunately, behind his cool veneer is a dark past of violence and mental illness that he is desperate to keep hidden. When Will’s bipolar mother comes out of the woodwork after ten years of silence, he begins exhibiting unexplainable symptoms. After an injury at work, he starts losing functioning of his arms, and something sinister lurks in the corner of his vision: a silent and ominous man in a wolf suit.

Will spirals into an obsession, determined to solve this mystery of his own. What is going on with his arms?

Can he trust his boyfriend? Is he becoming his mother?

Content Advisory: contains depictions of violence and self harm

Preceded by: DIVINE LUST: Dir: Anthony De Bono, 2022, Germany, 9 min.

ALCHEMY

SUNDAY | July 17 | 9pm | CATCH ONE A live performance by Big Freedia The 2022 inaugural Alchemy Award is being presented to New Orleans hero, international hip hop legend, and the undisputed Queen of Bounce, Big Freedia. Freedia has been breaking barriers and inspiring others to live their dreams from the stage since 1999. A champion of independent music venues and a righteous voice in the fight against gun violence, Freedia has used their talent and fame to combat oppression and lift up the voices of others. He is one of the hardest working artists, always delivering an unapologetic message of pride, self-love, and hope. His distinct voice has appeared with artists such as Drake, RuPaul, Kesha, Lizzo, and Beyoncé.

Freedia’s inspiring story of transformation and creation exemplifies Alchemy-- magical, spiritual, symbolic, iconic. Shimmer and bounce with us all night long during the outrageously sexy Alchemy Party where we will honor Freedia and celebrate the Platinum series. It will be golden!

FRIDAY | July 15 | 9:45pm | REDCAT

PASSION

Dir: Maja Borg, 2017, Sweden, 92 min.

A powerful, and intensely personal film about longing, healing, and belonging where filmmaker Maja Borg illustrates their unique process of dealing with trauma in the wake of a destructive relationship. In seeking to reclaim intimacy and re-establish boundaries Borg is drawn to queer BDSM practice, through which they’re able to explore their long-forgotten Christian heritage. Adopting rituals and play from both queer BDSM and Christian communities, Borg finds themselves able to acknowledge and accept their own longings, confronting their darkest parts in order to move forwards. The film tells the stories of queer BDSM practitioners in Berlin, Stockholm and Barcelona and portrays the humanity at the heart of the practice while illuminating its similarities with Christianity on an emotional and perhaps even spiritual level.

Preceded by: OBSOLESCENCE: Dir: Caviar to the General, 2021, UK, 12 min.

FRIDAY | July 15 | 7:00pm | REDCAT

YOUTOPIA

Dir: Scout Durwood, 2022, New USA, 91 min.

From director Scout Durwood comes her debut feature length comedy music visual album: YOUTOPIA. Los Angeles, 2019. Times are shitty, and they’re about to get worse. When Scout Durwood’s girlfriend dumps her unexpectedly, Scout takes stock in her life and determines that from now on, if something doesn’t feel one hundred percent authentic to her, she’s not doing it! Following the devastating break up, Scout inadvertently becomes the leader of a hipster millennial cult that engages with the multiverse and of course, aliens. But when members of the cult start to disappear, she soon discovers that her journey of self-discovery could trigger the end of civilization as we know it and is forced to take on her biggest opponent yet: herself.

Preceded by: POPPETS: Dir: Maz Murray, 2021, UK, 16 min.

Platinum SHORTS showcase

SUNDAY| July 17 | 6:30pm | REDCAT

STARFUCKERS Dir: Antonio Marziale, 2022, USA, 14 min. | TWO HEADS,TWO WAYS Dir: Trulee Hall, 2022, USA, 5 min. | ISN’T IT A BEAUTIFUL WORLD Dir: Joseph Wilson, 2021, UK, 13 min. | CRUSH Dir: Gillian Barnes, 2022, USA, 2 min. | HIDEOUS Dir: Yann Gonzalez, 2021, France, 22 min. | S1NGULAR Dir: Ramon J. Goni, 2022, USA, 7 min. | BEAU Dir: Constance Tsang, 2021, USA, 16 min. | REVELATIONS Dir: Noah Causey, 2022, USA, 10 min.THE ACTRESS Dir: Andrew Ondrejack, 2021, Canada, 8 min.

Obsession, anxiety, addiction, love, and sci-fi desire fill this stellar lineup of experimental films. A film director and an escort’s evening gets interrupted; Trulee Hall’s sex doll and self-love fantasy is visualized as an out-of-body-experience; Delia Derbyshire’s “Falling” is lip-synced while journey thorugh trans dreams; Apocalyptic revelations ensue in Noah Causey’s new film, and Gillian Barnes’ grade school girl crushes hard; Popstar Oliver Sim slides into a surreal journey of love, shame and blood in a three-part musical short; Constance Tsang’s lesbians are twistedly devoted to each other as life imitates art; an aspiring trans actress infiltrates cinema history as she shapeshifts through Hollywood’s most iconic roles.

ALCHEMY PARTY BIG FREEDIA

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JULY 17TH, 8PM - 2AM

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FEMMEHOUSE

LEGACY

PUNKS

DIR. PATRIK-IAN POLK | 2000 | USA | 100 MIN. SATURDAY | JULY 16 | 4:30PM | DGA 1

IN 35MM DIRECTOR PATRIK-IAN POLK AND CAST MEMBERS IN PERSON! Q/A MODERATED BY DEAR WHITE PEOPLE CREATOR JUSTIN SIMEON.

GREETINGS FROM WASHINGTON, D.C. In 1979, tens of thousands of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender activists converged on the National Mall to participate in the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. Featuring collaborative assists from Jan Oxenberg and Barbara Hammer, this exuberant document of activism and community filmmaking is a lasting testament to the struggle for queer visibility and legal recognition, as well as the political potentials of broad-based political movements against racism, gender inequality, and militarism.

DIR. LUCY WINER | 1981 | USA | 28 MIN. SUNDAY | JULY 24 | 1:15PM | DGA 2 Digitally restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive in conjunction with the Outfest UCLA Legacy Project, with generous support from Victoria Alonso and Imelda Corcoran, and Glamazon.

Patrik-Ian Polk’s groundbreaking debut romantic comedy invites us into the professional, social, and intimate lives of 4 queer friends in West Hollywood on their neverending search for Mr. Right. When a hunky new neighbor moves to the neighborhood, underlying tensions threaten to throw their tight-knit friendship into disarray. With its refreshingly real takes on sex, dating, friendship, breaking up, and making up–and

show-stopping drag numbers to the immortal music of Sister Sledge– this funny, flirtatious, and heartfelt rom-com continues to surprise, while remaining far ahead of its time. Considered the first US feature film by a gay Black director to center the lives and loves of Black gay men, this long-unavailable charmer returns to Outfest after nearly two decades.

Followed by DAVID ROCHE TALKS TO YOU ABOUT LOVE Dir. Jeremy Podeswa, 1983, 22 min. and DOUBLE THE TROUBLE, TWICE THE FUN Dir. Pratibha Parmar, 1992, 25 min.

BY HOOK OR BY CROOK

DIRS. HARRY DODGE, SILAS HOWARD | 2001 USA | 99 MIN. SATURDAY | JULY 23 | 8:45PM | DGA 2

Groundbreaking when it was made and still fiercely innovative today, By Hook or By Crook is a butch and trans buddy film that chronicles three weeks in the life of a handsome, gender-bending, small-town trans man with a nagging messiah-complex. Emotionally defeated after the death of his father, Shy heads to the big city to sink himself into a “life of crime.” He is quickly distracted by Valentine, a deliriously expressive, wise-acre adoptee on a misguided search for his birth mother. The two freaky grifters join forces and learn the true meaning of “poise under pressure” in this visually stunning and wonderfully acted, anti-authoritarian tale of friendship, trust and redemption.

Preceded by MADELYNN VON RITZ IS ALMOST FAMOUS Dir. Naz Riahi, Silas Howard 2022 18 min.

THE COCKETTES

THE COCKETTES

TRICIA’S WEDDING DIRS. BILL WEBER, DAVID WEISSMAN | 2002 | USA | 102 MIN. SATURDAY | JULY 16 | 12:30PM | REDCAT

20TH ANNIVERSARY SCREENING “Will success spoil mediocrity?” asked The Cockettes, the uproarious, gender-subversive Hippy drag troupe that became one of the ultimate countercultural happenings of the San Francisco and a nearly-forgotten chapter in LGBTQ+ history. Borrowing from Tin Pan Alley, classic Hollywood and the Sexual Revolution, this ever-shifting ensemble embraced communal living, free loving, and heroic helpings of psychedelic inspiration, propelling them from oddball local celebrity to the pages of Rolling Stone. Through rare footage and interviews, Weissman and Weber trace

how shifting cultural tides, political reaction and the HIV/AIDS epidemic radically altered queer life—and how the irreverent, idealistic, creative spark lit by The Cockettes in the 1960s and 70s continues to burn today.

Preceded by TRICIA’S WEDDING Dir. Milton Miron (credited as Sebastian), 1971, 33 min. *Restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive with funding provided by Frameline and Outfest.

MEMBERS AND ANNUAL FUND DONORS LEGACY CIRCLE

EMPATHY FUND

Out fest would like to thank our generous members who suppor t our year -round ef for ts to spotlight, discover, educate, mentor, and preser ve the work of LGBTQIA+ stor ytellers.

The Out fest Empathy Fund is an annual funding campaign to suppor t the continued expansion of our nearly 40 years of programs, through the generosity of the enter tainment communit y, our alumni, and the individual you see below. Together we join forces to reach out nationally and globally to help nur ture connection within our community.

LEGEND

THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Mike & John August Gary Carnow

Stamos Akrivos Jessica Bair & Brianna Oppenheimer Jordan Barillas Michael Barrett Leslie Belzberg Marc Better Eric Braverman & Jonathan Cottrell Steven Bryan & Josh Schiowitz Courtney Burr Robert Colegrove Brian & Kevin Cordova-Brookey Nicholas A. Crincoli & Michael J. Widman Zackary Drucker Miguel Duque & Bryant Cameron Jeffrey Epstein James Fino Robert C. Fish & Anthony Logan Chad Franks Dr. Donald Freeman & Patrick Shandrick Alan I. Gelman & Ashul Agrasyn Beau Genot Kevin Goetz Steven Green & David Cruz Kip Hargrove Jackson Hendrick Gerald Herman Brehon Humphrey Rick Hutcheson & Rob Kincaid Douglas Hutchinson Bill Ihrke & Dan Do Mark Allen Itkin & Bradley Bayou Dr. Patricia Jimenez Mark Wilson Jordan Jonathan King

MOGUL Anonymous Moses Freyre & Robert Murphy Alan Koenigsberg & John Dotto Charles Krozek Valerie Milano & Andrea Meyerson Doe Racklin Kyle Wade

THE STUDIO EXECUTIVE Robert Blake Joseph Chianese Shedrick Davis & Barry Ward Terrence Franklin & Jeffrey Moline Ronald Haft Brett Hofer Jonathan Howard Dr. Adam Kawalek & Damien S. Navarro Matthew Kearns Tim Kittleson & Michael C. Donaldson Katie Krentz Paul D. Lerner & Stephen Reis Steven Llanusa & Glenn Miya, M.D. Scotch Loring & Todd Holland James McGruder Jayzen Patria & Joe Keenan Alex B. Perez Alan Poul & Ari Karpel Dominic Sabella Brian Michael Smith The Stadler Family Eric Whitney & Richard Bae

Richard Kleinberger & Mills Chang Dani Knight Mark Kruger & Mel Lewis Jay Lane Stephen Macias Jose Malagon & David Gajda John McCrite John McHugh-Dennis Ana Mendy Weston Miliken Thomas Mitchell Eric Morris Mike Mosallam Robert Nunez Jason Orion & Larry Baird Nicholas Pardon Jim Petrone & Keith Kauhanen Giselle Phelps Mark Pogachefsky Kristi Reed Michael Reese Eddie Robinson Stephen Sass & Steven Hochstadt Kyle Schmitz David Sigurani David Steinberg Zackery Alexzander Stephens Evan Strano & Jeremy Frank Sklar Toy Anthony Vayos & Bil Bertini Farhaad Virani Mike Werb & Brian Roskam Tarik Yetken & Florian Gador D. Zeke Zeidler & Jay Kohorn

Want to find out more about the benefits of Out fest Legacy Circle?

BENEFACTOR

TRAILBLAZER

Paul D. Lerner & Stephen Reis

Jessica Bair & Brianna Oppenheimer Joseph Chianese Jeff Collins Brian & Kevin Cordova-Brookey Lee Doud Zackary Drucker James Hayman Gerald Herman Jonathan Howard Brehon Humphrey Tim Kittleson & Michael C. Donaldson David Koepp Neil Landau & Trent Farr Weston Milliken Annick Muller

INNOVATOR Cindy Capobianco & Rob Rosenheck Gary Carnow Imelda Corcoran & Victoria Alonso John Di Minico Alan Koenigsberg & John Dotto Mike Rose & Ruben R. Rodriguez

ACTIVIST Anonymous David Bohnett Foundation Chris Ranta

Charlie Mustachia & David Courier Aaron Parry Alex B. Perez Christopher Racster Vanessa Roman Ronen Rubinstein H Schuster Paul Smith Lev Spiro The Stadler Family Zackery Alexzander Stephens Farhaad Virani Camille Weisenbach Philip Winik Tamara Woolfork & Michele Murray

We greatly appreciate eac h gif t to Outfest and we make ever y ef for t to ensure this listing’s accuracy. For any c hanges or updates please contact memebrship@outfest.org.

Donors as of June 1, 2022.

“The Outfest Los Angeles summer festival is our favorite time of the year. It’s great to be part of a community of people supporting films and filmmakers who are bringing LGBTQ+ stories to the world.”

- PAUL D. LERNER AND STEPHEN REIS Outfest thanks Paul and Stephen for their generous multi-year commitment to create the “Paul D. Lerner & Stephen Reis Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Documentary Feature” at the Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festivals through 2031.

Find out more about the Empathy Fund?

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