Outfest

2016 Outfest Fusion LGBT People of Color Film Festival Program Announced

Shadow And Act — Fri, 19 Feb 2016 17:23:26 GMT

Outfest, the Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization dedicated to nurturing, showcasing and protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) media, has announced its lineup for the 2016 Outfest Fusion LGBT People of Color Film Festival. Outfest Fusion, the only multicultural LGBT film festival of its kind, will be held March 4-16 at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood and various locations throughout Los Angeles.

Now in its 13^th year, Outfest Fusion will include three days of short and feature film screenings, filmmaker Q&As, and networking events that celebrate the diversity of the LGBT community, followed by 10 filmmaking workshops. Outfest Fusion is presented by HBO. Premiere sponsors are Comcast NBCUniversal and Los Angeles County Health Department.

Emmy nominee and Golden Globe–winning director, producer and writer Nisha Ganatra (“Transparent,” Chutney Popcorn) will receive the 2016 Fusion Achievement Award, which will be presented at the Fusion Gala on Saturday, March 5.

“We have reached a moment in Hollywood’s history where the discussion on diversity has extended to the mainstream,” said Christopher Racster, Executive Director of Outfest. “For the past 12 years, Fusion has been at the forefront of showcasing filmmakers of color, and we are proud of the multiplicity of voices that have been represented at this festival.”

Outfest Fusion 2016 kicks off on Friday, March 4, with the US Premiere and 20^th Anniversary screening of the digital restoration of "The Watermelon Woman," courtesy of the Outfest UCLA Legacy Project and 13^thGen. On Saturday, March 5, director and screenwriter Cheryl Dunye will host a panel discussion on the influence her classic film has had on the next generation of filmmakers.

Also on Friday evening are the Los Angeles premieres of Canadian Aboriginal drama "Fire Song," which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, and Hong Kong’s provocative "Utopians," fresh off its North American premiere at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

The weekend of screenings includes the recent GLAAD Media Award–nominated BET documentary, "Holler If You Hear Me: Black and Gay in the Church," which will be followed by an enlightening post-screening discussion about the intersections of gender identity, sexual orientation and religion; Jake Witzenfeld’s "Oriented," a film that explores the Israel-Palestine conflict through an intimate, distinctly queer lens; and "Made in Bangkok," an exhilarating documentary by Flavio Florencio that follows Morganna who, in her quest for womanhood, enters a prestigious transgender pageant in Thailand to vie for the crown of “Ms. International Queen.”

“This year’s Fusion program showcases 10 feature films and 20 shorts from 11 countries around the world.” said Lucy Mukerjee-Brown, Outfest’s Director of Programming. “Eight of the feature films are from first-time feature filmmakers, and 12 of the directors are female. We are thrilled to put the spotlight on these incredibly talented storytellers and to bring the many communities of Greater Los Angeles together to celebrate and support them at Outfest Fusion.”

Attendees will have the opportunity to meet the bold new voices of queer cinema with the Fusion Gala Shorts screening, which boasts four world premieres, including the rockabilly fable Whittier Boulevard,Vámonos, Counter Act, as well as the anime-inspired Robo Saints. Additional world premieres will be presented in the Fusion Doc Shorts program, including Poshida: Hidden LGBT Pakistan and Libertad.

Following the Outfest Fusion screenings, there will be a series of 10 filmmaking workshops taking place at various locations around Los Angeles, led by queer filmmakers of color and covering topics that include screenwriting, guerilla feature filmmaking, web series production, smartphone cinematography, social media marketing, editing and directing. The Instructors include award-winning filmmakers Angela Robinson, Quentin Lee, Doug Spearman, Deondray Gossfield and Quincy LeNear Gossfield.

Fusion rounds out with Fusion Finale on Wednesday, March 16^th at Angel City Brewery; the evening will include the annual One Minute Movie Contest, where all the submissions will be screened and prizes awarded.

Outfest Fusion will once again include InFusion, presented by Comcast NBCUniversal, a symposium led by industry professionals, including speakers, panels, workshops and an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour at Universal Studios, the world’s largest motion picture and television studio. InFusion's mission is to forge connections between emerging filmmakers who are LGBT people of color and established entertainment professionals in Los Angeles.

Strand Releasing Acquires Sexy LGBT Title 'That's Not Us' (EXCLUSIVE)

Matt Brennan — Fri, 13 Nov 2015 15:12:33 GMT

Strand Releasing has picked up North American rights to director William C. Sullivan's sexy, LGBT-centric "That's Not Us," which played Frameline, Outfest, and InsideOut Toronto Film Festival earlier this year and won an ensemble award at Out On Film in Atlanta. The film will also open the IMAGE+NATION festival in Montreal later this month.

Watch: "Peter Greenaway's 'Eisenstein in Guanajuato' Gets Gorgeously Nutty First Trailer"

The film chronicles the intimate lives of three 20-something couples—one straight, one gay, one lesbian—over the course of a few days at the end of summer. "That's Not Us" was co-written and shot by Derek Dodge and produced by co-stars Mark Berger and Sarah Wharton. Strand, which is also distributing Catherine Corsini's "Summertime," Peter Greenaway's "Eisenstein in Guanajuato," and Ulrich Seidl's "In the Basement," plans a multi-platform release next spring.

Outfest Names 2015 Legacy Awards Presenters, Performers

TOH! — Tue, 03 Nov 2015 23:38:47 GMT

As previously announced, Hanks will be honored with the Trailblazer Award in recognition of his Oscar-winning role as a man grappling with HIV/AIDS in Jonathan Demme's "Philadelphia" (1993); Cholodenko is receiving the Visionary Award, which recognizes artistic and creative contributions to LGBT media visibility, for her myriad LGBT-oriented films and television efforts (including "The Kids Are All Right").

Presenters this year will be actors Aaron Eckhart and Rosemarie Dewitt. Master of Ceremonies will be comedian Whitney Cummings (whose sarcastic spirit made cancelled NBC sitcom "Whitney" a very guilty pleasure). Grammy winner and LGBT advocate Linda Perry, most famous for her much-remixed 4 Non Blondes single "What's Up?," will perform at the Legacy Awards.

The 2015 Legacy Awards, co-chaired by Dan Bucatinsky, Peter Gal and Ari Karpel, will take place on Thursday, November 5th at performing arts venue Vibiana in downtown Los Angeles. Previous Legacy Award winners include Armistead Maupin, Hilary Swank, Lee Daniels, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, Roland Emmerich and Paris Barclay.

READ MORE: Outfest Honors Lisa Cholodenko and Tom Hanks

'Those People' and 'The Same Difference' Take Home Audience Awards at the 27th Annual NewFest

Aubrey Page — Thu, 29 Oct 2015 18:50:45 GMT

READ MORE: NewFest Announces 2015 Lineup, Including Centerpiece 'Carol'

The 27th annual NewFest has concluded its six-day festival of nearly 100-films, including Todd Haynes' 'Carol,' the premiere of the new trans series 'Her Story' and a night of queer horror.

"Our 27th annual festival marked a year of huge growth for NewFest," noted NewFest Executive Director Robert Kushner. "As a new generation of filmmakers comes through with exciting new stories and means of telling them, it's clear that LGBT audiences continue to seek community through shared experiences onscreen. We're extraordinarily happy that NewFest can play a role in that."

Following the closing gala, NewFest has announced 2015's Audience Award-winning films:

The Audience Award for Outstanding Feature Film went to Joey Kuhn's "Those People," a "crowd-pleasing depiction of a complicated romance between two young men in the gilded halls of Manhattan's high society." "Those People" will be released in 2016.

The Audience Award for Outstanding Documentary Film went to Nneka Onuora's "The Same Difference," a film meant to shine a light on "homophobia and gender discrimination within the African-American lesbian community." "The Same Difference" will be distributed in 2016.

The Audience Award for Outstanding Narrative Short went to Robert Fiesco's "Tremulo," a "beautifully realized depiction of a brief encounter between two young men in Mexico."

The Audience Award to Outstanding Docuemtnary Short went to Austin Bunn's "In the Hollow," which combined documentary and narrative to depict "a horrific crime against two gay women."

Speaking on behalf of the programming team, senior programmer Adam Baran also singled out Martin Edraline's narrative short "Hole" and Blair Fukumura's documentary short "Bedding Andrew."

Wolfe Releasing Acquires Gay Love Triangle Drama 'Those People'

Tarek Shoukri — Thu, 22 Oct 2015 14:44:27 GMT

Wolfe Releasing has just announced its acquisition of "Those People," the debut feature from Joey Kuhn about an Upper East Side gay love triangle. The film will to screen at the NewFest New York LGBT Film Festival this weekend after having its world premiere at the Seattle International Film Festival. The movie also earned the audience award for Best First U.S. feature at Outfest.

"Those People" chronicles a erotic love triangle through the eyes of a young painter torn between his long-standing infamous best friend and his budding romance with an older pianist from across the globe. The film stars Jonathan Gordon, Jason Ralph, Britt Lower and more.

"Writer-director Joey Kuhn is a true original, and 'Those People' is the kind of widely lovable film that audiences just cannot resist," said Wolfe Releasing President Jim Stephens. "We can't wait to release it in 2016."

Wolfe Releasing is one of the leading distributors of LGBT films. The company plans for a release via DVD, VOD and other digital platforms, as well as a limited theatrical release, in 2016.

Outfest Finds New Executive Director in Christopher Racster

Aubrey Page — Thu, 15 Oct 2015 18:00:17 GMT

Outfest, the LA nonprofit devoted to sharing on-screen LGBT stories, has announced that Christopher Racster has been named executive director.

READ MORE: Outfest Legacy Awards to Honor Tom Hanks and 'The Kids Are Alright' Director Lisa Cholodenko

Racster succeeded Kirsten Schaffer as interim executive director after her departure in the spring, and he has now officially been named the best candidate for the job. "After an extensive search that yielded many highly qualified candidates, it became clear that our best prospect had been in front of us all along," said Outfest Board of Directors co-presidents Ari Karpel and Laura Ivey.

Though Outfest's Film Festival concluded earlier this year, the organization will honor Tom Hanks and Lisa Cholodenko at the organization's legacy awards on November 5.

READ MORE: Outfest 2015: Surveying 6 of the Festival's Most Anticipated Titles

Outfest Honors Lisa Cholodenko and Tom Hanks

Ryan Lattanzio — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 17:41:34 GMT

LA nonprofit Outfest will honor Academy Award nominee Lisa Cholodenko and Academy Award winner Tom Hanks at the 2015 Legacy Awards on Thursday, November 5 in Los Angeles.

Hanks will be honored with the Trailblazer Award in recognition of his Oscar-winning role as a man grappling with HIV/AIDS in Jonathan Demme's "Philadelphia" (1993). This was one of the first major studio pictures to sympathetically portray a character with AIDS. ("Philadelphia" screenwriter Ron Nyswaner wrote 2015 TIFF premiere "Freeheld," starring Julianne Moore and Ellen Page as a lesbian couple fighting for their rights.)

Cholodenko, up for Emmys this year for her masterful HBO miniseries "Olive Kitteridge," is receiving the Visionary Award, which recognizes artistic and creative contributions to LGBT media visibility. Her films include Oscar-nominee "The Kids Are All Right," about a lesbian-parented family, and breakout debut "High Art."

The Legacy Awards serve as a fundraiser to support the Outfest UCLA Legacy Project, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year as the largest archive of LGBT moving images in the world, with over 35,000 items.

Previous Legacy Award winners include Armistead Maupin, Hilary Swank, Lee Daniels, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, Roland Emmerich and Paris Barclay.

READ MORE: Lesbian Oscar Contenders Ape the Hetero Hollywood Age Gap

Outfest Legacy Awards to Honor Tom Hanks and 'The Kids Are Alright' Director Lisa Cholodenko

Aubrey Page — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 15:35:30 GMT

READ MORE: Outfest Film Festival 2015 Award Winners

Though Outfest finished up their film festival in late July, the LA-based non-profit devoted to LGBT support has just announced plans to honor Tom Hanks and writer-director Lisa Cholodenko at the upcoming Legacy Awards on Thursday, November 5. The Legacy Awards serve as the fundraiser for Outfest's UCLA Legacy project, which boasts the largest archive of LGBT moving images in the world.

Since her first film "High Art", which featured a frank account of a blossoming lesbian relationship, Lisa Cholodenko has been a prominent figure in both independent film and the LGBT community. Her Academy Award nominated follow-up "The Kids are Alright" is credited by the interim Executive Director of Outfest as having "made the biggest impact, showing the the world that LGBT parenting is just as joyful, complicated and challenging as straight parenting." Cholodenko will be honored with the Visionary Award, which recognizes her artistic contributions to LGBT visibility.

Tom Hanks most notably made a contribution to the community with his performance in "Philadelphia" and subsequent Oscar acceptance speech in which he spoke tenderly about two gay men who had made an impact in his life. Hanks will be receiving the Trailblazer Award for his performance in the film, which Outfest sites as "the first major studio film to sympathetically portray characters with HIV/AIDS."

Previous recipients of the Legacy Award include Hilary Swank, Lee Daniels, Adam Shankman and Bruce Cohen.

READ MORE: Lisa Cholodenko on Getting Under the Skin of Frances McDormand's 'Olive Kitteridge'

Remember 'Beaches'? Here's Why It Took the Writer 25 Years to Direct Her Second Film

Paula Bernstein — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 15:50:52 GMT

READ MORE: Will You Donate to See Katherine Heigl Marry a Woman in New Indie From 'Beaches' Writer?

Mary Agnes Donoghue's credits are star-studded: They include "Beaches," starring Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey; "White Oleander," starring Michelle Pfieffer and Renee Zellweger; "Deceived," starring Goldie Hawn; and "Veronica Guerrin" starring Cate Blanchett. Donoghue also wrote and directed "Paradise," starring then-married couple Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson. But that was 25 years ago.

Now she's back in the director's chair with "Jenny's Wedding," a comedic drama about gay marriage, which she also wrote and produced. The feature tells the story of Jenny Farrell (Katherine Heigl), who proposes to her girlfriend (Alexis Bledel) and then has to explain to her conservative parents why she is marrying her "roommate."

In addition to the leading ladies, Katherine Heigl and Alexis Bledel, the film boasts performances from Tom Wilkinson (as Jenny's dad), Linda Emond (as Jenny's mom) and Grace Gummer (as her sister). The film was shot on location in Cleveland in October 2013. But in order to raise funds for post-production (and specifically music licensing), the filmmakers launched an Indiegogo with hopes of raising $150,000 (they raised nearly $100,000). "Jenny's Wedding" had its world premiere at the Outfest Los Angeles Film Festival on July 10, 2015. IFC Films is releasing the film on VOD and in select theaters on July 31, 2015.

Indiewire recently chatted with Donoghue about her Hollywood career, sexism in Hollywood, working with Katherine Heigl and more.

It really strikes me that Hollywood is not making films for grown-ups these days.

I think part of it is that so much of it is ruled by marketing. This is my sort of educated guess. I think it's difficult to keep movies in theaters because everyone just looks at weekend grosses. "Beaches" took two to three weeks to take off and turn into a hit. I think that that climate has changed. Nobody allows a movie to run or word-of-mouth to build up. So many smaller movies have turned into huge hits because the theaters kept them in for longer. I think if you don't have those weekend grosses, they [theaters] just want to put in the tentpole movies. This whole independent world is complicated, too. It took us forever to get this movie in it. I think it'll be a hit, actually. I really do.

What drew you to the subject matter of the film?

The piece is totally fictional, but it's something that happened in my family and I was struck by my older sister, who is very conventional. It's not that [the parents in the film] are conservative. They're conventional. They're people who live in a world where they're really happy with the way things work and they don't want to be conspicuous. They don't want to make up the rules, they want to follow them. It's difficult for them to come to terms with it....I think now [after the Supreme Court uphold the legality of gay marriage] everybody thinks, "Oh, this is all solved." But it's not. It's really not. You can pass all the laws in the world, but you do have to win hearts and minds.

Obviously, you couldn't have anticipated how timely the film would be, just in terms of the recent Supreme Court news. What do you make of that?

It was just amazing. It was just extraordinary that this came out just when it did. Oddly enough, i think people shied away from [the subject matter], to be honest. They didn't want to go near it because it seemed too controversial. I think, just in terms of marketing, finances, they wondered, "How many people will come see this movie?" Now, I think many people are coming.

In a funny sort of way for me, there are no villains in it. I didn't write it this way. I always am drawn to the character and emotional content, and I'm always moved by courage. That's what this movie is about. I think it's like a road map for a lot of people who are confused -- particularly for the parents that are confused. They can look at it and think, "Wait a minute. I don't have to waste my time doing all this other stuff. I can just go there."

How long did it take you to make the film?

The actual making of the movie took us 18 days. It doesn't look like it. I must say, we pulled off a miracle in Cleveland. Everybody put their hearts and souls into this. The actors were like company players. There were no stars, nobody doing anything, but doing everything they could to make this movie work. Katherine [Heigl] was a dream. I don't know if she's still getting all of that cruel stuff from the press, which is totally undeserved. It was a joy to work with her.

I do feel like that's been written about a lot.

All the stuff they wrote about her behavior on this movie were all lies. Why that happens, I do not know. In every bad thing I read, there were a few things that were completely untrue.

How did you attract this amazing cast? Obviously, you have a track record working with well-known stars. Did you reach out to these actors in particular?

I really did. What was fantastic is, and I think it is true that eighty to ninety percent of directing is getting the right cast. It's possible to get the wrong person to play a role that they're not right for, no matter how brilliant they are. But everybody was just perfect. I always thought of Tom [Wilkinson] for it. He's brilliant in it. He's just wonderful. He's really something. He's so true. But everybody was perfect in it. My only fear that Alexis [Bledel] was too beautiful [laughs].

I wanted something more balanced in the whole thing for the partner. You have these two really beautiful girls, but they went to make themselves look as ordinary as they could. You don't get that feeling when you watch the movie that you're looking at these two. They look very pretty, but they look like the prettiest girls on the block rather than these drop-dead movie girls. They were more than happy to tone the makeup down, the hair, the whole thing. They were wonderful.

I know that the last film that you directed was now almost 25 years ago. Why did it take so long?

That's really a difficult one to answer. I did not want to become a director for hire. I wanted to do my own thing. I should have gone in the independent world, but I didn't. I continued dealing with the studios and the kind of movies I wanted to make were slowly being phased out. I wasted a lot of time, but I didn't waste it because I was writing plays and I had a pretty fabulous life, so I didn't want to compromise it, to be perfectly honest. I have no regrets. I'm so happy with the next thing I directed, to be perfectly honest.

What do you think in terms of women directors in the industry and now the ACLU is investigating possible unfair labor practices in Hollywood? Do you think that has played a role?

I really think it's great that somebody is going after this. It is true, it's ridiculous in this day and age. I think it's even worse for cinematographers, to be perfectly honest. The number of women doing that job...There is an atmosphere on set that is very much the boys' club. It just exists. In taking on this movie, I was really lucky. It's difficult. I have this theory about it. I don't think it's so much people resisting women. It sounds weird, but I think men in those circumstances are more comfortable interacting with men than with women. It's very strange, but I think they feel more at ease. There's a comfort level, and I don't even think they're aware of it.

I would think that in some ways the business has changed so much since you started out, and in other ways, such as this one, it hasn't changed that much.

It's still a boys' club. It really is. Breaking through that isn't easy. I have an advantage because if you write, then people want your script and if you tough it out, you could end up directing it.

What advice would you have to women directors starting out?

Stick to your guns. That's it. Just don't give up. Stick to your guns. Keep fighting for what you want, and really fight for it. You have to. Anything that's happened in my career, I've had to really fight for. Just hope that you meet people along the way that get how good you are and stick with those people. You really have to fight.

Can you believe that all these years later that "Beaches" is still such a cult favorite? Did you anticipate that it would continue to be so beloved after all these years?

No, it's strange. It does appeal profoundly to teenage girls. It did at the time when it first came out, along with everybody else, it appealed to them. It's still happening. I meet all these young girls who see it and they just get together and they buy it and play it over and over and over again. I am surprised that it lasted so long, but I think it really captures the nature of friendship. I think it's so important, especially when you're a teenager. It does get that. It's that you love that you share with a best friend and then it accumulates history over time. You can't replace that. That's a profound relationship.

What are you proudest of as far as "Jenny's Wedding"?

I'm so lucky to have those great actors, that's for sure. The finished movie, just looking at it. I think it's true that it's not sentimental. There's nothing soggy in that movie, ever. I think it's true to who people are, how they feel and I think it will make people more tolerant on both sides of the coin. A lot of gay people have seen it and they've said that they understood their parents for the first time after seeing it. I was so moved by that, that they were no longer villains to them, that they understood for the first time what their parents had gone through. That's what I like about it-- it's honest. And it's not boring.

IFC Films is releasing "Jenny's Wedding" on VOD and in select theaters on July 31, 2015.

READ MORE: Watch: Katherine Heigl and Alexis Bledel Say 'I Do' for "Jenny's Wedding"

Outfest Film Festival 2015 Award Winners

Anne Thompson — Sun, 19 Jul 2015 19:02:59 GMT

The 2015 Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival ran July 9-19, closing Sunday with Francois Ozon's gender-bending melodrama “The New Girlfriend," starring Romain Duris and Anais Demoustier.

The festival gives out audiences awards and three juries voted on shorts, narrative features and documentary awards (I voted on the doc jury).

READ MORE: John Cameron Mitchell Gets Outfest Achievement Award.

The Outfest Los Angeles 2015 Award Winners are listed below:

READ MORE: Outfest 2015 Lineup has Nick Jonas, Christine Vachon, 'Beaver Trilogy' and More.

Audience Awards:

Documentary Short
A Place in the Middle, Directed by Dean Hamer

Dramatic Short
The Letter, Directed by Angeles Cruz

Documentary Feature
The Glamour and the Squalor, Directed by Marq Evans

Dramatic Feature
Fourth Man Out, Directed by Andrew Nackman

First US Dramatic Feature
Those People, Directed by Joey Kuhn

Grand Jury Awards

Documentary Feature Special Recognition
For Excellence in Filmmaking we award a Special Jury mention to Tchindas, a masterfully crafted intimate portrait of the courageous Cape Verdian trans community

Documentary Feature Winner
We award Best Documentary Feature to A Sinner in Mecca for gay filmmaker Parvez Sharma's daring iPhone journey of acceptance into the heart of Islam.

Actor in a U.S. Dramatic Feature
For a richly multi-dimensional portraits of young gay men, balancing their forbidden relationship with their Muslim faith in post 9-11 New York. The Best actor in a U.S. Feature goes to Curtis Cook Jr and Kerwin Johnson Jr in Naz and Maalik.

Actress in a U.S. Dramatic Feature
For capturing with a quick-witted humor the sympathetic qualities of a difficult character, and humanizing the issue of sex addiction the Best Actress in a US Feature goes to Judy Greer in Addicted to Fresno.

Screenwriting in a U.S. Dramatic Feature
For its remarkable depth of character history and its sincere and complicated exploration of family, home, sexuality, and parenthood, the Best Screenplay Award goes to Sebastian.

U.S. Dramatic Feature Film
For its deft use of humor and its unexpected subversion of expectations, the award for Best U.S. Narrative feature goes to Nasty Baby, Directed by Sebastian Silva.

International Dramatic Feature
For its eerie elegance, audacious storytelling and carnal depiction of love, the International Dramatic Feature goes to Everlasting Love, Directed by Marcal Fores.

Documentary Short Film
For its inspiring portrait of a beloved young activist and advocate for transgender rights, the Jury Prize for Documentary is given to Brockington, directed by Maggie Sloane, Mason Sklut, Sergio Ingato.

Experimental Short Film
For its confounding and provocative reflection, we award the Jury Prize for Experimental Short Film to The Lamps, by Shelly Silver.

Dramatic Short Film
For its evocative cinematography that captures desire between two young men who seize the night - one an apprentice barber and the other a young man leaving for the military service, we award the Jury Prize for Short Narrative to Tremulo, Directed by Roberto Fiesco

Special Jury Mention
We Can't Live Without Cosmos
For its innovative storytelling that transcends language and redefines companionship through the animated portrait of two astronauts whose commitment to each other is out of this world, we award a Special Jury Prize to We Can't Life Without Cosmos, directed by Konstantin Bronzit.

Special Programming Awards

Emerging Talent
For crafting a funny and moving portrait of a young trans man living his truth in rural North Carolina, reminding us all that love can prevail even in the face of intense bigotry and ignorance, the 2015 Programming Award for Emerging Talent goes to Hillevi Loven for Deep Run.

Freedom
For risking incarceration by telling the story of LGBTQ Kenyans in a country where homosexuality itself is a criminal offense, and for its deft balance of documentary and narrative filmmaking technique in capturing subjects who are forced to keep their identities secret, the 2015 Programming Award for Artistic Freedom goes to Jim Chuchu and the NEST Collective for Stories Of Our Lives.

Artistic Achievement
For moving trans cinema forward by placing its heroine firmly into genre storytelling, and for its powerful evocation of the Muxe culture of small-town Mexico, the 2015 Programming Award for Artistic Achievement goes to Rigoberto Pérezcano for Carmin Tropical.

Stephen Winter Explains the Challenges of Being a Gay Black Filmmaker and His Controversial Decision to Reimagine a Classic Film

Eric Kohn — Fri, 10 Jul 2015 13:50:21 GMT

In 1966, legendary underground filmmaker Shirley Clarke invited the exuberant New York street hustler Jason Holliday to her Manhattan apartment and filmed him telling colorful stories from his life over the course of a 12-hour shoot. The resulting one-man odyssey, "Portrait of Jason," finds the alternately hilarious and tragic figure proudly explaining his lifestyle while growing increasingly intoxicated. A radical, progressive look at an openly gay metropolitan figure both ahead of his time and trapped by it, "Portrait of Jason" was warmly received but only found broader acclaim decades later, when a restored version was released in 2013.

Now, filmmaker Stephen Winter has revisited the project with "Jason and Shirley," a freewheeling, comedic look at the rambunctious "Portrait of Jason" production that imagines the chaotic process through which Clarke coaxed a candid performance out of her real-life star. Littered with inside jokes about the New York experimental film scene of the sixties and the reckless abandon of filmmakers working far outside the commercial arena, the appeal of "Jason and Shirley" boils down to a simmering tension between its eponymous leads (played by Sarah Schulman and Jack Waters). The irreverent result suggests Christopher Guest by way of P. Adams Sitney — a playfully satiric look at the avant garde world through an intensely neurotic lens.

Though "Jason and Shirley" has found supportive audiences at New York's BAMCinemaFest and screens next at Outfest on Saturday, not everyone is so pleased. Milestone Films, the husband-and-wife team responsible for restoring "Portrait of Jason" as well as numerous other treasured Clarke films, posted a damning assault on the movie's depiction of Clarke and various facets of the production on the company's website. Calling the film "bad cinema and worse ethics," Milestone's Amy Heller complained that while "the filmmakers may call it an homage…their complete lack of research and their numerous factual errors and falsehoods have betrayed everyone who was involved in making 'Portrait of Jason.'"

In advance of the movie's Outfest screening, Winter spoke to Indiewire about his inspiration for the project and his thoughts on Milestone's criticism.

What has been your relationship to Shirley Clarke's work over the years?

I remember one week in the '90's when James Lyons and I – James being the accomplished editor of Todd Haynes films and I was his young pal — went to see [Robert] Zemeckis' "Contact," which has a bravura sequence zooming from Earth far out of our galaxy with the historical noise of our TV and radio broadcasts trailing, until it gets to the silence of space – beautiful and terrifying.

Also that week, James and I watched "Portrait of Jason." It was my second or third time seeing the film. After we compared the use of diegetic and non-diegetic sound in "Contact" and "Portrait," and how wild Clarke was to interrupt her own film with her off-screen voice or edit Jason's nonstop talk with silent surreal moments where cigarette smoke reverses, James was the first to explain to me that "Portrait of Jason" was shot in the Chelsea Hotel, and offer some background on Clarke's relationship to her male peers. He explained the "evil" voice berating Jason at the end wasn't a rogue camera crew but Carl Lee, a legendary actor as well as Shirley's lover. James told me all he knew of Clarke and her concerns: "She was obsessed with 'truth,' even more obsessed with black men, and didn't care what anybody thought of her." He was very funny and very invested in getting me more interested in Clarke – and Jason Holliday. It worked.

Over the years, I always returned to her work and biography. But I still saw Clarke as just another reference point in the amazing yet maddeningly world of infinitely white film auteurs. Years later I remember thinking about James, now dead from HIV complications, while at another screening of "Portrait of Jason." He would be pleased I was back at Clarke.

What stood out to you about Jason Holliday when you first saw "Portrait of Jason"?

"Portrait of Jason" is the only film in essential cinema that stars a black gay man as its lead character. It's not that there are a dozen films with black gay men and "Portrait" is the best. It's not three or four films of different genres featuring gay black men and this is the doc. No. "Portrait" is all there is.

As a young gay biracial kid, a film student, a cinema lover and sensitive soul watching "Portrait of Jason" for the first time, I saw how unfair and terrifying my life in cinema was going to be. The intensifying isolation of "Portrait of Jason" cannot be overstated. I love movies. And this is the only vision it has to reflect me? What a sinister and predatory feeling, beginning and ending with Jason's defeat and lack of agency from off-screen voices who seem to pummel him into submission. Jason has charm, nerve and a blaze of experience — but the film's mise-en-scene is bleak, his prospects slim, and there's no romance or hope. There's only Shirley's relentless camera, which makes Jason seem trapped in the frame in real-time.

Do you find that problematic?

Remember, during my first viewing of "Portrait of Jason" as a kid, I didn't know from Shirley Clarke or understand the theoretical areas she was drawing from. All I could see was Jason, black and gay, sad and lonely – being yelled at by overseers just out of frame. Jason and the film ends with the subtle suggestion if the Jason Holliday in "Portrait" is the only Jason that exists, and if Jason Holliday is the only black gay man in the movies, he must be the only black gay man that has ever been. And he is a man defeated. Not a role model or "positive" image, or even an effectual tragic figure, just a tired clown, pinned under light. "Portrait of Jason" left me shaking with a new conviction: "I must never end up like Jason Holliday."

How has your relationship to the film changed?

"Portrait of Jason" has lived with me and many other people for decades, and since it remains the only essential cinema with a black gay man as its lead it was necessary for me to make my statement on it – in fact, the situation demands I do. "Portrait" is like the "Star Wars" of black gay man cinema — by way of [Pasolini's] "Salo." I use that comparison carefully, as "Salo" is a controversial vision that explores themes like abuse of power and sexuality, and although not strictly a horror film, contains a terror unique in film history. Black folks must freely critique representations of our image and provide images of our own.

There are some people who think Clarke was enabling Jason by letting him get increasingly more intoxicated over the course of the shoot. How do you feel about her methods and the ethics of the film itself?

My take after over 20 years of viewing is that Jason is not only complicit in his exploitation but ultimately the film's primary engineer of narrative and characterization. Remember, Jason's profession was hustling and part of the hustle is to take more for your service than what was originally offered, and hold your liquor longer than the mark. Shirley is the one who seems to give up and say, "End, end, end," when she can't stand to film anymore. But even though Jason is exhausted, blotto, sliding off the chair, you still get the sense he would do his Lauren Bacall impression or just about anything else if asked. He seems to consider this film more like a screen test in the "Hollywood" sense than a documentary. That's the gloomy tragedy I find in "Portrait" — it's like watching Jason endlessly audition for the role of himself – and still not get the part.

Did you anticipate Milestone's criticisms of your project?

I created "Jason and Shirley" to generate dialogue, so I welcome all viewpoints and ardent responses. The film was conceived, written, cast, shot, with editing well under way before "Portrait of Jason" was made widely available to see on home video or streaming platforms. In the decades between 1967 up until Milestone's restoration, it was near impossible for an average person to view "Portrait" outside of academia. You had to be lucky enough to live near a revival house. So right now is an amazing moment for it to be widely available. The work Milestone put in to make that happen will always have my highest regard and gratitude. But I was aware that the relationship between fiction and reality in my film could be really intense to negotiate in a public forum. Jason Holliday doesn't apologize for who he is. So by nature my declaration as a gay black artist to examine him in a film authored primarily by my assessments as a black and gay person, I knew there would always be someone out there who would see something completely different in my art than what I imagined. Such is the nature of art. My film is a work of fiction.

Did you do any research on the history of the production by reaching out to Milestone or others with background information?

It was never my intention to replicate that day, but rather to reimagine its historical and emotional significance from Jason's point of view. So contacting people whom I don't know wouldn't help me get to the film I wanted to make. I wasn't crafting a documentary, or biopic, or a remake. I needed to go deep into the archive of my own life to find the emotional truth of Jason. I had to get to the Jason within me so I could reveal the Jason within us all.

READ MORE: Ann Hornaday and David Sterritt Discuss Shirley Clarke's Newly Restored 'The Connection'

Peter Greenaway's 'Eisenstein In Guanajuato' to Premiere at Outfest Los Angeles

Sydney Levine — Mon, 29 Jun 2015 19:30:00 GMT

Peter Greenaway's Golden Bear nominated "Eisenstein In Guanajuato" (ISA: Film Boutique) will make its Los Angeles premiere at Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival on Monday July 13th at 7pm.

"Eisenstein In Guanajuato" stars Elmer Back, Luis Alberti, Maya Zapata, Lisa Owen, Stelio Savante, Rasmus Slatis & Jakob Ohrman, and chronicles the journey of Soviet filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein when he traveled to Guanajuato in Mexico to shoot “Que Viva Mexico” in 1931. While in Mexico, Eisenstein fell madly in love with his guide Canedo.The biopic will be released through Strand Releasing by the beginning of 2016.

Director Peter Greenaway, and cast memeber Luis Alberti, Elmer Beck, Stelio Savante will be in attendance.

Founded in 1982, Outfest is the leading organization that promotes LGBT equality by creating, sharing, and protecting LGBT stories on the screen. The festival runs from July 9th - July 19th and will be presented by HBO.

John Cameron Mitchell Gets Outfest Achievement Award

Ryan Lattanzio — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 21:30:50 GMT

Outfest's highest honor will go to John Cameron Mitchell on Thursday, July 9 at the Orpheum Theatre following the 2015 Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival Opening Night Gala screening of "Tig."

The Achievement Award honors an individual whose body of work has made a significant impact on LGBT film and media. John Cameron Mitchell is perhaps best known for "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," his glitz-and-glam rock musical about an East German singer scorned by a botched sex-change operation. The musical began as an off-Broadway oddity in 1998 before writer/director Mitchell gave it a second life with his 2001 film version. He recently reprised the title role on Broadway, where it is now being performed by Darren Criss.

READ MORE: Outfest 2015 Lineup Has Nick Jonas, Christine Vachon, 'Beaver Trilogy' and More

Mitchell again broke ground in 2006 as the writer/director of "Shortbus," a sexually subversive ensemble indie charting the bedroom lives of a diverse cast of New Yorkers. He also directed 2010 Nicole Kidman drama "Rabbit Hole" and executive-produced Jonathan Caouette's adventuresome movie memoir "Tarnation" in 2004. Mitchell is currently working on a Neil Gaiman adaptation.

READ MORE: Decade: John Cameron Mitchell on "Hedwig and the Angry Inch"

Outfest has previously presented the award to James Schamus, Kimberly Peirce, John Waters, Jane Lynch, Bill Condon, Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, Don Roos, Donna Deitch, Kenneth Anger, Gregg Araki, Todd Haynes, Jane Anderson, Christine Vachon, Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, Gus Van Sant, Ian McKellen, John Schlesinger and Strand Releasing.

The 2015 Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival will be held July 9-19, 2015.

Outfest 2015 Lineup Has Nick Jonas, Christine Vachon, 'Beaver Trilogy' and More

Ryan Lattanzio — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 16:00:05 GMT

Outfest is shaking things up this year with a few intriguing additions to its lineup.

As already announced, the festival will open with "Tig," the critically acclaimed Sundance doc about comedian Tig Notaro. Also a Sundance premiere, Sebastián Silva's tart Brooklyn-set comedy "Nasty Baby," winner of Berlin's Teddy Award this year, is Outfest's US Dramatic Centerpiece.

Alongside these American indies, Outfest has slated two International Centerpieces. Sundance World Cinema Directing Award winner Alanté Kavaïté's "The Summer of Sangaile" follows a 17-year-old aeronautics whiz. Meanwhile, revered Brit auteur Peter Greenaway, whose film outings are becoming vanishingly rare, returns with Golden Berlin Bear nominee "Eisenstein in Guanajuato."

READ MORE: Outfest 2015 Lines Up Peter Greenaway, François Ozon, "Nasty Baby," "Best of Enemies" and More

In addition to six world premieres and three U.S. premieres, Outfest will screen movies from an astonishing 28 first-time filmmakers as well as new work from returning alums, including Jeffrey Schwarz (“Tab Hunter Confidential”), Jamie Babbit (“Fresno”), Silva (“Nasty Baby”), Malcolm Ingram (“Out To Win”), Jenni Olson (“The Royal Road”) and Parvez Sharma (“A Sinner in Mecca”).

But also, among the more titillating events on offer is a conversation with Nick Jonas and “Kingdom” creator Byron Balasco about Jonas’ massive (and rather meteoric) queer following as well as a sneak peek of his role as a gay MMA fighter on the series' second season.

READ MORE: Producer Christine Vachon Talks Being Queen of the Croisette

Outfest will fete the 20th Anniversary of Killer Films with a screening of Todd Haynes' gay cult classic “Velvet Goldmine” followed by a reception with producer Christine Vachon. Also of interest for film buffs, we'll see the new and fourth installment of the "Beaver Trilogy," narrated by Bill Hader, about a menagerie of eccentrics in Beaver, Utah. "Any worry about ruining 'Beaver Trilogy' by investigating it fades quickly here, as a look at the film's maker proves resonant with the pursuit of its obscure star," writes THR.

The 2015 Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival will also feature two sneak peeks of fall TV shows including Bill Hader and Fred Armisen’s “Sandy Passage,” a “Grey Gardens” parody episode of IFC’s upcoming comedy series “Documentary Now!”, and from TLC, the new reality show “I Am Jazz”, spotlighting the day-to-day life of a transgendered teen model.

Full Outfest lineup after the jump.

GALA FILMS

TIG - Opening Night Gala

Dir: Kristina Goolsby, Ashley York, Scr: Jennifer Arnold, 2015, USA, 95 min.

BEST OF ENEMIES - Documentary Centerpiece

Dir: Morgan Neville, Robert Gordon, 2015, USA, 88 min.

EISENSTEIN IN GUANAJUATO - International Centerpiece

Dir/Scr: Peter Greenaway, 2015, Netherlands/Mexico/Belgium/Finland, 105 min.

NASTY BABY - US Centerpiece

Dir/Scr: Sebastián Silva, 2015, USA, 100 min.

OUT TO WIN - Documentary Centerpiece

Dir/Scr: Malcolm Ingram, 2015, USA/Canada, 100 min.

THE SUMMER OF SANGAILE - International Centerpiece

Dir/Scr: Alanté Kavaïté, 2015, France/Lithuania/The Netherlands, Lithuanian with English

subtitles, 88 min.

THE NEW GIRLFRIEND - Closing Night Gala

Dir/Scr: François Ozon, 2014, France, French with English subtitles, 108 min.

U.S. DRAMATIC FEATURES

BABY STEPS

Dir/Scr: Barney Cheng, 2015, USA/Taiwan, English, Mandarin with English subtitles, 102 min.

BARE

Dir/Scr: Natalia Leite, 2015, USA, 88 min.

BEAUTIFUL SOMETHING

Dir/Scr: Joseph Graham, 2015, USA, 93 min.

DRIVING NOT KNOWING - World Premiere

Dir/Scr: Benjamin R. Davis, Dylan Hansen-Fliedner, Dane Mainella, Jay Jadick, 2015, USA, 85

min.

FOURTH MAN OUT

Dir: Andrew Nackman, Scr: Aaron Dancik, 2015, USA, 95 min.

FRESNO

Dir: Jamie Babbit, Scr: Karey Dornetto, 2015, USA, 85 min.

JENNY'S WEDDING - World Premiere

Dir/Scr: Mary Agnes Donoghue, 2015, USA, 94 min.

LIKE YOU MEAN IT - World Premiere

Dir/Scr: Philipp Karner, 2014, USA, English, 90 min.

NAOMI & ELY'S NO KISS LIST - World Premiere

Dir: Kristin Hanggi, Scr: Amy Andelson, Emily Meyer, 2014, USA, 89 min.

NAZ & MAALIK

Dir/Scr: Jay Dockendorf, 2014, USA, 86 min.

S&M SALLY

Dir/Scr: Michelle Ehlen, 2015, USA, 80 min.

SEBASTIAN - U.S. Premiere

Dir/Scr: Carlos Ciurlizza, 2014, Peru/USA, Spanish, English with English subtitles, 108 min.

SISTERS OF THE PLAGUE - World Premiere

Dir: Jorge Torres-Torres, Scr: Jorge Torres-Torres, Jason Banker, 2015, USA, 74 min.

STUFF

Dir/Scr: Suzanne Guacci, 2015, USA, 98 min.

THAT'S NOT US

Dir: William Sullivan, Scr: William Sullivan, Derek Dodge, 2015, USA, 97 min.

THOSE PEOPLE

Dir/Scr: Joey Kuhn, 2015, USA, 89 min.

YOU'RE KILLING ME

Dir: Jim Hansen, Scr: Jim Hansen, Jeffery Self, 2015, USA, 88 min.

INTERNATIONAL DRAMATIC FEATURES

ALL ABOUT E

Dir/Scr: Louise Wadley, 2015, Australia, 97 min.

THE BLUE HOUR

Dir: Anucha Boonyawatana, Scr: Anucha Boonyawatana, Waasuthep Ketpetch, 2015, Thailand,

Thai with English subtitles, 97 min.

CARMIN TROPICAL

Dir: Rigoberto Perezcano, Scr: Rigoberto Perezcano, Edgar San Juan, 2014, Mexico, Spanish

with English subtitles, 80 min.

DROWN

Dir: Dean Francis, Scr: Stephen Francis, 2015, Australia, 96 min.

EVERLASTING LOVE

Dir: Marçal Forés, Scr: Marçal Forés, Vicente de la Torre, 2014, Spain, Spanish with English

subtitles, 69 min.

THE GUEST

Dir/Scr: Mauricio López Fernández, 2014, Chile/Argentina, Spanish, 82 min.

GUIDANCE

Dir/Scr: Pat Mills, 2015, Canada, 80 min.

THE HEROES OF EVIL - U.S. Premiere

Dir/Scr: Zoe Berriatúa, 2015, Spain, Spanish with English subtitles, 98 min.

IN THE GRAYSCALE

Dir: Claudio Marcone, Scr: Rodrigo Antonio Norero, 2015, Chile, Spain with English subtitles,

101 min.

LIZ IN SEPTEMBER

Dir/Scr: Fina Torres, 2015, Venezuela, Spanish with English subtitles, 100 min.

PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL MONOGAMIST

Dir/Scr: Christina Zeidler, John Mitchell, 2014, Canada, 83 min.

SEASHORE

Dir/Scr: Marcio Reolon, Filipe Matzembacher, 2015, Brazil, Portuguese with English subtitles,

83 min.

STORIES OF OUR LIVES

Dir: Jim Chuchu, Scr: Jim Chuchu, Njoki Ngumi, 2014, Kenya, Swahili and English with English

subtitles, 60 min.

TWO 4 ONE

Dir/Scr: Maureen Bradley, 2014, Canada, 77 min.

WHILE YOU WEREN'T LOOKING

Dir: Catherine Stewart, Scr: Vanessa Herman, Amy Jephta, Matthew Krouse, Nodi Murphy,

2015, South Africa, 75 min.

YOU & I

Dir/Scr: Nils Bökamp, 2014, Germany, German and Polish with English subtitles, 85 min.

DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

ADD THE WORDS

Dir/Scr: Michael Gough, Cammie Pavesic, 2014, USA, 79 min.

THE CULT OF JT LEROY

Dir/Scr: Marjorie Sturm, 2014, USA, 90 min.

DEEP RUN

Dir: Hillevi Loven, 2015, USA, 75 min.

DESERT MIGRATION

Dir/Scr: Daniel F. Cardone, 2015, USA, 80 min.

DO I SOUND GAY?

Dir: David Thorpe, 2014, USA, 77 min.

DRAG BECOMES HIM

Dir/Scr: Alex Berry, 2015, USA, 83 min.

FROM THIS DAY FORWARD

Dir: Sharon Shattuck, Scr: Frederick Shanahan, Martha Shane, Sharon Shattuck, 2015, USA,

75 min.

A GAY GIRL IN DAMASCUS: THE AMINA PROFILE

Dir/Scr: Sophie Deraspe, 2015, Canada, 84 min.

THE GLAMOUR & THE SQUALOR

Dir: Marq Evans, Scr: Marq Evans, Jeff Gilbert, 2015, USA, English, 80 min.

HOCKNEY - U.S. Premiere

Dir: Randall Wright, 2015, UK, 112 min.

PROBATION TIME

Dir/Scr: Avigail Sperber, 2014, Israel, Hebrew with English subtitles, 90 min.

THE ROYAL ROAD

Dir/Scr: Jenni Olson, 2015, USA, 65 min.

SEED MONEY

Dir: Michael Stabile, 2015, USA, 72 min.

SHE'S THE BEST THING IN IT

Dir/Scr: Ron Nyswaner, 2015, USA, 80 min.

A SINNER IN MECCA

Dir/Scr: Parvez Sharma, 2014, Saudi Arabia/India/USA, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, English with

English subtitles, 79 min.

TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL

Dir: Jeffrey Schwarz, 2015, USA, 90 min.

TCHINDAS - World Premiere

Dir/Scr: Pablo García Pérez de Lara, Marc Serena, 2015, Spain, Cape Verdean Creole with

English subtitles, 95 min.

Outfest 2015 Lines Up Peter Greenaway, François Ozon, 'Nasty Baby,' 'Best of Enemies' and More

Ryan Lattanzio — Thu, 07 May 2015 19:03:12 GMT

Outfest 2015, presented by HBO, goes down July 9-19 in Los Angeles and as always, the lineup this year is looking strong.

The festival will open with "Tig," the critically acclaimed Sundance doc about how comedian Tig Notaro channelled her cancer diagnosis into stand-up material, featuring Sarah Silverman, Zach Galifianakis and Louis C.K.

Also a Sundance premiere, Sebastián Silva's tart Brooklyn-set comedy "Nasty Baby," winner of Berlin's Teddy Award this year, is Outfest's US Dramatic Centerpiece. What begins as a gentle domestic comedy about modern-day parenting eventually takes a hairpin, and very disturbing, turn to horror.

WATCH: Watch: Peter Greenaway's "Eisenstein in Guanajuato" Gets Gorgeously Nutty First Trailer

Alongside these American indies, Outfest has slated two International Centerpieces. Sundance World Cinema Directing Award winner Alanté Kavaïté's "The Summer of Sangaile" follows a 17-year-old aeronautics whiz. Meanwhile, revered Brit auteur Peter Greenaway, whose film outings are becoming vanishingly rare, returns with Golden Berlin Bear nominee "Eisenstein in Guanajuato." The avant-biopic looks at Russian iconoclast Sergei Eisenstein's 10 sensually stirring days spent in the title city in 1931, a heady influence on his life and films.

Charming Sundance Grand Jury nominee “Best of Enemies," from Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon, is Outfest's Documentary Centerpiece. The film examines the legendary 1968 television debates between the liberal Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr. In addition, Malcolm Ingram’s inspirational documentary on LGBT athletes, “Out to Win," will also be showcased.

Finally, Outfest will close on July 19 with “The New Girlfriend," pitched as one-of-a-kind gender-bending melodrama from French queer cinema director François Ozon, starring five-time Cesar Award nominee Romain Duris and two-time Cesar Award nominee Anais Demoustier. The film has played the festival circuit up and down, starting with a TIFF premiere last Fall.

The complete lineup for the 2015 Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival will be announced on June 3.

Women in Film LA Appoints Kirsten Schaffer Exec Director

Ryan Lattanzio — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 14:43:05 GMT

Beginning April 1, Schaffer will serve as Women in Film LA's Executive Director to strategize how to address the contemporary needs of its members at a time when the nonprofit also wants to focus on welcoming men.

Behind her, Schaffer has 14 years at Outfest as Director of Programming, Deputy Director and Executive Director. She nurtured Outfest into one of the leading LGBT media arts organizations in the US. There she launched three new programs for the organization: The Outfest UCLA Legacy Project, the Fusion LGBT People of Color Film Festival and OutSet, the Young Filmmakers Project from the Los Angeles LGBT Center and Outfest. Kirsten has experience in film programming, small business management and arts administration.

She will be working alongside Cathy Schulman, WIF's second term President, and Hannah Minghella (Sony Pictures President of Production), WIF’s Executive Committee Chair.

Director Rose Troche Honored with the 2015 Outfest Fusion Achievement Award

Laura Berger — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 20:00:00 GMT

Writer-director-producer Rose Troche was recognized with the 2015 Outfest Achievement Award at an event for the LGBT film festival on Saturday, March 14, at the Egyptian Theater.

Troche's directorial debut, "Go Fish," focused on a group of lesbian friends in Chicago, and premiered at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival. The gay filmmaker also co-wrote and co-produced the feature. She went on to direct "Bedrooms and Hallways" (1998) and "The Safety of Objects" (2001).

Troche's directing credits on the small screen inlcude "Six Feet Under" and "The L Word." She also wrote for and co-executive produced the latter.

“We are truly thrilled to honor the prolific and groundbreaking Rose Troche with the 2015 Fusion Achievement Award,” said Kirsten Shaffer, Executive Director of Outfest. “Her contribution to storytelling and filmmaking for the past two decades is full of intelligent characters and authentic representations of our community.”

Outfest, a non-profit organization founded by UCLA students, is dedicated to promoting equality by creating and showcasing LGBT stories on the screen.

[via Greg in Hollywood]

Lee Daniels and 'Empire,' 'Paris Is Burning' & More Come to Outfest Fusion (March 13-14)

Jai Tiggett — Tue, 10 Mar 2015 22:34:07 GMT

Outfest Fusion, the festival's annual celebration of LGBTQ people of color, comes to the Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles this weekend. Of interest to this site, Lee Daniels will attend in person for a special screening of Fox's "Empire" along with producer Ilene Chaiken.

The festival will also present a digitally restored version of the 1991 classic exploration of New York drag ball culture, "Paris Is Burning," as well as indie hit "Dear White People," with the producers in person.

Find additional screening details and ticket info below, and for more on Outfest Fusion, click HERE.

3/13 at 7pm:

A screening of the hit Fox show EMPIRE followed by an exclusive Q&A with the show's creator Lee Daniels, and his fellow Producer Ilene Chaiken.

Tickets: https://outfest.secure.force.com/ticket/#sections_a0Fi000000EOJz6EAH

More info: http://www.fox.com/empire

3/13 at 7:30pm:

The US Premiere of STORIES OF OUR LIVES the Kenyan narrative anthology shot in crisp B&W that was banned in Kenya, and just won the Audience Award at Berlin:

Tickets: https://outfest.secure.force.com/ticket/#sections_a0Fi000000EOGd3EAH

More info: http://www.thisisthenest.com/sool/

3/13 at 9pm

PARIS IS BURNING presented by the stars of RuPaul's Drag Race

https://outfest.secure.force.com/ticket/#sections_a0Fi000000EOG3UEAX

3/13 at 9:30pm

DEAR WHITE PEOPLE presented by the film's Producing team, with a Q&A after the screening.

https://outfest.secure.force.com/ticket/#sections_a0Fi000000EOGjpEAH

2015 Outfest Fusion Lineup Boasts Restored 'Paris Is Burning,' TV's 'Empire' and More

Ryan Lattanzio — Thu, 26 Feb 2015 18:32:44 GMT

Celebrating its 12th year, Outfest Fusion is the only multicultural LGBT film festival of its kind, running March 13-14 at the venerable Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.

Indie-pioneering writer, director and producer Rose Troche ("Go Fish," "The Safety of Objects" and Showtime's "The L Word") will receive the 2015 Fusion Achievement Award, presented by stars of "The L Word," prior to the short films gala on Saturday, March 14.

On Friday the 13th, an upcoming episode of "Empire" will screen alongside a Q&A with the smash hit FOX series' producers. The event shares the evening with the Los Angeles premiere of the new digitally restored print Jennie Livingston's seminal 1990 LGBT doc "Paris Is Burning" centered on New York City drag ball culture. The film comes courtesy of the Sundance Institute, the UCLA Film & Television Archive, the Outfest UCLA Legacy Project and Miramax.

This year’s Outfest Fusion line-up also boasts the world premiere of "Ascendance: Angels Of Change" about the Trans youth group at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles run by Bamby Salcedo; and the US premiere of "Stories of Our Lives" from Kenya, which just played the Berlin Film Festival, as well as the romantic comedy "Eat With Me."

Independent Spirit winner "Dear White People" will also screen with director Justin Simien in attendance. Also playing is "The Year We Thought About Love," a documentary that follows an LGBT youth theater troupe in Boston. The program is rounded out by an encore screening of "I Am Happiness On Earth," and a selection of topical doc shorts.

For complete listings head here. The festival is presented by HBO with support from NBCUniversal, Nielsen and the David Bohnett Foundation.

Wolfe Releasing Acquires Worldwide Rights to 'Boy Meets Girl' and 'Tiger Orange'

Ana Souza — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 00:29:58 GMT

LGBT-focused U.S. distributor Wolfe Releasing has acquired worldwide distribution rights to "Boy Meets Girl" and "Tiger Orange." The release of these two films will complement Wolfe's upcoming March 2015 release of Swiss Oscar submission and Berlin Teddy Award Winner, "The Circle, which it acquired early last year.

READ MORE: Wolfe Video Acquires 'The Circle,' Winner of Berlin's Teddy Award

Eric Schaeffer's "Boy Meets Girl" is a transgender love story that stars Michael Welch ("Twilight") and breakout star Michelle Hendley. "Tiger Orange" is a gritty family drama about two gay brothers, played by Mark Strano and former adult film actor Frankie Valenti, who reunite years after the death of their homophobic father. Both films have garnered multiple awards while making their rounds on the festival circuit, including Best Feature at FilmOut San Diego for "Boy Meets Girl" and Best Actor (Mark Strano) at OutFest for "Tiger Orange."

"Boy Meets Girl" will be available on VOD and across multiple digital platforms beginning April 7, followed by a DVD release on April 28. "Tiger Orange" will be released later in the year.

READ MORE: 'Boy Meets Girl,' An Unlikely Twist On The Teen Rom-Com

Natasha Lyonne Will Host Outfest Awards

Ryan Lattanzio — Tue, 21 Oct 2014 17:12:27 GMT

Lyonne, a 90s cult icon in everything from "But I'm a Cheerleader" to Tamara Jenkins' terrific "Slums of Beverly Hills," has resurged in Netflix's "Orange Is the New Black."

In spirit of that LGBT-aimed series, now she's hosting LA nonprofit Outfest's 10th Annual Legacy Awards. As previously announced, legendary author Armistead Maupin ("Tales of the City") will be presented with the Visionary Award, Hilary Swank (“Boys Don’t Cry”) will receive the Trailblazer Award, and Levi Strauss & Co. will be awarded with the Guardian Award.

This must-attend evening, usually full of stars and LGBT celebrities and icons, goes down November 12th at the Vibiana in downtown Los Angeles. The Legacy Awards benefits the Outfest UCLA Legacy Project for LGBT Moving Image Preservation, an invaluable project dedicated to maintaining queer cinema resources.

Previous Legacy Award winners include writer-director Lee Daniels (“The Butler”), Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (“86th Academy Awards”), Adam Shankman (“Rock of Ages”), Roland Emmerich (“White House Down”), Alan Poul (“The Newsroom”), Bruce Cohen (“Silver Linings Playbook”), Judith Light (“Transparent”) and Paris Barclay (“Glee”).

LGBT Outfest to Honor Hilary Swank and 15th Anniversary of 'Boys Don't Cry'

Rachel Bernstein — Tue, 23 Sep 2014 15:45:41 GMT

The Los Angeles-based non-profit, Outfest, has just announced the honorees for its annual Legacy Awards. Based on its mission to promote LGBT equality on and off screen, Outfest has selected three individuals whose work has made a significant impact on the LGBT community. This year's Legacy Awards will honor actress Hilary Swank for the 15th anniversary of "Boys Don't Cry," author Armistead Maupin for the 20th anniversary of his television adaptation of "Tales of the City" and Levi Strauss & Co for their continuous and unwavering support for the LGBT community.

READ MORE: 14 Films You Must Watch at Outfest 2014

Outfest Executive Director Kirsten Schaffer said "Armistead Maupin's diverse, interconnected community of San Francisco bohemians -- which shaped our collective fantasy of what LGBT life is and could be – may stand in stark contrast to Hilary Swank's all-too-real portrayal of a trans man who is murdered in 'Boys Don't Cry,' but the two have one important thing in common: They are stories that inspire change. For decades now, that change has been underway at Levi Strauss & Co., which has consistently taken a stand for equality by, for instance, granting employees domestic partner benefits long before other major corporations did the same. This is our legacy.”

Outfest partnered with UCLA Film & Television Archive in 2005 to create the Outfest UCLA Legacy project--a program designed to preserve LGBT moving images that are in danger of expiring. The only program of its kind in the world, the Legacy Project started the Legacy Awards as a fundraiser to continue their important work.

Outfest Board Vice President and The Legacy Awards Event Chair Ari Karpe said, "The Legacy Project does exceptional work, and I felt that it was time for an event that equals it in caliber and impact. To celebrate our collective legacy by honoring worthy artists and important allies in a grand space – with dinner by a great Los Angeles chef – is only the beginning of what will be a new Outfest tradition."

The awards and dinner will take place on November 12. Tickets go on sale on Tuesday, October 7, 2014. For further information about tickets, tribute journal or sponsorship opportunities please visit Outfest's website.

READ MORE: 'The Way He Looks,' 'Appropriate Behavior' Among Outfest Los Angeles 2014 Winners

Here's How to Watch An Award-Winning Film (Starring Gaby Hoffman!) For Free

Brandon Latham — Tue, 29 Jul 2014 22:24:10 GMT

Another day, another distributor coming up with creative ways to utilize video on-demand to bring their films to the world. This time the movie is "Lyle," a thriller starring Gabby Hoffman, which will be released on August 4th for free on its website, LYLEmovie.com. Skipping formal distribution routes to give the fans what they want might sound like a dream out of an indie movie subplot, but this plan was conceived by the filmmakers.

Writer/director Scott Throndike and producer Alex Scharfman will release their first female-centric horror film online for free in order to service the funding process for their next film. That project, a similar horror film, is entitled "Putney," and is being funded on Kickstarter, with a crowdfunding campaign running simultaneously to the release of "Lyle." This strategy is a new and bold one for independent filmmakers who are betting that the best way to advertise your ability to entice investors is to get people talking.

READ MORE: Weinsteins to Release 'One Chance' Online 10 Days Before It Hits Theaters

"Lyle" stars Hoffman as Leah, a pregnant lesbian who gradually comes to face terrors in her new home. An ode to "Rosemary's Baby," "Lyle" is a meticulous assault on a viewers emotions, as Leah gradually comes to question her partner and fear for the safety of her children, both born and unborn.

"I'm psyched to share 'Lyle' for free. I love the fact that anyone with an internet connection will be able to watch and I also love getting out some female-driven, female-perspective horror -- something I'm passionate about," said Thorndike in the press release. "The hope and dream and prayer is that people will like 'Lyle' and want to support our next project, 'Putney'."

Winning Hoffman the Grand Jury Prize for best actress at Outfest, "Lyle" has earned quite a bit of critical praise, especially for her electric performance. Check out the trailer below:

EXCLUSIVE: Outfest Horror Fave 'Lyle,' Starring Gaby Hoffmann, to Be Self-Distributed by Filmmakers (TRAILER)

Ryan Lattanzio — Mon, 28 Jul 2014 17:49:02 GMT

Eschewing more traditional distribution models, director Stewart Thorndike and producer Alex Scharfman have elected to stream "Lyle," the first of three female-focused horror films, for free. Streaming starts August 4 on the film's website, while Thorndike and Scharfman begin a Kickstarter campaign for their next film "Putney."

This little domestic horror film a la "Rosemary's Baby" and "Repulsion," the effervescent Gaby Hoffmann ("Crystal Fairy," "Obvious Child" and HBO's "Girls") sheds her comedy routine for darker meat, here as a pregnant lesbian who becomes increasingly terrified by the world around her, questioning the motives of her lover and her friends and neighbors. Hoffmann won the Grand Jury Best Actress Award at Outfest, where the film world-premiered.

"Lyle" is a well-shot and moody slice of terror, and perfect for streaming at home -- a place where, for Hoffmann's character, the wallpaper is peeling and madness is looming. Check back on August 4. For now, watch the trailer below.

LYLE trailer // FREE on LYLEmovie.com // AUGUST 4th from Stewart Thorndike on Vimeo.

First-Time Female Filmmakers Take Home Best Film and Best Screenplay Awards at Outfest

Inkoo Kang — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 14:00:00 GMT

Director Sydney Freeland's Drunktown's Finest was named Outfest's Best US Dramatic Feature Film at the festival's awards ceremony this past Sunday. The reservation-set drama also won the audience-selected Best First US Dramatic Feature prize.

In a Sundance interview with Women and Hollywood, Freeland explained her motivations for making her first film: "I was born and raised on the Navajo reservation, and growing up I never felt like I saw the people and places that I knew represented on film. On a really basic level, I just wanted to tell a story about those people that I knew and give them a chance to be represented on film."

Another debut, Desiree Akhavan's Appropriate Behavior, won the Best Screenwriting in a U.S. Dramatic Feature prize. Centering on the romantic travails of a post-collegiate Persian bisexual hipster (played by Akhavan), Appropriate Behavior made our Most Anticipated Films of 2014 list back in January.

Venezuelan filmmaker Mariana Rondón won a Special Programming Award for her feature Bad Hair, an exploration of familial homophobia. Cheryl Furjanic took home the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature for Back on Board: Greg Louganis for her portrayal of the openly gay Olympian diver.

Below are the female/trans winners at Outfest:

Grand Jury Awards

Actress in a U.S. Dramatic Feature
Gaby Hoffmann in Lyle
"For taking us on a supernatural journey, all the while remaining sincere and sympathetic, the 2014 Outfest Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Actress in a US Dramatic Feature Film goes to Gaby Hoffmann for LYLE."

Screenwriting in a U.S. Dramatic Feature
Desiree Akhavan for Appropriate Behavior
"For her commitment to honesty and vulnerability with hilarious and poignant results, the 2014 Outfest Grand Jury Award for Screenwriting in a US Dramatic Feature Film goes to Desiree Akhavan for APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR."

U.S. Dramatic Feature Film
Drunktown’s Finest, Directed by Sydney Freeland
"For taking us into a dynamic world full of rich and flawed characters with unexpected journeys, the 2014 Outfest Grand Jury Award for US Dramatic Feature Film goes to DRUNKTOWN’S FINEST directed by Sydney Freeland."

International Dramatic Feature
Something Must Break, Directed by Ester Martin Bergsmark
"The Jury’s selection is a film that is both fearless and original. Through the lead character’s gripping performance, we experience a love story that is unconventional and also truly universal. The storytelling is enhanced by an impressive sound design and raw cinematography. The 2014 Outfest Grand Jury Award for International Dramatic Feature Film goes to SOMETHING MUST BREAK, directed by Ester Martin Bergsmark."

Dramatic Short Film
Jellyfish, Directed by Rosie Haber
"For an engaging and unique film that encapsulates the simplicity, beauty, and amorphous nature of its namesake with maturity and nuanced sensitivity, the 2014 Outfest Grand Jury Award for Dramatic Short Film goes to JELLYFISH by Rosie Haber."

Special Programming Awards

Freedom
Bad Hair, Directed by Mariana Rondón
"For depicting the corrosive effects of familial homophobia on a child determined to defy cultural expectations the Special Programming Award for Freedom goes to writer-director Mariana Rondón for BAD HAIR."

Audience Awards

Documentary Short
Families Are Forever, Directed by Vivian Kleiman

Documentary Feature
Back on Board: Greg Louganis, Directed by Cheryl Furjanic

First US Dramatic Feature
Drunktown’s Finest, Directed by Sydney Freeland