OUTFEST LOS ANGELES - JULY 14-24, 2022
40TH ANNIVERSARY - LGBTQ+ FILM FESTIVAL
The 11-day festival celebrates their 40th anniversary of LGBTQ+ film and television with over 200 films, special events including the 6th Annual Trans, Nonbinary & Intersex Summit, Inaugural and live-performances and appearances by Tik Tok / Simon Fuller’s Collaboration The Future X, Margaret Cho, Alaska Thunderf*ck.
Outfest, the world’s leading LGBTQ+ organization whose global impact spans promoting queer empathy amongst the public, careers in entertainment and the exhibition and preservation of LGBTQIA+ stories and voices, today announced the complete lineup of its 40th Anniversary Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival, presented by Warner Bros. Discovery and IMDb. Outfest Los Angeles will be held July 14-24, 2022 at multiple locations throughout Los Angeles.
The lineup of over 200 films inclusive of feature narratives, documentaries, short films, and episodics includes a roster of festival favorites, an impressive 42 world premieres, films spanning every genre, and representing 29 countries from around the world. Previously announced premieres include the Opening Night Gala world premiere of Billy Porter’s directorial debut Anything’s Possible, Closing Night GalaAnd They/Them, and a 20th Anniversary screening of Todd Haynes’ Far from Heaven with Haynes, Julianne Moore, and producer Christine Vachon in person.
Notable festival favorites making their Los Angeles premieres at Outfest Los Angeles include Sundance Audience Award winner Girl Picture, as well as Sundance favorites Sirens, about a female thrash metal band from Lebanon; Mars One, a family drama from Brazil that centers a love story between two women; and Chae Joynt’s Framing Agnes, starring Zackary Drucker, Angelica Ross, Silas Howard, and more; Berlin’s Teddy Award-winning Three Tidy Tigers Tied a Tie Tighter, as well as master filmmaker Francois Ozon’s latest, Peter von Kant; Amanda Kramer’s Please Baby Please, a stylized, 1950s-set dismantling of gender roles starring Andrea Riseborough, Henry Melling, Karl Gluser, and Demi Moore; and Tribeca selections like horror film Attachment, which sees a woman’s new romance with her girlfriend complicated by her girlfriend’s orthodox Jewish family and their belief that she is possessed by a demon; All Man: The International Male Story, a doc that catalogs the famously homoerotic fashion catalog of yesteryear, and Breaking the Ice, which explores a possible romance among a female hockey team.
World premieres include Stay on Board: The Leo Baker Story, a doc from Drew Barrymore’s Flower Films and Pulse Films; the UK feature Phea, a modern lesbian spin on the myth of Orpheus, starring singer and musician Sherika Sherard; Mercedes Kane’s Art and Pep, which chronicles decades of LGBTQIA+ activism through the owners of iconic Chicago gay bar Sidetrack; and writer/comedian/singer Scout Durwood’s Youtopia, which sees Durwood unwittingly become the leader of a hipster millenial cult..
Outfest Los Angeles’ Episodics section also features a host of world premieres, including an advanced look at Shudder’s forthcoming docuseries Queer for Fear, which explores the LGBTQIA+ influence on over a century of horror cinema, with EPs Bryan Fuller and Steak House, and interviewees Kimberly Pierce and Alonso Duralde expected to appear in person; Queer Riot is a comedy special that goes behind the scenes of a queer comedy night held in a former nun’s residence in Los Angeles, headlined by Margaret Cho; and writer/producer Des Moran (Grown-ish, Queer as Folk) premieres the first episode of his series halfsies, about six Black half-siblings who re-enter each other’s lives after a death in the family. This section will also host a free sneak peek screening of the upcoming Prime Video series A League of Their Own, starring Abbi Jacobson, with talent in attendance.
The festival will also spend three nights at The Ford Theater in Hollywood for Outfest Under the Stars, which combines screenings with live, on-stage performances. These screenings include the world premiere of Kit Williamson’s (of the Emmy-winning EastSiders) new series, Unconventional, about queer siblings in Palm Springs attempting to form a new kind of family. The series cast includes Kit Williamson, Aubrey Peeples, James Bland, Briana Venskus, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Constantine Rousouli, and Jenna Ushkowitz, with appearances from Kathy Griffin, Willam Belli, Laith Ashley and Beau Bridges; God Save the Queens stars RuPaul’s Drag Race superstars Alaska Thunderfuck, Laganja Estranja, and Kelly Mantle, alongside Jordan M Green as a quartet of drag queens whose personal issues land them all in the same group therapy (all four leads will be onstage for a pre-show drag performance at The Ford); and I Have to Laugh: Comedy Night at the Ford, that will begin with a live stand-up showcase featuring the cast of Outfest Los Angeles ‘22 selection Queer Riot, headlined by Margaret Cho, and featuring River Butcher, Brad Loekle, Akeem Woods, and Daniel Webb, and be followed by a collection of some of the funniest short films in this year’s lineup.
The fest’s Platinum section that spotlights bold innovators, renegades, and cutting edge creators of experimental LGBTQIA+ media and performance that have redefined queer culture will includes screenings of SXSW premiere Hypochondriac by Addison Heimann, celebrated doc The End of Wonderland about transgender adult artist Tara Emory, and a shorts showcase that includes the U.S. premiere of Yann Gonzalez’s (Knife + Heart) Hideous, a musical horror piece featuring The xx’s Oliver Sim; The Platinum section will also present two awards to acknowledge groundbreaking artistry: the Platinum Maverick Award to writer and filmmaker Clive Barker (Hellraiser), to be presented at the REDCAT Theater in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, July 17th prior to a live conversation with Barker, followed by a screening of the Director’s Cut of Barker’s Nightbreed; and The Platinum Alchemy Award will be presented the evening of the 17th to bounce music artist Big Freedia, who will perform live at the Platinum Alchemy Party at Catch One on Pico Blvd., headlining a performance roster that also includes 700 Bliss (Moor Mother and DJ Harem), Seth Bogart, Moonily, Commando, Tally T, Sevyn, Sunkee Angel, and p_a_g_o_t_o.
Outfest will also be celebrating their 6th Outfest Los Angeles Trans, Nonbinary & Intersex Summit, which will consist of three back-to-back programs and feature a multitude of trans, nonbinary & intersex experiences. Programs include a keynote address from award-winning writer and activist, Raquel Willis; two timely filmmaker perspectives on the anti-hero narrative and reproductive rights, an artist to artist conversation on intersex visibility, and a comedy showcase featuring D’Lo, Nori Reed, Jes Tom, 7g, River Butcher, and Kai. The summit will take place on Saturday, July 23rd at the DGA Theater.
Other special events include a live read performance of Our Lady of the Six, a script by Dominic Colón featured in the scripted podcast series Love in Gravity, which is a collection of queer Latinx stories written and voiced by some of today’s hottest Latinx talent. In advance of the public release of this episode, the live read will be performed by cast members 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), and more; Performing artist and movement expert Rashida KhanBey Miller (Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls) will put on her Messy Movement workshop for feminine spectrum actors, directors, writers and producers who are curious about creating new pathways for intimacy on screen through movement.
The Colin Higgins Foundation will award three LGBTQIA+ youth filmmakers each with $15,000 awards to aid in the development of their filmmaking careers, prior to a special sneak preview screening of Celebrating Laughter: The Life and Film of Colin Higgins, about the late filmmaker of hits like 9 to 5 and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
The Legacy section will feature screenings of classic LGBTQIA+ feature films, including Bill Weber and David Weissman’s 2002 documentary The Cockettes; the heartfelt ballad of butch and trans friendship in Harry Dodge and Silas Howard’s By Hook or By Crook; the 1981 documentary of queer activists and filmmakers as they take part in the first National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in Greetings from Washington, D.C.; and the 2000 romantic comedy, Punks, that follows four friends as they search for Mr. Right and will welcome director Patrik-Ian Polk along with cast members in person. An additional special event will be the world premiere 4K restoration of French erotic classic Le Beau Mec, whose legend includes behind-the-scenes participation by choreographer Rudolf Nureyev and cinematographer Nestor Almendros.
2022 OUTFEST FULL FESTIVAL LINEUP:
OPENING NIGHT
ANYTHING’S POSSIBLE directed by Billy Porter. USA. (World Premiere)
Two teenagers — an unflappable trans girl and a charming teenage boy — navigate a relationship during their last year of high school in this winning directorial debut from Billy Porter. Cast: Eva Reign, Abubakr Ali, Renée Elise Goldsberry
CLOSING NIGHT
THEY/THEM directed by John Logan. USA. (World Premiere)
In this slasher horror film set at an LGBTQIA+ conversion camp. Several campers, led by iron-willed Jordan (Theo Germaine) and Alexandria (Quei Tann), join Owen Whistler (Kevin Bacon) for a week of queer de-programming. As the camp’s methods become increasingly more psychologically unsettling, the campers must work together to protect themselves. Cast: Kevin Bacon, Anna Chlumsky, Carrie Preston, Theo Germaine, Quei Tann, Austin Crute, Monique Kim, Anna Lore, Cooper Koch, Darwin del Fabro
U.S. CENTERPIECE
UNIDENTIFIED OBJECTS directed by Juan Felipe Zuleta. USA.
A lonely dwarf and his unstable, alien-obsessed neighbor are thrown together on an impossible road trip that will alter their strange friendship (and their sense of reality) forever. Cast: Matthew August Jeffers, Sarah Hay, Roberta Colindrez, Tara Pacheco, Hamish Allan-Headley, Kerry Flanagan
DOCUMENTARY CENTERPIECE
MAMA BEARS directed by Daresha Kyi. USA.
Follow these Christian mothers on their journey to become “Mama Bears” — a community of mothers whose unwavering love for their LGBTQ children has turned them into fierce advocates for the entire queer community.
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.
PLATINUM CENTERPIECE
HeBGB TV directed by Jake McClellan, Eric Griffin, and Adam Lenhart. USA. (World Premiere)
Goofy horror hijinks and high camp queer shenanigans ensue, when some siblings get transmitted into an unsuspecting household via a retro-horror TV cable box. Cast: Knucklehead, Josh Dorsheimer, Michael Garland, Zenobia Decoteau, Ellen Tibero-Shultz, Ian Sanchez, Curtis Proctor-Artz
LEGACY CENTERPIECE
FAR FROM HEAVEN (20th Anniversary) directed by Todd Haynes. USA.
Celebrate the 20th anniversary of Todd Hayne’s masterpiece — the multi-Oscar nominated melodrama that paid tribute to cinema icon Douglas Sirk — with the legends responsible for its making. Cast: Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, Dennis Haysbert, Patricia Clarkson, Viola Davis
Todd Haynes, Christine Vachon, and Julianne Moore will be in attendance
NARRATIVES
ALL KINDS OF LOVE directed by David Lewis. USA
After his commitment-phobic husband divorces him, a stuck-in-his-ways gay man tries to start over. When he becomes accidental roommates with a younger hip nerd, sparks begin to fly. Cast: Matthew Montgomery, Cody Duke, Steve Callahan, Nick Salamone, Molly O'Leary, Mark Nordike, Marval A Rex, Spike Mayer, Michael Dumas
ATTACHMENT directed by Gabriel Bier Gislason. Denmark.
A Danish actress has fallen for a young woman and moves with her to her home in London. There she discovers that her new girlfriend’s family might be in thrall to a supernatural terror of Jewish folklore. Cast: Josephine Park, Ellie Kendrick, Sofie Gråbøl, David Dencik
BREAKING THE ICE directed by Clara Stern. Austria.
Mira lives a life of responsibility, captaining her women’s ice hockey team and keeping her family and the vineyard they run afloat, but she must learn to let go when a spontaneous new teammate enters her orbit. Cast: Alina Schaller, Judith Altenberger, Tobias Resch, Pia Hierzegger, Wolfgang Böck
CHRISSY JUDY directed by Todd Flaherty. USA.
When his best friend and creative partner suddenly couples off and moves away, an ambitious New York drag queen must reinvent himself or risk becoming an irrelevant solo act both onstage and off. Cast: Todd Flaherty, Wyatt Fenner, Joey Taranto, Kiyon Spencer, James Tison, João Santos, Nicole Spiezio
DOS ESTACIONES directed by Juan Pablo Gonzalez. Mexico.
As the owner of a struggling tequila factory in rural Mexico, Maria Garcia fights to uphold her family legacy against new competition, while dealing with her affection for a new employee. Cast: Teresa Sánchez, Rafaela Fuentes, Tatín Vera, Manuel, García-Rulfo, José Galindo, Ana Rosa Fuentes Estrada, José Luis Flores, Juan Eduardo, Fuentes Estrada, Juan Carrillo, Vero Bolaños
THE FIRST FALLEN directed by Rodrigo de Oliveira. Brazil.
In the early 80s, as the AIDS crisis begins its first wave in Brazil, three friends come together to care for each other. Cast: Johnny Massaro, Renata Carvalho, Vitor Camilo, Clara Choveaux, Alex Bonini, Higor Campagnaro
GIRL PICTURE directed by Alli Haapasalo. Finland.
Over the course of three Fridays, teenage best friends Mimmi and Rönkkö experience first love and sexual awakening in this cathartic, deeply felt Sundance hit. Cast: Aamu Milonoff, Eleonoora Kauhanen, Linnea Leino
GOD SAVE THE QUEENS directed by Jordan Danger. USA.
Four drag queens attend a therapy retreat in an effort to overcome the issues holding them back in life. Cast: Justin Andrew Honard AKA Alaska Thunderfuck, Jay Jackson AKA Laganja Estranja, Kelly Mantle, Jordan Michael Green, Peter Facinelli, Michelle Visage, Luenell, Joaquim De Almeida, Manila Luzon, Honey Davenport, Zack Gottsagen Screening at the Ford Theater preceded by a special performance by stars Alaska Thunderfuck, Laganja Estranja, Kelly Mantle, and Jordan M Green
LONESOME directed by Craig Boreham. Australia.
As handsome drifter Casey flees his mysterious past in the countryside, a relationship with Tib in the big city offers a chance for them both to build a new beginning. Cast: Josh Lavery, Daniel Gabriel, Anni Finsterer, Ian Roberts
MARS ONE directed by Gabriel Martins. Brazil.
During a time of political change in Brazil, a young queer woman finds first love as her family falls apart. Cast: Rejane Faria, Carlos Francisco, Camilla Damião, Cícero Lucas, Ana Hilário, Russo APR, Dircinha Macedo, Tokinho, Juan Pablo Sorrin
MAYBE SOMEDAY directed by Michelle Ehien. USA.
In the midst of separating from her wife Jay decides to move across the county, leaving her to navigate the inevitable cycles of love, loss, and everything in between. Cast: Michelle Ehlen, Charlie Steers, Shaela Cook, Jeneen Robinson, Eliza Blair, Cameron Norman
MY EMPTINESS AND I (MI VACIO Y YO) directed by Adrian Silvestre. Spain.
In an arduous journey to find her true identity — doubts, fears and dreams collide in a young trans woman’s world. Cast: Raphaëlle Pérez, Alberto Díaz, Marc Ribera, Isabel Rocatti, Carles Fernández Giua, Carmen Moreno, Sergio Reverón, Lena Brasas, Tina Recio, Alicia de Benito
MONEYBOYS directed by C.B. Yi. China, France.
Far from his home in rural China, Fei builds a new life in Beijing as a street hustler while balancing the emotional entanglements of his fellow contemporaries, and his conservative family in the countryside. Cast: Kai Ko, Chloe Maayan, JC Lin
PETER VON KANT directed by François Ozon. France.
In master filmmaker François Ozon’s reimagining of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant, a spiraling gay filmmaker’s obsession with a young actor wreaks havoc on those closest to him. Cast: Isabelle Adjani, Denis Ménochet, Khalil Gharbia, Hanna Schygulla, Stéfan Crépon, Aminthe Audiard
PHEA directed by Rocky Palladino (World Premiere). UK.
A struggling musician journeys into the heart of London’s criminal underworld to save the woman she loves in this lyrical reimagining of the Orpheus myth. Cast: Sherika Sherard, Andrew Whipp, Iola Evans, Amelia Eve, Gabija Siurbyte, Katarina Andrejcova, Leo Ihenacho, Velibor Topic Emun Elliott.
PLEASE BABY PLEASE directed by Amanda Kramer. USA.
Newlyweds Suse and Arthur become the dangerous obsession of a greaser gang that awakens a sleeping quandary into the couple's sexual identity. Cast: Andrea Riseborough, Harry Melling, Karl Glusman, Demi Moore
SHALL I COMPARE YOU TO A SUMMER’S DAY? directed by Mohammad Shawky Hassan. Egypt, Lebanon, Germany.
In the style of One Thousand and One Nights, this unique film uses music and memorable visuals to tells stories of love and lust among young, gay Egyptian men. Cast: Ahmed Awadalla, Nadim Bahsoun, Hassan Dib, Ahmed El Gendy, Richard Gabriel Gersch
SUBLIME directed by Mariano Blasin. Argentina.
An Argentinian teen struggles with the feelings he has for his best friend in this intimate journey of self-discovery that could end in heartbreak. Cast: Martin Miller, Teo Inama Chiabrando, Azul Mazzeo, Joaquin Arana, Facundo Trotonda, Javier Drolas, Carolina Tejeda, Emma Subiela
THREE HEADED BEAST directed by Fernando Andrés and Tyler Rugh. USA.
The fears, desires and loneliness of a bisexual couple navigating a open relationship collide during a hot Texas summer. Cast: Cody Shook, Dani Hurtado, Jacob Schatz, Daniel Abramson, Paul Grant, Avery Merrifield
THREE TIDY TIGERS TIED A TIE TIGHTER directed by Gustavo Vinagre. Brazil.
In the working-class suburbs of São Paulo, a trio of queer young friends attempt to make their way as a new wave of the Forgetfulness pandemic takes hold. Cast: Jonata Vieira, Pedro Ribeiro, Gilda Nomacce, Carlos Esher, Julia Katharine, David Lobo, Everaldo Pontes, Ivana Wonder, Inês Brasil, Majeca Angelucci, Gabriel Stippe, Cida Moreira, Nilcéia Vicente, Lizette Negreiros, Filipe Rossato
YOU CAN LIVE FOREVER directed by Sarah Watts and Mark Slutsky. Canada.
When young queer teen Jaime is sent to live with her devout relatives, she finds herself falling in love within their strict Jehovah’s Witness community. Cast: Anwen O'Driscoll, June Laporte, Liane Balaban, Deragh Campbell, Tim Campbell, Antoine Yared, Hasani Freeman
DOCUMENTARY
ART AND PEP directed by Mercedes Kane. USA. (World Premiere)
A look at the history of the iconic gay bar Sidetrack and its owners, Art and Pep, who have helped fuel movements and create community for decades in Chicago’s queer enclave.
ALL MAN: THE INTERNATIONAL MALE STORY directed by Bryan Darling and Jesse Finlay Reed. USA.
Narrated by Matt Bomer, this dazzling documentary charts the rise and dominance of Gene Burkard’s International Male magazine, and its masculinity-shifting influence upon generations of men.
FRAMING AGNES directed by Chase Joynt. USA.
After discovering case files from a 1950s gender clinic, a cast of trans actors turn a talk show inside out to confront the legacy of a young trans woman forced to choose between honesty and access.
IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY directed by Victoria Linares Villegas. Dominican Republic, USA.
Through re-enactments starring her family, Victoria traces the life of her cousin — queer filmmaker Oscar Torres — blurring the lines between reality and fiction.
JEANNETTE directed by Maris Curran. USA.
Dealing with the complicated aftermath of trauma, Jeannette Feliciano — a survivor of the Pulse Nightclub massacre — understands vulnerability as a strength.
LOVING HIGHSMITH directed by Eva Vitija. Switzerland, Germany.
An intimate portrait of the exciting, romantic and volatile life of novelist Patricia Highsmith, examining the writer’s relationship to her work and lesbian identity.
MAKE ME FAMOUS directed by Brian Vincent. USA.
A madcap romp through the 1980’s NYC art scene through the lens of the colorful career of painter, Edward Brezinski, who is hell-bent on making it.
MANSCAPING directed by Broderick Fox. USA.
Three queer men — Black American visual artist Devan Shimoyama, transgender Canadian barber Jessie Anderson, and Australian fetish barber Richard Savvy — reimagine the traditional barbershop and style new conceptions of masculinity along the way.
NELLY & NADINE directed by Magnus Gertten. Sweden, Belgium, Norway.
Magnus Gertten’s film about two women who met in a concentration camp takes you on a journey of survival, espionage, tragedy and most of all, love.
PAT ROCCO DARED directed by Bob Christie and Morris Chapdelaine. Canada.
An exploration of the life and work of artist, activist, filmmaker, and entertainer Pat Rocco, whose erotic male nude films began an influential career that spanned decades.
PREJUDICE AND PRIDE directed by Eva Beling. Sweden, Finland, Iceland. (North American Premiere)
An exhilarating documentary ride through the history of LGBTQ+ Swedish cinema. If you’ve only watched The Celluloid Closet —you’re only getting half the story.
A RUN FOR MORE directed by Ray Whitehouse. USA.
Join Frankie Gonzales-Wolfe — a Latinx, trans woman running for office in Texas — on the campaign trail, as she finds herself on an unexpected journey of self-discovery and healing.
SIRENS directed by Rita Baghdadi. USA, Lebanon.
Rock out with the only all-female thrash metal band in the Middle East, as its members navigate life, the patriarchy, haters, and each other.
STAY ON BOARD: THE LEO BAKER STORY directed by Nicola Marsh and Giovanni Reda. USA. (World Premiere)
Following Leo Baker’s fight to make space for himself as a trans man in the world of pro-skateboarding, Stay On Board dares you to ask if there’s anything more punk than turning down the Olympics.
UÝRA - THE RISING FOREST directed by Juliana Curi. Brazil, USA.
Journeying from town to town in the Amazon rainforest, Uýra showcases their Indigenous, queer, and trans identities through dazzling performance art for local audiences to combat the ravages of climate change, environmental racism, and transphobia.
PLATINUM SECTION
A CONVERSATION WITH CLIVE BARKER
Followed by screening of Nightbreed: The Director’s Cut
The 2022 inaugural Platinum Maverick Award is being presented to the groundbreaking horroricon, 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.
ESTUARIES directed by Lior Shamriz. USA, Mexico.
Trying to immigrate to the U.S. during the Trump administration, Eli is set adrift after the non-binary performance artist he was to marry is killed. Cast: Lior Shamriz, Chelsea Rector, Emily Lucid, Peter Kalisch, Jordan Green, Atsuko Okatsuka, Helene Udy, Tal Meiri, Rebecka Jackson, Oscar Alvarez
THE END OF WONDERLAND directed by Laurence Turcotte-Fraser. Canada. (U.S. Premiere)
While facing eviction from her packed studio, veteran trans adult artist Tara Emory must confront her family history of hoarding, fear of the future, and herself.
HYPOCHONDRIAC directed by Addison Heimann. USA.
A sexy young potter's life devolves into chaos as he loses function of his body while being haunted by the physical manifestation of his childhood trauma. Cast: Zach Villa, Devon Graye, Madeline Zima, Paget Brewster, Yumarie Morales, Marlene Forte, Chris Doubek
PASSION directed by Maja Borg. Sweden, Spain.
Having escaped a destructive relationship, filmmaker Maja Borg explores two ritual practices, Christianity and BDSM, and the spiritual, healing kinship between religion and subculture.
YOUTOPIA directed by Scout Durwood. USA. (World Premiere)
Following a devastating break up, a young woman inadvertently becomes the leader of a hipster millennial cult but the members are begging to disappear into the multiverse. Cast: Scout Durwood, McKenzie Trent, Jes Rona, Katie Wee, Nikki McKenzie, Christine Lakin, Paul Palmeri, Christine Little.
PLATINUM SHORTS SHOWCASE
Loneliness, anxiety, addiction, love, art, shame, and sex dolls are all highlighted in this years showcase. A film director and an escort’s evening gets interrupted; Trulee Hall’s sex dolls and self-love fantasy is visualized as an out-of-body-experience; Delia Derbyshire’s “Falling” is lip-synced by trans and non binary people while they also describe their dreams; Apocalyptic revelations ensue and a grade school girl crushes hard while pop star Oliver Sim slides into a surreal journey of love, shame and blood in a Yann Gonzalez three-part musical short. These and many more discoveries, desires, and detours fill up this series of stellar experimental filmmaking.
PLATINUM ALCHEMY PARTY with Platinum Alchemy Award presented to 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!
SPECIAL EVENTS
TRANS, NON-BINARY & INTERSEX SUMMIT
Now in it’s 6th year, the newly renamed Outfest Los Angeles Trans, Nonbinary & Intersex Summit will showcase a snapshot of a multitude of trans, nonbinary & intersex experiences as a vision for the future of our lives. Featuring a keynote from award-winning writer and activist Raquel Willis, two timely filmmaker perspectives on the anti-hero narrative and reproductive rights, an artist to artist conversation on intersex visibility, and a comedy showcase featuring some of the funniest trans, nonbinary and intersex comedians including D’Lo, River Butcher, Jes Tom, Nori Reed, 7g, and Kai, 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. The future is ours, the future is here, and right now more than ever, we have the power to manifest it.
I HAVE TO LAUGH: COMEDY NIGHT AT THE FORD
A live stand-up showcase under the stars at the Ford Theater featuring the cast of Outfet los Angeles 2022 selection Queer Riot — Margaret Cho, River Butcher, Brad Loekle, Akeem Woods, and Daniel Webb — followed by a selection of hilarious and innovative comedy shorts!
OUTFEST PRESENTS TIFFANY BILLINGS' JETÉ - 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 Thursday, the 21st 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 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!
LIVE READ: OUR LADY OF THE SIX TRAIN from Love in Gravity
Love in Gravity, a new scripted podcast series 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, the cast of Our Lady of the Six Train, a funny and tenderhearted script written by multi-talented artist Dominic Colón, will perform the script live at Plaza de la Raza on Noche Iconia, Outfest’s celebration of the queer Latinx community. 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)
LE BEAU MEC: WORLD PREMIERE 4K RESTORATION
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. 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.
DCP. New 4K restoration by IndieCollect in collaboration with Gerald Herman and the Estate ofWallace Potts.
LEGACY
BY HOOK OR BY CROOK (2001) directed by Harry Dodge and SIlas Howard. USA. New restoration!
Gender outlaws turn to a life of petty crime in the big city in this stylish and heartfelt ballad of butch and trans friendship.
THE COCKETTES (2002) directed by Bill Weber and David Weissman. USA. 20th Anniversary!
In this paean to a San Francisco of yesteryear, witness the rise and fall of The Cockettes, a gender-subversive Hippy drag troupe of the 1960s and 70s. Preceded by a new restoration of TRICIA’S WEDDING (1971) Dir. Milton Miron
GREETINGS FROM WASHINGTON, D.C. (1981) directed by Lucy Winer. USA. New restoration!
Queer activists and filmmakers take part in the first National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in this celebratory, out-in-the-streets documentary.
PUNKS (2000) directed by Patrik-Ian Polk. USA. on 35mm!
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.
