Studio One in West Hollywood, one of the first gay discos, operated from 1974-1993 and proved to be an oasis for so many at a time when the world treated the community like second class citizens. With a capacity of over 1000, this cavernous club and adjoining cabaret called The Backlot attracted hordes of mostly... Continue Reading →
Some of my favorite filmmakers say or show things nobody else will dare expose to the world, whether it’s the dark underbelly or something as commonplace yet rarely seen as graphic nudity and sex. They let their characters have flaws, outsized egos, mood swings, and make mistakes, all parts of the human experience which cookie... Continue Reading →
This Friday, March 24th, sees the opening of the 20th annual Outfest Fusion QTBIPOC Film Festival in Los Angeles, running in-person and virtually until April 2nd, with screenings, free community workshops, and networking events. At the Opening Night Gala at the JACCC Aratani Theatre, Pier Kids and The Inspection filmmaker Elegance Bratton will be honored with the... Continue Reading →
Nicola Marsh and Giovanni Reda's riveting and inspiring portrait of trailblazing pro skateboarder Leo Baker, Stay on Board: The Leo Baker Story, received its world premiere at last month's Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival, ahead of its global launch on Netflix this Thursday, August 11th. Produced by Alex Schmider (Changing the Game, Disclosure, Framing... Continue Reading →
Oscar-nominated veteran screenwriter John Logan (Skyfall, Hugo, The Aviator, Gladiator) makes his directing debut with his own skillfully-crafted screenplay for the gripping and bloody terrifying slasher, They/Them (pronounced They-slash-Them), which received its world premiere tonight as it closed the 40th anniversary Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival. Carrie Preston as Cora Whistler, Anna Chlumsky as... Continue Reading →
Director Mercedes Kane's touching and surprisingly expansive feature documentary Art and Pep, which received its world premiere at the 40th anniversary Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival, introduces us to two Chicagoans, Art Johnston and José Pepe Peña, who've been at the centre of the city's queer community together for nearly fifty years. Partners in... Continue Reading →
I’ve always enjoyed Michelle Ehlen’s films, such as Butch Jamie, Heterosexual Jill, and S&M Sally, and consider them a maverick in that they write, direct, produce, edit and star in their own films. Full disclosure: Michelle wore many hats on my feature debut, Eating Out: All You Can Eat, and our pre-existing relationship scared me... Continue Reading →
Many film festival programmers look at a collection of films and realize they’re all speaking with each other, the themes reverberating across the divide, that they’re tapping into the zeitgeist, crying out together. Perhaps due to the past couple of years of COVID lockdown and loss, a deep well of loneliness has informed many filmmaking... Continue Reading →
If you enjoyed Take Shelter, Midnight Special, Bug, and Safety Not Guaranteed, four films which had you wondering if the sci-fi events depicted were real or a result of of a mental break, then you may respond to director Juan Felipe Zuleta and writer Leland Frankel’s Unidentified Objects, Outfest LA’s U.S. Centerpiece. Otherwise, your mileage... Continue Reading →
Created by and starring Tory Devon Smith, The Baldwin Archives, which receives its US premiere at the 40th anniversary Outfest LGBTQ+ Film Festival, breathes new life into a 1963 interview with James Baldwin (Tory Devon Smith) conducted in London for the BBC by journalist Peter Duval Smith (Jordan Gavaris). Taking the concept of films like... Continue Reading →
