Outfest Fusion to honor Bird Runningwater & Elegance Bratton at 20th anniversary QTBIPOC film festival – full lineup announced

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 →

March 22, 2023 0

Film Review: Stay on Board – The Leo Baker Story ★★★★

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 →

August 8, 2022 1

Outfest LA 2022 Closing Night Film Review: They/Them ★★★★

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 →

July 24, 2022 5

Outfest LA 2022 Film Review: Art and Pep ★★★1/2

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 →

July 24, 2022 1

Outfest LA 2022 Film Review: Maybe Someday ★★★★

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 →

July 24, 2022 0

Outfest LA 2022 Film Reviews: Nelly & Nadine ★★★★1/2 / Regret To Inform You ★★★★

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 →

July 23, 2022 0

Outfest LA 2022 Film Review: Unidentified Objects ★★★★

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 →

July 22, 2022 2

Outfest LA 2022 Film Review: The Baldwin Archives ★★★1/2

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 →

July 18, 2022 1

Outfest LA 2022 Film Reviews: Chrissy Judy ★★★★ / Please Baby Please ★★★1/2

Outfest LA is back and in hybrid form once again, offering audiences in-person and virtual screenings. With a daunting 200+ selections, it’s impossible to see everything and sometimes decisions as to what to watch come down to educated guesses, coin flips, or a provocative still. I’ll end up watching way more movies than I end... Continue Reading →

July 17, 2022 2

Exclusive Interview: Anything’s Possible star Abubakr Ali “a big question for me, both in my life & in my work, is how do I mobilize my privilege to uplift those around me?”

Abubakr Ali, who graduated the Yale School of Drama alongside Jeremy O. Harris in 2019, made entertainment industry headlines last September when he was cast as the first Arab Muslim man to play a lead role in a screen comic book adaptation. Following TV guest spots on shows like The Walking Dead: World Beyond, Katy... Continue Reading →

July 16, 2022 1