OUTFEST
ANNOUNCES LINE UP FOR 2019
OUTFEST FUSION
LGBTQ PEOPLE OF COLOR FILM FESTIVAL
EVENT RUNS MARCH 1-5, 2019
FEATURING 9 FEATURES AND 63 SHORTS
INCLUDING 20 WORLD PREMIERES
LOS
ANGELES, CA
Outfest, the Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization dedicated
to nurturing, showcasing, and protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender (LGBT) media, announced its lineup for the 2019
Outfest Fusion LGBTQ People of Color Film Festival. Outfest
Fusion, the only multicultural LGBTQ film festival of its kind,
will be held March 1-5 at various locations throughout
Los Angeles.
Now in its 16th year, Outfest Fusion will include five
days of film screenings, filmmaker Q&As, filmmaking workshops
and networking events that celebrate the diversity of the LGBTQ
community. Outfest Fusion is presented by Bank of America.
“The notion that we all must see ourselves at the center of
our own stories has never had a more clarion call than it does
today. The heart and inception of Outfest Fusion was to shine
a spotlight and elevate stories that need to be seen, celebrated,
and highlighted. The value of taking a moment to call out these
films for recognition means much more in this moment. And it
thrills me that so many of our accomplished alumni return and
teach in our Fusion workshops, incubating new voices who hopefully
will tell stories that impact our world,” reported Outfest Executive
Director Christopher Racster.
Outfest Fusion 2019 will kick off on Friday, March 1, with the
annual Fusion Gala at the historic Egyptian Theatre featuring
an exquisite collection of QPOC shorts celebrating the intersectionality
of the LGBTQ family including multiple shorts from Outfest alumni.
Saturday highlights include the LA premieres of Sidney &
Friends, a documentary following six gender nonconforming
individuals fighting for their rights in Kenya and Retablo,
a moving drama about the son of a folk artist in Peru who must
contend with his father’s secret life, as well as the Desi
Dreaming shorts program, a rare panoramic view of the South
Asian LGBTQ community.
Sunday highlights include a Legacy tribute screening of short
films by Marlon T. Riggs, whose urgent, aesthetically innovative
works Affirmations, Anthem and Non, Je Ne Regrette
Rien (No Regret) document Black lives within the intersecting
frameworks of sexuality, race, gender and serostatus at the
peak of the AIDS crisis. Following that, there will be an advance
episode screening of Gregg Araki’s new Starz’s program “Now
Apocalypse,” followed by a Q&A with Araki and cast.
On Monday, March 4, Fusion will be hosting a screening at Plaza
De La Raza of the entertaining documentary Cassandro,
The Exotico! about the legendary gay drag luchador facing
a career in transition. The night will end with a Latinx shorts
program featuring films from across North and South America.
"Our feature line-up shows us how beautiful our intersectionality
can be in all of its texture and nuance, evidenced by the international
acclaim many of these films have received. With 20 world premieres
and 10 US premieres, Outfest Fusion is truly at the forefront
of incubating, discovering, and elevating QPOC voices. Here,
not only can you see yourself onscreen, but you are encouraged
to tell your own story," commented Outfest Programming Manager
Sheryl Santacruz.
“The shorts programs are curated to bring a truly diverse audience.
We are looking to build understanding and community in the theater
itself through a diverse range of shorts in each program. No
matter one’s gender, sexuality, or ethnicity each of our shorts
program has something for everyone,” said Fusion Shorts Programmer
Albert Payano.
Outfest Fusion will also be hosting six exciting workshops that
will take place at various locations around Los Angeles. Led
by Outfest QPOC alumni filmmakers, classes include From Idea
to Script to Screen, Documentary 101: A Guide to Non-Fiction
Filmmaking, Create Your Web Series Now, Making
a Movie with Your Smartphone, The LGBTQs of Acting,
and Masterclass: QPOC Writers on Writing. These interactive
classes and workshops will be instructed by Naomi Iwamoto, Michelle
Badillo, Hilly Hicks, Fawzia Mirza, Kase Pena, PJ Raval, Q.
Allan Brocka, Deondray and Quincy LeNear Gossfield, and Rain
Valdez.
Outfest Fusion rounds out with the Fusion Finale on Tuesday,
March 5, with the One Minute Movie Contest, where all the submissions
will be screened and prizes awarded. This year’s theme is Micro-Aggressions
| Macro-Queer. Winners of the One Minute Movie Contest will
be invited to play their film at Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film
Festival in July. As announced last year, shorts that win awards
at Outfest Los Angeles now qualify for the Academy Awards ®.
For
complete listings and to purchase tickets, log on to www.Outfest.org/fusion2019
or call 213-480-7088. Outfest Fusion 2019 is presented by Bank
of America. Premiere Sponsors include Comcast NBCUniversal and
Gilead. Auto Sponsor, Hyundai. Supporting Sponsors are DCP for
All, EFFEN Vodka, The Fight Magazine and Ramada West Hollywood.
Media Sponsors include Adelante, Lesbian News and Revry. The
One Minute Movie Program Funder is the Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences.
ABOUT OUTFEST
Founded by UCLA students in 1982, Outfest is the world’s leading
organization that promotes equality by creating, sharing, and
protecting LGBTQ stories on the screen. Outfest builds community
by connecting diverse populations to discover, discuss, and
celebrate stories of LGBTQ lives. Over the past three decades,
Outfest has showcased thousands of films from around the world,
educated and mentored hundreds of emerging filmmakers, and protected
more than 40,000 LGBT films and videos. The Outfest Fusion LGBTQ
People of Color Film Festival highlights films and offers classes
and seminars on filmmaking to ensure all voices are represented
in our community.