Line-up For 2013 LA Outfest Gay Film Festival Announced

LA’s Outfest is generally considered the world’s premier gay film festival. Now the full line-up for this year’s fest, which runs July 11th-21st. Here the release letting us know what festival goers will be able to see:

Los Angeles, June 6, 2013 – Outfest – the Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization that promotes equality by creating, sharing, and protecting LGBT stories on the screen – has announced the complete programming lineup for its 31st Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival. The nation’s leading LGBT festival will be held July 11 to 21, 2013.

As previously announced, Outfest 2013 will open with Kyle Patrick Alvarez’s “C.O.G.,” based on the short story by David Sedaris, on Thursday, July 11. Prior to the opening night screening, the organization will honor writer-director Kimberly Peirce with its 17th annual Achievement Award.

The festival closes on Sunday, July 21, with Darren Stein’s comedy “G.B.F.,” written by Outfest Screenwriting Lab Fellow George Northy, and starring Megan Mullally, Natasha Lyonne and Andrea Bowen.

Other gala screenings include: “Pit Stop” (U.S. Dramatic Centerpiece), Yen Tan’s quietly powerful Sundance darling, in which the Outfest alum provides an evocative glimpse into the lives of two Southern gay men; veteran Brazilian filmmaker Bruno Barreto returns with “Reaching for the Moon” (International Dramatic Centerpiece), a steamy tale of an unlikely romance between two extraordinary lesbian artists, set against the backdrop of political upheaval and a clash of cultures; ”God Loves Uganda” (Documentary Centerpiece), in which Academy Award–winner Roger Ross Williams provides powerful insight into the ignorance (cloaked in religion) exported by the United States to the rest of the world; and Pratibha Parmar‘s “Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth” (Fusion Centerpiece), a compelling and inspirational documentary about Alice Walker’s extraordinary journey from sharecropper’s daughter to activist, journalist, poet and Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist of The Color Purple.

“Our line-up celebrates a powerful new generation of storytellers, as well as Outfest alumni and veteran filmmakers, who pave the way to an even brighter future for the LGBT community,” says Kirsten Schaffer, Executive Director of Outfest. “This year’s program confirms Outfest as a leader in LGBT rights and cultural expression, ensuring that our stories are created, shared and protected.”

Other highly anticipated titles in this year’s festival include Travis Mathews and James Franco’s “Interior. Leather Bar.”, a provocative re-imagining of the lost 40 minutes of “Cruising”; the James Franco-produced documentary “Kink,” in which director Christina Voros takes us into the painful but oh-so-pleasurable world of five San Francisco–based BDSM workers; Linda Bloodworth Thomason’s award-winning “Bridegroom,” a powerful and poignant feature about love, loss and the courage of one young man to stand up for same-sex equality; Jeffrey Schwarz’s “I Am Divine,” a documentary about the legendary drag performer Divine; “The Battle of amFAR,” a triumphant short film by Outfest Achievement Award winners Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, which focuses on the landmark AIDS advocacy group; and world premieres of “Igloo,” the feature film directorial debut by Chilean actor Diego Ruiz, and Del Shores’ hilarious and heartbreaking screen adaptation of his hit play “Southern Baptist Sissies“.

“The films in this year’s festival feature a variety of heroes and role models from around the world who fought tenaciously to create a more enlightened society. These movies highlight the humanity, hilarity and honesty of the LGBT community,” said Director of Programming Kristin Pepe (KP).

The Ford Amphitheatre will once again host the Under the Stars series, kicking off with our annual sing-along, featuring the hit musical comedy “Pitch Perfect,” starring Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson. Other screenings include the sexy and provocative “Test“; “Hot Guys with Guns,” a hilarious thriller that marks the debut of actor Doug Spearman (“Noah’s Arc”) as writer-director; the Hitchcock-inspired thriller “Breaking the Girls,” directed by Outfest alum Jamie Babbit and written by Guinevere Turner (“American Psycho”); as well as the Closing Night Gala “G.B.F.” directed by Darren Stein (“Jawbreaker”). This event is part of the Ford Theatres 2013 Summer Season, a multi-disciplinary arts series produced by the Los Angles County Arts Commission in cooperation with Los Angeles County. For a complete Ford Summer Season schedule, directions to the theatre and parking information, visit www.FordTheatres,org

This year, Outfest is proud to feature three graduates of the annual Outfest Screenwriting Lab that are returning to the festival as completed motion pictures: U.S. Centerpiece “Pit Stop” by Yen Tan and David Lowery, “Hot Guys with Guns” by Doug Spearman and Closing Night Gala “G.B.F.” by George Northy.

As part of its Outfest Forward program, Outfest will present OutSet shorts – a screening of five short films written, produced and directed by a new generation of storytellers, the 2013 graduates of OutSet, the Young Filmmakers Project from LifeWorks and Outfest, created to empower and educate LGBTQ youth to tell their stories through film.

Five in Focus: Outfest spotlights the exciting new talent, on both sides of the camera, behind a quintet of powerful films. The 2013 selections include: Drew Denny (Writer-Director-Actress, “The Most Fun I’ve Ever Had with My Pants On”), Stacie Passon (Writer-Director, “Concussion”), Lisa Biagiotti (Journalist-Filmmaker, “Deepsouth”), Michael Mayer (Writer-Director, “Out in the Dark”) and Rhys Ernst & Zackary Drucker (Filmmakers-Artists, “She Gone Rogue”).

For more information and for a complete listing of films in the Festival, log on to www.outfest.org/fest2013
OUTFEST LOS ANGLES 2013 LINE-UP:
GALA FILMS:
C.O.G. – OPENING NIGHT GALA
Dir/Scr: Kyle Patrick Alvarez, 2013, USA, 88 min.

PIT STOP – US DRAMATIC CENTERPIECE
Dir: Yen Tan, Scr: Yen Tan, David Lowery, 2013, USA, 80 min.

REACHING FOR THE MOON – INTERNATIONAL CENTERPIECE
Dir: Bruno Barreto, Scr: Carolina Kotscho, Julie Sayres, Matthew Chapman, 2013, Brazil, subtitled, 116 min.

GOD LOVES UGANDA- DOCUMENTARY CENTERPIECE
Dir: Roger Ross Williams, 2013, USA, subtitled, 83 min.

ALICE WALKER: BEAUTY IN TRUTH – FUSION CENTERPIECE
Dir/Scr: Pratibha Parmar, 2013, UK/USA, 82 min.

G.B.F. – CLOSING NIGHT GALA
Dir: Darren Stein, Scr: George Northy, 2013, USA, 98 min.

U.S. DRAMATIC FEATURES:
ASS BACKWARDS
Dir: Chris Nelson, Scr: June Diane Raphael, Casey Wilson, 2013, USA, 83 min.

BIG GAY LOVE
Dir/Scr: Ringo Le, 2013, USA, 85 min.

BREAKING THE GIRLS
Dir: Jamie Babbit, Scr: Mark Distefano, Guinevere Turner, 2012, USA, 98 min.

BRUNO & EARLENE GO TO VEGAS
Dir/Scr: Simon Savory, 2013, USA/UK, 97 min.

CONCUSSION
Dir/Scr: Stacie Passon, 2012, USA, 97 min.

GEOGRAPHY CLUB
Dir: Gary Entin, Scr: Edmund Entin, 2012, USA, 83 min.

THE GO DOC PROJECT
Dir/Scr: Cory Krueckeberg, 2013, USA, 91 min.

THE HAPPY SAD
Dir: Rodney Evans, Scr: Ken Urban, 2013, USA, 126 min.

HOT GUYS WITH GUNS
Dir/Scr: Doug Spearman, 2013, USA, 110 min.

IN BLOOM
Dir/Scr: Chris Michael Birkmeier, 2013, USA, 87 min.

LAST SUMMER
Dir/Scr: Mark Thiedeman, 2013, USA, 73 min.

THE MOST FUN I’VE EVER HAD WITH MY PANTS ON
Dir/Scr: Drew Denny, 2012, USA, 95 min.

SOUTHERN BAPTIST SISSIES
Dir/Scr: Del Shores, 2013, USA, 135 min.

TEST
Dir/Scr: Chris Mason Johnson, 2013, USA, 90 min.

VALENCIA
Dir: Hilary Goldberg, Silas Howard, Cheryl Dunye, Aubree Bernier-Clarke, Lares Feliciano, Dia Felix, Alexa Inkeles, Jerry Lee, Peter Anthony, Sharon Barnes, Cary Cronenwett, Bug Davidson, Samuael Topiary, Olivia Parriott, Jill Soloway, Courtney Trouble, Michelle Lawler, Sara St. Martin Lynne, Chris Vargas, Greg Youmans, 2012, USA, 106 min.

WHO’S AFRAID OF VAGINA WOLF?
Dir: Anna Margarita Albelo, Scr: Anna Margarita Albelo, Michael Urban, 2013, USA, 83 min.

INTERNATIONAL DRAMATIC FEATURES:
ANIMALS
Dir: Marçal Forés, Scr: Marçal Forés, Enric Pardo, Aintza Serra, 2013, Spain, subtitled, 91 min.

BEYOND THE WALLS
Dir/Scr: David Lambert, 2012, Belgium, subtitled, 98 min.

BWAKAW
Dir/Scr: Jun Robles Lana, 2012, Philippines, subtitled, 110 min.

EVERYBODY’S GOT SOMEBODY…NOT ME
Dir/Scr: Raúl Fuentes, 2012, Mexico, subtitled, 95 min.

FREE FALL
Dir: Stephan Lacant, Scr: Stephan Lacant, Karsten Dahlem, 2013, Germany, subtitled, 100 min.

IGLOO
Dir: Diego Ruiz, Scr: Diego Ruiz, Shawn Garry, 2013, Chile, subtitled, 86 min.

IN THE NAME OF…
Dir: Malgoska Szumowska, Scr: Malgoska Szumowska, Michal Englert, 2013, Poland, subtitled, 102 min.

IT’S ALL SO QUIET
Dir/Scr: Nanouk Leopold, 2013, Germany/ Netherlands, subtitled, 93 min.

THE LAST MATCH
Dir: Antonio Hens, Scr: Abel González Melo, Antonio Hens, 2012, Cuba, subtitled, 94 min.

LOVE ME NOT
Dir: Gilitte Leung, Scr: Gilitte Leung, Hedy Yau, 2012, China, subtitled, 92 min.

OUT IN THE DARK
Dir: Michael Mayer, Scr: Michael Mayer, Yael Shafrir, 2012, Israel/Palestine/USA, subtitled, 96 min.

SOONGAVA: DANCE OF THE ORCHIDS
Dir/Scr: Subarna Thapa, 2012, Nepal/France, subtitled, 85 min.

SUDDENLY, LAST SUMMER
Dir: Leesong Hee-il, 2012, South Korea, subtitled, 37 min.

GOING SOUTH
Dir: Leesong Hee-il, 2012, South Korea, subtitled, 45 min.

TO HEAVEN
Dir: Diego Prado, Scr: María Eugenia Cortajerena, 2012, Argentina, subtitled, 82 min.

DOCUMENTARY FEATURES:
AFTER TILLER
Dir: Martha Shane, Lana Wilson, Scr: Greg O’Toole, Martha Shane, Lana Wilson, 2012, USA, 87 min.

BAYOU MAHARAJAH: THE TRAGIC GENIUS OF JAMES BOOKER
Dir: Lily Keber, 2013, USA, 93 min.

BEFORE YOU KNOW IT
Dir: PJ Raval, 2013, USA, 110 min..

BIG JOY: THE ADVENTURES OF JAMES BROUGHTON
Dir: Eric Slade, Stephen Silha, Dawn Logsdon, 2012, USA, 83 min.

BORN THIS WAY
Dir: Shaun Kadlec and Deb Tullman, 2013, USA, subtitled, 82 min.

BRIDEGROOM
Dir: Linda Bloodworth Thomason, 2013, USA, 80 min.

CONTINENTAL
Dir: Malcolm Ingram, 2012, USA/Canada, 95 min.

DEEPSOUTH
Dir: Lisa Biagiotti, 2012, USA, 72 min.

GORE VIDAL: THE UNITED STATES OF AMNESIA
Dir/Scr: Nicholas Wrathall, 2013, USA, 89 min.

I AM DIVINE
Dir: Jeffrey Schwarz, 2013, USA, 86 min.

IAN HARVIE SUPERHERO
Dir: Liam Sullivan, Scr: Ian Harvie, 2013, USA, 71 min.

KINK
Dir: Christina Voros, Scr: Christina Voros, Ian Olds, 2012, USA, 79 min.

LESBIANA: A PARALLEL REVOLUTION
Dir/Scr: Myriam Fougère, 2012, Canada, 63 min.

MAMA RAINBOW
Dir: Fan Popo, 2012, China, subtitled, 80 min.

THE OTHER SHORE
Dir: Timothy Wheeler, 2013, USA, 96 min.

TRANSVISIBLE: THE BAMBY SALCEDO STORY
Dir: Dante Alencastre, 2013, USA, subtitled, 60 min.

TWO: THE STORY OF ROMAN & NYRO
Dir: Heather Winters, Scr: Curtis Shaw Child, Heather Winters, Desmond Child, 2013, USA, 71 min.

PLATINUM SECTION:
PLATINUM SHOWCASE:
HARD
Dir: Vanessa Roveto, 6 min.

PASSIONS OF ST. AQUEDUCT
Dir: Tony Stinkmetal, 2 min.

SHE GONE ROGUE
Dir: Zackary Drucker, Rhys Ernst, 22 min.

THE BASKET
Dir: Narcissister, Josef Kraska, 5 min.

THE ASSUMPTION
Dir: Navid Sinaki, 6 min.

INVISIBLE Dir:
Brian Bress, 6 min.

SHAPING UP
Dir: William E. Jones, 2 min.

FOR FLO
Dir: Cary Cronenwett, 11 min.

SHELLEY WINTERS
Dir: Luther Price, 11 min.

OUT OF THE STRONG COME FORTH WITH A SWEETNESS WEAKNESS
Dir: Jonesy, 15 min.

SAN DIEGO SURF
Dir: Andy Warhol, 1968/1996, USA, 90 min.

TOUCH
Dir/Scr: Shelly Silver, 2013, USA, subtitled, 68 min.

CRIMINAL QUEERS
Dir: Chris E. Vargas, Eric A. Stanley, 2013, USA, 70 min.

THE TRANSPARENT TRAP: A POWER POINTLESS PRESENTATION BY DYNASTY HANDBAG
Dir: Ben Walters, Gavin Butt, 2012, UK, 118 min.

LAST DANCE: QUEER TAKES ON THE END OF DAYS:
HEALING
Dir: Stephanie Barber, 12 min. IPSE DIXIT Dir: Harry Dodge, 4 min. A DAY FOR CAKE AND ACCIDENTS Dir: Steve Reinke, Jessie Mott, 4 min. LAST MEN Dir: Adam Shecter, 6 min. IF THERE BE THORNS Dir: Michael Robinson, 13 min. INSIDE VELVET K Dir: Luther Price, 10 min. TABLEAU Dir: Nao Bustamante, 18 min. EARTHSHIP 2013 Dir: A.K. Burns, 8 min. ELATION 4 Performer: Colin Self, 25 min.

TURNING
Dir: Charles Atlas, 2012, Denmark/USA, 76 min.

INTERIOR. LEATHER BAR.
Dir: Travis Mathews, James Franco, Scr: Travis Mathews, 2012, USA, 60 min.

PLEADING IN THE BLOOD: THE ART OF RON ATHEY

PANELS & SPECIAL EVENTS:
THE 15th ANNUAL HOME VIDEO GONG SHOW

B. RUBY RICH PRESENTS THE WITNESSES
Dir: André Téchiné, Scr: André Téchiné, Laurent Guyot, Viviane Zingg, 2007, France, subtitled, 112 min.

THE BATTLE OF AMFAR
Dir. Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, 2013, USA, 40 min.

PITCH PERFECT: THE SING-ALONG
Dir: Jason Moore, Scr: Kay Cannon, 2012, USA, 112 min.

TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL
Dir. Gary Takesian, 2010, USA, 40 min.

SECOND SHOT
Dir: Annie Price, Scr: Dara Nai, Nancylee Myatt, Claudia Cogan, 2013, USA, 70 min.

KEEP THE PROMISE: THE GLOBAL FIGHT AGAINST AIDS
Dir. Marc Smolowitz, Jorg Fockele, 2013, USA, 44 min.