2017 Outfest LGBT Film Festival Lineup Revealed

The 2017 Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival will kick off July 6 with Francis Lee’s God’s Own Country, a drama about a Yorkshire sheep farmer and his relationship with a Romanian immigrant, which debuted at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and will be released by Samuel Goldwyn Films.

The fest, celebrating its 35th anniversary, will close July 16 with IFC’s Freak Show, Trudie Styler’s directorial debut starring Abigail Breslin, AnnaSophia Robb, Laverne Cox and Bette Midler.

Additional gala screenings include the U.S. centerpiece Strangers, written and directed by Mia Lidofsky; the international centerpiece Close Knit, written and directed by Naoko Ogigami; the documentary centerpiece Kevyn Aucoin: Beauty & the Beast in Me, directed by Lori Kaye; and the special centerpiece Behind the Curtain: Todrick Hall, directed by Katherine Fairfax Wright.

“Outfest began 35 years ago with a group of students desperate to find positive depictions of themselves on film; today Outfest is the launch pad for the storytellers that bring our stories to life on screen.” commented Outfest executive director Christopher Racster.

The festival, held at venues throughout Los Angeles including the Directors Guild of America and the Theatre at Ace Hotel, will screen 194 films from 30 different countries.

Special events will include OWN’s Queen Sugar directors panel with Outfest alumnae Aurora Guerrero, Tina Mabry and Cheryl Dunye; a conversation with I. Marlene King, the executive producer of Pretty Little Liars and Famous in Love; a screening of Chasing Amy in honor of the film’s 20th anniversary, followed by a conversation with director Kevin Smith and Guinevere Turner; Showtime Networks’ More Than T; a sneak peek at season four of Amazon Studios’ Transparent; and a screening of REVRY’s Suspiciously Large Woman: Bob the Drag Queen Comedy Special.

2017 OUTFEST LOS ANGELES LGBT FILM FESTIVAL LINEUP

GALA FILMS

God’s Own Country – Opening Night Gala
Dir: Francis Lee, United Kingdom, 2017,  104 min.

Kevyn Aucoin: Beauty & the Beast in Me – Documentary Centerpiece
Dir: Lori Kaye, USA, 2017,  90 min

Close Knit – International Centerpiece
Dir: Naoko Ogigami, Japan, 2017, 127 min.

Behind the Curtain: Todrick Hall – Special Centerpiece
Dir: Katherine Fairfax Wright, USA, 2017, 100 min.

Strangers – U.S. Centerpiece
Dir: Mia Lidofsky, USA, 2016, 115 min.

Freak Show – Closing Night Gala
Dir: Trudie Styler, USA, 2017, 91 min.

U.S. NARRATIVES

195 Lewis
Dir: Chanelle Aponte Pearson, USA, 2017, 45 min.

After Louie
Dir: Vincent Gagliostro, USA, 2016, 100 min.

Beach Rats
Dir: Eliza Hittman, USA, 2016, 98 min.

Becks
Dir: Liz Rohrbaugh & Daniel Powell, USA, 2017,  92 min.

Cherry Pop
Dir: Assaad Yacoub, USA, 2016, 78 min.

Eastsiders Season 3: Go West
Dir: Kit Williamson, USA, 2017, 90 min.

The Feels
Dir: Jenée LaMarque, USA, 2016, 88 min.

Hello Again
Dir: Tom Gustafson, USA, 2017, 105 min.

A Million Happy Nows
Dir: Albert Alarr, USA, 2016, 81 min.

New Queer Frontiers: BKPI & The Chances
Dir: Hye Yun Park (BKPI) & Anna Kerrigan (The Chances), USA, 2017, 37 min & 34 min.

Prom King, 2010
Dir: Christopher Schaap, USA, 2017, 102 min.

The Revival
Dir: Jennifer Gerber, USA, 2017, 84 min.

The Ring Thing
Dir: William Sullivan, USA, 2018, 120 min.

Saturday Church
Dir: Damon Cardasis, USA, 2017, 81 min.

Signature Move
Dir: Jennifer Reeder, USA, 2017, 80 min.

Something Like Summer
Dir: David Berry, USA, 2017, 115 min.

INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVES

4 Days in France
Dir: Jér?me Reybaud, France, 2016, 142 min.

Body Electric
Dir: Marcelo Caetano, Brazil, 2017, 93 min.

Center of My World
Dir: Jakob M. Erwa, Germany/Austria, 2016, 115 min.

The City of the Future
Dir: Cláudio Marques & Marilia Hughes Guerreiro, Brazil, 2016, 76 min.

A Date for Mad Mary
Dir: Darren Thornton, Ireland, 2016, 82 min.

Fathers
Dir: Palatpol Mingpornpichit, Thailand, 2016, 96 min.

I Dream in Another Language
Dir: Ernesto Contreras, Mexico/Netherlands, 2017, 103 min.

In Between
Dir: Maysaloun Hamoud, Israel/France, 2016, 96 min.

Maybe Tomorrow
Dir: Samantha Lee, Philippines, 2016, 84 min.

The Pass
Dir: Ben A. Williams, United Kingdom, 2016, 88 min.

Paths
Dir: Chris Miera, Germany, 2017, 108 min.

Rift
Dir: Erlingur Thoroddsen, Iceland, 2017, 111 min.

Santa & Andres
Dir: Carlos Lechuga, Cuba, 2016, 105 min.

Tamara
Dir: Elia K. Schneider, Venezuela/Uruguay/Peru, 2016, 110 min.

Tom of Finland
Dir: Dome Karukoski, Finland, 2017, 115 min.

The Wound
Dir: John Trengove, South Africa, 2017, 88 min.

DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

100 Men
Dir: Paul Oremland, New Zealand, 2016, 95 min.

Bones of Contention
Dir: Andrea Weiss, USA/Spain, 2017, 75 min.

Boys for Sale
Dir: Itako, Japan, 2017, 76 min.

Chavela
Dir: Catherine Gund & Daresha Kyi, USA/Mexico/Spain, 2017, 90 min.

The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson
Dir: David France, USA, 2017, 105 min.

Dream Boat
Dir: Tristan Ferland Milewski, Germany, 2017, 92 min.

The Fabulous Allan Carr
Dir: Jeffrey Schwarz, USA, 2017, 90 min.

Girl Unbound: The War to Be Her
Dir: Erin Heidenreich, Canada/Pakistan, 2016, 80 min.

No Dress Code Required
Dir: Cristina Herrera Borquez, Mexico, 2017, 92 min.

Out of Order
Dir: Amanda Bluglass, USA, 2016, 60 min.

Quest
Dir: Jonathan Olshefski, USA, 2017, 90 min.

Rebels on Pointe
Dir: Bobbi Jo Hart, Canada, 2017, 90 min.

Strong Island
Dir: Yance Ford, USA/Denmark, 2017, 107 min.

The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin
Dir: Jennifer M. Kroot, USA, 2017, 90 min.

Whose Streets?
Dir: Sabaah Foloyan & Damon Davis, USA, 2017, 100 min.

A Womb of Their Own
Dir: Cyn Lubow, USA, 2016, 86 min.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Queen Sugar Directors Panel

In Conversation With I. Marlene King

Steven Universe

Beginners/Focus Features 15^th Anniversary
Dir: Mike Mills, 2011, 105 min.

More Than T sponsored by Showtime Networks
Dir: Silas Howard, USA, 2017, 53 min.

Suspiciously Large Woman: Bob the Drag Queen Comedy Special sponsored by REVRY
Dir: Christopher Birk & Cheyenne Picardo, USA, 2017, 54 min.

Bad Movie Night

Transparent Season 4 sponsored by Amazon Studios

Teenage Kicks sponsored by Azure Productions
Dir: Craig Boreham, 2016, Australia, 98 min.

PANELS & WORKSHOPS

Beyond Binaries: Creating Intersectional Entertainment
Panelists include Laura Terruso (writer, Hello My Name Is Doris), Kevin Iwashina (founder & CEO of Preferred Content), Andrew Ahn (writer-director, Spa Night), Roberta Munroe (director-producer-author), Miles McKenna (YouTube star, MilesChronicles and host of Hella Gay), and the discussion will be moderated by Brickson Diamond (co-founder of The Blackhouse Foundation).

Cash In Without Selling Out: Authentic Branded Storytelling

New Frontier of Storytelling: Sundance Virtual Reality

Screenwriting Lab: Live Reading

Trans Summit

PLATINUM SECTION: EXPERIMENTAL FILMS & LIVE EVENTS

The Strange Ones
Dir: Christopher Radcliff & Lauren Wolkstein, USA, 2017, 81 min.

The Ladies Almanack
Dir: Daviel Shy, USA, 2017, 87 min.

Discreet
Dir: Travis Mathews, USA, 2017, 80 min.

Queercore: How to Punk a Revolution
Dir: Yony Leyser, Germany, 2017, 72 min.

OUTFEST UCLA LEGACY PROJECT

Beautiful Thing
Dir: Hettie Macdonald, United Kingdom, 1996, 90 min.

Chasing Amy
Dir: Kevin Smith, USA, 1997, 113 min.

Muchachas de Uniforme (Girls in Uniform)
Dir: Alfredo B. Crevenna, Mexico, 1951, 83 min.

Out of the Archive: Snapshots of Queer LA