LGBTQ+R(eligion)

Out on Film presented by GILEAD and WABE has announced the lineup of films and events for the 35th Anniversary edition of the Atlanta-based LGBTQIA+ film festival.  The Oscar® qualifying film festival, which was recently included on MovieMaker Magazine’s “50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee” list, once again offers a diverse selection of films from highly anticipated studio efforts to independent films, and international to local Georgia and Atlanta productions as part of its carefully curated hybrid presentation. Taking place September 22-October 2, Out on Film will open with Nicholas Stoller’s comedy Bros co-written by and starring Billy Eichner, with Todd Flaherty’s Chrissy Judy taking the Closing Night slot. Spotlight screenings include Micheal Rice’s Black As U R, Connie Cocchia’s When Time Got Louder, Daresha Kiyi’s Mama Bears, and the world premiere of Yuval David’s Wonderfully Made — LGBTQ+R(eligion) from executive producer Mark McDermott, and advocate producers including Lance Bass.

Out on Film’s lineup includes 40 features (23 narrative films, 17 documentaries) and 16 shorts programs with 143 films representing 27 countries. Nearly all of these films will be available for nationwide streaming.

Colman Domingo will be on hand to receive this year’s Out on Film Icon Award, and additional special events will include a 40th Anniversary screening of Grease 2 and the film festival’s first screenplay competition, sponsored by Warren Gump.

Out on Film Festival Director Jim Farmer said, “Our 35th Anniversary presentation will hit all the notes that Out on Film has become noted for over the past four decades, with a wonderful combination of films from around the world, as well as from our amazing city of Atlanta. We’ve got a great honoree in Colman Domingo who somehow will manage to be on hand in the middle of his incredibly packed production schedule, and new wrinkles in store, including our very first screenplay competition coupled with a queer filmmaker celebration.”

Centerpiece screenings include Micheal Rice’s documentary Black As U R puts a mirror up to Black America asking the question: “Why do we as a people protest against racial injustice, but disregard the injustices experienced by black queer people?” Daresha Kiyi ‘s festival-favorite documentary Mama Bears focuses on the mothers of LGBTQ+ children via the journeys taken by Sara Cunningham and Kimberly Shappley, two “mama bears”— whose profound love for their LGBTQ+ children has turned them into fierce advocates for the entire queer community—and Tammi Terrell Morris, a young African American lesbian whose struggle for self-acceptance perfectly exemplifies why the mama bears are so vitally important. Daresha Kiyi will attend the screening and participate in a post-screening Q&A. First-time filmmaker Connie Cocchia’s When Time Got Louder follows a young woman who leaves home and her autistic brother for college and finds herself torn between the new life she is establishing and her love for home and family. The film stars Willow Shields (The Hunger Games) and Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost). Connie Cocchia will attend and participate in a post-screening Q&A. Emmy winner Yuval David’s documentary Wonderfully Made — LGBTQ+R(eligion) will make its world premiere at Out on Film. Produced by Mark McDermott, with advocate producers including Lance Bass, the film looks at the root of anti-LGBTQ attitudes by exploring the challenges and aspirations of LGBTQ+ Catholics with a focus on the process of a fine art project creating unprecedented, photographic iconography depicting Jesus as a member/ally of the LGBTQ+ community. Director Yuval David and Executive Producer Mark McDermott will be on hand to talk about the film post-screening.

Additional world premieres include Kimya Motley’s documentary Intentionally Erased about the experiences of Black trans women in the United States. Following the screening, Out on Film will host a panel discussion to expand upon the conversation illuminated by the film. Myles Clohessy’s thriller Love Island follows a group of friends as they attempt to survive what began as an idyllic pandemic getaway to the LGBTQ party haven of Fire Island, as they find themselves methodically being targeted and killed by an obsessed madman.

Finally, Out on Film will combine its anniversary celebration with a 40^th Anniversary screening of Allan Carr’s Grease 2. Festival goers will be encouraged to grab their leather jacket and prepare to sing along to “Cool Rider” and the rest of the beloved score of this criminally underrated musical including “Reproduction,” “Back to School,” “Score Tonight” and “Turn Back the Hands of Time.”  Matthew Caulfield is the dreamy but nerdy foreign exchange student with eyes for Michelle Pfeiffer’s seemingly unattainable Pink Lady Stephanie if he can just somehow get around Adrian Zmed’s perfect hair. If that wasn’t enough, on Saturday, October 1 there will be a free-to-the public reading of the winning screenplay from the film festival’s first screenplay competition as well as a queer filmmaker

For information on purchasing passes, tickets, and additional details on Out on Film, please go to: outonfilm.org.