OUTfest 2016: Recap, Reviews and Reflections with Ashton Pina

In it’s 34th year, Outfest was founded as an organization to bridge audiences, filmmakers, and the entertainment industry through exhibition of queer-themed films and videos. This year marks a tumultuous year in the industry for diversity and transgender issue that have since been streamlined to the top of Hollywood executive’s radar. In response to the shootings in Orlando and recent attacks on African Americans and Police Officers, Outfest hails itself as a safe space for LGBTQ culture and a place to celebrate and reflect queer lives. The organization stays true to its mission with preparing the next generation of storytellers with OutSet and the Screenwriting Lab. OutSet, now in its fifth year, was created to empower and educate LGBTQ young people to tell their stories through film. Screenwriting Lab, now in it’s 14th year, began as a screenwriting competition has expanded to a dynamic three-day, mentor-led workshop for 5 selected screenwriters, followed by a public reading of their work during the 2016 Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival. The Screenwriting Lab will also include sessions with other industry professionals, structured career development opportunities, and participation in ongoing festival events. The festival is proudly presented by HBO, a partnership that has spanned 20 years. Grand Sponsors include Delta Air Lines, Entertainment Partners, and Frontiers Media. Premiere Sponsors are Clear Channel Outdoor, Comcast NBCUniversal, Directors Guild of America, DIRECTV, GetPrEPLA.com, The Grove, Merrill Lynch, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. With 162 films from 19 different countries, Outfest Los Angeles once again brings together the highest quality of LGBTQ film in the world along with highlighting efforts in the mainstream media to tell those stories.

The 2016 Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival opens with a gala and a screening of “The Intervention”, Clea Duvall’s charming directorial and screenwriting feature debut. In his opening remarks, Actor Wilson Cruz offered a heartfelt tribute to the 49 lives lost in Orlando stating “It shouldn’t take murder for the world to pay attention to our stories and his hope is that storytellers will find inspiration in the tragedy to change hearts and minds through our unique voices.” The pre-screening ceremonies were topped by the presentation of the Outfest Achievement Award to Sundance Film Festival director John Cooper, the former Outfest director of programming who beamed when he stated, “never ask for permission.”

The debut comedy stars Cobie Smulders, Melanie Lynskey, Natasha Lyonne, Jason Ritter, Ben Schwartz, Alia Shawkat and Clea Duvall. You may know Clea from “Argo” or “Veep” but DuVall demonstrates a strong hand guiding her cast in a crafted yet hesitant toward any bold stylistic contributions of a film. This film centers around four couples who gather for a weekend at a country house in which the friends haven’t seen each other for some time. One of the couples is seemingly going through marital troubles when the group plots to use the vacation to intervene. When the plot goes awry, tension among the group ensues and each relationship is tried to it wits. Overall the film’s characters were well portrayed and highly developed but lacked in breaking new ground on execution and thematically. This ensemble piece served up many comedic moments that also showcased the fluid performances of the amazing cast.

“Closet Monster” serves at the directorial debut of Canadian filmmaker Stephen Dunn. The film won the best Canadian feature film award at the Toronto International Film Festival. It stars Connor Jessup, recently seen in
ABC’s American Crime Story, as a creative and driven teenager who’s tormented by his dysfunctional parents, unsure of his sexuality and haunted by horrific images of a tragic gay bashing he witnessed as a child. He dreams of escaping the small town for New York City, but a talking hamster (voiced by Isabella Rossellini), a wild imagination and the prospect of love help him confront his surreal demons that suffocate him. This visually striking coming of age story brilliantly explores the chaotic transition from adolescent to adulthood with honest performances from all fronts.

Outfest served as the platform that launched Amazon’s Emmy Award-winning dramedy “Transparent” a few years ago. This year, the festival was honored with a panel of it creators and stars which also showcases moving scenes from the upcoming Season 3. The new season continues the discovery and transition of Moira, but sets the stage for what a young transgender child would experience in the early 50s in America. Familial and societal acceptance continue to be a relevant storyline when our culture much more shameful and prejudice to trans and queer people. The clips presented were poignant and beautiful with the creative team highlight how much trans people need to be involved in all aspects of telling trans stories. Transparent is headed by Jill Solloway who made it her mission to increase the number of trans people in front and behind the camera. Trace Lysette and other members of the creative team even went as far to push the Writer’s Guild of America to provide members of trans experience with healthcare. This show was ground-breaking upon arrival and continues to push boundaries and tear down guards for Trans people.

Creators and partners, Deondray and Quincy Gossett, many years ago brought to the world the hit series “The DL Chronicles.” After a long and trying hiatus, they present a spin-off titled “The Chadwick Journals.” Serving as a crowd-funding campaign to generate funds for a larger project, this web series touts itself as being in tune with the current aims of black gay culture. Strong performances from star Damian Toofeek Raven who plays Chadwick, is the asset that makes the series a viable and relevant piece of media. The story revolves around Chadwick penning a book about the undercover lifestyles of DL men. Breakout performances from Nic Few, Thomas Hobson and a cameo by Ty Vincent, who played Trent Porter in The DL Chronicles, round out the cast. The couple is inspired to continue its efforts by the overwhelming supporters who write in to share how the story impacts their lives and how it has helped them come to terms with their own sexuality. The riveting and engaging material proves to reflect on the significance of the couple’s work and their unique voices.

Outfest’s documentary centerpiece and Sundance darling “Kiki” vogued it way across the country and finally dropped into Los Angeles. Created by Sara Jordenö and Twiggy Pucci Garçon, the film reintroduces the world to New York’s ballroom and voguing scene which stresses an array of issues facing Black LGBTQ people today while celebrating the vibrant underground culture with warmth, humanity, and extreme detail. A focus on the importance of self-organization for LGBT youth of color in a city traumatized by income inequality and dwindling services for homelessness, HIV/AIDS prevention, and suicide. It features subjects who are incredibly honest and eloquent in

expressing their personal histories and current situations. The raw nature of its subjects and tastefully shot sequences of the ballroom scene strengthen the vision of the directors. The film went on to win Outfest’s emerging talent award for the pair’s first feature documentary.

Now that all the screenings and parties are over, audiences will only remember moments from each story that was ingrained in their hearts. Whether it reflected a personal circumstance or showcased the talent of a close friend, Outfest stays true to its mission to create opportunities for people to come together and celebrate LGBTQ stories and affirm queer experiences.

-Ashton Pina