Outfest Movies Offer a Chance to Get Reel

Every year, as the June gloom fades and the heat gets turned up, , LA’s gay and lesbian film festival, arrives. Celebrating its 29th year, Outfest opens Thursday and runs through July 17.

This year, 163 themed films—67 features and 96 shorts—will play at the Directors Guild of America (7920 Sunset Blvd. at Fairfax) and six other locations across town. The films come from the U.S. and 24 other countries.

They feature well-known actors, including Kathleen Turner, Dolly Parton, Margaret Cho, Carol Channing, Emily Deschanel, Richard Chamberlain, Cheyenne Jackson, Leslie Jordan, Esai Morales and even John Waters.

Outfest not only gives movie lovers the chance to see the latest gay-themed films, it also offers them the opportunity to meet the people behind and in front of the camera, thanks to Q&As after screenings and panel discussions. Oftentimes, those filmmakers and stars also turn up at the after-parties held at nearby venues, giving people a chance to chat even more. 

This year, filmmakers Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Inside Deep Throat, Party Monster) will receive the Outfest Achievement Award. They will pick up that award at the opening night ceremony, then sit down for a candid conversation about their career two days later.

The musical sing-along returns, this year featuring The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. That will take place at the Ford Amphitheatre, where four other films also screen, including the closing night film, the dysfunctional family comedy The Perfect Family.

The always popular “Home Video Gong Show,” featuring host Dennis Hensley and a panel of celebrity judges, returns. A panel discussion about finding financing for independent films is also on the schedule. And this year, there is a sneak peak at the new season of Lifetime TV’s Drop Dead Diva.

And of course, there are films galore to see. Here is a rundown of some of the best:

• Gun Hill Road is a drama starring Morales as a man who returns home to the Bronx after three years in prison to discover his son is now a transgendered woman. Opening night is Thursday, July 7 at 8 p.m. at the Orpheum Theater in downtown Los Angeles.
• She Monkeys is a Swedish romantic drama about the fierce competition and strong feelings that develop between two teenage girls involved in an equestrian championship. Screening is Friday, July 8 at 7 p.m. in DGA 1.
• We Were Here is a documentary chronicling the early days of the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco, combining archival footage with remembrances from survivors of those plague years. Screening is Saturday, July 9 at 4:15 p.m. in DGA 1.
• The Green is a drama starring Jackson about a NYC gay couple who relocate to the Connecticut shore for a simpler life. When a male high school student accuses one of them of “inappropriate sexual conduct,” the town rushes to judgment. Screening is on Saturday, July 9 at 7 p.m. in DGA 1.
• Going Down in La-La Land is a comedy about the trials of a struggling actor who is tempted to go into porn. Screening on Saturday, July 9 at 9:45p.m. in DGA 1.
• Carol Channing: Larger Than Life is a documentary that examines the performer's life and career. Screening is Sunday, July 10 at 11 a.m. in DGA 1.
• ECupid is a comedy about a man feeling stuck in a seven-year-relationship who turns to online dating sites only to find they take over his life. ECupid screens Monday, July 11 at 9:30 p.m. in DGA 1.
• Boy Cheerleaders is a documentary about a British cheerleading team determined to become the first all-boy squad to win the national championship. It screens Tuesday, July 12 at 7:15 p.m. at the Sunset 5 Laemmle.
• Weekend is a British drama exploring the relationship that evolves after two young gay men have a drunken one night stand, screening on Wednesday, July 13 at 7:30 p.m. in DGA 1.
• Old Cats is a dark comedy from Chile about an aging, senile woman whose lesbian daughter takes over the household and moves her girlfriend in, screening Thursday, July 14 at 7 p.m. in DGA 1. 
• Hit So Hard is a documentary about Patty Schemel, the openly gay drummer in Courtney Love’s rock band Hole. The film screens Thursday, July 14 at 8:30 p.m. at the Ford Amphitheatre.
• Wish Me Away is a documentary about country music star Chely Wright’s decision to come out publicly as a lesbian. (Friday, July 15 at 7 p.m., DGA 1).
• Hollywood to Dollywood is a documentary about two gay twins who journey from LA to Tennessee in hopes of getting their script to their beloved Parton, screening Saturday, July 16 at 11:30 a.m. at DGA 1.
• Harvest is a lush romantic drama about young German farmworker who starts a friendship with an affable young man who comes to town, screening Saturday, July 16 at 7 p.m., DGA 1.
• Cho Dependent is a comedy concert film, featuring comedian Cho’s latest stand-up routine in which she talks about being on TV’s Dancing with the Stars and her backstage feud with Bristol Palin, is screening Saturday, July 16 at 8:30 p.m. in the Ford Amphitheatre.
• Leave It on the Floor is a drama about LA’s drag ball culture, screening Saturday, July 16 at 9:30 p.m. in DGA 1.
• The Perfect Family is a comedy starring Turner as a mother determined to win an Outstanding Catholic of the Year Award. Problem is, her daughter is a lesbian and her son just left his wife for another woman. The film screens closing night, Sunday, July 17 at 8 p.m. in the Ford Amphitheatre.