If you’re looking for new entertainment, good news: Outfest L.A 2021 has released the dates, venues, and lineup for its 39th film festival. Outfest LA is returning to in-person screenings more than a year and a half after the Covid-19 pandemic. With nearly 200 films in every genre, Outfest includes voices and stories from the entire queer community.
The nation’s leading LGBTQ+ festival will be held from August 13 to 22 in-person. Alternatively, for those at-risk or those who are outside of the Los Angeles area, Outfest also announced that nearly every film will be available for streaming as well. The 2021 LGBTQ film festival kicks off with an opening night screening of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie directed by Jonathan Butterell, marking the festival’s first outdoor gala taking place at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. On August 22, Fanny: The Right to Rock directed by Bobbi Jo Hart will be the closing night film screening at the Orpheum Theatre.
The Platinum Section will be showcasing creators of experimental LGBTQ media and performance, featuring films such as Sundance hit We’re All Going to the World’s Fair and UK documentary Rebel Dykes. The Legacy section will feature screenings of classic LGBTQ features including The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love by director Maria Maggenti.
Not just film screenings, the festival will also include special appearances by Max Harwood and others, with live performances by BeBe Zahara Benet and more. The fifth annual Trans and Non-Binary Summit will be presented, in addition to other special events. Outfest will also present memorial tributes to Outfest alum Ash Christian and icon Cloris Leachman.
General admission tickets are $16. More information on exact prices and films can be found on the official website.
Full list of film screenings and activities listed below:
OPENING NIGHT
EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE dir. Jonathan Butterell
Including Special in-person appearances planned by Max Harwood, Lauren Patel, Jonathan Butterell as well as Bianca del Rio.
CLOSING NIGHT
FANNY: THE RIGHT TO ROCK dir. Bobbi Jo Hart
Live reunion performance after the screening by Fanny, including members Jean Millington, June Millington, Alice de Buhr, and Brie Darling, joined by Patti Quattro and Lee Madeloni.
U.S. CENTERPIECE
THE NOVICE dir. Lauren Hadaway
DOCUMENTARY CENTERPIECE
BEING BEBE dir. Emily Branham
Special live performance by BeBe Zahara Benet.
SPECIAL TRIBUTE CENTERPIECE
THE SIXTH REEL (World Premiere) dir. Charles Busch, Carl Andress
Special memorial tribute to producer and Outfest alum Ash Christian, who passed away during the development of this film in 2020.
U.S. NARRATIVE
- ALL BOYS AREN’T BLUE dir. Nathan Hale Williams
- FIRSTNESS dir. by Brielle Brilliant
- HOMEBODY (World Premiere) dir. Joseph Sackett
- LANGUAGE LESSONS dir. Natalie Morales
- MA BELLE, MY BEAUTY (Online Only) dir. Marion Hill
- POTATO DREAMS OF AMERICA dir. Wes Hurley
- SEE YOU THEN dir. Mari Walker
- WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING dir. by Sean King O’Grady
INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE
- THE BEST FAMILIES dir. Javier Fuentes-León
- BOY MEETS BOY dir. Daniel Sánchez
- A DISTANT PLACE dir. Kun-Young Park
- FIREBIRD dir. Peeter Rebane
- JUMP, DARLING dir. Phil Connell – Screening will be accompanied by a celebrity memorial tribute to Cloris Leachman, as well as a rare, pre-recorded introduction by Cloris Leachman herself
- KNOCKING (Theatrical Only) dir. Frida Kempff
- LEADING LADIES dir. Ruth Caudeli
- LOVE, SPELLS, AND ALL THAT dir. Ümit Ünal
- SWEETHEART dir. Marley Morrison
DOCUMENTARY
- BOULEVARD! A HOLLYWOOD STORY (World Premiere) dir. Jeffrey Schwarz
- CRYSTAL DIARIES dir. Enyce Smith and Gina Lamb
GEMMEL AND TIM (World Premiere) dir. Michiel Thomas - EVERYTHING AT ONCE dir. Alberto Fuguet
INVISIBLE dir. T.J. Parsell – including live performance by Mary Gauthier, Jess Leary, Dianne Davidson, and other members of the cast - LADY BUDS dir. Chris J. Russo – Sneak Preview Screening
- MY NAME IS PAULI MURRAY dir. Betsy West and Julie Cohen
- NO STRAIGHT LINES: THE RISE OF QUEER COMICS dir. Vivian Kleiman
- NORTH BY CURRENT dir. Angelo Madsen Minax
- RAW! UNCUT! VIDEO! Dir. by Alex Clausen and Ryan A. White
- SEDIMENTS (International Premiere) dir. Adrián Silvestre
PLATINUM SECTION
- SOCKS ON FIRE dir. Bo McGuire – Platinum Centerpiece, will include a pre-show drag performance emceed by director Bo McGuire
- DEATH AND BOWLING (World Premiere) dir. Lyle Kash
- REBEL DYKES dir. Harri Shanahan and Siân A. Williams
- WE’RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD’S FAIR dir. Jane Schoenbrun
PLATINUM SHORTS SHOWCASE (89 min.)
- EXORCISMS AND OTHER SUPPLICATIONS dir. Georden West
- DWARF PLANET dir. Adrian Chiarella
- HYENA dir. Zinzi LeMond
- BODIES OF DESIRE dir. Varsha Panikar and Saad Nawab
- THE CROWN WITH A SHADOW dir. JB Ghuman
- MAN OF MY DREAMS dir. Tristan Scott-Behrends
- NSFW (ANGRY YELLOW MEAT) dir. Woohee Cho
- CHILDHOODS dir. Aaron Biscombe
- F1-100 dir. Emory Chao Johnson
- REBEL dir. Jose Alfredo and Coker Jones Garcia
- MONSTER GIRL dir. Jake Mcclellan and Eric Griffin
- RUN OUT GROOVE dir. Paige Henderson
- JUPITER & EUROPA dir. Milo Ferguson
- IN THE AIR TONIGHT dir. Tito Soto
SPECIAL EVENTS – Live performance elements are subject to change as policy around Los Angeles’ mask mandate evolves.
- AIDS DIVA: THE LEGEND OF CONNIE NORMAN
- BALONEY – Screening will be accompanied by a live Baloney show and a Q&A moderated by RuPaul’s Drag Race star BenDeLaCreme
- THE EXTINCTION OF FIREFLIES dir. James Andrew Walsh
- LA QUEENCIAÑERA (World Premiere) dir. Pedro Peira
- THE LEGEND OF THE UNDERGROUND dir. Giselle Bailey, Nneka Onuorah – (Free Screening)
- PROGNOSIS – NOTES ON LIVING dir. Debra Chasnoff
- SHIT & CHAMPAGNE dir. D’Arcy Drollinger – Champagne White will host a ridiculous pre-show with members of the cast and the world’s trashiest “strippers”
- THIS IS JESSICA dir. Andrea Meyerson
- TRANS & NON-BINARY SUMMIT
- OUTFEST SCREENWRITING LAB LIVE READ
EPISODICS
- BOY CULTURE – Episodes 1 & 2
- NOAH’S ARC: THE ‘RONA CHRONICLES
- BRIDESMAN World Premiere
- THR PRESENTS: WORK IN PROGRESS Season 2 – FREE EVENT
LEGACY
- THE INCREDIBLY TRUE ADVENTURES OF TWO GIRLS IN LOVE dir. Maria Maggenti
- QUINCEAÑERA (15TH ANNIVERSARY) dirs. Richard Glatzer & Wash Westmoreland
Theatrical Only - VESTIDA DE AZUL (DRESSED IN BLUE) – U.S. Restoration Premiere! Theatrical Only
SHORT FILMS
- 1-888-5-BLUE-YOU dirs. Jake Mcclellan, Eric Griffin
- 2 DOLLARS dir. Robin Cloud
- ALL THOSE SENSATIONS IN MY BELLY dir. Marko Djeska
- ALMOST A YEAR dir. Jamieson Baker
- AND THEN dir. Ravenna Tran
- ARE YOU STILL WATCHING? dirs. Tali Polichtuk, Kitty Chrystal, Alex Cardy
- AT LAST dir. Lorena Gordon
- AUTOETHNOGRAPHY dir. Iván Reina Ortiz
- BEAUTIFUL THEY dir. Cloudy Rhodes
- BEFORE THE ERUPTION dir. Roberto Pérez Toledo
- BETWEEN US dir. Cailleah Scott-Grimes
- BLACK BOY JOY dirs. Joshua Walker, Avery Archie
- BODIES OF DESIRE dirs.Varsha Panikar, Saad Nawab
- BOREKAS dir. Saleh Saadi
- BRACHA dirs. Mickey Triest, Aaron Geva
- BREAK IN dir. Alyssa Lerner
- CHILDHOODS dir. Aaron Alexis
- CHLOE MARY LYDIA dir. Megan Chumbley
- COCOON LOVE dir. Xiaowen Wang
- CODED dir. Ryan White
- COMPLICATED dir. Isak Kohaly
- COVID SUMMER dir. Todd Verow
- DAISY BOY dir. Aj Knight, Darrin Bush
- DREAMER dir. Stephanie Osuna-Hernandez
- DUSTIN dir.Naïla Guiguet
- DWARF PLANET dir. Adrian Chiarella
- EDEN dir. Sven Spur
- EGGSHELLS dir. Slava Doycheva
- EXORCISMS AND OTHER SUPPLICATIONS dir. Georden West
- F1-100 dir. Emory Chao Johnson
- FAREWELL dir. Maria Åkesson
- FERVOR dir. José Manuel Vélez
- FISHBOWL dir. Jacqueline Chan
- FISHERMAN dir. Nicky Miller
- GAYME ON dir. Giovanni Adams
- GIRL NIGHT STAND: CHAPTER TWO dir. Jenna Laurenzo
- GIRLS & THE PARTY dir. Paloma Lopez
- GIRLS SHOULDN’T WALK ALONE AT NIGHT dir. Katerine Martineau
- GOD’S DAUGHTER DANCES dir. Sungbin BYUN
- GRADUATION dir.Robin Wang
- GROWING FANGS dir. Ann Marie Pace
- HEADLOCK dir. Damon Laguna
- HOMEGOING dir. Carlton Daniel JR.
- HOT DREAMS dir. Darci Fulcher, Vaughn Greve
- HOW MOVING dir. Owen Thiele
- HOW TO BE QUEER dir. Monica Zanetti
- HOW TO DIE YOUNG IN MANILA dir. Petersen Vargas
- HOW TO RAISE A BLACK BOY dir. Justice Jamal Jones
- HYENA dir. Zinzi LeMond
- IN THE AIR TONIGHT dir. Tito Soto
- IT WAS THE DOG THAT SAVED MY LIFE dirs. Adam Golub, Sylvaine Alfaro
- IT’LL BE OVER SOON dir. Benjamin Rigby
- JACK AND JO DON’T WANT TO DIE dir. Kantu Lentz
- JUPITER & EUROPA dir. Milo Ferguson
- KWÊSKOSÎW (SHE WHISTLES) dir. Thirza Cuthand
- LITTLE MX. SUNSHINE dir. Alessandro Nori
- LITTLE SKY dir. Jess X. Snow
- LUV U CUZ dir. Eric Pumphrey
- MAMA HAS A MUSTACHE dir. Sally Rubin
- MIND OVER TIME dir. Will Holst
- MOTHER BUNKER dir. George Metaxas
- MOTTA dir. Nish Gera
- MOUNTAIN LODGE dir. Jordan Wong
- NARCISSISTER BREAST WORK dir. Narcissister
- NI AQUÍ NI ALLÁ dir. Ley Comas
- NIMZO dir. Adelina Anthony
- NOOR & LAYLA dir. Fawzia Mirza
- NSFW (ANGRY YELLOW MEAT) dir. Woohee Cho
- NUCLEAR FAMILY dir. Faustine Crespy
- OF SELF-BLESSING dir. golden lionheart collier
- OLLIES ON THE MOON dir. Brittany Campbell
- ONLY FOR THE NIGHT dir. LaQuan Lewis
- OUR BED IS GREEN dir. Maggie Brennan
- OVER MY DEAD BODY dir. Quinlan Orear
- OVER MY DEAD BODY dir. Tamiah Bantum
- PEACE dir. Adomako Aman
- PINE dir. Bethany Michalski
- PINK & BLUE dir. Carmen LoBue
- PLAISIR dir. Molly Gillis
- POOL BOY dir. Luke Willis
- PRIVATE PHOTOS dir. Marcelo Grabowsky
- PURE dir. Natalie Jasmine Harris
- QUEER ISOLATION dir. Jordana Valerie Allen-Shim
- QUINCEAÑERO dir. Justin Floyd
- REBEL dir. Jose Alfredo Garcia
- RIGHT TO TRY dir. Zeberiah Newman
- ROADKILL dir. Aliza Brugger
- RUN OUT GROOVE dir. Paige Henderson
- RUTH dir. Beulah Pidakala
- SEASICK dir. Lindsey Ryan
- SENIOR PROM dir. Luisa Conlon
- SMOKE, LILIES AND JADE dirs. Deondray and Quincy LeNear Gossfield
- SQUISH dir. Xavier SERON
- STEPHEN & JAMES: BEST GIRLFRIENDS dir. Dave Quantic
- SUPREME dir. Youssef Youssef
- SWIMMING TO THE END OF THE WORLD dir. Todd Verow
- TAFFETA dir. Lovell Holder
- TAFFY dir. Jon Crawford
- THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE dir.Elizabeth Archer
- THE BEAUTY PRESIDENT dir. Whitney Skauge
- THE BINDING OF ITZIK dir. Anika Benkov
- THE CROWN WITH A SHADOW dir. JB Ghuman, Jr.
- THE DAILY WAR dir. Karla Legaspy
- THE FUGITIVES dir. Dami Sainz Edwards
- THE LIGHTS ARE ON, NO ONE’S HOME dir. Faye Ruiz
- THE MAN OF MY DREAMS dir. Tristan Scott-Behrends
- THE NIGHT TRAIN dir. Jerry Carlsson
- THE NUMBER 12 dir. Jed Bell
- THE RECORDER dir. Justine Lupe
- THE SMALL THINGS dir. Natalie Jasmine Harris
- THE WAY WE ARE dir. Amanda Ann-Min Wong
- THE YOUNG KING dir. Larin Sullivan
- THEY/THEM dir. Goldbloom Micomonaco
- THƠ dirs. Jake Villadolid, Heather Muriel Nguyễn
- TO THE FUTURE, WITH LOVE dir. Shaleece Haas
- TRADE CENTER dir. Adam B Baran
- UNLIVEABLE (INABITÁVEL) dir. Matheus Farias, Enock Carvalho
- UNTIE dir. Lane Michael Stanley
- VALIENTE (BRAVE) dir. Miguel Melo
- VIRGIN MY ASS dir. Adar Sigler
- WHAT’S LEFT INSIDE dir. Michael Varrati
