Outfest 2014

THE STARS, SEX, & CELEBRATIONS of OUTFEST 2014

July is upon us and that means it’s time for OUTFEST, the Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival. This year marks the 32nd annual festival with over 100 films including in-depth foreign dramas, independent comedies, groundbreaking documentaries, impressive short films, and of course a sing-a-long musical. Outfest goes beyond simply screening films to lavish galas, Q&A with artists, and workshops for aspiring filmmakers. Arguably the largest LGBT film festival in the U.S., there is more packed into the eleven days between July 10th and 20th than we could ever tell you about here. For a full breakdown you can visit outfest.org, but we are going to spotlight the three biggest reasons anyone really attends: celebrities, sexy films, and wild parties.

STARS

Now that acting gay for pay is all the rage in Hollywood this year’s slate of Outfest films has more TV and movie stars than ever before. Plus there’s a good chance they will show up for the Q&A after the screenings.

LIFE PARTNERS (Opening Night Film) – July 10, 8:00 PM @ Orpheum Theatre

Gillian Jacobs (COMMUNITY), Leighton Meester (GOSSIP GIRL), Adam Brody (THE OC)

Two codependent best friends – one straight girl, one lesbian – and the man who comes between them.

ALEC MAPA: BABY DADDY – July 11, 5:00 PM @ Harmony Gold

Alec Mapa (UGLY BETTY)

Alec Mapa takes his audience on a roller-coaster ride through the challenges and triumphs of becoming a daddy.

MATCH – July 12, 1:30 PM @ Directors Guild

Patrick Stewart (X-MEN), Carla Gugino (CALIFORNIACATION), Matthew Lillard (SCOOBY DOO)

When Julliard ballet instructor Tobias agrees to an interview, the conversation soon turns to his swinging sex life.

X/Y – July 12, 9:15 PM @ Directors Guild

Common (rapper), America Ferrera (UGLY BETTY), Maria Dizzia (ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK),

A look at the lives and interactions of a group of friends living in New York.

BOULEVARD – July 13, 6:30 PM @ Directors Guild

Robin Williams (BIRDCAGE), Bob Odenkirk (BREAKING BAD)

When Nolan begins an unsettling relationship with a young hustler, his safe existence is rocked to its foundation.

BACK ON BOARD: GREG LOUGANIS – July 19, 11:00 AM @ Directors Guild

Greg Louganis (Olympic diver)

Documentary about the greatest diver of all time, four-time Olympic champion, openly gay, and HIV+ Greg Louganis.

HELICOPTER MOM – July 19, 8:30 PM @ Ford Amphitheatre

Nia Vardalos (MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING), Mark Boone Jr (SONS OF ANARCHY)

Maggie Cooper thinks it would be really cool if her son Lloyd were gay, so she outs him to the entire school.

TO BE TAKEI – July 20, 1:00 PM @ Directors Guild

George Takei, William Shatner, Nichelle Nichols, Leonard Nimoy (all STAR TREK), Howard Stern

Documentary about Star Trek star turned queer activist.

SPACE STATION 76 (Closing Night Film) – July 20, 8:00 PM @ Ford Amphitheatre

Liv Tyler (LORD OF THE RINGS), Matt Bomer (MAGIC MIKE), Patrick Wilson (ANGELS IN AMERICA), Jerry O’Connell (SLIDERS)

A 1970’s version of the future, where personalities and asteroids collide in this comedy by Jack Plotnick

SEX

The Outfest programmers know that sex sells. They even tag films with big “Explicit Sex” labels for your convenience. Here are this year’s four erotic works of cinema with their synopsis direct from the Outfest film guide.

I AM HAPPINESS ON EARTH  (Yo Soy la Felicidad de Este Mundo) – July 17, 9:30 PM @ Redcat

“Julián Hernández, one of Mexico’s premier queer filmmakers returns with this tale of a film director struggling with the line between his sexually charged reality and equally arousing cinematic creations. Will Emiliano be able to sustain his relationship, or will his lust for beauty and meaning lead him elsewhere? Furious couplings between gorgeous men include an exhilaratingly explicit play-within-a-play. Hernández’s boldly poetic romance compares with such films as Fellini’s 8½ Godard’s CONTEMPT, and others exploring the connections among love, sex, creativity, and filmmaking.”

SOMETHING MUST BREAK – July 17 & 19, 9:30 PM & 4:30 PM @ Directors Guild

“Restless rebel Sebastian, beautiful and genderqueer, tumbles into a torrid affair with Andreas, a straight boy eager to abandon his uppity friends and family. Directed by award-winning Outfest alum Ester Martin Bergsmark, SOMETHING MUST BREAK dives headfirst into the dizzying sights and sounds of Sweden’s grungier side with breathtaking visuals and palpable romance.”

THE THIRD ONE (El Tercero) – July 15, 9:30 PM @ Directors Guild

“An attractive older couple stumbles upon a flirtatious young man in a chat room and, after teasing some skin, convinces him to come over to their apartment for dinner. With fumbling honesty and no shortage of sexiness, THE THIRD ONE celebrates the awkwardness and euphoria of a one-night-stand gone right, culminating in an explicit, ten-minute threesome that’s as erotic as it is playful.”

I ALWAYS SAID YES: THE MANY LIVES OF WAKEFIELD POOLE – July 12, 2:00 PM @ Redcat

“Wakefield Poole was a respected Broadway choreographer and ballet star until he rocked the mainstream world by becoming a groundbreaking hardcore gay filmmaker during the tumultuous 1970s. At the time, anyone making what the government considered pornography was at risk of prosecution. Poole challenged the system with his iconic BOYS IN THE SAND, becoming famous for the defiant artistry he instilled in dozens of sexually explicit works, whose impact forever changed adult film.”

CELEBRATIONS

Another way to look at Outfest is as a fabulous weeklong party wrapped around a bunch of movies. There are a total of 58 parties, receptions and galas in only eleven days! Almost every film has it’s own reception at the DGA Atrium—usually with an Absolut sponsored open bar. Every night after the screening day is over Outfest After Dark takes over with events and parties at various clubs and bars in West Hollywood and Los Angeles.

The biggest of these events are the Opening and Closing Night Galas. The Opening Night Gala immediately follows the screening of LIFE PARTNERS and happens behind the Orpheum Theatre in downtown L.A. This huge outdoor event features a silent auction, live DJs, an open bar, and food from over 15 local restaurants. The Closing Night Gala is July 20th following the SPACE STATION 76 screening at the Ford Amphitheatre should prove to be equally as exciting as they cap off another amazing Outfest.

Finally, what about that sing-along we mentioned? This year everyone can be a friend of Dorothy as Outfest screens THE WIZARD OF OZ 75th ANNIVERSARY: SING-A-LONG on July 16^th at the Ford Amphitheatre. You can’t get much more gay than that.

For a detailed listing of all Outfest films, events, and venues please visit outfest.org.