Headline Article

Outfest Aims to Inspire and Provoke

Cash for your car

Over the years, Outfest has boasted many outstanding performances, storytellers and provocateurs. Don Roos, Queer as Folk’s Peter Paige, Angela Robinson, Craig Chester, Amber Benson, C. Jay Cox, and Thomas Bezucha just to name a few.

Outfest 2008Outfest returns this year for its 26th annual film festival, showcasing thirteen days of lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender entertainment.
The festival is jam-packed this year, featuring 116 public programs including galas, features, shorts, panels and special events.

The festival, which runs from July 9 until July 21 is known for many things. Controversial material, killer parties, and of course, sensational celebrations of film and lifestyle.

July 9, opening night is “Breakfast with Scot” starring Tom Cavanagh (from NBC TV’s “Ed”) and Ben Shenkman, best known as a co-star of HBO’s “Angels in America”. The film is described as a wonderfully funny, enormously heartwarming tale about a macho ex-hockey player Eric (Cavanagh) and his boyfriend (Shenkman) find themselves as temporary guardians of Scot, an 11-year-old boy with a penchant for feather boas, rose hand cream and all that glitters.

On July 17, tradition provides a sing-a-long with this year’s surprise musical “South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut”. Relish in the outrageous sensibility of Trey Parker and Matt Stone with the Broadway stylings of Marc Shaiman, and you get a hilarious, R-rated musical. The crowd will sing along under the stars at the Ford Theater.

July 21’s closing night is “Tru Loved”. Story centers around a girl in conservative suburbia with her lesbian mothers, Tru struggles like all teens to fit in and find love, but her quest is complicated by sexual politics, closed minds, and closeted friends as she seeks to establish her school’s first gay-straight alliance.

Other stand-outs include Jennifer Phang’s “Half-Life”, Guinevere Turner’s “Quiet Please”, Chris Mason Johnson’s “The New Twenty” and Michaline Babich’s “Gimme Sugar”.

“Half-Life” focuses on a Northern California community struggling to adapt as global chaos looms. Cynical 19-year-old Pam is fixated on her best friend, cute nerd Scott, a gay Korean adoptee who can’t resist throwing his sexuality in the faces of his fundamentalist parents. Pam’s brother Timothy keenly observes his surroundings, and with some special powers, might be able to alter everybody’s reality.

“Quiet, Please” is a short film where a librarian decides that the only way to stay sane is to get to know the library patrons a little better.

“The New Twenty” is about five attractive college friends – gay and straight – in New York City. About to enter new life stages, each seeks some kind of connection. No matter how rewarding or difficult (and everything in between) life is for these almost-thirtysomethings, they can always rely on the strong bonds of friendship.

“Gimme Sugar” is the new and highly addictive Logo reality show. Post-feminist, pro-sex and pre-mature. It’s all about the drama, the tears, and the make-out sessions when they decide to launch their own Sapphic club night. Can they work together and keep their friendships intact? Yeah, right!

For more information, please visit: www.outfest.org
For the festival guide and to buy tickets:
 

About the author

Joe Wehinger