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