Outfest time! LGBT Film Festival opens July 8

Actress Jane Lynch will be honored with the Outfest Achievement Award. Photo by James F. Mills.

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Outfest time is almost here!

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Outfest, the annual Los Angeles LGBT film festival, is one of the most exciting times for film goers in LaLa Land. Not only do movie lovers get the chance to see the latest gay-themed films, they also get to hobnob with a new crop of talented writers, directors and actors and meet fellow silver screen fans.

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This year’s Outfest features 147 films (60 features and 87 shorts) from 23 countries, pulls together industry experts for panel discussions and honors some of the industries best. Outfest opens Thursday, July 8 and runs for 10 days at venues in West Hollywood, and downtown Los Angeles.

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Actress Jane Lynch (photo at top of page), best known as the deliciously evil Sue Sylvester on TV’s “Glee,” is the recipient of this year’s Outfest Achievement Award. She’ll pick up that award at the opening night ceremony then sit down for a conversation about her career two days later.

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The subject of actors being out of the closet publicly, a topic which generated much press last year after two different directors (Don Roos and Todd Holland) advised actors to remain closeted, will be on full display with two different panel discussions – one with casting directors, one with publicists.

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And of course, there are films galore to enjoy. The festival opens with “Howl,” (2nd photo from top) starring James Franco as poet Allen Ginsberg on trial for obscenity. Jon Hamm, Mary-Louise Parker and David Stratharin also star.

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The popular musical sing-along returns, this year featuring “Grease II” (photo to right), That’ll take place at the Ford Amphitheater. Three other films screen there as does the closing night film, the whacky high school dramedy “Spork.”

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“This year’s incredible line-up celebrates all of the forward-thinking artists that push the boundaries for LGBT rights and equality,” says Kirsten Schaffer, Executive Director of Outfest. “From Allen Ginsberg’s quest for personal and artistic liberation to stories that challenge the status quo in the age of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and gay marriage bans, this inspiring collection of films is sure to impact both gay and straight audiences.”

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In addition to the opening night and closing night galas, other gala screenings include: Cheryl Dunye’s hybrid thriller/documentary “The Owls” (3rd photo from top) as the U.S. Dramatic Centerpiece and the feature debut from Outfest Screenwriting Lab fellow Javier Fuentes-León, “Undertow (Contracorriente)” as the International Dramatic Centerpiece.

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Outfest celebrates the 5^th anniversary of its Outfest Legacy Project for LGBT Film Preservation, a collaboration with the UCLA Film and Television Archive - the only program in the world dedicated to saving and protecting LGBT moving images. To celebrate this milestone, Outfest has asked 5 filmmakers, musicians and journalists to select and introduce a favorite film from the Legacy Collection. Selections include “Clueless,” “Hustler White,” “Mädchen in Uniform,” “Out of the Shadows/Sign of Protest” and “Macho Dancer.”

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In honor of West Hollywood’s 25^th anniversary as an incorporated city, Outfest presents a series of films that focus on the city’s history and celebrate the community as a vital contributor to the arts. Titles include “The Broken Hearts Club,” (photo right) “An Ordinary Couple,” “Is It Just Me?” and “Out of the Shadows.”

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In its 4 in Focus series, Outfest celebrates a quartet of first-time feature film directors who have boldly established their careers with accomplished, independently-produced debut features. The selections this year include: Myriam Aziza’s “The Evening Dress (La Robe Du Soir),” Javier Fuentes-León’s “Undertow (Contracorriente),” Adriana Maggs’ “Grown Up Movie Star” and Jake Yuzna’s “Open.”

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For tickets and a complete listing of films, log onto the Outfest website.

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To read about last year’s Outfest coverage, click here and here.

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To read about director Don Roos' feelings about actors being out in public, click here.

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