Outfest, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization, has just dropped its entire lineup for the 2021 Outfest Fusion QTBIPOC (Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) Film Festival. Dedicated to creating spaces for and lifting up LGBTQIA+ stories, the film festival will feature 10 films and 41 short films from diverse storytellers.
Some of the films include a documentary about Latina sex workers titled Caught (Caer), the Sundance hit from the mind of Marion Hill titled Ma Belle, My Beauty, exes reuniting after a transition in See You Then, and the first gay love story out of Namibia, titled Kapana.
Included in the short films are a Japanese-American film about strangers meeting titled And Then, a conversation with a mother with respect to gender identity in Ni Aqui Ni Alla (Neither Here Nor There), and a film about Joan Jett Blakk as the first openly queer write-in candidate for The White House in The Beauty President.
In addition, the Outfest Fusion lineup includes educational workshops and masterclasses. They are meant to empower filmmakers and the public to use the tools taught to create content and tell their own stories. The Outfest Fusion Festival Workshops will be announced on April 6, 2021, and the film festival itself runs from April 16 to April 20, 2021 with more information available here about tickets, passes, and more.
Check out a full list of the features and short films available at the 2021 Outfest Fusion Film Festival below!
FEATURES
All Boys Aren’t Blue
Directed by Nathan Hale Williams
Summary: Actors Bernard David Jones, Dyllon Burnside, Thomas Hobson, and Jenifer Lewis bring to life the words of Black non-binary author George Matthew Johnson’s transparent and sparkling memoir, aided by director Nathan Hale Williams’ visual poetry. Tackling issues of Black masculinity and Black queerness in relationship to Blackness, each character represents Johnson at different stages of their life, chronicling their story of growing up and challenging gender identity norms, as well as learning to adapt to HIV/AIDS.
Caught (Caer)
Directed by Nicola Mai
Summary: In this innovative blend of documentary and fiction, Rosa and Paloma, two trans Latina sex workers in Queens, New York, fight transphobic violence, persecution from the police, and defend their cases of trafficking in an increasingly anti-migration political environment in the U.S. Written, produced, and edited in collaboration with the TRANSgrediendo Intercultural Collective (whose members also star), a grassroots nonprofit organization defending the rights of transgender Latina migrant women.
Chosen Fam
Directed by Natalie Tsui, Lindsay Sunada
Summary: In season one of this irreverent series, an all-QTPOC indie rock band must surmount their personal drama to land the gig of the century.
Crystal Diaries
Directed by Enyce Smith, Gina Lamb
Summary: Five members of the Los Angeles LGBTQ+ House & Ball Community share intimate stories of their experiences with methamphetamine addiction in response to the death of Ballroom community member Gemmel Moore, who died in the home of Democratic political fundraiser Ed Buck. What results is a stirring portrait of a community banding together to heal and support, to create awareness, and to protest the justice system’s response to Moore’s death.
Forgotten Roads (La Nave Del Olvido)
Directed by Nicol Ruiz Benavides
Summary: Claudina is a repressed woman from the countryside. Following the death of her husband, she meets Elsa, who opens Claudina’s eyes to the possibility of real love. Under the judgmental watch of a little conservative town in the south of Chile (that happens to be in the thralls of frequent UFO sightings!), Claudina begins a journey toward queer self-acceptance, in which she learns that true happiness may require leaving everything she knows behind her.
Kapana
Directed by Philippe Talavera
Summary: In the first gay love story out of Namibia, George, a middle-class insurance broker, lives openly and with acceptance from his family, while his new boyfriend — working-class food vendor Simeon — remains in the closet, gnawed at by traditional notions of masculinity and the desire for acceptance from his peers. In a country where same-sex relationships are still criminalized, these two men begin a romance that challenges both of them to shed societal expectations and stigma to truly flourish.
Ma Belle, My Beauty
Directed by Marion Hill
Summary: In Marion Hill’s Sundance hit, passions and jealousies are reignited when Bertie and Lane, two women who were formerly polyamorous lovers, reunite at a gorgeous country villa in the south of France. To help Bertie with a creative roadblock, her husband Fred secretly invites Lane to stay with them — a not-so-pleasant surprise for Bertie. Old resentments, simmering tension, and sexual chemistry all combine into an explosive reunion that fascinatingly examines the issues that arise in a non-traditional relationship.
Nowhere (La Cuarta)
Directed by David Salazar, Francisco Salazar
Summary: Adrian and Sebastian, a Colombian couple living together in New York City, are on the fast track to professional and romantic success. But when Sebastian is faced with immigration complications, his status in the U.S. may rely on help from Adrian’s family back in Colombia — who do not know Adrian is gay. Fearing rejection from his family, but at risk of losing Sebastian forever, Adrian must choose which path to take.
See You Then
Directed by Mari Walker
Summary: A decade after abruptly breaking up with Naomi, Kris invites her to dinner to catch up on their complicated lives, relationships, and Kris’ transition. Over the course of a one-night encounter, they engage in a series of increasingly intimate and vulnerable conversations, before a shocking revelation is unveiled. Mari Walker’s feature debut focuses on the universal truth that no matter how much you change, a part of you will always stay the same.
Summertime
Directed by Carlos Lopez Estrada
Summary: Over the course of a hot summer day in Los Angeles, the lives of 25 young Angelenos intersect. A skating guitarist, a tagger, two wannabe rappers, an exasperated fast-food worker, a limo driver — they all weave in and out of each other’s stories. Through poetry they express life, love, heartache, family, home, and fear. One of them just wants to find someplace that still serves good cheeseburgers.”
Unapologetic
Directed by Ashley O’Shay
Summary: After two police killings, Black millennial organizers challenge a Chicago administration complicit in state violence against its Black residents. This deep look into the Movement for Black Lives is told through the lens of Janaé and Bella, two fierce, queer-identified abolitionist leaders, from the police murder of Rekia Boyd to the election of mayor Lori Lightfoot.
SHORT PROGRAMS
2 Dollars
Directed by Robin Cloud
Summary: As a Black, queer, masculine-of-center artist, Syd deals with daily slights from ignorant co-workers, an oblivious boss, and a killer workload.
Acrimonious
Directed by Olivia Emden
Summary: A sudden divorce wrenches Emeka out of a decade-long hiatus living the “middle-class” dream, landing him back in the childhood council house he hoped he’d left behind.
And Then
Directed by Jenn Ravenna Tran
Summary: Mana, a Japanese-American woman who arrives in Tokyo seeking to find a break from her life as an artist, meets Haru, a Japanese woman from the countryside who dreams of becoming an artist herself one day.
And We Collide
Directed by Dongni Lanca Li
Summary: An unexpected tropical encounter sparks a fragile romance between a wannabe astronaut and a village farm boy.
At Last
Directed by Lorena Gordon
Summary: A timid high school girl reveals her truth during the most important night of the year.
Blue Suit
Directed by Kevin J. Nguyen
Summary: When a surprise party interrupts his plans, an anxious man has to find a private moment to confess his feelings towards his friend before he moves away the next day.
Champion
Directed by Brittany Campbell
Summary: An animated ode to Black queer femme love accompanies Brittany Campbell’s song “Champion.”
Don’t Forget to Go Home
Directed by Victoria Singh-Thompson
Summary: Two sisters miss their cousin’s wedding to go on a drug-fueled bender.
El Pato y El Burro
Directed by Carlos Larriue & Alejandro Aguilera
Summary: While being questioned in the principal’s office, enemies David and Randall learn they’re more alike than they thought.
God’s Daughter Dances
Directed by Sungbin Byun
Summary: Dancer Shin-mi, a trans woman in South Korea, gets a call from the Military Manpower Administration, to appear for military service examination.
Graduation
Directed by Robin Wang
Summary: Following a graduation celebration, four Chinese people must navigate their relationships’ futures as dictated by the circumstances of life and their families.
How to Die Young in Manila
Directed by Petersen Vargas
Summary: A teenage boy follows a group of young hustlers, thinking one of them may be the anonymous hook-up he has arranged to meet for the night.
How to Raise a Black Boy
Directed by Justice Jamal Jones
Summary: Four Black boys disappear one night, as many Black boys do, and find themselves on a fantastical journey to break the curses of Black boyhood.
La Rafaga (The Gust)
Directed by Edgar Garcia
Summary: A lonely middle-aged man finds himself obsessing over his squatter neighbor, a young closeted and tormented athlete who insistently pursues his attention.
Mariam
Directed by Reem Jubran
Summary: Zaid, a young Arab-American amateur drag queen, has to confront his conservative father and ailing grandfather about his identity.
Mercury Afrograde
Directed by Blanche Akonchong
Summary: On a crazy day during mercury retrograde, a family’s deepest secrets come to the surface, forcing them to realize they are not the model African family.
Mother
Directed by Jas Pitt & Kate Stonehill
Summary: Centering on a conversation with their mother, filmmaker Ley Comas charts their struggle to find a middle ground between them and their family with respect to their gender identity.
Ni Aqui Ni Alla (Neither Here Nor There)
Directed by Ley Comas
Summary: Centering on a conversation with their mother, filmmaker Ley Comas charts their struggle to find a middle ground between them and their family with respect to their gender identity.
Noor & Layla
Directed by Fawzia Mirza **DRIVE-IN EXCLUSIVE
Summary: The flourishing and break up of a romantic relationship between two Muslim women, chronicled by the five prayers of Islam.
One Last Deal
Directed by Nyala Moon
Summary: Sara has almost reached her dream to match her body to her soul, but first, she and her charming but troubled boyfriend Bill have to make one last sell.
Only for the Night
Directed by LaQuan Lewis
Summary: Sam, a young trans man, struggles to find someone with whom he authentically connects until one night he meets Anthony, a charismatic guy who takes the time to get to know him.
Peace
Directed by Adomako Aman
Summary: A love story that dives into the complexities of a down-low queer relationship and questions what it really means to be at peace.
Pine Mountain Overnight
Directed by Geena Marie Hernandez
Summary: A naïve teen discovers just how hairy growing up can be when she embarks on an overnight class camping field trip, braving big rumors, big boobs, and even Bigfoot.
Pure
Directed by Natalie Jasmine Harris
Summary: On the eve of her cotillion ball, a young Black girl grapples with her queer identity and questions her purity.
Queer Isolation
Directed by Jordana Valerie Allen-Shim
Summary: A young Vietnamese-Canadian transgender woman reconnects with a former classmate over a dating app after moving back home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Roadkill
Directed by Aliza Brugger
Summary: Tillie’s lonely life as a roadkill removal worker is destabilized when Wanda, a lively stranger, comes to town.
Silver Femme
Directed by Nico Reano
Summary: A digital ode to the moon; a poetic film that envisions a future and space where trans people are safe.
Soy Sauce
Directed by Sarnt Utamachote
Summary: When the marriage between two men becomes mired in power struggles and condescension, a quirky means of political resistance becomes necessary.
Sunday’s Child
Directed by Maisie Richardson-Sellers
Summary: After moving to Los Angeles, Esi stumbles upon a vivid house party of QTPOC and for the first time in her life, feels welcomed into a community where she can let down her walls.
Taffy
Directed by Jon Crawford
Summary: A young photographer hears the story of an older man.
The Beauty President
Directed by Whitney Skauge
Summary: In 1992, Joan Jett Blakk made a historic bid for the White House as one of the first openly queer write-in candidates. Today, Terence Smith, the man behind the persona, reflects back on his place in gay rights history at the height of the AIDS crisis.
The Incredulity of Jacolby Sattwerwhite
Directed by Lorena Alvarado
Summary: Celebrated digital artist Jacolby Satterwhite contemplates some of the most fundamental questions around the relationship between an artist and the works they create.
The Lights Are On, No One’s Home
Directed by Faye Ruiz
Summary: A woman wanders a maze of gentrified streets and the last memories of her time there as she searches for her childhood home.
The Rogers
Directed by Dean Hamer & Joe Wilson
Summary: An intimate glimpse of the first visible group of transgender men in the Pacific: the Rogers of Samoa.
The Way We Rise
Directed by Amanda Ann-Min Wong
Summary: Through an immersion into old photographs and memories, four queer Asian women tell their personal stories of life, love, and growth.
This is the Way We Rise
Directed by Ciara Leinaala Lacy Kwock
Summary: A portrait of Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio, a Kanaka Maoli wahine poet, activist, and academic, and her continued work towards justice for Hawaii’s native population.
Thơ
Directed by Heather Muriel Nguyen & Jake Villadolid
Summary: As Thơ ventures into romance as a panromantic asexual/ace, her boyfriend Dylan pressures her to be both sexual and straight
To You My Love
Directed by Olivia Gastaldo
Summary: An investigation into the visual poetry of a love letter.
Trips, Friends, Night & Destiny
Directed by Gabriel Ordonez & Gabriel Marin
Summary: Two strangers meet, and decide to spend an adventurous evening together.
Unliveable
Directed by Matheus Farias & Enock Carvalho
Summary: Marilene searches for her daughter Roberta, a trans woman who went missing. While running out of time, she discovers a hope for the future.
Valiente (Brave)
Directed by Miguel Melo
Summary: Victor finds the courage to disclose his HIV status to his partner.
(image: Vanishing Angle)
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