Outfest

Spotlighting the diversity of the LGBTQ community, the 2019 Outfest Fusion LGBTQ People of Color Film Festival will take place from March 1^st-5^th, 2019 in Los Angeles. Fusion highlights films and offers classes and seminars on filmmaking to ensure all voices are represented in the LGBTQ community.

Highlights of this year’s festival will include a look back at the short films of Marlon Riggs on Saturday, March 2^nd; an afternoon that will honor the 25^th anniversary of his passing and will be introduced by Out magazine’s Tre’vell Anderson. Also, on Sunday, March 3^rd, a screening of the new STARZ series Now Apocalypse from Gregg Araki. Film highlights will include screenings of Retablo, Sidney & Friends, and Fish Bones, all on March 2^nd.

Outfest Fusion is a celebration of the rich heritage of the LGBTQ individuals that populate greater Los Angeles. The films and TV shows that screen at Fusion showcase the stories of queer communities of color, including African, African American, Asian diaspora and Latinx perspectives as well as many other cultural identities. The festival enables Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans and Genderqueer people of color to see themselves on the big screen, often for the very first time – a powerful and validating experience that underscores the universality of our lived experiences.

The festival brings the city’s diverse populations together, providing a safe space and a valuable platform to amplify the voices of LGBTQ artists of color, both professionally and personally. The Outfest Fusion lineup includes free educational workshops for emerging filmmakers, as well as more advanced masterclasses for established filmmakers, empowering Queer people of color to use these tools to create their own content and tell their own stories.

Fusion’s One-Minute Movie Contest is the most democratic way to discover new voices and bring them into the Outfest family. When the theme is announced, aspiring and established filmmakers alike use their cell phones or cameras to shoot a one-minute short film on the topic. All the submissions are screened at the Fusion Finale Party, followed by audience voting and an announcement of the winners. Winners receive a cash prize as well as an Outfest membership and their films go on to play at the Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival in July.

Audience members 21 and younger are able to attend Outfest Fusion for free when they sign up for a complimentary Outfest membership. Filmmakers who premiere a film at Outfest Fusion are often invited to play at Outfest Los Angeles and Newfest, New York’s LGBT Film Festival – exposure that can lead to representation, distribution, other festival invitations, as well as new friends and contacts.

The Fusion Achievement Award recognizes an individual who has made a significant contribution to LGBTQ arts and media visibility for rarely represented communities of color. Past recipients include:

• 2007 Cheryl Dunye (presented by Guinevere Turner)
• 2010 Wilson Cruz (presented by Darryl Stephens)
• 2011 Rikki Beadle-Blair (presented by Guillermo Diaz)
• 2012 Patrik-Ian Polk (presented by Lee Daniels)
• 2013 Angela Robinson (presented by Rutina Wesley & Kristin Bauer van Straten)
• 2014 Alec Mapa (presented by Sandra Oh)
• 2015 Rose Troche (presented by Leisha Hailey & Kate Moennig
• 2016 Nisha Ganatra (presented by Parvesh Cheena & Sakina Jaffrey)
• 2017 Tina Mabry (presented by DB Woodside & Michael Hyatt)

For more information, head to Outfest.org.