For its time, Outfest has long been radical when it comes to appreciating and highlighting creative people from the LGBTQ+ community. With streaming events and traditional screenings, the festival comes back for a new edition.
Some UCLA students founded Outfest in 1982, and the festival aims to promote inclusivity and equality on screen. Gender and sexuality discussions are at the foremost part of culture, so the 2021 Outfest programming has to be resonant to a greater extent than before.
The opening night of this festival will be the first outdoor gala in its history. The Hollywood Forever Cemetery will host the opening event, where it will screen an adapted version of the famous stage show entitled ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’. The other noteworthy screenings include Being BeBe, The Novice, The Sixth Reel, The Other Two of HBO, and short films. The Novice is a thriller by writer-director Lauren Hadaway, which won a top honor at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival. Being BeBe is a new documentary about African-American drag artist BeBe Zahara Benet, who won the first season of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
On the other hand, The Sixth Reel is a new comedy film with unforgettable performances from Tim Daly, Julie Halston, and Margaret Cho. Ash Christian, who won the 2006 Outfest edition’s Outstanding Emerging Talent Award, died when the comedy movie was in its development stage. Therefore, the new edition of Outfest will start the movie screening with a commemoration of Christian.
Oscar-winning actor Octavia Spencer will make an appearance on the closing night of Outfest, where she will get its James Schamus Ally Award. On the other hand, the Orpheum Theatre will witness actor Elliot Page getting the Outfest Achievement Award. Then, on the last night, Outfest will also screen Bobbi Jo Hart’s new film entitled ‘Fanny: The Right to Rock’.
