Award-winners at Outfest

By Robert St. Martin and Valerie Milano

Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 8/9/23 – Outfest, the Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization promoting equality by creating, sharing, and protecting LGBTQ+ stories on the screen – has announced the Grand Jury award winners of the 41st Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival presented by Genesis Motor America and Warner Bros. Discovery. Some award winners are still available to view on Outfest Los Angeles’ virtual platform through July 30.

Outfest’s Director of Programming Mike Dougherty said, “In a truly exceptional year for LGBTQIA+ film, in which our artists delivered such a diverse collection of provocative, insightful, and fearless work, the choices made by our esteemed juries could not have been easy. Congratulations to every filmmaker in our festival for their commitment to unapologetically queer cinema in all its forms, and to these awardees for their much-deserved recognition.”

The Paul D. Lerner and Stephen Reis Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Documentary Feature, now in its second year thanks to a generous donation from Lerner and Reis to the Outfest Empathy Fund, will see the awarded filmmaker receive a $5,000 cash prize. The Paul D. Lerner and Stephen Reis Grand Jury Award for Documentary Feature: Anhell69, directed by Theo Montoya, screened at Outfest Los Angeles as part of the Platinum series at the REDCAT. It is an interesting documentary about a film being made about the increasing erasure of LGBTQ+ youth in Medellin, Colombia. You can read our review for The Hollywood Times at:  ANHELL 69: Queer Young People Living Without Hope in Medellín Today | The Hollywood Times

Documentary Feature Special Mention was given to Queendom, directed by Agniia Galdanova. A work of tremendous bravery, the film offers an intimate portrait of a Gena, transgender Russian artist in her journey of dangerous self-actualization. This “transgender Russian artist” from a small town in Russia dresses in otherworldly costumes and protests in the streets of Moscow, where she stages radical performances of art and activism in public.

The Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding North American Narrative Feature was award to Something You Said Last Night, directed by Luis De Filippis. This is a subtle portrait of a post-op trans person, without all the drama of someone in a stage of transitioning. The film follows trans woman Ren (Carmen Madonia), who, after being fired from her job, embarks on a family holiday with sister Siena (Paige Evans), mother Mona (Ramona Milano) and Father Guido (Joey Parro). Confined in a holiday home with her loved ones, Ren grapples with finding the perfect balance between independence and being cared for.  The film is still available to be watched online through Outfest Streaming until July 30. To view the film, go to at www.outfest.org.

The Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding Performance, North American Narrative Feature was awarded to young actor Isaac Krasner in Big Boys, a charming and funny story about a 14-year-old overweight teenage boy whose sexual awakening is authentically portrayed. As the title suggested, the movie is built around two characters who are overweight, but Corey Sherman turns the “fat funny friend” trope on its head in this simple but well-scripted tale. Issac Krasner’s performance as the nerdy but lovable Jamie is quite a revelation. Check out our review of Big Boys at:  Big boys | Search Results | The Hollywood Times. The film is still available for viewing online at Outfest Streaming through July 30. Go to: www.outfest.org.

The Grand Jury Prize for Screenwriting, North American Narrative Feature was given to Sebastián Silva for Rotting in the Sun, a satiric comedy where no topic is off-limits with Chilean auteur Sebastián Silva finds the director playing a loose version of himself as an artistically blocked and chronically depressed filmmaker in Mexico City. He has a chance encounter with an oversexed American influencer and party boy named Jordan (played by Jordan Firstman). Things begin to change for Sebastián after nearly drowns at a gay nude beach in Mexico. With a great performance by Catalina Saavedra as his housecleaner, Signora Vero, the story devolves into a murder mystery. The film has been picked up for distribution by MUBI. Read our review at: ROTTING IN THE SUN: Sebastian Silva’s Satire of Gay Preoccupations in Social Media | The Hollywood Times

The North American Narrative Feature Special Mentions included Fancy Dance, directed by Erica Tremblay. This a moving family drama about community, sisterhood, and Native identity which stars Lily Gladstone as Jax, a queer Native woman scraping by as best she can while struggling to keep her family together. Jax is just trying to make ends meet and provide for her niece Roki as they search for Roki’s missing mother. As the 13-year-old prepares for a mother-daughter show at a powwow, Jax pushes the authorities and her father (played by Shea Whigham) to do something to find her sister. See our review at: FANCY DANCE: A Struggling Native American Lesbian Tries to Hold Her Family Together | The Hollywood Times

This Narrative Feature Special Mention is shared with The People’s Joker, directed by Vera Drew – The movie unofficially parodies characters from the Batman comics, and the main character is a transgender woman based on the Joke, played by Drew. In a dystopian world monitored by Batman, a young child grows up in Smallville, Kansas, idolizing the performers on a sketch comedy program, UCB Live. The unnamed protagonist’s mother is disturbed when her child asks, “Was I born in the wrong body?” and immediately books a session with Dr. Crane of Arkham Asylum, who prescribes Smylex: a drug that forces its users to put on a happy face, even if they feel depression, anxiety, or gender dysphoria. Fifteen years later, our hero has grown up and moves to. Gotham City to join the cast of UCB Live, where a computer designates him a male Joker, who will be allowed to have an individual identity in the cast, unlike the women, who are all assigned to be nameless Harlequins that serve as back-up dancers in a circus act.

The Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding International Narrative Feature was given to The Fabulous Ones, a docu-drama from Italy directed by Roberta Torre.  A group of transgender women who are invited to an uninhabited villa together by the main character Nicole and are known figures within the Italian queer community, thanks to years of activism and social struggles. They come together following the death of one of them – Massimina, as they try to fulfill the last wishes of their late friend, who is buried in male clothing against her will.

The Grand Jury Prize for Screenwriting, International Narrative Feature was awarded to Asog, for the clever screenplay by Seán Devlin, Jaya, and Arnel Pablo. Asog is the highly comical but poignant story of Jaya, a 40-year-old non-binary schoolteacher whose brief career as a comedian hosting a late-night television show abruptly ends due to a huge and highly destructive typhoon in the Philippines. Picking up the pieces in their life, Jaya decides to travel across the country in hopes of winning a beauty pageant and the prize money that comes with it. Flipping the conventions of the road movie on its head, Asog is a one-of-a-kind film plays with the line between narrative and documentary to become something entirely new. Check out our recent review of Asog at: ASOG: A Brilliant Filipino Comedy and Wild Road Trip to a Gay Beauty Pageant | The Hollywood Times

The Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in an International Narrative Feature was given to Choi Hae-jun in Peafowl – a film from South Korea about a transgender Korean lady who has been living and working in Seoul as a dancer. She must deal with her father’s passing and the expectations placed on her to take part in the traditional, gendered memorial dance. Peafowl opens with a dance contest in which trans heroine Myung Choi Hae-jun) is hoping to win money for surgery. Myung’s gender is not part of her internal conflict, but its social impact is the focus because he has been cut off from her family and the complex traditions of her rural upbringing in South Korea.

As for the shorts at Outfest: The Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding International Narrative Short Film was given to An Avocado Pit, a short film in Portuguese directed by Ary Zara. A trans woman and a man meet on the streets of Lisbon. They come from different realities but soon find common ground, challenging and laughing their way into each other’s arms. International Narrative Short Special Mention was Christopher at Sea directed by Tom C J Brown – an animated short about a young man named Christopher who embarked on a transatlantic voyage as a passenger on a cargo ship. His hopes of finding out what lures so many men to sea set him on a journey into solitude, fantasy, and obsession.

The Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding Documentary Short Film is Love, Jamie, directed by Karla Murthy – the story of Jamie. Diaz, a trans artist incarcerated in Texas, and the enduring friendship that brought her art of liberation and pride to the world outside. The Documentary Short Special Mention went to Here, hopefully directed by Hao Zhou ­– follows Zee, a Chinese non-binary future nurse who hopes to obtain a work visa after the licensure exams.

The Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding U.S. Narrative Shorts was awarded to Dilating for Maximum Results directed by Nyala Moon in which a transgender Black woman tries to get in touch with her online boyfriend.  As You Are directed by Daisy Friedman received U.S. Narrative Short Special Mention. When a couple consisting of one abled and one disabled person spends the night together for the first time, they navigate the power of loving someone else through healing their relationships with their own bodies.

Among the Special Programming Awards, the Emerging Talent was given to Alice Maio Mackay, for T Blockers – a novel feature horror film from 18-year-old Australian filmmaker Mackay about ancient parasites that mysteriously rise from a small town, taking the most fearful and susceptible hosts. A young filmmaker finds herself as the only one who can sense the possessed resistance before the horror escapes and spreads.

The Artistic Achievement Award was given to Ethan Fuirst for Rumpelstiltskin – a short fantasy film about a young woman is imprisoned by the king because he thinks she can spin straw into gold. When she meets a little man with magical powers to do so, she must figure out a way to trick him and free herself.

The Social Impact Award went to Truth Be Told – a feature-length documentary from Emmy Award-winning director Nneka Onuorah. While an important cultural epicenter with a rich political history of antiracist organizing, the Black church has historically fallen short when it comes to supporting its queer members — including Onuorah, a lifelong lesbian church girl. Equal parts healing journey and incisive examination, this essential, extremely necessary portrait critiques the Black community lovingly, balancing the beauty of fellowship within the church against the damaging legacy it must work to undo. With talking head interviews from the likes of Billy Porter, Cedric the Entertainer, and frequent Tyler Perry collaborators David and Tamala Mann. This important documentary can still be viewed online through June 30 via Outfest Streaming at www.outfest.org.

The Hornitos First Shot Award was given to Waiting Rooms (or Whatever Longer Title You Prefer), directed by Lorena Russi – a 9-minute short coming-of-age story about Lorenita: a rambunctious six-year-old with six cavities. One for each of the letters in her name, no one can pronounce. Lorenita is a butch Latina fighting to find herself in the cacophony of Queens, NY in the 90s. With the help of her imaginary best friend, Boo, a civil war ghost, Lorenita will poorly navigate the drawn-out pains of puberty.

The jurors for Outfest Los Angeles represented a diverse cross-section of filmmakers, artists, journalists, and industry executives: The North American Narrative Features Jury:  Tuck Dowrey, Creative Executive, Page Boy Productions; Allegra Madsen, Director of Programming, Frameline; Breeda Wool, Actor.

International Narrative Features Jury: Jamie Gonçalves, Producer (Dos Estaciones); Anna Li, Film Programmer; Evan Schwartz, Vice President of Content, Wolfe Releasing.

Documentary Jury (Features and Shorts): Anja Block, Documentaries, Discovery+; Aurora Brachman, Filmmaker (Joychild); Anita Raswant, Film Programmer.

U.S. & International Narrative Short Film Jury: Anto Astudillo, Lead Programmer, TRANSlations: Seattle Trans Film Festival; Nava Mau, Actor; Cameron Scheetz, Entertainment Editor, Queerty.