Outfest to host 40th Anniversary Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Outfest will celebrate its 40th Anniversary with its annual Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival from July 14 to July 24.

The festival, which works to celebrate LGBTQIA+ cinema and stories, will feature over 200 queer films and the 6th Annual Trans, Nonbinary and Intersex Summit. The event is hosted by Warner Bros. Discovery and IMDb and will include both in-person and virtual screenings.

"I'm incredibly proud of the work our programming team has done to craft a lineup that celebrates the history of the LGBTQIA+ community and the art we create, and that also spotlights innovative new work that will pave the way for 40 more years of spectacular, groundbreaking queer cinema," Outfest Director of Festival Programming Mike Dougherty said in a press release.

The event will showcase 42 world premieres, including Billy Porter's directorial debut "Anything's Possible" and slasher horror movie "They/Them'," and films from 29 different countries.

Other stand-out films from the lineup are Sundance Audience Award winner "Girl Picture," Teddy Award Winner "Three Tidy Tigers Tied a Tie Tighter" and a 20th Anniversary screening of Todd Haynes' "Far From Heaven," which stars Haynes and Julianne Moore.

Notable sections of the festival include Outfest Under the Stars, which showcases a cross between screenings and stage performances; the Platinum section, which highlights revolutionary cinematic artists in LGBTQIA+ culture; and a keynote address from Raquel Willis, an award-winning actress and writer, at the Trans, Nonbinary and Intersex Summit.

Outfest Executive Director Damien S. Navarro said in the festival's digital film guide that Outfest hopes that the festival "sets the bar for like-minded festivals around the world."

"The films this year did us the courtesy of being both a re-examination of how our community has (or has not) been presented in film history and a radical re-imagining of the kinds of stories we get to tell," Dougherty added. "More and more, the films we see cease to present themselves as only for one specific subset of our community, but bring us together to share the spotlight. That is cause for celebration as we look forward to the next 40 years."

To get tickets, see the full line-up, or find more information about how to attend the event, visit outfestla.org. You can also purchase tickets in-person at the Outfest Box office at the Directors Guild of America from July 15 to July 24.

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