Outfest Announces Lineup for the 2019 Outfest Fusion LGBTQ People of Color Film Festival

Outfest, the Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization dedicated to nurturing, showcasing, and protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) media, today announced its lineup for the 2019 Outfest Fusion LGBTQ People of Color Film Festival. Outfest Fusion, the only multicultural LGBTQ film festival of its kind, will be held March 1-5 at various locations throughout Los Angeles.

Now in its 16th year, Outfest Fusion will include five days of film screenings, filmmaker Q&As, filmmaking workshops and networking events that celebrate the diversity of the LGBTQ community. Outfest Fusion is presented by Bank of America.

"The notion that we all must see ourselves at the center of our own stories has never had a more clarion call than it does today. The heart and inception of Outfest Fusion was to shine a spotlight and elevate stories that need to be seen, celebrated, and highlighted. The value of taking a moment to call out these films for recognition means much more in this moment. And it thrills me that so many of our accomplished alumni return and teach in our Fusion workshops, incubating new voices who hopefully will tell stories that impact our world," reported Outfest Executive Director Christopher Racster.

Outfest Fusion 2019 will kick off on Friday, March 1, with the annual Fusion Gala at the historic Egyptian Theatre featuring an exquisite collection of QPOC shorts celebrating the intersectionality of the LGBTQ family including multiple shorts from Outfest alumni.

Saturday highlights include the LA premieres of Sidney & Friends, a documentary following six gender nonconforming individuals fighting for their rights in Kenya and Retablo, a moving drama about THE SON of a folk artist in Peru who must contend with his father's secret life, as well as theDesi Dreaming shorts program, a rare panoramic view of the South Asian LGBTQ community.

Sunday highlights include a Legacy tribute screening of short films by MARLON T. Riggs, whose urgent, aesthetically innovative works Affirmations, Anthem and Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien (No Regret) document Black lives within the intersecting frameworks of sexuality, race, gender and serostatus at the peak of the AIDS crisis. Following that, there will be an advance episode screening of Gregg Araki's new Starz's program "Now Apocalypse," followed by a Q&A with Araki and cast.

On Monday, March 4, Fusion will be hosting a screening at Plaza De La Raza of the entertaining documentary Cassandro, The Exotico! about the legendary gay drag luchador facing a career in transition. The night will end with a Latinx shorts program featuring films from across North and South America.

"Our feature line-up shows us how beautiful our intersectionality can be in all of its texture and nuance, evidenced by the international acclaim many of these films have received. With 20 world premieres and 10 US premieres, Outfest Fusion is truly at the forefront of incubating, discovering, and elevating QPOC voices. Here, not only can you see yourself onscreen, but you are encouraged to tell your own story," commented Outfest Programming Manager Sheryl Santacruz.

"The shorts programs are curated to bring a truly diverse audience. We are looking to build understanding and community in the theater itself through a diverse range of shorts in each program. No matter one's gender, sexuality, or ethnicity each of our shorts program has something for everyone," said Fusion Shorts Programmer Albert Payano.

Outfest Fusion will also be hosting six exciting workshops that will take place at various locations around Los Angeles. Led by Outfest QPOC alumni filmmakers, classes include From Idea to Script to Screen, Documentary 101: A Guide to Non-Fiction Filmmaking, Create Your Web Series Now, Making a Movie with Your Smartphone, The LGBTQs of Acting, and Masterclass: QPOC Writers on Writing. These interactive classes and workshops will be instructed by Naomi Iwamoto, Michelle Badillo, Hilly Hicks, Fawzia Mirza, Kase Pena, PJ Raval, Q. Allan Brocka, Deondray and Quincy LeNear Gossfield, and Rain Valdez.

Outfest Fusion rounds out with the Fusion Finale on Tuesday, March 5, with THE ONE Minute Movie Contest, where all the submissions will be screened and prizes awarded. This year's theme is Micro-Aggressions | Macro-Queer. Winners of THE ONE Minute Movie CONTEST will be invited to play their film at Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival in July. As announced last year, shorts that win awards at Outfest Los Angeles now qualify for THE ACADEMY AWARDS ®.

For complete listings and to purchase tickets, log on to www.Outfest.org/fusion2019
or call 213-480-7088. Outfest Fusion 2019 is presented by Bank of America. Premiere Sponsors include Comcast NBCUniversal and Gilead. Auto Sponsor, Hyundai. Supporting Sponsors are DCP for All, EFFEN Vodka, The Fight Magazine and Ramada West Hollywood. Media Sponsors include Adelante, Lesbian News and Revry. THE ONE Minute Movie Program Funder is the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

ABOUT OUTFEST
Founded by UCLA students in 1982, Outfest is the world's leading organization that promotes equality by creating, sharing, and protecting LGBTQ stories on the screen. Outfest builds community by connecting diverse populations to discover, discuss, and celebrate stories of LGBTQ lives. Over the past three decades, Outfest has showcased thousands of films from around the world, educated and mentored hundreds of emerging filmmakers, and protected more than 40,000 LGBT films and videos. The Outfest Fusion LGBTQ People of Color Film Festival highlights films and offers classes and seminars on filmmaking to ensure all voices are represented in our community.

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