Malila: The Farewell Flower (2017)

DOGMAN Wins Top Awards at 2018 Cape Town International Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_31629" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] DOGMAN[/caption] The Italian film, Dogman is the overall winner of this year’s 2018 Cape Town International Film Market and Festival winning three awards including the most coveted award, The Grand Prix, as well as awards for Best Director Award and Best Actor. The film competed at this past year’s Cannes Film Festival where Marcello Fonte also won for Best Actor. The CTIFMF’s Opening Film, and South Africa’s official official submission for the Oscar’s, Sew the Winter to My Skin, directed by Jahmil X. T Qubeka, won the Award for Best South African Feature Film, whilst Rehad Desai’s Everything Must Fall won for Best South African Documentary, and the Best South African Short Film was won by Rea Moeti’s Mma Moeketsi. South African film Kanarie also took home the award for Best LGBTQ Film, while Kenyan Director of Supa Modo, Likarion Wainaina, won the award for Best New Director in the New Voices category and was described by the jury as “a true new voice of contemporary cinema. The director succeeds in bringing its audience into the shoes of a kid, showing us the world through her eyes, without ever trivialising nor overdramatizing a difficult topic such as a child’s illness. The director shows an uncommon capacity of leading his actors and keeping a difficult balance between drama, comedy and fairy tale.” The LGBTQ category jury had this to say of Kanarie: “For skillfully and seemingly effortlessly weaving together multiple compelling characters, along with issues of nationalism, religion and sexuality, we award the prize for Best LGBTQ Film to Christiaan Olwagen’s Kanarie. This well-paced and consistently poignant story of a teenage boy in 1980s South Africa, who joins the national defense force choir, humorously portrays the struggle of finding oneself despite overbearing social pressure. With a stunning central performance, innovative visuals and a sensitive balance between comedy and drama, the film heralds the arrival of a strong new voice on the local cinema landscape.” Additionally, the CTIFMF Market announced the winners of the Works in Progress and Screenwriters Guild Pitch competition. The jury made a unanimous decision to support Buddha in Africa by Nicole Shafer with the highest award: “For its unique subject and its meticulous patient development, for the crossroad of important themes, and for the different worlds that have overlapped and met in tangible captivating characters…the jury chose to give the combined two prizes to the very promising Malawi set film project Buddha in Africa by Nicole Shafer.” “For the subtle way of dealing with witchcraft issues and allowing us, through the eyes of a young character, to get deep into a touching Kenyan grandma and her family, the Jury awarded 2 weeks of Sound Design by Raphsody and 2 Weeks of Final Sound Mix by The Moving Billboard Picture Company to The Letter by Maia Lekow and Chris King.” Rene van Royen is a local voice, and as described by the jury, Toorbos is “an accomplished and assured feature debut from Rene Van Rooyen. While a period setting the skill and voice of this filmmaker is tremendous and undeniably fresh. We are guided through the magic and the wonder of the forest which is beautifully and thoughtfully captured and brought to life through our strong central female character.” Kenya’s Mugambi Nthiga was a cowriter on 2 of the latest Kenyan festival hits, Kathi Kathi and SUPAMODO, which screened as part of the 2018 Festival Program. For its engaging characters and its unexpected and clever use of genre elements to tackle a problem too often ignored in African societies that is post traumatic stress disorder, the jury gives the subtitling and credits award to Lusala. From Madagascar, a place in need of the basics, Madagascar. Bolomboto is an immersion documentary on the daily life of young people detained in Madagascar’s prison. It is an important and political film that offers a unique perspective on the Malagasy youth thanks to a strong cinematic vision.” The producer is invited to the Festival de Amien in France in November to further advance the project. They also will receive Publicity mentorship from Versveld Associates and a 50 000 Rand cash award from Hollard Film Guarantors. Meg Rickards and Tracey Farren with project Snake won WGSA top award and Cate Wood Hunter was runner up with Family Roots.
Winners of 2018 Cape Town International Film Market and Festival Awards
Best South African Short Film Rea Moeti Mma Moeketsi SPECIAL MENTION Buks Rossouw Cast Iron can’t be welded Best International Short Film Aldo Sotelo Lázaro Stardust Best Documentary Feature Leonard Retel Helmrich The Long Season Best South African Documentary Rehad Desai Everything must Fall Best Editing Lee Chatametikool Chonlasit Upanigkit Malila the Farewell Flower Best Cinematography Mong-Hong Chung The Great Buddha+ Best Script Alec Figuracion The Eternity Between Seconds Best Actress Ariane Ascaride Isabella Best Actor Marcello Fonte DogMan Best South African Feature Film Jahmil X.T. Qubeka Sew The Winter To My Skin Best LGBTQ Film Christiaan Olwagen Kanarie SPECIAL MENTION Alvaro Delgado Aparicio Retablo Best New Director Likarion Wainaina Supa Modo Best Asian Film Anucha Boonyawatana Malila the Farewell Flower Best Director Mateo Garone Dogman Grand Prix Matteo Garone Dogman
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87 Countries Submit Films in 2018 Oscar Foreign Language Competition

[caption id="attachment_31248" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] El Angel directed by Luis Ortega[/caption] Eighty-seven countries have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 91st Academy Awards. Malawi and Niger are first-time entrants. Nominations for the 91st Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 22, 2019. The 91st Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 24, 2019, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide. The 2018 submissions are: Afghanistan, “Rona Azim’s Mother,” Jamshid Mahmoudi, director; Algeria, “Until the End of Time,” Yasmine Chouikh, director; Argentina, “El Ángel,” Luis Ortega, director; Armenia, “Spitak,” Alexander Kott, director; Australia, “Jirga,” Benjamin Gilmour, director; Austria, “The Waldheim Waltz,” Ruth Beckermann, director; Bangladesh, “No Bed of Roses,” Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, director; Belarus, “Crystal Swan,” Darya Zhuk, director; Belgium, “Girl,” Lukas Dhont, director; Bolivia, “The Goalkeeper,” Rodrigo “Gory” Patiño, director; Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Never Leave Me,” Aida Begić, director; Brazil, “The Great Mystical Circus,” Carlos Diegues, director; Bulgaria, “Omnipresent,” Ilian Djevelekov, director; Cambodia, “Graves without a Name,” Rithy Panh, director; Canada, “Family Ties,” Sophie Dupuis, director; Chile, “…And Suddenly the Dawn,” Silvio Caiozzi, director; China, “Hidden Man,” Jiang Wen, director; Colombia, “Birds of Passage,” Cristina Gallego, Ciro Guerra, directors; Costa Rica, “Medea,” Alexandra Latishev, director; Croatia, “The Eighth Commissioner,” Ivan Salaj, director; Czech Republic, “Winter Flies,” Olmo Omerzu, director; Denmark, “The Guilty,” Gustav Möller, director; Dominican Republic, “Cocote,” Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias, director; Ecuador, “A Son of Man,” Jamaicanoproblem, director; Egypt, “Yomeddine,” A.B. Shawky, director; Estonia, “Take It or Leave It,” Liina Trishkina-Vanhatalo, director; Finland, “Euthanizer,” Teemu Nikki, director; France, “Memoir of War,” Emmanuel Finkiel, director; Georgia, “Namme,” Zaza Khalvashi, director; Germany, “Never Look Away,” Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, director; Greece, “Polyxeni,” Dora Masklavanou, director; Hong Kong, “Operation Red Sea,” Dante Lam, director; Hungary, “Sunset,” László Nemes, director; Iceland, “Woman at War,” Benedikt Erlingsson, director; India, “Village Rockstars,” Rima Das, director; Indonesia, “Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts,” Mouly Surya, director; Iran, “No Date, No Signature,” Vahid Jalilvand, director; Iraq, “The Journey,” Mohamed Jabarah Al-Daradji, director; Israel, “The Cakemaker,” Ofir Raul Graizer, director; Italy, “Dogman,” Matteo Garrone, director; Japan, “Shoplifters,” Hirokazu Kore-eda, director; Kazakhstan, “Ayka,” Sergey Dvortsevoy, director; Kenya, “Supa Modo,” Likarion Wainaina, director; Kosovo, “The Marriage,” Blerta Zeqiri, director; Latvia, “To Be Continued,” Ivars Seleckis, director; Lebanon, “Capernaum,” Nadine Labaki, director; Lithuania, “Wonderful Losers: A Different World,” Arunas Matelis, director; Luxembourg, “Gutland,” Govinda Van Maele, director; Macedonia, “Secret Ingredient,” Gjorce Stavreski, director; Malawi, “The Road to Sunrise,” Shemu Joyah, director; Mexico, “Roma,” Alfonso Cuarón, director; Montenegro, “Iskra,” Gojko Berkuljan, director; Morocco, “Burnout,” Nour-Eddine Lakhmari, director; Nepal, “Panchayat,” Shivam Adhikari, director; Netherlands, “The Resistance Banker,” Joram Lürsen, director; New Zealand, “Yellow Is Forbidden,” Pietra Brettkelly, director; Niger, “The Wedding Ring,” Rahmatou Keïta, director; Norway, “What Will People Say,” Iram Haq, director; Pakistan, “Cake,” Asim Abbasi, director; Palestine, “Ghost Hunting,” Raed Andoni, director; Panama, “Ruben Blades Is Not My Name,” Abner Benaim, director; Paraguay, “The Heiresses,” Marcelo Martinessi, director; Peru, “Eternity,” Oscar Catacora, director; Philippines, “Signal Rock,” Chito S. Roño, director; Poland, “Cold War,” Pawel Pawlikowski, director; Portugal, “Pilgrimage,” João Botelho, director; Romania, “I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians,” Radu Jude, director; Russia, “Sobibor,” Konstantin Khabensky, director; Serbia, “Offenders,” Dejan Zecevic, director; Singapore, “Buffalo Boys,” Mike Wiluan, director; Slovakia, “The Interpreter,” Martin Šulík, director; Slovenia, “Ivan,” Janez Burger, director; South Africa, “Sew the Winter to My Skin,” Jahmil X.T. Qubeka, director; South Korea, “Burning,” Lee Chang-dong, director; Spain, “Champions,” Javier Fesser, director; Sweden, “Border,” Ali Abbasi, director; Switzerland, “Eldorado,” Markus Imhoof, director; Taiwan, “The Great Buddha+,” Hsin-Yao Huang, director; Thailand, “Malila The Farewell Flower,” Anucha Boonyawatana, director; Tunisia, “Beauty and the Dogs,” Kaouther Ben Hania, director; Turkey, “The Wild Pear Tree,” Nuri Bilge Ceylan, director; Ukraine, “Donbass,” Sergei Loznitsa, director; United Kingdom, “I Am Not a Witch,” Rungano Nyoni, director; Uruguay, “Twelve-Year Night,” Álvaro Brechner, director; Venezuela, “The Family,” Gustavo Rondón Córdova, director; Vietnam, “The Tailor,” Buu Loc Tran, Kay Nguyen, directors; Yemen, “10 Days before the Wedding,” Amr Gamal, director.
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Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival Announces Complete 2018 Lineup

[caption id="attachment_26747" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Forrest Goodluck, Sasha Lane and Chloë Grace Moretz appear in The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Desiree Akhavan.[/caption] The 2018 Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival, taking place July 12-22, 2018, announce the complete programming lineup, with two thirds of this year’s content directed by women, people of color and trans filmmakers. As previously announced, the 2018 Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival opens at the Orpheum Theatre with Kino Lorber’s “Studio 54,” Matt Tyrnauer’s vibrantly nostalgic documentary; and closes with FilmRise’s “The Miseducation of Cameron Post,” Desiree Akhavan’s Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner starring Chloë Grace Moretz. The festival features five world premieres including the deeply felt film from Taiwan, “Bao Bao”; “Bright Colors and Bold Patterns” directed by Michael Urie with a hilarious performance from Drew Droege; Laura Madalinski’s “Two in the Bush: A Love Story” a polyamorous love story; Jamie Patterson’s new feature film “Tucked” about two drag performers connecting across generations; and “Room to Grow” a documentary looking at the lives of queer teenagers today. As well as North American and US Premieres, “Eva & Candela,” “Sodom,” “Canary,” “Cola De Mono,” and “Daddy Issues.” Outfest Los Angeles’ documentary section shines a light on UNSUNG communities, including Alina Skrzesewska’s “Game Girls” which follows a couple as they struggle to navigate life in Los Angeles’ Skid Row, to the much anticipated SXSW Audience Award winner “Transmilitary” about those fighting for an equal chance to service their country. The proactive experimental film section, Platinum, continues to highlight boundary-pushing work with Myyki Blanco and SSION teaming up to create a new short film “No Leash” and a feature documentary by performance artist, Narcissister, in “Narcissister Organ Player.” The infamous Alchemy Party returns, this year at Navel, with 13 performers including Dorian Electra, Saturn Rising, and Slather Factory’s Bebe Huxley, and The Uhuruverse who will stretch your musical imagination. The 2018 Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival will also return to The Ford Theatres. These screenings will kick off on July 18 with a screening of “Bad Reputation,” a documentary about Joan Jett; then Documentary Centerpiece, “When the Beat Drops,” followed by “Postcards from London” and concluding with “Wild Nights with Emily” featuring Molly Shannon. The Closing Night Gala “The Miseducation of Cameron Post” will screen at The Theatre at Ace Hotel. Special events include the 2nd Annual Trans Summit with Oscar nominated and Emmy Award-winning director and producer Yance Ford as the keynote speaker; the Focus On Taiwan event showcasing a collection of Taiwanese films including “Bao Bao” and “Alifu, The Prince/ss”; free screenings of films “Believer,” a documentary from Imagine Dragons frontman, Dan Reynolds, “They,” a family drama from director Anahita Ghazvinizadeh and Showtime’s “Beyond The Opposite Sex”, the long-awaited sequel to groundbreaking film, “The Opposite Sex.” Lastly, OutSet: The Young Filmmakers Project from Los Angeles LGBT Center and Outfest, will be premiering five new shorts on Sunday, July 22nd. Now in its sixth year, the OutSet program empowers youth ages 16-24 to share their stories though film.
2018 OUTFEST LOS ANGELES LGBT FILM FESTIVAL LINE-UP

GALA FILMS:
STUDIO 54 – Opening Night Gala Dir: Matt Tyrnauer, USA, 2018, 98 min OUR FUTURE ENDS – Platinum Centerpiece, Co-Presented by Some Serious Business Dir: Clement Hil Goldberg, USA, 2018, 50 min WE THE ANIMALS – U.S. Centerpiece Dir: Jeremiah Zagar, USA, 2018, 93 min REINVENTING MARVIN – International Centerpiece Dir: Anne Fontaine, France, 2017, 115 min WHEN THE BEAT DROPS – Documentary Centerpiece Dir: Jamal Sims, USA, 2018, 87 min THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST – Closing Night Gala Dir: Desiree Akhavan, USA, 2018, 90 min
DRAMATIC FEATURES
1985 Dir: Yen Tan, USA, 2018, 85 min ANCHOR AND HOPE Dir: Carlos Marques-Marcet, Spain, 2017, 113 min BITTER MELON Dir: H.P. Mendoza, USA, 2018, 100 min BRIGHT COLORS AND BOLD PATTERNS – World Premiere Dir: Michael Urie (For the Stage) & David Horn (For the Screen), USA, 2018, 89 min CANARY (KANARIE) – North American Premiere Dir: Christiaan Olwagen, South Africa, 2018, 120 min COLA DE MONO – US Premiere Dir: Alberto Fuguet, Chile, 2017, 102 min CUERNAVACA Dir: Alejandro Andrade Pease, Mexico, 2017, 89 min DADDY ISSUES – US Premiere Dir: Amara Cash, USA, 2018, 88 min EVA & CANDELA (¿CÓMO TE LLAMAS?) – North American Premiere Dir: Ruth Caudeli, Colombia, 2018, 90 min EVENING SHADOWS Dir: Sridhar Rangayan, India, 2018, 102 min HARD PAINT (TINTA BRUTA) Dir: Filipe Matzembacher & Marcio Reolon, Brazil, 2018, 118 min I MISS YOU WHEN I SEE YOU Dir: Simon Chung, Hong Kong, 2018, 93 min MALILA: THE FAREWELL FLOWER Dir: Anucha Boonyawatana, Thailand, 2017, 96 min MAPPLETHORPE Dir: Ondi Timoner, USA, 2018, 102 min MONTANA Dir: Limor Shmila, Israel, 2017, 79 min PORCUPINE LAKE Dir: Ingrid Veninger, Canada, 2017, 84 min POSTCARDS FROM LONDON Dir: Steve McLean, United Kingdom, 2018, 87 min RIOT Dir: Jeffrey Walker, Australia, 2017, 106 min SKATE KITCHEN Dir: Crystal Moselle, USA, 2018, 105 min SODOM – North American Premiere Dir: Mark Wilshin, United Kingdom, 2017, 94 min THAT NIGHT OF NOVEMBER (NOVE DE NOVEMBRO) Dir: Lázaro Louzao, Spain, 2018, 84 min TUCKED – World Premiere Dir: Jamie Patterson, United Kingdom, 2017, 80 min TWO IN THE BUSH: A LOVE STORY – World Premiere Dir: Laura Madalinski, USA, 2017, 97 min WILD NIGHTS WITH EMILY Dir: Madeleine Olnek, USA, 2018, 84 min
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
BAD REPUTATION Dir: Kevin Kerslake, USA, 2018, 98 min CALL HER GANDA Dir: PJ Raval, Philippines/USA, 2018, 93 min CONVERSATIONS WITH GAY ELDERS: KERBY LAUDERDALE Dir: David Weissman, USA, 2017, 69 min DYKES, CAMERA, ACTION! Dir: Caroline Berler, USA, 2018, 58 min EVERY ACT OF LIFE Dir: Jeff Kaufman, USA, 2017, 92 min GAME GIRLS Dir: Alina Skrzeszewska, France/Germany, 2018, 90 min GOSPEL OF EUREKA Dir: Michael Palmieri & Donal Mosher, USA, 2018, 75 min THE ICE KING Dir: James Erskine, United Kingdom, 2018, 89 min LEITIS IN WAITING Dir: Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson & Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Tonga/USA, 2018, 72 min LOOKING FOR? Dir: Tung-Yen Chou, Taiwan, 2017, 60 min MAN MADE Dir: T Cooper, USA, 2018, 97 min MR. GAY SYRIA Dir: Ay?e Toprak, Turkey/France/Germany, 2017, 87 min ROOM TO GROW (World Premiere) Dir: Matt Alber & Jon Garcia, USA, 2018, 89 min SCOTTY AND THE SECRET HISTORY OF HOLLYWOOD Dir: Matt Tyrnauer, USA, 2017, 98 min SHAKEDOWN Dir: Leilah Weinraub, USA, 2018, 82 min TRANSMILITARY Dir: Gabriel Silverman & Fiona Dawson, USA, 2018, 93 min
EPISODIC PROGRAMS
BONDING Created by: Rightor Doyle, USA, 2018, 108 min Two high school BFFS reunite and find they’re different as adults: he’s a newly-out gay man and she’s a dominatrix who’s going to tie him into her UNDERGROUND world of BDSM. VIDA Created by: Tanya Saracho, USA, 2018, 30 min “Vida” is a new Starz Original series about two Mexican-American sisters from the Eastside of Los Angeles who couldn’t be more different or distanced from each other. Circumstances force them to return to their old neighborhood, where they are confronted by the past and surprising truth about their mother’s identity. STRANGERS & FÉMININ/FÉMININ Created by: Mia Lidofsky (Strangers), USA, 2017, 52 min Created by: Chloé Robichaud & Florence Gagnon (Féminin/Féminin), Canada, 2017, 43 min Queer women are finding love and themselves in the second seasons of two of our favorite series from either side of the US/Canada border.
EPISODIC SHOWCASE
From the gay mafia to polyamory to queer and trans realities, this sampler of seven new independent series contemplates where our LGBTQ identities intersect, and how we can move forward together as a movement. RILEY PARRA Created by: Christin Baker, USA, 2018, 48 min Lesbian detective Riley discovers the city’s mean streets are actually a centuries-old battleground between angels and demons. THE FINDING HOME SERIES: LGBT IMMIGRANTS & ASYLUM SEEKERS Dir. Abraham Troen, USA, 2017, 63 min Explore the journeys of three queer immigrants in L.A. who have escaped persecution and violence in their native countries.
PLATINUM SECTION: EXPERIMENTAL FILMS & LIVE EVENTS
THE WILD BOYS (LES GARÇONS SAUVAGES) Dir: Bertrand Mandico, France, 2017, 110 min NARCISSISTER ORGAN PLAYER Dir: Narcissister, USA, 2017, 91 min BIXA TRAVESTY Dir: Claudia Priscilla & Kiko Goifman, Brazil, 2018, 75 min
SHORTS SHOWCASE
Dir: Multiple, UK, USA, Mexico, Canada, 2018, 100 min ALCHEMY PARTY Bae Bae, Bebe Huxley, Dorian Electra, London Jade, Lulo, Luna Lovebad, Mood Killer, Weston Allen, The Uhuruverse, Narcissister, Nebulae Cult, Saturn Rising
SPECIAL EVENTS
THEY Dir. Anahita Ghazvinizadeh, USA, 2017, 81 min After two years of taking hormone blockers to postpone puberty, a non-binary 14-year-old considers whether to transition and where to find their place in the world. BEYOND THE OPPOSITE SEX sponsored by Showtime Networks Dir. Emily Abt & Bruce Hensel, USA, 2018, 89 min In this sequel to Showtime’s The Opposite Sex, Rene and Jamie find that LIFE AFTER gender confirmation surgery comes with its own set of challenges. THE CARMILLA MOVIE sponsored by Shaftesbury Dir. Spencer Maybee, Canada, 2018, 94 min Laura and Carmilla’s domestic bliss is threatened by an unknown evil forcing the “Scooby gang” to team up once more to save their humanity. PROFESSOR MARSTON AND THE WONDER WOMEN sponsored by Annapurna Pictures Dir: Angela Robinson, USA, 2017, 108 min Angela Robinson introduces her latest feature about what inspired Harvard psychologist Dr. Marston (Luke Evans) to create the iconic Wonder Woman character. ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: THE DARE PROJECT & CLAY FARMERS Dir: Adam Salky, USA, 2005 & 2018, 33 min Revisit two Outfest classics, including the story of a gay theatre kid and a curious jock reconnecting as adults, and the 30-year anniversary of a moving rural drama reminiscent of Brokeback Mountain. THE ADVOCATE CELEBRATES 50 YEARS: A LONG ROAD TO FREEDOM sponsored by here TV & The Advocate Dir: William Clift, USA, 2018, 105 min Over the course of five decades, The Advocate has reported the breaking news and ongoing challenges of the LGBTQ community. BELIEVER sponsored by HBO Dir. Don Argott, USA, 2018, 101 min Imagine Dragons’ frontman Dan Reynolds makes it his mission to foster acceptance toward LGBTQ members of the Mormon Church by crafting an unforgettable rock festival. ALONE IN THE GAME sponsored by AT&T Entertainment Group Dir. Natalie Metzger & Michael Rohrbaugh, USA, 2018, 95 min This documentary chronicles the challenges and triumphs of LGBTQ athletes in sports today, featuring Robbie Rogers, Gus Kenworthy, Layana White and Megan Rapinoe. BAO BAO – World Premiere – sponsored by Taiwan Academy & Taiwan Ministry of Culture Dir. Guang-cheng Shie, Taiwan, 2018, 97 min A married lesbian couple’s relationship is challenged after one of the women promises their unborn child to another couple. ALIFU, THE PRINCE/SS sponsored by Taiwan Academy & Taiwan Ministry of Culture Dir. Wang Yu-Lin, Taiwan, 2017, 91 min The intersection of several individuals in present-day Taiwan creates a colorful tapestry of LGBTQ lives, including Alifu, a young hairdresser who longs for a sex-change operation. QUEEROES Jill Soloway, Lena Waithe and Tanya Saracho introduce an innovative new mentorship model to elevate queer, trans and POC storytelling. ONE MINUTE MOVIE CONTEST A selection of the work submitted to this year’s Outfest Fusion One Minute Movie Contest, on the topic of Keeping Silent / Speaking Truth. AIDS DIVA: THE LEGEND OF CONNIE NORMAN (Sneak Preview) Dir. Dante Alencastre, USA, 2018, 45 min Seizing her power as she confronts her mortality, trailblazing trans activist Connie Norman evolves as an irrepressible, challenging and soulful voice for the AIDS and queer communities of early 90’s Los Angeles.
Panels & Workshops:
MAKE THEM HEAR YOU: THE TRUTH ABOUT CONTENT BY & FOR LGBTQ+ WOMEN Sponsored by AT&T Hello Lab LGBTQ+ women have been at the forefront of many movements throughout history. However, in Hollywood, queer women remain the least represented community in front of and behind the camera. This discussion will explore the past, present, and future LGBTQ+ women in entertainment, bringing together trailblazers who are leading the charge for a more inclusive and multi-dimensional landscape. TRANS SUMMIT Whether you’re an actor, artist, activist or academic, you’re welcomed here. The afternoon will begin with our Academy Award-nominated keynote speaker Yance Ford (Strong Island), followed by three compelling case studies focused on specific areas of need in media representation. THE ROOM will then come together for an unedited, organic, and dynamic conversation about issues relating to the trans and non-binary experience, moderated by the LA Times’ award-winning reporter Tre’vell Anderson. BI IN THE BIZ sponsored by SAG-AFTRA and SAGIndie While the L, G and T communities have made great strides toward visibility in the culture, the B’s still remain relatively hidden, even in the entertainment industry. This panel will feature out bisexual actors and entertainment industry professionals discussing the specific challenges and opportunities for film, TV and online performers who identify as such. Break out of the bi closet as we explore the politics and the pragmatism of actors living out in the open. THE NEW AIDS NARRATIVE PANEL Nearly 30 years since the first films about the HIV/AIDS epidemic hit the big screen, a new wave of scripted dramas is emerging. Join Outfest and GLAAD for a discussion of the history of HIV/AIDS representation in cinema, and what the arrival of films like BPM (Beats Per Minute), 1985 and Bohemian Rhapsodymeans with regards to telling HIV/AIDS stories to a new generation.
OUTFEST FORWARD
SCREENWRITING LAB: LIVE READING Outfest’s annual live reading of scenes from the five scripts chosen for the 2018 Outfest Screenwriting Lab.
OUTSET SHORTS SCREENING
VICTORY BOULEVARD Dir/Scr: Jonny Alvarez, Producer: Ash Lavacca, Production Designers: Tristin Brown & Juliet Delgado, Mentor: Henry Alberto BLESS THE USA Dir/Scr: Sebastian Vergara, Co-Dir/Producer: Anthony Rizo, Production Design Mentor: Haharhel Valencia, Mentor: Marcos Davalos SIGNOURNEY WEAVER Dir/Scr: Andrea Ngeleka, Producer: Tiffany Patterson, Production Designer: Hesed Kim, Mentors: Doendray Gossfield & Quincy LeNear Gossfield THE CURSE Dir/Scr: Dave Berenato, Producer: Moira McFadden, Production Designer: Juliet Delgado, Mentors: Coley Sohn & Leanna Creel FLAMERS:BOTTOMS IN A BRUSHFIRE Dir/Scr: Capucine Berney, Producer: Alfredo Hernandez, Production Designer: Tristin Brown, Mentor: Assaad Yacoub.
OUTFEST UCLA LEGACY PROJECT
BUDDIES Dir: Arthur J. Bressan Jr., USA, 1985, 81 min DUCK SEASON (TEMPORADA DE PATOS) Dir: Fernando Eimbcke, Mexico, 2004, 90 min SHOPPING FOR FANGS Dir: Quentin Lee & Justin Lin, USA, 1997, 90 min SHOW ME LOVE (FUCKING ÅMÅL) Dir. Lukas Moodysson, Sweden, 1998, 89 min
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10 Asian Films Nominated for Busan International Film Festival 1st Kim Jiseok Award

[caption id="attachment_24686" align="aligncenter" width="905"] Ash l LI Xiaofeng[/caption] The 22nd Busan International Film Festival has selected 10 official candidates for Kim Ji-seok Award. The Busan International Film Festival newly established the ‘Kim Ji-seok Award’ to honor the late Kim Ji-seok who passed away earlier this year after devoting his life’s career to discovering young Asian directors and supporting the growth of Asian cinema. Unlike the New Currents section introducing the first or second film of up-and-coming Asian directors, Kim Jiseok Award nominees are selected from films produced by active and skilled Asian directors. Among 10 world premiere films in A Window on Asian Cinema, the section for new films of Asian directors and most-talked films, 2 finalists will be chosen through the jury’s examination and awarded 10,000 USD each. Kim Jiseok Award is to remember Kim Ji-seok, one of the founding members of the Busan International Film Festival and one of its first Program Directors who dedicated himself to fostering new Asian films and encouraging up-and-coming Asian directors for over 20 years, as well as a leading individual who worked hard to establish the festival identity as the hub of Asian cinema. To preserve the meaning of the Award, Kim Jiseok Award Jury consists of Asian film professionals who maintained close relationship with the late program director and contributed to the globalization of Asian cinema. Film critics Tony Rayns, Darcy Paquet and a representative Indonesian filmmaker Garin Nugroho will serve as first jurors for the Kim Jiseok Award at the 22nd Busan International Film Festival. The 22nd Busan International Film Festival will be held from October 12, 2017 to October 21, 2017. 2017 Kim Jiseok Award Nominees (Title in Alphabetical order) Ash l LI Xiaofeng A medical student, a steelworker, and two murders. Two men reemerge a decade after a young police investigator fails to solve the case, one a success and one saddled with miseries. Unable to leave the past behind, the group of men head towards redemption—or damnation. The Bold, The Corrupt And The Beautiful l YANG Ya-Che An ambitious businesswoman who is trying to play the government and industry off each other for personal gain finds herself in trouble after an ingenious plan backfires, leading to murder, and becomes a deadly catalyst that could destroy the life and family she set out to protect. The Carousel Never Stops Turning l Ismail BASBETH About a man who never forgets his late wife, newlyweds at a zoo, three girls who travel across the countryside, a prostitute who contemplates her escape, a woman who seeks her mother’s murderer, two farmers who protest against the eviction done by the government, and about a car that witnesses everything. Goodbye Kathmandu l Nabin SUBBA Nepal’s brutal civil war wages on during the winter of 2004, three separate characters look for success, identity and love in Kathmandu during a historic upheaval. Amar returns from the US to start a business. Mangal is torn between tradition and rock music, while Robin is pressured to join the Gurkhas. In the Shadows l Dipesh JAIN Is Khuddoos trapped within old Delhi’s city walls, in his own mind, or both? That’s the central question in this psychological thriller, in which a lonely man obsesses over the people he watches on hidden cameras, and a boy he fears is in danger. Malila: The Farewell Flower l Anucha BOONYAWATANA Former lovers Shane and Pich navigate a break-up, a wife, child, death, and a terminal illness to reunite, separate and reunite in one final transcendent time. Malila is a film about healing, acceptance, guilt, forgiveness, and the ability to understand life’s uncertainties. The Scythian Lamb l YOSHIDA Daihachi A government-sponsored program brings six strangers to Uobuka, a small town by the sea. Tsukisue is the pleasant and efficient city official who is in charge of the program. A body is discovered after Tsukisue learns the shocking truth. Silent Mist l ZHANG Miaoyan Danger lurks in the fog that hovers over the winding paths of a canal town in modern-day Southern China. Mysterious incidents occur after an old man arrives. At night a rapist seeks his prey while in daylight a wealthy businessman threatens humble shopkeepers. Smaller and Smaller Circles l Raya MARTIN When a dead boy from a poor community is found on a trash heap, nobody cares to notice. Forensic specialist Father Gus Saenz investigates as more pre-teen bodies turn up in a Manilla dump site. Based on an award-winning Filipino novel. Wilderness l KISHI Yoshiyuki Shinjuku in 2021 is the wilderness, where Shinji, an abandoned child, and Clipper, from an abusive home, hone their boxing skills as a way to find their identities. Opposites except for their shared loneliness, the two ultimately make a connection in the ring.
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