2022 Outfest L.A. To Open With World Premiere Of Billy Porter’s ‘Anything’s Possible,’ Will Close With World Premiere Of John Logan’s ‘They/Them’

2022 Outfest L.A. To Open With World Premiere Of Billy Porter’s ‘Anything’s Possible,’ Will Close With World Premiere Of John Logan’s ‘They/Them’

06/09/2022

Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival today announced a star-studded lineup of galas and centerpiece events that will punctuate its 40th anniversary, which will be celebrated from July 14-24 in venues around Los Angeles.

The 11-day festival will kick off at downtown L.A.’s Orpheum Theatre with the world premiere of Grammy-, Emmy- and Tony Award-winning artist Billy Porter’s directorial debut, Anything’s Possible. The Prime Video Original is an uplifting teenage romance about an unflappable trans girl and a charming cis boy navigating a senior year relationship. Porter will be present at the event to receive the 2022 Outfest Annual Achievement Award.

The festival will close at The Theater at the Ace Hotel on July 24 with the world premiere of Oscar-nominated screenwriter John Logan’s directorial debut, They/Them. The Blumhouse Production, to be released by Peacock, is a horror film set at an LGBTQIA+ conversion camp, in which the young residents band together against their counselors as an unidentified killer begins claiming victims.

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“What better way to celebrate our 40th year of Outfest L.A. than to honor Billy Porter at our Opening Night with his incredible directorial debut,” said Outfest Executive Director Damien S. Navarro. “We’re excited to host audiences and fans across the city to celebrate just how far queer cinema and entertainment have come. The body of work we have curated from nearly every continent increasingly represents adventurous styles and genres – from vibrant romantic comedies, where the trans lead gets the boy, to horror films that balance the scares and the sexy.”

The Platinum section of the festival, which showcases the bold innovators and cutting edge creators of experimental LGBTQ media and performance and celebrates the adventurous renegades of queer culture, will present two inaugural awards. The Platinum Maverick Award will be presented to Clive Barker while bounce artist and filmmaker Big Freedia will be presented with the Platinum Alchemy Maverick Award. The honors acknowledge their artistry and social justice work through their filmmaking.

OPENING NIGHT GALA
Anything’s Possible
dir. Billy Porter
Porter, producer Christine Vachon and castmembers Eva Reign, Abubakr Ali, Simone Joy Jones, Kelly Lamor Wilson and Broadway legend Renée Elise Goldsberry will be on hand.

CLOSING NIGHT GALA
They/Them
dir. John Logan
Logan and castmembers Kevin Bacon, Theo Germaine, Quei Tann, Carrie Preston, Anna Chlumsky and Austin Crute will attend.

LEGACY CENTERPIECE
Far From Heaven
dir. Todd Haynes
Haynes, producer Christine Vachon and star Julianne Moore will be on hand for a Q&A

U.S. CENTERPIECE
Unidentified Objects
dir. Juan Felipe Zuleta
Zuleta, actors Matthew Jeffers and Sarah Hay to appear in person

DOCUMENTARY CENTERPIECE
Mama Bears
dir. Daresha Kyi
Kyi and the leadership of the Mama Bears organization to attend

PLATINUM CENTERPIECE
HeBGB TV
dirs. Jake McClellan, Adam Lenhart, Eric Griffin
The screening will feature a spooky, live-action immersive experience.

The full Outfest Los Angeles 2022 LGBTQ+ Film Festival lineup will be released in the coming weeks. For more information or tickets, visit OutfestLA.org

Outfest Los Angeles 2022 is presented by Warner Bros. Discovery and IMDb; premiere and day sponsors include AARP, Amazon Studios, Ammo Creative, CAA, Comcast NBCUniversal, Gilead, and The Fight Magazine; and media sponsors include ABC7 Los Angeles, Clear Channel Outdoor, Edge Media, KCET/PBS SoCal, Pride Media, Queerty, Rainbow Media, The Los Angeles Blade, Autostraddle and Variety.

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