Out On Film Announces 2017 Festival Line-Up

Out On Film, Atlanta's LGBT film festival, has announced its programming for Out On Film 30, the 30th annual LGBT film festival.

The event will take place September 28 - October 8 at Landmark's Midtown Art Cinema, Out Front Theatre Company and the Plaza Theatre. Festival passes, three-pack and five-pack tickets and individual tickets are available now.

"This is an exceptional, wide-ranging year for LGBT cinema," says Out On Film festival director Jim Farmer. "This is, by far, our biggest festival to date in terms of the number of films we are showing, the most diverse slate we've ever presented and the most venues. We are excited to share our programming."

More than 120 features films, documentaries, short films and web series will be shown.

The opening night film is the LGBT film festival debut of Michael Patrick McKinley's "Happy: A Small Film with a Big Heart." Michael Patrick McKinley's charming documentary is a survivor's story and a hero's journey. The film stars Augusta, GA native (and former Atlantan) Leonard "Porkchop" Zimmerman, a visual artist who - after losing his partner and suffering a battle with grief and depression - began using his own artistic process as a therapeutic vehicle for making his way out of the darkest of places. And the by-product of his inspiring journey is a vibrant, emotionally evocative body of work that resonates with people of all ages and cultural backgrounds as Leonard's HAPPY campaign continues to canvas the globe one smile at a time.

"We looked long and hard for the perfect opening night film and we found it in our backyard," says Jim Farmer, Out On Film's festival director. "Leonard's story is inspirational and heart-warming. With all the negativity and uncertainty in the world now, the feel-good aesthetic of the film is a perfect tonic." Star Leonard Zimmerman and director Michael Patrick McKinley will be present at the screening.

The closing night film will be Damon Cardasis' "Saturday Church," which has been described as a mixture of "Moonlight' and "La La Land." A 14-year-old boy, struggling with gender identity and religion, begins to use fantasy to escape his life in the inner city and find his passion in the process. Star Luka Kain will be the closing night guest.

Other highlights include Trudie Styler's "Freak Show," about a boldy confident, wildly eccentric teenager who faces intolerance and persecution at his ultra conservative high school - and decides to fight back on behalf of all the misunderstood freaks of the world by running for the title of homecoming queen. The film stars Alex Lawther, Laverne Cox, Abigail Breslin and Bette Midler.

Vincent Gagliostro's "After Louie" stars Alan Cumming (in a bravura performance) as an AIDS activist and member of ACT UP in the 1980s and 90s who witnessed the deaths of too many friends and lovers but who finds an unexpected intimacy with a much younger man (Zachary Booth).

Tom Gustafon's "Hello Again" is a film adaptation of LaChiusa's celebrated musical, originally based on Schnitzler's play 'La Ronde," about 10 lost souls who slip in and out of one another's arms in a daisy-chained musical exploration of love's bittersweet embrace.

"Hello Again" boasts an amazing cast - Martha Plimpton, Audra McDonald, Cheyenne Jackson, T.R. Knight, Rumer Willis, Sam Underwood, Jenna Ushknwitz, Tyler Blackburn, Al Calderon, and Nolan Gerard Funk.

Francis Lee's "God's Own Country," an award winner at Sundance earlier this year, deals with farmer Johnny Saxby, who numbs his daily frustrations with binge drinking and casual sex, until the arrival of a Romanian migrant worker for lambing season ignites an intense relationship that sets Johnny on a new path.

Darren Thornton's "A Date For Mad Mary" is the story of a young woman who returns to her home in Ireland after a short time in prison - and tries to find a date for her best friend's upcoming wedding.

Jennifer Reeder's SXSW smash "Signature Move" stars Fawzia Mirza as a Pakistani, Muslim lawyer living in Chicago who begins a new romance with a confident Mexican-American woman, while her mother searches for a potential husband for her.

Ben Williams' "The Pass" stars Russell Tovey and Arinze Kene as teenage friends who have been in the Academy of a famous London football club since they were eight years old and share an unexpected kiss the night before their first-ever game that changes their lives forever.

David Berry's "Something Like Summer," based on the Lambda Literary Award nominated novel, traces the tumultuous relationship of Ben and Tim, secret high school sweethearts who grow over the years into adulthood enemies and complicated friends.

Award-winning filmmaker Dome Karukoski brings to screen the life and work of one of the most influential and celebrated figures of twentieth century gay culture in "Tom of Finland." Touko Laaksonen, a decorated officer, returns home after a harrowing and heroic experience serving his country in World War II, but life in Finland during peacetime proves equally distressing. He finds peace-time Helsinki rampant with persecution of the homosexuals around and men are even being pressured to marry women and have children. Touko finds refuge in the liberating art, specializing in homoerotic drawings of muscular men, free of inhibition.

In Albert Alarr's "A Million Happy Nows," a veteran soap opera star retires to a beach house with her publicist and partner, but her early onset Alzheimer's will strain the couple's relationship until they find the strength to redefine themselves and what they mean to one another.

Shaz Bennett's "Alaska is a Drag" finds an aspiring drag superstar stuck working in a fish cannery in Alaska. He and his twin sister are trapped in the monotony of fist fights and fish guts. Out of necessity, Leo learned to fight back, which catches the attention of the local boxing coach. When a new boy moves to town and wants to be his sparring partner, Leo has to face the real reason he's stuck in Alaska. Margaret Cho co-stars as the owner of the local gay bar.

Other features include John Butler's crowd-pleasing "Handsome Devil," Stephen Cone's character drama "Princess Cyd," John Trengove's haunting "The Wound," Joe Ahearne's suspense thriller "B&B," Pouria Heidary Oureh's excellent "Apricot Groves," Will Sullivan's marriage-themed drama "The Ring Thing," Savannah Bloch's dramatic, excellently acted "And Then There Was Eve," Pouria Heidary Oureh's coming of age comedy drama "Screwed," Rob Williams' romantic drama "Happy Adjacent," Ernesto Contreras' international sensation "I Dream in Another Language," Melissa Finnell's comedic "Sensitivity Training," and Roberto Perez Toledo's sexy and sweet "Like Foam."

Out On Film's embrace of documentaries continues with the likes of Jennifer Kroot's intoxicating "The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin," about the San Francisco writer who hails from the South; "The Fabulous Allan Carr," Jeffrey Schwarz's affectionate look at the ups ("Grease") and downs ("Can't Stop the Music," the 1989 Academy Awards) of producer Carr's career; David France's remarkable "The Death and Life of Marsha O. Johnson," about the mysterious passing of the transgender pioneer; Katherine Fairfax Wright's "Behind the Curtain: Todrick Hall," charting the meteoric rise of the "American Idol" contestant, "Kinky Boots" Broadway performer and creator of his own musical, "Straight Outta Oz"; Catherine Gund and Daresha Kyi's extraordinary "Chavela," about the legendary singer Chavela Vargas; Cristina Herrera Borquez's beautiful ode to marriage equality, "No Dress Code Required"; Yony Leyser's enthralling "Queercore: How to Punk a Revolution"; Gail Freedman's engaging ballroom dance documentary "Hot to Trot"; Bobbi Jo Hart's "Rebels On Pointe," about the Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo - the all-male, drag ballet company founded over 40 years ago on the heels of New York's Stonewall riots; Carolyn Sherer's "Alabama Bound," about the roller-coaster tide of being gay in the South over the last decade, as two lesbian families fight the courts for their children through 2015 - as federal equality comes to a head and the politically-ambitious Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice leads the change to reject the federal government; Monet Allard-Wilcox's "Stilettos for Shanghai," in which the Sisters of Perpetual indulgence of San Francisco - including Sister Roma Roma - make a trip to Shanghai for a Pride celebration; and Sandy Chronopoulos' "House of Z," a look at the rise and fall and rise again of designer Zac Posen.

Last year Out On Film presented its first Icon Award to director Randal Kleiser, and this year will present the second annual award to Jeffrey Schwarz. Known for his excellent documentaries such as "Spine Tingler! the William Castle Story," the Emmy Award-winning "Vito," "I Am Divine," and " Tab Hunter Confidential," Schwarz will be on hand to accept the award and to conduct a Q and A after the screening of "The Fabulous Allan Carr."

Special events include "Three Decades of Queer Atlanta - The American Music Show," curated by Matthew Terrell. During the '80s, '90s, and early 2000s, Dick Richards, along with Potsy Duncan, James Bond, and Bud Lowry, provided a safe space on Atlanta cable television for alternative artists-too alternative for the alternative scene-to promote their careers and have fun doing it. "The American Music Show" gave the world the first peek of the likes of RuPaul, back when she was just starting out in the underground clubs in Atlanta.

As well, in celebration of the 60th birthday of master director Marlon Riggs, Out On Film will be screening Riggs' last film, "Black is... Black Ain't."

Out On Film will be teaming with the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival to present a screening of Josh Howard's excellent, timely documentary "The Lavender Scare" on September 14 at the Midtown Art Cinema.

*Local flavor includes "Happy: A Small Film With a Big Smile," Daresha Kyi's "Chavela," and a number of short films by local filmmakers, presented as part of a Southern Shorts program.

More than 12 shorts programs will be featured including the likes of Danny DeVito's "Curmudgeons," Wes Hurley's award-winning "Little Potato," Matt Wolf's Sundance stunner "Bayard and Me," and the international premiere of Giovanni Coda's "Xavier," inspired by the young police office Xavier Jugel�, who lost his life during a terror attack on April 20, 2017 on the Avenue des Champs-Elys�es.

Since its official inception in 1988, Out On Film has grown to become one of the major LGBT film festivals in the country. The organization became independent in 2008 and in 2011 expanded to eight days. Lead by "Fourth Man Out," the 28th anniversary film festival in 2015 was the most attended in the organization's history.

The festival will be held at Landmark's Midtown Art Cinema, Out Front Theatre Company and the Plaza Theatre. The host hotel is the W Atlanta - Midtown. Returning this year will be the Out On Film VIP Lounge, sponsored by Apres Diem and Absolut.

Festival passes are on sale through the website - www.outonfilm.org - and individual tickets and three packs will be available approximately September 1 at https://tickets.landmarktheatres.com/Ticketing.aspx?TheatreID=265

Complete screening information will be updated daily on our website - www.outonfilm.org and Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/outonfilmatl - as well as information on community events scheduled before and during the festival. Out On Film can be reached at (678) 237-7206.

Sponsors for the event include Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., The Georgia Voice, Georgia Council for the Arts, the Fulton County Arts Council, The W Atlanta Midtown, Jonathan Buckhead (proprieter, Jonathan Shapero), Orbitz, Georgia Film Office, Craig Hardesty, Project Q Atlanta, Apres Diem, Atlanta Pride, MEAK Productions, Cornerstone Financial, Jim Anderson, Absolut, Eldredge ATL, Peach Atlanta, the Atlanta Film Festival, Stephen Michael Brown, the DeKalb Convention and Visitor's Bureau and AARP.