Outfest Begins Tonight
July 9, 2009
Outfest, the 27th Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, begins tonight and features 182 films from 25 countries over the span of 11 days.The Opening Night Gala is tonight at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles and features La Mission, a powerful film from writer/director Peter Bratt. The film stars Peter’s brother, Benjamin Bratt, as Che, a former inmate and recovering alcoholic who reacts violently when he discovers his beloved son Jesse is gay.
The film premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival and the cast participated in a Q&A at the Queer Lounge, a program of GLAAD:
In related news, Variety printed an excellent article about the prominence of lesbian films at this year’s Outfest:
Chasity Kershal Hammitte in Mississippi Damned
“We have two centerpieces geared toward women, Tina Mabry’s ‘Mississippi Dammed’ and Lucia Puenzo’s ‘El Nino Pas,’” says Outfest exec director Kirsten Schaffer. “And the Legacy Project gala is ‘Choosing Children’ (1984), which is more oriented toward lesbians. We also have Nancy Kissam’s ‘Drool,’ which was a huge success at Slamdance this year. And there’s ‘Ghosted’ from Monika Treut, who has a huge lesbian following.”
Diversity is key at Outfest, yet it’s an uphill battle for women, if only because there are always so many gay-male pics to contend with. “Any year we have the opportunity to highlight films by female directors we do,” says Schaffer. Last year, “there were definitely films that were lesbian, but they tended to be international and smaller films.”
Tickets are still available for numerous screenings and may be purchased at the Outfest website.
Related Posts:Benjamin Bratt, Peter Bratt & More Talk Up La MISSION
January 21, 2009
Brothers Benjamin and Peter Bratt visited the Queer Lounge yesterday with their cast and crew in tow, to talk up their new Sundance film, La MISSION. The movie addresses homophobia in ethnic communities and machismo culture, and promises to be an emotional and powerful film.
Castmembers Erika Alexander, Jeremy Ray Valdez and Jesse Borrego also sat on the panel, as well as John Amaechi, who helped fund the project. It was a lively discussion, one that was received well by the capacity crowd.
Please enjoy this panel in its entirety.
La MISSION
December 22, 2008
LGBT Content: Gay
Genre: Drama
Rating: NR
Director: Peter Bratt
Writer: Peter Bratt
Starring: Benjamin Bratt, Erika Alexander, Jeremy Ray Valdez, Jesse Borrego, Talisa Soto Bratt
Distributor: TBA
Release Date: TBA
Synopsis: A recovering alcoholic and ex-con that gets by on intimidation, Che is also a devoted father to teenage son Jesse, who he violently rejects after discovering that Jesse is gay. Prompted in part by his headstrong neighbor Lena, Che must confront his long held prejudices to repair his parental relationship.
Premiering at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival
Screening Times
Monday, January 19, 8:30 pm Prospector Square Theatre, Park City
Wednesday, January 21, 2:30 pm Library Center Theatre, Park City
Friday, January 23, noon Egyptian Theatre, Park City
Saturday, January 24, 9:45 pm Broadway Centre Cinemas V, SLC
