Outfest Announces Fusion 2011 Lineup, Held 3/4-5

Outfest, the Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization dedicated to nurturing, showcasing and protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) media, has announced its lineup for Fusion: the Los Angeles LGBT People of Color Film Festival. The festival will be held March 4TH and 5TH at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, and is co-presented by HBO and NBCUniversal.

Fusion 2011 is comprised of THE WIZ Sing-A-Long, A Conversation with Dee Rees (PARIAH), a shorts program showcasing eight short films, the Legacy Project screening of A THOUSAND CLOUDS OF PEACE, the documentary HOOTERS! THE MAKING OF OLDER, WISER, LESBIAN CINEMA, and the Fusion Gala screening of Rikki Beadle-Blair's FIT.

Rikki Beadle-Blair will also receive the 2011 Fusion Achievement Award. Rikki has a life-long commitment to creating challenging and transformative entertainment. He wrote the movie STONEWALL, a co-production between BBC Films and Christine Vachon's Killer Films, and won the Outfest 1996 Award for Outstanding Screenwriting. In 2001, Rikki wrote, directed, acted in, and composed the soundtrack for the internationally successful UK series "Metrosexuality." In the US, he was a writer and the executive story editor for "Noah's Arc." In the last two years Rikki has directed three feature films: FIT (which was distributed to every school in the UK), KICKOFF and BASHMENT. He is currently working on his trilogy of feature films THE SOUTH LONDON PASSION PROJECT, to be shot this summer in South London.

Guillermo Diaz (WEEDS) will be presenting the Achievement Award to Rikki during the opening remarks of the Fusion Gala.

Now in its eighth year, Fusion is the only multicultural LGBT film festival of its kind. The festival will include short films, feature films, panels, workshops, and parties that highlight and celebrate the diversity of the LGBT community.

For complete listings and to purchase tickets, log on to www.Outfest.org/fusion2011
or call 213-480-7088. Fusion 2011 is co-presented by HBO and NBCUniversal.

2011 LINE-UP

Friday, March 4

THE WIZ Sing-A-Long
8:00pm - Rigler Theatre
Dir: Sidney Lumet, Scr: Joel Schumacher, 1978, USA, 134 min.
Are you missing Michael? Yes?! Well, you're in luck because he's all over the first annual Fusion sing-along! Come and ease on down the road with Queen Diana, frisky Nipsy, and young Michael in the classic Sidney Lumet musical that made the Yellow Brick Road funky, turned the Munchkins into graffiti people and features Lena Horne as Glenda the Good Witch and Richard Pryor as "the ultimate, The Common denominator, The Wiz."

Saturday, March 5

HOOTERS! THE MAKING OF OLDER, WISER, LESBIAN CINEMA
1:00pm - Spielberg Theatre
Dir/Scr: Anna Margarita Albelo, 2010, USA, 90 min.
As Cheryl Dunye's dramatic thriller THE OWLS was being shot, Anna Albelo was shooting a behind-the-scenes documentary feature about the making of the film. Her on-set investigation includes juicy asides with the actors and crew, requisite set antics and the even more requisite discussion of gender identity/politics - broken up by Albelo's own outrageous narrative interludes. HOOTERS! captures the creativity and difficulty of collaborative filmmaking through Albelo's brutally honest, deliciously insightful and immensely funny vision.

Behind the Scenes: PARIAH
A Conversation with writer/director Dee Rees and producer Nekisa Cooper
3:00pm - Rigler Theatre
PARIAH (Outfest and Fusion 2007) is an award-winning short film that screened at film festivals around the world. After years in development, PARIAH is now a feature-length film that had its world premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. In this extended discussion with writer/director Dee Rees and producer Nekisa Cooper, learn about the trials, tribulations and triumphs of making PARIAH the feature and see exclusive clips from the film. Whether you're a filmmaker, a fan of the short or new to it all (don't worry, we'll screen the short), you won't want to miss this special event!

A THOUSAND CLOUDS OF PEACE
Legacy Project Screening
3:30pm - Spielberg Theatre
Dir/Scr: Julián Hernández, 2003, Mexico, 80 min.
Winner of the Teddy Award at the Berlin International FIlm Festival and an Official Selection at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, A THOUSAND CLOUDS OF PEACE tells the story of Gerardo, a gay teenager, who roams the streets of Mexico City in search of someone able to reveal the secret hidden between the lines of a goodbye letter from his ex-lover. In his journey through barren alleys and roadways, he is haunted by images: each masculine body he sees reminds him of his lover. The print was donated to the Outfest Legacy Collection by Strand Releasing in 2010.
The Outfest Legacy Project for LGBT Film Preservation, a partnership between Outfest and the UCLA Film & Television Archive, is the only program in the world devoted to saving and protecting LGBT film and video. For more information, visit outfest.org/legacy

FUSION SHORTS PROGRAM
5:30pm - Rigler Theatre
A hilarious spoof on intervention programs kicks off a cinematic journey through the twists and turns of being in the family. From taking a stand despite resistance of disapproving kin and friends, to uncomfortable love triangulations, to youthful experimentation, it's the Fusion Shorts Program - all with a dash of lipstick and sequins to make it sparkle.

STOP IT - ALMA
Dir: Mike Rose
A spoof on intervention reality shows that features a woman, who compulsively cooks to the dismay of her family who just wants her to Stop It!
REVOLUTION
Dir: Abdi Nazemian
A coming-of-age story about Jack, a 16-year old Iranian boy growing up in 1989 Los Angeles.
TIME AFTER TIME
Dir: Laurie Thomas
The unspoken dance of a love triangle unfolds in the time it takes to sing this song.
Andy
Dir: Andrew Ahn
A six-year old boy discovers what it means to be a man.
REMEMBER ME IN RED
Dir: Hector Ceballos
Fidelia must find a way to honor what would have been her friend's wishes before it is too late.
FAMILY IN THE FRAME
Dir: Neelu Bhuman
Accentuated by voices of family members, this short film is an honest portrayal of the experience of bisexuality.
THE QUEEN
Dir: Christina Choe
Bobby, a Korean-American teenage outcast, is working at his parents' dry cleaners on prom weekend. When the prom queen and her boyfriend, stop by with their dress and tuxedo, Bobby has his own prom to remember.
CHANGE
Dir: Melissa Osborne & Jeff McCutcheon
A gay African-American teenager grapples with his young identity on the night Obama was elected president and Proposition 8 passed.

FUSION GALA
FIT
8:00pm - Rigler Theatre

Dir/Scr: Rikki Beadle-Blair, UK, 2009, 108 min.
This charming film from Rikki Beadle-Blair takes an exuberant and funny look at gay and straight love among the new millennials. Everything from secret crushes to homophobic attitudes are revealed by the rambunctious students taking Drama and Dance from Loris. None of the teens are what they seem at first glance, with gay hearts lurking behind exteriors and straight kids expressing themselves in very queer ways.

Rikki Beadle-Blair
Fusion Achievement Award
Rikki Beadle-Blair has a life-long commitment to creating challenging and transformative entertainment. Rikki wrote the movie STONEWALL, a co-production between BBC Films and Christine Vachon's Killer Films, and won the Outfest 1996 Award for Outstanding Screenwriting. In 2001, Rikki wrote, directed, acted in, and composed the soundtrack for the internationally successful UK series "Metrosexuality." In the US, he was a writer and the executive story editor for "Noah's Arc." In the last two years Rikki has directed three feature films: FIT (which was distributed to every school in the UK), KICKOFF and BASHMENT. He is currently working on his trilogy of feature films THE SOUTH LONDON PASSION PROJECT, to be shot this summer in South London.
The Fusion Achievement Award will be presented to Rikki Beadle-Blair during the opening remarks of the Fusion Gala.

 

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