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The best film I saw at the festival was The New Twenty: beautifully shot, written, and acted. Hats off to the programmers who got this film’s world premiere at Outfest.

I had a choice between screenings of Antarctica and Watercolors, and I should have chosen the latter, which ended up being an Awards Night winner later that evening. I ate way too much at Greenblatt’s, then headed to the Ford.

From Outfest 2008

We asked Calpernia to be one of the presenters, and she did a great job. Above, Momma tried to bring some modesty to one of Calpernia’s typical outfits.

There was a lovely film called Were The World Mine, a gay musical take on A Midsummer Night’s Dream. A couple of really lovely songs, and Wendy Robie was just fantastic as the teacher. I think a double feature with Hamlet 2, about another drama teacher’s take on Shakespeare, would be a great screening.

A bumpin’ after-party downstairs at The Kress Hollywood capped off a great Outfest day.

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The Platinum series at Outfest had several first-rate programs. Wild Combination was a great gala event. Saturday had the Platinum Shorts and the feature Squeezebox at the Regency Fairfax.

From Outfest 2008

I parked at the CBS lot, and there were tons of beautiful bougainvillea in bloom in all colors – pictures don’t do it justice.

The shorts program was very hit or miss. Most were hypnotic and lovely; most were also overlong. One was the most artless piece of shit I have ever seen in a juried film festival.

After a delightful dinner at Canter’s, I headed back to watch Squeezebox, which was a great doc about a club night in Manhattan that reclaimed rock for LGBT audiences with a kickass fusion of drag and the music I love.

From Outfest 2008

Then I headed to The Troubadour for the Boom! Music Festival. Some good acts played for an intimate crowd. Good times!

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From Outfest 2008

Long day! I started as an 8:30 am HBO breakfast panelist poolside at The Standard on Sunset. The panel was really amazing – I learned as much as the attendees.

From Outfest 2008

Then Calpernia and I headed over to Warner Brothers to give a presentation on trans people in the media.

I was over at the DGA for All-Girl Friday and a packed screening of Girls’ Shorts, the program in which we played last year. My pal Guinevere Turner had a great short to open, called Late. The final piece was an amazing documentary called La Corona by Amanda Micheli and Isabel Vega. After a reception at the DGA, we headed to Pali House for an after-party, then took things downmarket at The Palms, followed by poolside chillout at an artist friend’s house. Got home around 3:30

I was watching Drunk History with Guin and Crista – I hadn’t seen #3, but always awesome Eric Falconer of 2 Girls 1 Cup: The Show is in the previous 2 and has an epic on-camera hurl. Funny as hell.

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Last night was Outfest’s uproarious “South Park Sing-Along” at the Ford, and it was a fantastic, raucous crowd. Hats off to programmer extraordinaire Alonso Duralde for pushing for the screening.

Today is all-girl Friday at the DGA, so I hope to see you there. Our short “Casting Pearls” screened there last year as part of this program and went on to have a great run. Tomorrow, I’ll be at the Regency Fairfax for the Platinum shorts and the edgy feature ‘Squeezebox!’, which is also part of the Platinum showcase of experimental work.

Be sure to check out all the screenings added on Sunday, including many of the festival’s most popular and buzzworthy offerings. Then head out to Awards Night and a screening of ‘Were The World Mine’ at the Ford.

There’s something for everyone at Outfest this weekend, so check it out!

Outfest website

http://www.outfest.org/fest2008/index.html

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Last night I saw the Outfest dramatic centerpiece Affinity, based on the Sarah Waters novel. It’s a lesbian drama set in Victorian England. From an IMDb synopsis:

The film centers on Margaret (Anna Madeley), a wealthy young woman suffering from depression after the death of her father and the rejection of her best friend and former lover who’s gone and married her brother. Searching for a new way to get through her days, she signs up to become a “lady visitor” at a bleak women’s prison, Millbank. A mysterious girl named Selina (Zoe Tapper) soon catches her eye. Selina claims to be a spirit medium a person who channels spirits and the souls of the dead. She’s also serving a long sentence after being convicted for murder, but she claims the murder was the work of one particularly strong and malicious spirit called Peter Quick.

It’s well acted and has lots of twists and turns. Worth checking out!

Tonight I plan to attend Outfest’s South Park Sing-Along at the John Anson Ford Theatre. Come on out for a sassy evening!

Friday I am speaking on an HBO panel on women in entertainment for Outfest, and then Calpernia and I are speaking at Warner Brothers as guests of
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. Be sure to come to Outfest’s all-girl Friday at the DGA, or go see Mulligans at the Ford.

Lots of great films all weekend, including Del Shores’ Sordid Lives: The Series on Saturday at the DGA (as well as some edgy stuff over at the Regency Fairfax). Sunday will have several encore screenings of popular films, followed by Awards Night at the Ford. Come check it out!

Outfest website

http://www.outfest.org/fest2008/index.html

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Last night’s Outfest offerings at the Directors Guild of America included Wild Combination, a beautifully-shot documentary on eclectic musician Arthur Russell. I was not familiar with his work, so it was a great introduction to his life and work. Director Matt Wolf made some fantastic choices in terms of look and feel (lovely B-roll restagings and cool rack focuses on still photographs). Though the music is not something I would want to listen to personally, I came away with a true appreciation of Russell’s innovative style.

Following a reception in the Heineken Green Room, I watched Sex Positive, about the work of Richard Berkowitz in promoting safe sex in the early years of the AIDS crisis. Berkowitz is an activist cut from the same cloth as me. Polarizing, strongly opinionated, and kind of obsessive. It was a real treat to have him there in person as well. He’s very charismatic and cares deeply about the community, even though he was often villified for his views about the causes and prevention of AIDS. Very thought-provoking in light of the uptick in HIV infections in the gay and trans communities.

Outfest website:

http://www.outfest.org/fest2008/index.html

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Last night Outfest screened the restoration print of Word is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives, the groundbreaking 1977 documentary. I had never seen it before, so it was a real treat. One woman in it was born in the 1800s, and there are lots of discussions about pre-Stonewall life, so it’s an amazing historical document. All the directors were on hand (except Peter Adair, who died in 1996), and they announced a 30-year follow-up piece that will be part of the DVD extras.

The restoration was part of Outfest’s Legacy Project, a collaboration with the UCLA Film & Television Archive, which aims to have a complete archive of all LGBT-themed films ever made. Both are worth your support!

Legacy Project

http://www.outfest.org/legacysite/index.html

Outfest tickets and info:

http://www.outfest.org

Tonight I’ll be in the Heineken Green Room for major donor cocktails at the Director’s Guild, then I’ll be attending the Platinum Centerpiece film, Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell. After that, I plan to stop by the Producers Party at O Bar in West Hollywood.

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Following a fabulous pool party in the Hollywood Hills, I headed over to the Directors Guild of America for a screening of ‘Hamlet 2,’ an absolutely hilarious film about a talent-free drama teacher who mounts a sequel to Hamlet at his local high school. I am a tough customer in the comedy department, and I laughed out loud. A lot. Then there was a great Australian surfing movie called ‘Newcastle’ by longtime Outfest filmmaker Dan Castle. I have previously discussed my fascination with surfing when Shelter screened last year. Both films weren’t “gay” per say, but had gay characters. It’s nice to see things expanding a bit in the programming!

Hope to see you at the Legacy Project gala screening of ‘Word Is Out’ tonight! For a more relaxed evening, go check out ‘She’s A Boy I Knew’ at the Regency Fairfax.

Outfest tickets and info:

http://www.outfest.org

Below: a shot I took on Mulholland Drive on the way home from the pool party. Part of my series on LA taken from cars.

From 2008 miscellany

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Last night at Outfest I saw XXY, the 2007 film about a Uruguayan intersex teen. It’s a great humanization of issues surrounding sexuality and gender identity.

I also had a chance to see Trinidad, the documentary about Trinidad, Colorado, which has been a major center for trans surgeries for 40 years. It has interviews with Stanley Biber and his successor, Marci Bowers. It also chronicles a group of trans women planning and renovating a house designed for postoperative recovery.

Today I will be at the Directors Guild of America at 4pm for FTM (Fine Transman), a group of shorts by and about trans guys. There will also be a reception sponsored by Magnet, and then a screening of She’s a Boy I Knew at 7:15pm. Please don’t hesitate to come up and say hi if you see me at these events today!

Though I will not be in attendance, there’s a screening of the short “Laundromat” at the REDCAT Theatre at Disney Concert Hall downtown today at 5pm (part of the Fusion Shorts program). I play Maya in the film, and the director and DP are scheduled to attend. If you missed it, Trinidad also plays Sunday at 1pm at the REDCAT.

Monday I’ll be at the Legacy Gala premiere of the restored print of Word Is Out, a historically significant documentary shot in 1978. See my Facebook group below for more details on upcoming appearances.

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Outfest tickets and info:

http://www.outfest.org