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Outfest Los Angeles · 2021

Outfest Los Angeles 2021

Documentary Features

Programme

14 films · 4 reviews

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Aids Diva: The Legend Of Connie Norman

Seizing her power as she confronts her mortality, trailblazing trans activist Connie Norman evolves as an irrepressible, challenging and soulful voice for the AIDS and queer communities of early Nineties Los Angeles.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Dante Alencastre; Stars: Connie Norman)

Being Bebe

A documentary about the incredible rise of the first ever winner of RuPaul's Drag Race: the legendary BeBe Zahara Benet.

(Country: US, Cameroon; Year: 2021; Director: Emily Branham; Stars: Nea Marshall Kudi)

Boulevard! A Hollywood Story

Two young songwriters and romantic partners, find themselves caught in movie star Gloria Swanson's web when she hires them to write a musical version of Sunset Boulevard.

(Year: 2021; Director: Jeffrey Schwarz; Stars: Muhammad Ali, Steve Allen, Brooke Anderson)

Crystal Diaries

Five members of the Los Angeles LGBTQ+ House & Ball Community share intimate stories of their experiences with methamphetamine addiction in response to the death of Ballroom community member Gemmel Moore, who died in the home of Democratic political fundraiser Ed Buck.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Gina Lamb, Edward 'Enyce' Smith; Stars: Ryku Bella, Jerome Kitchen, Ayanna Miller)

Everything At Once (Todo A La Vez (La Mirada De Paco Y Manolo))

A film essay about two Catalan photographers from the outskirts of Barcelona, who have been together for 30 years.

(Country: Chile, Spain; Year: 2021; Director: Alberto Fuguet; Writer: Alberto Fuguet; Stars: Paco Moyano, Manolo Rodríguez, Francesc Mulet)

Gemmel & Tim

Two differing but complementary films examine the deaths of Gemmel Moore and Timothy Michael Dean at the West Hollywood home of businessman and political donor Ed Buck.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Michiel Thomas; Writer: Michiel Thomas; Stars: Michael Franklin)

Invisible: Gay Women In Southern Music

Review preview for Invisible: Gay Women In Southern Music

Like the best country songs, it uses a simple format well, and it’s the sincerity, charm and good humour of its contributors that carries it.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
This documentary explores a group of gay women songwriters who have successfully navigated the male dominated country music genre and have written number one hits for some of country music's greatest stars.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: TJ Parsell; Writer: TJ Parsell; Stars: Bonnie Baker, Cidny Bullens, Dianne Davidson, Emmylou Harris, Linda Rondstadt)

Full review See: Interview with TJ Parsell about Invisible: Gay Women In Southern Music

Lady Buds

Review preview for Lady Buds

For a documentary directly focused on the money side of the cannabis industry in California, Russo finds poignancy in the roots of the plant’s history.

Stephanie Brown · 4 out of 5
The story of six women who come out of the shadows of the cannabis underground to enter the new commercial industry in California.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Chris J Russo; Writer: Tamara Maloney, Chris J Russo; Stars: Felicia Carbajal, Joyce Centofanti, Cheryl Mumzer Goldman, Pearl Moon, Chiah Rodriques, Sue Taylor)

Full review

My Name Is Pauli Murray

Review preview for My Name Is Pauli Murray

Cohen and West draw on the rich archive of Murray's own work further illustrating it with archive footage and photographs of the periods the film refers to in order to paint a picture of quiet but firm activism.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
Profile of the legal trailblazer.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Julie Cohen, Betsy West; Writer: Talleah Bridges McMahon, Julie Cohen, Cinque Northern, Betsy West; Stars: Dylan Raffin, Dylan Raffin)

Full review

North By Current

The unexplained death of his niece leads the director back to his family. His investigation of injustice and the arbitrariness of officialdom turns into cathartic family therapy.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Angelo Madsen Minax)

No Straight Lines: The Rise Of Queer Comics

The story of the queer comic.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Vivian Kleiman; Stars: Alison Bechdel, Jennifer Camper, Rupert Kinnard, Howard Cruse, Alison Bechdel, Jennifer Camper, Rupert Kinnard, Howard Cruse)

Raw! Uncut! Video!

A documentary chronicling the rise and fall of homegrown gay porn studio Palm Drive Video.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Alex Clausen, Ryan A White; Stars: Susie Bright, Darryl Carlton, Rick Castro, Susan Damante, Durk Dehner, Roger Earl)

Sediments

Review preview for Sediments

In its quiet, observational way, Sediments gets closer to the experience of what it means to be trans than any number of more direct interrogations.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
Just as the Earth is, our inner selves are made up of many layers that make up our identity and tell the story of our existence.

(Country: Spain; Year: 2021; Director: Adrian Silvestre; Writer: Adrian Silvestre; Stars: Alicia de Benito, Lena Brasas, Cristina Millán)

Full review

This Is Jessica

The story of a trans woman who spent many years in the closet, at one point serving as a Mormon missionary.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Andrea Meyerson; Writer: Andrea Meyerson; Stars: Jessica M Bair, Margaret Cho, Cory Booker)