2015 OUTFEST LA LGBT Film Festival Announces Lineup

**SIX WORLD PREMIERES; THREE U.S. PREMIERES; 166 FILMS**
**54: THE DIRECTOR’S CUT**
**A NIGHT WITH NICK JONAS**
**LYPSINKA’S RETURN TO LA IN MORE THAN A DECADE**
**SNEAK PEEKS OF IFC’S DOCUMENTARY NOW! AND TLC’S I AM JAZZ**
**ANNIVERSARIES OF LEGACY PROJECT, KILLER FILMS AND WOLFE FILMS**
**SAG-AFTRA TRANSGENDER HOLLYWOOD PANEL**
**THREE NEW VENUES: MONTALBAN THEATRE, HOLLYWOOD FOREVER CEMETERY;
THE THEATRE AT THE ACE HOTEL**

Los Angeles, June 4, 2015 – Outfest – the Los Angeles–based nonprofit organization promoting equality by creating, sharing, and protecting LGBT stories on the screen – today announced the complete programming lineup for the 2015 Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival presented by HBO. The nation’s leading LGBT festival will be held July 9-19, 2015.

In addition to six world premieres and three U.S. premieres, Outfest will screen movies from an astonishing 28 first-time filmmakers as well as new work from returning alums, including Jeffrey Schwarz (“Tab Hunter Confidential”), Jamie Babbit (“Fresno”), Sebastián Silva (“Nasty Baby”), Malcolm Ingram (“Out To Win”), Jenni Olson (“The Royal Road”) and Parvez Sharma (“A Sinner in Mecca”).

The notable line-up of actors and artists starring in this year’s films include Kristen Wiig and Alia Shawkat (“Nasty Baby”); Katherine Heigl, Alexis Bledel, Tom Wilkinson and Grace Gummer (“Jenny’s Wedding); Chord Overstreet, Parker Young and Kate Flannery (“Fourth Man Out”); Dianna Agron and Paz de la Huerta (“Bare”); Tab Hunter, Clint Eastwood, Robert Wagner, Debbie Reynolds, George Takei, John Waters and Portia De Rossi (“Tab Hunter Confidential”); Victoria Justice and Pierson Fode (“Naomi & Ely’s No Kiss List”); Judy Greer, Natasha Lyonne, Aubrey Plaza, Fred Armisen, Molly Shannon and Clea Duvall (“Fresno”); John Lithgow, Kelsey Grammer, Gore Vidal, William F. Buckley, Christopher Hitchens and Noam Chomsky (“Best of Enemies”); Dan Savage, Tim Gunn, Margaret Cho, David Sedaris and Don Lemon (“Do I Sound Gay?”); Shirley Manson, Kurt Cobain, Carrie Brownstein, Mike McCready and Ben Gibbard, (“The Glamour and the Squalor”); Tig Notaro, Sarah Silverman, Jason Sudeikis and Zach Galifianakis (“Tig”); David Hockney (“Hockney”); Mary Louise Wilson, Frances McDormand, Melissa Leo, Tyne Daly, Estelle Parsons, Charlotte Rae and Valerie Harper (“She’s the Best Thing in It”); and Ryan Phillippe, Salma Hayek, Mark Ruffalo, Neve Campbell (“54: The Directors Cut”).

“We are incredibly proud of the fact that Outfest Los Angeles continues to be at the forefront of the issues and of critical representations that are important to the cultural discourse,” says Christopher Racster, Interim Executive Director of Outfest. “While the rest of the world is just learning about Caitlyn Jenner, Outfest Los Angeles has continued to lead in presenting trans lives in their totality, not just in their transformation. For 33 years, Outfest as an organization has had a global impact on LGBT lives and popular culture by promoting the rich diversity of our community, and we are determined to keep showcasing work that is both exploring and expanding the reflections of LGBT lives for generations to come.”

“The combination of six world premieres, films from cinematic masters, and a who’s who of name talent shows not only the sophistication of this year’s festival, but also the place that Outfest Los Angeles has in the global market,” remarks Outfest Director of Programming, Lucy Mukerjee-Brown. “Audiences will be impressed with the breadth, complexity, and beauty of the storytelling. I am furthermore thrilled that over 40% of the features are directed by women, which I hope is a harbinger of changes we will see industry-wide in coming years.”

The 2015 Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival will also feature two sneak peeks of fall TV shows including Bill Hader and Fred Armisen’s “Sandy Passage,” a “Grey Gardens” parody episode of IFC’s upcoming comedy series “Documentary Now!”, and from TLC, the new reality show “I Am Jazz”, spotlighting the day-to-day life of transgender teen and Clean & Clear model Jazz Jennings. Nick Jonas will join DirecTV’s “Kingdom” creator Byron Balasco at Outfest Los Angeles for a special appearance and in-depth discussion on Jonas’ massive queer following as well as a sneak peek of his role as a gay MMA fighter on season 2 of “Kingdom”. As part of the Platinum Series, drag superstar Lypsinka will perform live in Los Angeles for the first time in more than a decade with her acclaimed show “Lypsinka: The Passion of the Crawford.”

Outfest Los Angeles is also celebrating several anniversaries: the 10th Anniversary of the organization’s Outfest UCLA Legacy Project – a collaboration with the UCLA Film & Television Archive; the 20th Anniversary of Killer Films, including a screening of “Velvet Goldmine” followed by a reception with legendary producer Christine Vachon; and the 30th Anniversary of Wolfe Films, celebrated by a reception and a double bill of new Wolfe titles “In the Grayscale” and “Liz in September.”

While the Ford Amphitheatre is under renovation, Outfest Los Angeles will be in three venues around town that the festival has never screened before: The Montalbán Theatre, Hollywood Forever Cemetery, and The Theatre at the Ace Hotel. These are sponsored, in part, by the Ford Theatres, a program of the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, and is part of Ford on the Road. To learn more about other Ford on the Road events taking place around Los Angeles County, visit FordTheatres.org.

As previously announced, the 2015 Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival will open with “Tig” on Thursday, July 9. The festival closes on Sunday, July 19, with François Ozon’s “The New Girlfriend.” The gala screenings are “Nasty Baby” (U.S. Dramatic Centerpiece); “The Summer of Sangaile” (International Centerpiece); “Eisenstein in Guanajuato” (International Centerpiece); “Best of Enemies” (Documentary Centerpiece); and “Out to Win” (Documentary Centerpiece).

Tickets and information
For more information and for a complete listing of films in 2015 Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival, log on to www.outfest.org/fest2015 or call 213-480-7065.

Source, News Release