As part of its celebration of 40 years, Outfest LGBTQ+ Los Angeles Film Festival will honor multi-hyphenate entertainer Billy Porter as he makes his directorial debut.
Kicking off July 14, the festival will begin with the world premiere of Porter’s Anything’s Possible at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown. The uplifting Gen-Z coming-of-age story follows Kelsa, a confident, trans girl, as she navigates her senior year and a romance with nerdy, but cute classmate Khal.
Opening night will see Porter receive the 2022 Outfest Annual Achievement Award while in the company of Anything’s Possible producer Christine Vachon and the cast, including Eva Reign, Abubakr Ali, Simone Joy Jones, Kelly Lamor Wilson, and ReneĢe Elise Goldsberry.
Anything's Possible
“What better way to celebrate our 40th year of Outfest LA than to honor Billy Porter at our Opening Night with his incredible directorial debut,” said Outfest Executive Director Damien S. Navarro. “We’re excited to host audiences and fans across the city to celebrate just how far queer cinema and entertainment have come. The body of work we have curated from nearly every continent, increasingly represents adventurous styles and genres - from vibrant romantic comedies, where the trans lead gets the boy, to horror films that balance the scares and the sexy.”
Outfest Film Festival will run for 11 days in venues around Los Angeles, furthering the nonprofit organization’s mission to promote queer narratives and empathy amongst the public; careers in entertainment and the exhibition and preservation of LGBTQIA+ stories and voices.
On July 24, the festival will close out at the Ace Hotel in downtown with the world premiere of Oscar-nominated screenwriter John Logan’s directorial debut, They/Them. To later be released on Peacock, the Blumhouse Productions film follows young residents at an LGBTQIA+ conversion camp who band together against their counselors when a killer starts claiming victims. The evening will feature appearances from Logan and cast members, including Kevin Bacon, Theo Germaine, Quei Tann, Carrie Preston, Anna Chlumsky and Austin Crute, among others.
See also: 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' Pop-Up Is Headed for L.A.
The lineup also includes a 20th anniversary screening of Todd Haynes’ Far From Heaven and a Q&A with Haynes, Vachon and star Juliane Moore. Outfest’s full lineup will be released in the coming weeks.
Amazon Prime Video Original Anything’s Possible will be available for streaming on July 22.
Photography by: Shavonne Wong; Courtesy Oufest
