2020 OUTFEST FILM FESTIVAL

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to create havoc and cause disruptions across the globe, this has forced most film festivals to either postpone or cancel their events. However, I am very happy and thrilled to report that the 38th edition of the Outfest Film Festival will still be taking place. 

While Outfest usually happens in July, this year the festival will take place from August 20th through 30th and will largely be a VOD event. There will be over 160 films presented (including 35 world premieres), conversations with filmmakers & performers and live events that will be able to be viewed anywhere in the U.S. But the entire fest will not be virtual. A series of drive-in screenings with "Outfest LA Under the Stars" will be held at Malibu's Calamigos Ranch.

The centerpiece selections of this year's Outfest includes the U.S. Centerpiece from writer/director, Emma Seligman with "Shiva Baby" about a young bisexual Jewish woman (whose family is sitting shiva following a death) unexpectedly forced to juggle her relationships between both her ex-girlfriend and her sugar daddy; "Monsoon", the International Centerpiece selection from writer/director, Hong Khaou and stars Henry Golding ("Crazy, Rich Asians") who plays a British-Vietnamese man that returns to his birth country for the first time since his family escaped during the Vietnam War and falls for an American man whose father had fought in the war; "Keyboard Fantasies: The Beverly Glenn-Copeland Story", the Documentary Centerpiece which looks at the recently discovered Black, trans musician, now in his 70's, who is embarking on a new phase of his career; and the Breakthrough Centerpiece, "The Obituary Of Tunde Johnson" about a Los Angeles Black teen who starts off his day coming out to his understanding parents. But by the end of the day, Tunde has been shot to death by the LAPD. However, Tunde then wakes up, restarting the day over and over in a time loop.





There will be an All-Access Pass that will be available at a low price which will allow you to view most of the fest ("Outfest LA Under the Stars" will be available at a separate price). Films will be released daily and remain available for seventy-two hours. The pass will also include a one-year subscription to Outfest Now, the new LGBTQ streaming destination. 

Passes will be available to purchase on Friday, August 14th. For the entire film guide and additional information, please click below:

2020 Outfest Film Festival

And here are a few trailer highlights of films that will be screened during the fest: