WINNERS FROM THE 2019 OUTFEST FILM FESTIVAL

"Jules of Light and Dark" received the Grand Jury Prize for Best U.S. Narrative Feature Film at the 2019 Outfest Film Festival. Set in modern-day Texas, this coming-of-age drama tells the story of two teenage girlfriends, Maya (Tallie Medel) and Jules (Betsy Holt) who find themselves stuck in some backwoods after crashing their car. A divorced oil worker (Robert Longstreet) comes to their aid and he begins to face his own repressed desires during conversations with these young women. This feature film debut from writer/director Daniel Laabs also received the Grand Jury Award at last year's Newfest LGBT New York Film Festival.

Here is the list of most of the winners from the 2019 Outfest Film Festival:

Grand Jury Prize for U.S. Narrative Feature Film: "Jules of Light and Dark"
Grand Jury Special Mention for Directing: Rhys Ernst, "Adam"



Grand Jury Prize for Best Screenwriting: Rodrigo Bellott, "Tu Me Manques"
Grand Jury Prize for Best Performance: Nicole Maines, "Bit"
Special Mention for Ensemble Performance: "Mother’s Little Helpers"
Grand Jury Prize for U.S. Narrative Short Film: "Baby"
U.S. Narrative Short (Special Mention): "Skin"
Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Feature: "Unsettled"



Documentary Feature (Special Mention): "Why Can’t I Be Me? Around You"
Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Short: "Sweetheart Dancers"
Grand Jury International Narrative Feature Film: "The Ground Beneath My Feet" (Austria)



Grand Jury International Special Mention for Directing: Lisa Zi Xiang, "A Dog Barking At The Moon" (China)



Grand Jury International Narrative Prize for Screenwriting: Santiago Loza, "Breve Historia del Planeta Verde (Brief Story From The Green Planet)" (Argentina)



Grand Jury International Narrative Prize for Best Performance: Juan Pablo Olyslager, "Temblores (Tremors)" (Guatemala)
Grand Jury International Narrative Special Mention for Performance: Juan Barberini, Ramon Pujol and Mia Maestro, "Fin de Siglo (End of the Century)" (Argentina)



Grand Jury Prize for Best International Short Film: "Thrive"
Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature: "Top 3"
Audience Award for Best Narrative First Feature: "Saint Frances"
Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature: "Changing The Game"
Audience Award for Best Documentary Short Film: "How To Make A Rainbow"
Audience Award for Best Narrative Short Film: "Time and Again"
Audience Award for Best Experimental Short Film: "Framing Agnes"
Special Programming Award for Freedom: "Queering The Script"
Special Programming Award for Emerging Talent: Elegance Bratton, "Pier Kids"
Special Programming Award for Artistic Achievement: Rodney Evans, "Vision Portraits"

And here are some reviews of films I saw at the festival. "Vita & Virginia" tells the story of the passionate yet tumultuous love affair between the bold aristocratic poet, Vita Sackville-West (Gemma Arteton) and gifted but emotionally fragile writer, Virginia Woolf (Elizabeth Debicki). Adapted from the 1993 stage play by the British actress, Eileen Atkins, Sackville-West (who was involved in an open marriage to Sir Harold Nicolson (Rupert Penry-Jones) who was equally sexually fluid) becomes infatuated with the married Woolf and pursues her with ardent determination until she finally captures her heart. However, Sackville-West moves on not long after making her conquest which devastates Woolf but leads her to write what is considered her greatest novel, "Orlando". "Vita & Virginia" is a glossy period drama that strangely manages to feel overly stylized and features a jarring electronic soundtrack by Isobel Waller-Bridge (the sister of "Fleabag" creator, Phoebe) that throws the film further off-balance. But the heartfelt performances from Ms Arteton and particularly by Ms Debicki do help in making the film highly engaging. And there is a delightful bonus with a far-too-brief appearance by the always captivating Isabella Rossellini as Lady Sackville.



The documentary, "Jonathan Agassi Saved My Life" unflinchingly examines the life of an Israeli gay porn star from the beginning to eight years later in his career. We see the expected cliche of what can happen when someone finds employment in the world of pornography as the fun-loving yet sensitive Agassi (who struggles with daddy issues and suffered from homophobic abuse as a child) finds rapid success in his field before succumbing to drug addiction. But what is unexpected is the loving support of his mother who actually offers encouragement during her son's rise as a porn star. The award-winning Israeli director, Tomer Heymann captures Agassi during some of the high and extreme low points of his life to create a difficult yet fascinating film.



And we have "Les Crevettes pailletées (The Shiny Shrimps)", a silly yet charming French farce by Maxime Govare and Cedric Le Gallo. Based very loosely on a real-life gay water-polo team called the Shiny Shrimps (which Le Gallo actually played on), the film begins when a French Olympian swim champ (Belgian actor, Nicolas Gob) uses a homophobic slur while being interviewed on national television. The swimming federation decides that in order for him to make public amends, he has to coach this wildly flamboyant water-polo team training for the upcoming Gay Games in Croatia. Following in the tradition of "The Birdcage" and "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert", this outrageous comedy certainly delivers plenty of laughs and filled with warm, likable characters. Yet "The Shiny Shrimps" never reaches the fabulous heights of those classic films due to a few stereotypical characters and some sloppiness in the narrative execution.