Queer film fans are getting a four-day takeover in Hollywood next week as OutfestNEXT, Outfest’s showcase for emerging queer cinema, returns to the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Village at Ed Gould Plaza. Headlining the series is Gregg Araki’s provocative new film I Want Your Sex, starring Olivia Wilde alongside Cooper Hoffman, Chase Sui Wonders, Margaret Cho and Charli XCX. Organizers say the festival mixes anniversary screenings, filmmaker conversations and roughly twenty film programs with more than 30 short films to spotlight queer and trans storytellers who are not exactly interested in playing it safe.
According to Outfest, OutfestNEXT will unfold across the Center’s Renberg Theatre, Microcinema and the Village courtyard, with screenings happening both indoors and outdoors. The full program and ticket details are listed on the organization’s site, where both member and public ticketing windows were posted ahead of the event.
Araki’s Sex-Soaked Centerpiece And Festival Voice
As reported by TheWrap, the centerpiece attraction is Araki’s I Want Your Sex, described as a kink-forward sex comedy-thriller that reunites the cult-favorite filmmaker with a roster of high-profile performers. Senior programmer Daniel Crooke told TheWrap that "OutfestNEXT exists at the convergence of defiant expression and community power," a mission statement that doubles as a warning label for anyone expecting a quiet, conventional festival slate.
What’s Playing
The lineup combines narrative features, documentaries and shorts, including the Los Angeles premiere of Barbara Forever, a documentary about pioneering filmmaker Barbara Hammer that is executive produced by Kristen Stewart, and a trans coming-of-age feature executive produced by Lilly Wachowski, according to Outfest. Across the weekend, the Outfest Microcinema will also host filmmaker workshops and panels, giving audiences a chance to meet the creators, ask questions and dig into how these stories get made.
Tickets, Location And Community Vibes
Outfest executive director Christopher Racster told ABC7 Los Angeles that the series is aimed at amplifying new voices as the organization rebuilds its programming calendar. ABC7 Los Angeles also reported that the event includes over 30 short films and runs next Thursday through Sunday. The Los Angeles LGBT Center lists the Village at Ed Gould Plaza, at 1125 N. McCadden Pl. in Hollywood, as the festival site, where screenings will be staged both inside the Renberg Theatre and Microcinema and out in the Village courtyard, turning the block into a mini queer film campus for the weekend.
