With attendance of over 40,000 people, OUTFEST is the largest film festival of any kind in Southern California and the region's largest gay and lesbian arts event. Since our founding in 1982, OUTFEST has screened more than 3,000 highly diverse films and videos for an audience of more than 400,000 people.

Filmmakers from across the country and around the globe make OUTFEST a world-class forum. We invite you to submit your work and join in the celebration of our community’s vision and artistry. Great opportunities await filmmakers at OUTFEST:

• OUTFEST is the only gay and lesbian film festival in the heart of the entertainment industry. Our Board of Directors represents studios, distributors, production companies and talent agencies across Hollywood. They share their knowledge and access at structured festival events (including a breakfast meeting series) that create unparalleled opportunities for filmmakers.
• More industry executives attend OUTFEST than any other gay and lesbian film festival. This year, we're expanding their access to your films - and to you - with a new accreditation program and a tape library available throughout the festival to industry guests.
• OUTFEST has the most extensive awards program of any gay and lesbian film festival, bestowing 14 awards with cash prizes for film and video excellence.
• Our filmmaker hospitality program (accreditation, screening tickets, party invitations, home stay accommodations, etc.) ensures that your time in L.A. is both pleasant and productive.
• Our state-of-the-art venues include the festival headquarters at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) and screenings at the vast outdoor John Anson Ford Amphitheater, the historic Orpheum movie palace and the LA Gay and Lesbian Center's Village at Ed Gould Plaza.
  
• Media coverage of OUTFEST includes national outlets such as Vanity Fair, USA Today, E! Entertainment Television, Variety, CNN, Entertainment Tonight, The Advocate, OUT, MTV, Hollywood Reporter, Genre and the Independent Film Channel — as well as key local outlets such as Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, Lesbian News, Frontiers, Edge, XY Magazine, Nightlife, local network news and many others.
  

The 20th Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
Submission Requirements

• Films and videos should be about and/or of interest to lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgendered people. We are seeking narrative, documentary, animated and experimental features and shorts in 35mm, 16mm, 3/4" video, or 1/2" video formats.
• Only 1/2" VHS (NTSC or PAL) videocassettes will be accepted for preview screening. If your final exhibition format is video, do not submit your master to us. We are not responsible for any master tapes.
• Preview cassettes must be labeled with the title, running time, and contact information (including name, address, and phone number).
• If you wish to have your preview tape returned for any reason after the festival, please include a self-addressed stamped envelope with suitable postage along with your submission. (OUTFEST retains preview tapes of programmed works.)
• A completed entry form must be included with every submission. If you are submitting more than one entry, please photocopy and complete a separate form for each submission.
• Rough cuts and works-in-progress are eligible for submission if an exhibition print or tape will be available by June 15, 2002.
  
• By submitting your work to OUTFEST, you grant to OUTFEST a non-exclusive license to use an excerpt of your submission tape of up to two minutes in length, for promotional purposes only, including but not limited to Internet and television broadcast.
  
• Still photos from your work are requested with your submission and are required for all films and videos selected for the festival. Good stills make a difference in film placement and press coverage, particularly for shorts. Even the shortest short can get press coverage or festival prominence with a captivating still. (If you email stills to OUTFEST, they must be in Tiff/300 dpi format.)
  
• You are also encouraged to enclose a synopsis, production credits, and press information regarding your film or video.
• To receive acknowledgment of receipt of your entry, enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope or postcard with your submission.
  
• Please do not send submissions in fiber-filled envelopes, as the dust damages tapes and VCRs.
  
• OUTFEST accepts no responsibility for loss or damage of entries during shipment to or from OUTFEST.

Click here to download the Film Entry Form. (You will need Acrobat Reader to view the letter. If you don't have Acrobat Reader, click here to download.)