After Logan's wife Adrianne is killed in a tragic car accident, Logan finds himself inexplicably drawn to his new friend Gil. Though both men have always been straight, their friend-ship soon begins to cross into steamy territory. When they realize that Gil had a near-death experience the same day Adrianne died, they must confront the possibility that there's a supernatural reason for their fateful attraction.

Hands touching breasts, breasts touching lips, lips nearly touching the camera. . . . Incorporating the sense of touch into many of her films, Barbara Hammer has said that a “tactile quality, a sensuality with sex and not sex without sensuality, is essential to any lesbian aesthetic.” These three poetic montages, DYKETACTICS X 2, MULTIPLE ORGASM and NITRATE KISSES, demonstrate Hammer's signature sexual aesthetic and give new meaning to the phrase “lesbian visibility.” Privileging women's bodies in the midst of erotic and steamy collisions, in each of these films Hammer re-imagines women's sexual pleasure as female, fluid, prolonged and political. By bringing onscreen all that both classical Hollywood cinema and contemporary mainstream lesbian and gay films seek to repress, the bold films in this screening will activate all of your senses, drawing you into their haptic fold of bodies and histories. -ARH

Rewriting the codes of autobiography, the films in this program invite viewers’ participation in reworking the strategies and purposes of representation in personal and political history. SUPERDYKE focuses on Hammer’s community of friends as they parade their irreverent pride publicly and privately. DOUBLE STRENGTH charts the undulations of Hammer’s relationship with trapeze artist Terry Sendgraff. And TENDER FICTIONS plays with the power and unreliability of memory as it traces several (real?) moments from Hammer’s past.

Scores of large hairy gay men compete for bear titles in regional championships around the world every year. These are definitely not your grandmother's beauty pageants. The top winners then vie for one of sixteen spots in the annual Mr. International Bear contest. Only one will win the coveted title, but they all demonstrate the positive core qualities of this community. BEARS reminds us that there are many forms of beauty that cannot be quantified by waist size or tufts of hair.

Hallelujah - the world's first transgender gospel choir has taken the stage! THE BELIEVERS revolutionizes popular conceptions about faith, gender identity and sexuality. Director Todd Holland is granted intimate access as choir members open up about the pain - and joy - that has brought them together. Buoyed by the transcendent force of music, we witness people who are brave enough to be their true selves and we experience the healing power of acceptance in this moving film that quite literally sings.

The latest from renowned director Takashi Miike (AUDITION), BIG BANG LOVE, JUVENILE A is a stunning, imaginative interpretation of Masaki Ato's homoerotic graphic novel, Elegy for Boy. Two beautiful but lost young men, both jailed for unrelated murders, become lovers - until one of them kills again. Miike employs a nonlinear approach, including dance and anime, to address both the complexity of the murder and questions about violence, faith and technology in the modern world.

Shot in a barbershop, a woman explores her position as a Trinidadian dyke and her complex relationship with black men.

Influential art collector Sam Wagstaff established the market for photography and launched the career of his lover, bad boy photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Reveling in New York's 1970s gay underground, Wagstaff was, until his AIDS death in 1987, a catalyst for the collision of fine art, fashion and club life. Stunning photo-graphs and insightful interviews (including, most poignantly, rock icon Patti Smith) make BLACK WHITE + GRAY a penetrating portrait of a man whose aesthetic impact continues to be felt.

A spoken word poetry piece on black gay thugs and the challenges they have to go through concerning their dual identities..

Two attractive young African-American college students are drawn to one another despite contrary personalities. As Keith's time in New York City nears its end, he meets free-spirit Nathan. Keith finds himself slowly opening to new possibilities BLUEPRINT focuses special attention on place and mood, eschewing traditional narrative for a fresh, intriguing approach to storytelling.

BOOM! Outfest’s Music Festival
Expanding our programming to include live music, BOOM! showcases some of the most exciting indie pop and rock acts adored by queer audiences.

BOOM! Outfest’s Music Festival
Expanding our programming to include live music, BOOM! showcases some of the most exciting indie pop and rock acts adored by queer audiences.

In order to satisfy his homophobic family, a young man struggles with living a double life as a straight male provider by day and a transsexual prostitute by night.

In these sexy, fun and darkly entertaining boys’ shorts, we see the hilarious terrors of gay childhood, an Internet hook-up with unexpected motivation and what happens when you hate musicals. You might wonder if there’s hope for a gay Lothario, and sometimes you’ll see that when you go home, the end is just the beginning.

A pair of best friends get stoned and take an unforgettable journey.

“I’m gay.” “That’s great. Pass the potatoes.” Welcome to the world of “Brothers and Sisters,” the hit show on ABC, where family is valued, and being gay is no longer the unspoken topic. Have we gone from advertiser poison to normal on network?! We are fortunate to have the creators, writers and stars of “Brothers and Sisters” here to discuss this luminous show and its “gay is as gay does” sensibility.

Moderator: Ken Olin (Executive Producer/Director)
Panelists: Jon Robin Baitz (Executive Producer/Creator) David Marshall Grant (Story Editor), and cast members Sally Field, Rachel Griffiths, Matthew Rhys, Ron Rifkin and Patricia Wettig.

Celebrated Israeli director Eytan Fox (WALK ON WATER, YOSSI & JAGGER) returns to Outfest with a modern-day gay Romeo and Juliet set in a hip Tel Aviv neighborhood far from the surrounding conflict. When sexy Israeli Noam falls for hot young Palestinian Ashraf, Noam and his roommates help Ashraf stay in Tel Aviv illegally. Will love conquer all~~~ The bubble of their utopian dream soon bursts amid the tragic reality of current Middle East politics.

Smart and hilariously over the top, this gender-bending comedy takes drag to a new level. Discovering the advantages of being butch, struggling actress Jamie finds herself playing a man on and off camera when offered a juicy role in an independent feature. On set, Jamie meets sexy, unsuspecting crew member Jill, who further complicates the elaborate ruse. Fun and engaging, BUTCH JAMIE is a quirky satire that takes on gender, movie-making and love.

Where would butches be without femmes? And vice versa! This lively collection of shorts begins with a primer on butch appreciation of femmes, the lighter side of butch etiquette, and how to properly treat your femme. Then take an insider’s journey into the not-oft-explored land of femme identity, where carrying a purse may or may not be a political statement, and end up at the ultimate femme freak-out event: Dinah Shore.

This screening celebrates six years of BUTT, a pocket-size, quarterly magazine founded in Amsterdam by Gert Jonkers and Jop van Bennekom in 2001. BUTT magazine features letters, pictures, drawings, reports of true encounters, interviews and other kinds of artistic expression. This program features films and videos by contributors to the magazine and material inspired by the community it has created. The BUTT film program was originally conceived and curated for Tate Modern, London by Stuart Comer, Gert Jonkers and Jop van Bennekom. Additional material has been included for its presentation at Outfest, organized by Cole Akers.