FULL PROGRAM LINE UP AND FESTIVAL SITE LIVE JUNE 29 !

OUTFEST ANNOUNCES RETURN OF OUTFESTNEXT, FEATURINGFILMS FROM GREGG ARAKI, LILLY WACHOWSKI, AND KRISTEN STEWART

Taking Place from July 23–26, Films Starring OliviaWilde, Margaret Cho, Charli XCX, Matthew Morrison, and EJ Marcus Will Take Center Stage to Celebrate LGBTQ+ Storytelling and Queer Joy

LOS ANGELES (June 18, 2026) — Outfest, the Los Angeles-based nonprofit that uplifts local, regional, national, and global LGBTQ+ storytellers in the entertainment industry, announces the return of OutfestNEXT. The four-day screening series, sponsored by Delta Air Lines and Art & Rev,  will take place in Los Angeles at the LA LGBT Center’s Village at Ed Gould Plaza, from July 23–26, bringing filmmakers, audiences, and industry professionals together to celebrate the breadth and creativity of contemporary and classic queer cinema.

Over its four-day run, OutfestNEXT will celebrate the diverse spectrum of experiences within the global queer community through a showcase of narrative and documentary features and short films in the Renberg Theatre and Outfest Microcinema. In addition to screening a special selection of films, which exude independence and creative ingenuity, the Outfest Microcinema will host a series of accessible filmmaker-forward workshops and panels throughout the weekend.

Patron saint of the unapologetic queer underground and Outfest Achievement Award winner Gregg Araki joins OutfestNEXT with his latest feature, I Want Your Sex. The leather-and-latex-laden fantasia stars Olivia Wilde, Cooper Hoffman, Chase Sui Wonders, Margaret Cho, and Charli XCX. 

“My long history with Outfest dates back to when I was a baby queer filmmaker in the ’80s/’90s and festivals like Outfest and Frameline provided a crucial platform for voices like mine to be heard,” says Araki. “Thank you, Outfest, for supporting queer culture in this awful age when it is needed more than ever!”

The screening series will also include: 

• Sports drama Test starring Matthew Morrison, Brock Yurich, and Tammy Blanchard. Test follows a small-town Ohio bodybuilder who clashes with his devout mother while pursuing his dreams under a renowned coach and negotiating his long-held desires.
• The documentary Barbara Forever, an archive-driven exploration of the life, work, and legacy of iconic, pioneering lesbian filmmaker Barbara Hammer, a director near and dear to Outfest’s legacy. Directed by Brydie O’Connor, an Outfest alum whose short film Love, Barbara won the 2022 Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding Documentary Short, and executive produced by Kristen Stewart, this vital work of remembrance will receive its Los Angeles Premiere after debuting at Sundance earlier this year.
• The immensely moving, sex-positive Spanish film Maspalomas, which follows an out-and-proud man of a certain age who must leave his gay utopia in the Canary Islands for a more conservative nursing home against his wishes. 
• Rom-com Something You Should Know About Me starring EJ Marcus and Morgan Sullivan, a coming-of-age story which pulses with trans joy, executive produced by Lilly Wachowski.
• Comedy-drama Can’t Go Over It directed by Ethan Fuirst, starring Broadway’s Susannah Perkins and Tony nominee Taylor Trensch. This unique microbudget gem follows a pair of queer friends as they navigate the elements — and each other — while hiking and camping their way through the Adirondack Mountains; miraculously, the film was shot entirely on location by a crew that braved the wilderness alongside its characters.

Throughout the weekend, receptions will take place before and after select screenings in the Village Courtyard with complementary canned, craft cocktails provided by Art & Rev.

“The Outfest programming team can barely contain our excitement when it comes to sharing the work of these visionary filmmakers with theaters full of movie-loving Angelenos,” says Senior Programmer Daniel Crooke. “OutfestNEXT exists at the convergence of defiant expression and community power, two of our most essential tools in building a world that reflects the vibrance, value, and beauty of queer and trans life.”

The full program will be announced and Outfest member ticket sales go live on June 29. Members receive advance access to tickets, invitations to special events, priority at year-round screenings, and annual discounts. To become a member, visit https://outfestdonors.eventive.org/passes/buy or click the Support button on Outfest.org. 

OutfestNEXT tickets become available to the general public on July 1 via Outfest.org. Outfest encourages the community to purchase tickets early, as demand is expected to exceed availability. 

OutfestNEXT continues Outfest’s mission to champion LGBTQ+ storytelling and support the artists behind it. By bringing together contemporary independent films, archival works, and filmmaker discussions, the four-day event showcases the diversity of queer experiences while creating opportunities for dialogue, discovery, and community engagement.

For more information on new films and events being added to OutfestNEXT, please visit https://www.outfest.org/next or follow on Instagram @outfest.  

‍ABOUT OUTFEST: 

Founded by UCLA students in 1982, Outfest is the leading organization that promotes empathy and equality by creating, sharing and protecting LGBTQ+ stories on the screen. Outfest builds community by connecting diverse populations to discover, discuss and celebrate stories of LGBTQ+ lives. Over the past four decades, Outfest has showcased thousands of films from around the world to audiences of nearly a million, educated and mentored hundreds of emerging filmmakers and protected more than 47,000 LGBTQ+ films and videos in the UCLA Film and Television Archive. 

‍MEDIA CONTACT:

Lucky Break PR, outfest@luckybreakpr.com 

Mark Umbach, mark@luckybreakpr.com

Erika Satler, erika@luckybreakpr.com 

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