Here's our brief introduction to this year's Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, but the real fun will come when you discover it for yourself

BY JONATHAN RIGGS

It's that time of year again. There's a lot to get excited about for Outfest, the 26th annual Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.

Thanks to several fantastic events—writer/director Donna Deitch (Desert Hearts) wins the 12th Annual Outfest Achievement Award, the Outfest music festival Boom!, a bajillion parties—it's going to be the most diverse year yet!
Besides an awesome collection of experimental films (Platinum section), multiple panels, and special events (family fun, a queer state of the nation panel, and a deaf community event to name a few), of course, there's the slate of films.

As always, there are so many great ones you'll need to plan ahead to catch 'em all. Here's your handy cheat sheet to many (but not all—there are tons more!) of the movies, but don't just take my word for it. See them all for yourself!

Opening Night
MOVIE: Breakfast With Scot
CHEAT SHEET: Tom Cavanagh (TV's Ed, sigh) stars as half of a masculine, mostly closeted gay couple who take in an orphaned boy named Scot… the twirlingest young pixie in screendom. A poignant comedy that addresses relationships, masculinity, parenthood, and Pee Wee Hockey.

Legacy Project Gala
MOVIE: Word Is Out: Stories Of Some Of Our Lives
CHEAT SHEET: You'll laugh and cry watching this 1978 documentary about the gay experience, from the point of view of 26 people, from housewives to soldiers to drag queens. Come for the movie; stay for the Q&A with the documentary subjects and filmmakers.

Centerpiece Screenings
MOVIE: Affinity
CHEAT SHEET: A classy and sexy Victorian tale concerning a prison romance between two women: a supposed medium and a rich charity worker.

MOVIE: Wild Combination: A Portrait Of Arthur Russell
CHEAT SHEET: An avant-garde portrait of an avant-garde musician and artist whose work was ahead of its time… and now, timeless.

MOVIE: A Jihad For Love
CHEAT SHEET: A brave documentary (getting rapturous reviews) about the challenges of being LGBT and Muslim that reflects a depth and diversity that might surprise you.

MOVIE: Mamma Mia!
CHEAT SHEET: Meryl meets ABBA. 'Nuff said.

MOVIE: Were The World Mine
CHEAT SHEET: A little magic pervades an all-boys school when the lads put on A Midsummer Night's Dream in this sweet and sexy musical romance.

MOVIE: Tru Loved
CHEAT SHEET: A charming gay teen romantic comedy about an ultra-LGBT-friendly gal who starts a GSA at her high school and changes everyone's lives—especially her own.

Under The Stars At The Ford Amphitheatre

Nature is the best backdrop to these films-under-the-stars:
• Eleven Minutes (a documentary on original Project Runway winner Jay McCarroll's debut fashion show)
• South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut Sing-Along (sing out, Louises!)
• Mulligans (a gay romantic comedy starring Charlie David and Thea Gill)
• The World Unseen (more about this below)
• Were The World Mine (see above)

Four in Focus
Catch the next wave of new talent with these projects by first-time feature film directors.

MOVIE: The Way I See Things
DIRECTOR: Brian Pera
CHEAT SHEET: Grief-stricken Otto ends up at a new-agey commune in this emotional, quirky (and very well-reviewed) lyrical movie.

MOVIE: Half-Life
DIRECTOR: Jennifer Phang
CHEAT SHEET: Striking, strange, and smart, this film blends animation and real-life to tell the tale of a 19-year-old girl, her gay Korean best friend, and her little brother with supernatural visions.

MOVIE: The New Twenty
DIRECTOR: Chris Mason Johnson
CHEAT SHEET: In the grand tradition of dramedies that capture their generation's zeitgeist, this is about five college friends (gay and straight) searching for love and life lessons, who are nearing 30 but doing it together.

MOVIE: Choose Connor
DIRECTOR: Luke Eberl
CHEAT SHEET: An unsettling morality tale starring Steven Weber (Wings) as a handsome congressman who gives a teenager a summer job, and a startling glimpse into the corridors of power.
By (and About) People of Color

MOVIE: The Ode
CHEAT SHEET: Handsome Ali is torn between his conservative Indian upbringing and the anything-goes mentality of gay L.A. in this well-written, smart film that's gaining lots of buzz for its fresh perspective.

MOVIE: Out In India: A Family's Journey
CHEAT SHEET: The year-long tale of two gay dads from L.A. who go to India to fight AIDS in this inspiring—and surprising—movie.

MOVIE: The Polymath, Or The Life And Opinions Of Samuel R. Delany, Gentleman
CHEAT SHEET: Confessions of the literary legend/racy raconteur talking about his sexual adventures, history, and ancestors as a gay black man.

MOVIE: Friends & Lovers: Ski Trip 2
CHEAT SHEET: A racial and gender-inclusive cast stars in this outrageous comedic look at an eccentric circle of friends and lovers.

MOVIE: Drifting Flowers
CHEAT SHEET: This thoughtful, passionate Taiwanese drama explores relationships between “masculine” and “feminine” women through three chapters.

MOVIE: Searching 4 Sandeep
CHEAT SHEET: An Australian woman falls for a closeted British-Asian woman… and they both record their experiences together and apart.

Ladies Choice
EPISODES: Sugar Rush
CHEAT SHEET: A British TV import about a perky redheaded teen and her love for a bad girl who's only too willing to get her into trouble.

EPISODE: Gimme Sugar
CHEAT SHEET: Catch a sneak peek of the season finale of the Logo reality show and then chat with the creators and stars of the lesbian L.A. club-scene girls.

MOVIE: The World Unseen
CHEAT SHEET: A sexy free-spirited woman breaks her own Indian community's convention (and apartheid law) by running a café with a mixed-race business partner. Her attraction to a beautiful woman makes her decide to question authority.

Fun Flicks
MOVIE: Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild!
CHEAT SHEET: Candy-colored spring-break-themed sexcapades!

MOVIE: The Gay Bed & Breakfast Of Terror
CHEAT SHEET: Three gay couples, two lesbian couples, and a jewelry-obsessed straight woman vs. a psycho hotel proprietress and her whacko family. Plus, go-go dancing!

MOVIE: Ready? OK!
CHEAT SHEET: Young Joshua scandalizes his Catholic school with his high-kicking, wannabe-cheerleading ways… and goes out for the squad with his understanding uncle's coaching.

MOVIE: Newcastle
CHEAT SHEET: An autobiographical Aussie film loaded with eye candy about a gay surfer’s struggle to fit in while hanging ten.

MOVIE: Otto; Or, Up With Dead People
CHEAT SHEET: Bruce LaBruce's film (with explicit sex, natch) follows a gay zombie through an erotic modern fable about life on the fringe.

Closer
That's just a sampling of everything at Outfest—there's tons more (panels, movies and so much else) to discover for yourself! Tickets (and more information) are available already by calling 213/480-7065 or www.outfest.org/fest2008. We'll see you at the movies!

OUTFEST BY THE NUMBERS

212 films
84 features
128 shorts
7 venues
25 different countries represented
30+ parties!