Outfest Fusion announces lineup and honorees, tickets now available

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Dedicated to nurturing, showcasing and protecting LGBT media, the lineup was announced for the Outfest Fusion LGBT People of Color Film Festival, the only multicultural LGBT film festival of its kind.  Now in its 13th year, it will be held March 4-16 at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, as well as various locations throughout Los Angeles.

The fest kicks off on Friday, March 4, with the US Premiere and 20th Anniversary screening of the digital restoration of The Watermelon Woman, courtesy of the Outfest UCLA Legacy Project and 13th Gen.  The following day, that film’s director and screenwriter Cheryl Dunye will host a panel discussion on the influence her classic film has had on the next generation of filmmakers.

Outfest Fusion will include three days of short and feature film screenings, filmmaker Q&As, and networking events that celebrate the diversity of the LGBT community, followed by 10 filmmaking workshops.

Director Nisha GanatraEmmy nominee and Golden Globe–winning director, producer and writer Nisha Ganatra (TransparentChutney Popcorn) will receive the 2016 Fusion Achievement Award, which will be presented at the Fusion Gala on Saturday, March 5.

The weekend of screenings includes the recent GLAAD Media Award–nominated BET documentary, Holler If You Hear Me: Black and Gay in the Church, which will be followed by an enlightening post-screening discussion about the intersections of gender identity, sexual orientation and religion; Made in Bangkok, an exhilarating documentary by Flavio Florencio that follows Morganna who, in her quest for womanhood, enters a prestigious transgender pageant in Thailand to vie for the crown of “Ms. International Queen;” and Jake Witzenfeld’s Oriented, a film that explores the Israel-Palestine conflict through an intimate, distinctly queer lens.

Following the Outfest Fusion screenings, there will be a series of 10 filmmaking workshops taking place at various locations around Los Angeles, led by queer filmmakers of color and covering topics that include screenwriting, guerilla feature filmmaking, web series production, smartphone cinematography, social media marketing, editing and directing. The Instructors include award-winning filmmakers Angela Robinson, Quentin Lee, Doug Spearman, Deondray Gossfield and Quincy LeNear Gossfield.

Tickets for the Gala and festival screenings are now available to purchase, with discount prices for Outfest members. For those age 21 and under, Outfest Fusion is also offering a Free Youth Membership and free tickets. To learn more and buy your tickets, visit the “Tickets” section of their website.

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