Let the Film-Fest begin!

“Word and images matter!” That was the battle cry pounded into my head during the three years I spent working for a media advocacy organization called GLAAD (The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation). I was part of a team of staff that holds Media accountable for what they put on the big screen, small screen, and in the papers and magazines decorating our coffee tables. The organization also famously celebrates the achievements of media that got it right in the form of their annual “GLAAD Media Awards.” I left the organization in order to become one of the filmmakers creating the culture-changing work that I had spent so much time celebrating.

In just the few short years since I left, I’ve had the distinct pleasure of working on not one… not two… but THREE films featuring LGBT content and filmmakers. I am incredibly humbled and honored to be alongside such talented artists and technicians. It’s amazing the bravery and vulnerability they all show each day they show up to work to tell these stories.

Given the talent involved, I was completely unsurprised when I found out that two of the films I worked on (the third being in post-production right now) called A Marine Story and Elena Undone were headliners at this year’s Outfest Film Festival in Los Angeles.

I was completely floored however when I was nominated to head up the Outfest Legacy Awards this fall and make an even greater contribution to the LGBT filmmaking world by protecting the images and stories in this canon of film for generations to come. If you live in Los Angeles and are interested in attending or joining me at my table… please inquire within.

In the mean time, I was asked by www.gaytravel.com (an incredible new website and social networking site which I highly recommend becoming a part of ) to share my thoughts about why I think Outfest (and therefore LGBT filmmaking in general) is important. Here are my thoughts:

Why is Outfest important?

- Because cultural change happens in our living rooms and around the dining room table, not in ballot boxes
- Because the diversity of our complex community and its allies is rarely even touched on in entertainment- so having a bevy of options celebrating that diversity is a rare treat
- Because some of the most talented filmmakers in the business are members of the LGBT community and they make good work!
- Because creating a legacy of moving images that tell stories that have the capacity to change hearts and minds is invaluable

Why am I involved?
- As a filmmaker and storyteller, I care how my life and the lives of my friends are portrayed
- Because I believe that film and television can reach beyond borders and walls and this is the way that I choose to create change
- Because the talented pool of individuals that are showcased this year are often undersupported and overlooked in the wider entertainment arena and it is my pleasure to be part of giving them their well-deserved spotlight

Why should you be involved?
- Because it’s one of the only places that you will get to see many of these films on the big screen
- Because your financial support in the form of movie tickets will actually go to a cause you can be proud of- encouraging more LGBT films and filmmakers to keep making incredible work!
- Because they throw amazing parties

I threw a lot of stuff out there, so here are the links for follow up items:

1. To learn more about the 2010 Outfest Film Festival, Click HERE
2. To purchase tickets to one of the films I worked on, click HERE:
(A MARINE STORY)
(ELENA UNDONE)
3. To learn more about the 2010 Outfest Legacy Awards, click HERE
4. To learn more about GLAAD, click HERE
5. To join me on Gay Travel’s incredible network, click HERE

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