Outfest 2009, LA’s gay and lesbian film festival, opens on Thursday. Greg In Hollywood will be previewing movies, covering screenings and parties and doing interviews for the entire 10 days of this always memorable event.

I’ve just learned that the great Sharon Gless will attend Friday night’s screening of the passionate lesbian drama Hannah Free in which she stars. I watched it a few weeks back and Gless is so wonderful in it. It reminded me of Fried Green Tomatoes a bit only the women were allowed to be lovers in this!

Gless plays Hannah who grows up with Rachel (Maureen Gallagher) in the same Midwest town where their deep love for each other is challenged by traditional gender expectations. Hannah becomes an adventurous, unapologetic lesbian while Rachel marries a man and has children. But as we see through flashbacks, the women maintain their love affair through the years.

If you are a fan of Sharon, you need to know nothing else except that she dominates the film  and is funny and touching and real. The two-time Emmy winner for Cagney and Lacey, standout cast member of Queer as Folk and current co-star of Burn Notice will participate in a Q&A and party at the Directors Guild of America Theater.

Hannah Free is directed by Wendy Jo Carlton and written by Claudia Allen who also wrote the acclaimed stage play.

Here is a trailer:

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