Outfest Saturday: “The Four-Faced Liar” at Ford, restored doc “Queens at Heart” and Meredith Baxter!

I am so looking forward to seeing the International Male collection of shorts on Saturday at 11 a.m. at DGA. That will be followed by what is sure to be a provocative panel on Coming Out in Hollywood which will include Meredith Baxter as one of the participants!

While this is going on, over at the smaller DGA 2 venue will be the documentaries Out of the Shadows/Signs of Protest beginning at noon followed by an encore screening of the French coming of age film The Evening Dress (La Robe Du Soir) at 2:30 p.m.

Later in the afternoon, you can catch Strange Powers: Stephen Merritt and the Magnetic Fields at 4 p.m. at DGA 1 and a program called Trans-Politics Then and Now: Queens at Heart at 5 p.m. in DGA 2.

I’ve seen Queens at Heart and was fascinated by this 1967 documentary about four male-to-female transsexuals. It is a very valuable portrait of pre-Stonewall transgender life in NYC. It is paired with a comedy short called Bella Maddo which is noteworthy because it features a transgender cast playing non-transgender characters.

Once evening falls, you might want to make it out to the Ford Ampitheatre if you are in the mood for a romantic comedy. The movie screening under the stars is The Four-Faced Liar which I have seen and liked.

It’s about a group of college-aged friends in New York City and its a mix of gay and straight. The same-sex relationship is a lesbian one. The guys are cute but there is no boy-on-boy action in this fick.

The character of Bridget who becomes involved with a woman struggling with her lesbian feelings, was my favorite.  Marja Lewis Ryan is such a perfect fit for the role that it didn’t surprise me to find out that she also wrote the movie’s screenplay based on her own play.

Here is a LINK to my full review.

I’ll be catching Spring Fever at 7 p.m. in DGA 1 about a guy who is hired to spy on a philandering husband then becomes involved with the guy!  That will be followed at 9:30 p.m. by the Canadian feature I Killed My Mother about a gay teen who is struggling to navigate the various trials of gay adolescence.

Go to Outfest.org to order tickets and to see the full weekend schedule. I’ll post a guide to Sunday early tomorrow.

Enjoy!