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The 2016 Outfest Fusion line-up is unveiled – Nisha Ganatra to receive Fusion Achievement Award

The line-up for the 2016 Outfest Fusion LGBT People of Color Film Festival has been announced and, as always, I’m really looking forward to attending this event.

Fusion kicks off on Friday, March 4, with the US Premiere and 20th Anniversary screening of the digital restoration of The Watermelon Woman. The next day, director and screenwriter Cheryl Dunye will host a panel discussion on the influence her classic film has had on the next generation of filmmakers.

The first day of the festival will also feature the Los Angeles premieres of the Canadian Aboriginal drama Fire Song and the provocative film Utopians from Hong Kong.

The weekend of screenings also 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 a post-screening discussion about the intersections of gender identity, sexual orientation and religion.

Other scheduled films include Jake Witzenfeld’s Oriented, which explores the Israel-Palestine conflict through an intimate and distinctly queer lens and the documentary Made in Bangkok, an by Flavio Florencio which follows Morganna who, in her quest for womanhood, enters a prestigious transgender pageant in Thailand to vie for the crown of “Ms. International Queen.”

The Fusion Gala Shorts screening boasts four world premieres, including the rockabilly fable Whittier Boulevard, Vámonos, Counter Act, as well as the anime-inspired Robo Saints. Additional world premieres will be presented in the Fusion Doc Shorts program, including Poshida: Hidden LGBT Pakistan and Libertad.

On Saturday, March 5, Emmy nominee and Golden Globe–winning director, producer and writer Nisha Ganatra (Transparent, Chutney Popcorn) will receive the 2016 Fusion Achievement Award, which will be presented at the Fusion Gala.

This year’s event takes place just after the Academy Awards which this year have cone under a barrage of criticism for a stunning lack of diversity in its four acting categories which featured 20 white performers. The acclaimed film Straight Outa Compton was also not given a best picture nod despite being nominated for screenplay and being nominated for several other major industry awards.

“We have reached a moment in Hollywood’s history where the discussion on diversity has extended to the mainstream,” says Outfest Executive Director Christopher Racster. “For the past 12 years, Fusion has been at the forefront of showcasing filmmakers of color, and we are proud of the multiplicity of voices that have been represented at this festival.”

Following the Outfest Fusion screenings on opening weekend at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, there will be a series of 10 filmmaking workshops taking place at various locations around Los Angeles.

They will be 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 (pictured), Deondray Gossfield and Quincy LeNear Gossfield.

Fusion wraps up with Fusion Finale on Wednesday, March 16 at Angel City Brewery with an evening to include the annual One Minute Movie Contest where all the submissions will be screened and prizes awarded.

For complete listings and to purchase tickets, log on to www.Outfest.org/fusion2016



FILE UNDER: Outfest

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