Outfest Film Festival opening film is “Howl” with James Franco, Jon Hamm & Mary-Louise Parker

This should make for a sensational opening night for Outfest 2010!

It’s just been announced that the 28th edition of the LA LGBT film festival will open July 8 with Howl, the debut narrative feature from acclaimed documentarians Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman.

It stars James Franco, David Strathairn, Jon Hamm, Mary-Louise Parker and Jeff Daniels and will screen at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles.

“’HOWL’ is an important and inspiring movie that is extremely relevant today,” says Kim Yutani, Director of Programming of Outfest. “The film reminds us of the influence of Allen Ginsberg’s groundbreaking work, and eloquently tells the story of an artist who challenged the status quo on a personal and artistic level. By selecting ‘HOWL’ as our Opening Night, we believe that it will set the tone for this year’s festival and celebrate all of the forward-thinking artists that will be part of our exciting line-up.”

Adds Kirsten Schaffer, Executive Director of Outfest, “We’ve had the pleasure of showcasing Rob and Jeffrey’s excellent work over the years, and we are proud to continue this relationship and collaborate with such distinguished and visionary filmmakers.”

Franco stars as Allen Ginsberg and the fil is the story of how the young poet’s seminal work broke down societal barriers in the face of an infamous public obscenity trial. In his famously confessional style, Ginsberg – poet, counter-culture icon, and chronicler of the Beat Generation – recounts the road trips, love affairs, and search for personal liberation that led to “HOWL”, the most timeless work of his career.

Three interwoven stories — the unfolding of a landmark 1957 censorship trial; the revelations of a renegade artist breaking down barriers to find love and redemption; and an imaginative ride through a prophetic masterpiece that rocked a generation – come to life in a genre-defying feature film that is at once a legal drama, a character study and an animated trip into the magic and madness of the modern world.

The film is produced by Elizabeth Redleaf and Christine Kunewa Walker for Werc Werk Works and executive produced by Gus Van Sant and Jawal Nga.

“HOWL” was the opening night film at Sundance Film Festival 2010 and also played at the 2010 Berlinale.  Oscilloscope Laboratories will release the film in theaters and VOD on September 24, 2010.

The complete line-up for Outfest 2010 will be announced on June 2.  The nation’s leading LGBT festival and the oldest continuously running film festival in the city will be held July 8 to 18.

For more information on becoming a member of Outfest, please visit www.outfest.org.
Here are some clips from Howl: