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Outfest Fusion
LGBT People of Color Film Festival
Friday, 24 March 2023 until Sunday, 02 April 2023
PLEASE NOTE: FESTIVAL DATES FOR 2023 ARE CURRENTLY TENTATIVE.
Outfest creates visibility for diverse LGBTQIA+ stories and empowers storytellers, building empathy to drive meaningful social change. Outfest programs give artists, filmmakers, and entertainment professionals the opportunity to discover their voice, provide the pathways to the visibility of their work by all members of the public, and assure that their legacy will live on for generations to come.
The Outfest Fusion QTBIPOC Film Festival was born in 2004 out of a grassroots movement by Outfest alumni filmmakers to promote social change through the power of film. Since then, Fusion has continued to bring the city's multicultural communities together to center LGBTQIA+ people of color and provide a platform to amplify our voices.
The mission of Outfest Fusion is not only to amplify these voices but also provide access and resources specific to the needs of the QTBIPOC community. The programming at Outfest Fusion exists to directly close and challenge the systemic access gap for LGBTQIA+ people of color.
2023 films...
11 minutes | Canada | 2022
While a family party echoes in the distance, a game of dress up descends into chaos when Carlos decides to shed his fear for something else, something stronger.
3 minutes | USA | 2023
Pulsing flashbacks from the summer of love reawaken a queer California classic.
17 minutes | USA | 2022
An unsociable 65-year-old man falls for a much younger stranger, forcing him to face his suppressed queer identity.
Agents of Change, Project: Polymer
15 minutes | USA | 2023
In this spy caper, two secret agents—played with hilarious repartee by Rain Valdez and Shaan Dasani—attempt to expose an illegal plastic-dumping scheme.
13 minutes | USA | 2022
After she loses her former partner, a former astronaut struggles to connect with her unborn child in this cinematic exploration of queer longing and loneliness.
18 minutes | USA | 2023
This heady sex positive exploration of intimacy, self fulfillment and the pursuit of pleasure is an embodiment of queer magic via an interweave of sex-positive rituals. Featuring music by Dorian Wood and Thor Harris.
8 minutes | New Zealand | 2022
A young Bolivian shoe shiner uses the power of imagination to escape a harsh, everyday reality.
18 minutes | United Kingdom | 2021
A young gay Libyan man lives underground with his friends and dreams of fleeing to England, but when he has to find his passport, he finds warmth where he least expects it and questions whether he should leave.
7 minutes | USA | 2022
After stumbling upon a ring, a woman leaves it to the tarot cards to determine the direction of her relationship with her partner.
10 minutes | USA | 2022
A non-binary South Asian teenager uses bharatanatyam dance to explore their gender identity.
A young boy takes on chores and small jobs around his neighborhood to raise money for a ticket to a magic show; but when his grandmother loses her job, he is faced with a difficult decision.
4 minutes | USA | 2022
A gut-wrenching self-love LGBTQ+ anthem.
12 minutes | USA | 2022
An erotic drama telling a story about two queer, Mayan-descended Two Spirits who meet at a queer San Francisco bar.
7 minutes | Canada, Venezuela | 2022
Gustavo Bruin gets a pimple on the day of his grad photos which triggers a chaotic spiral of hallucinations and ultimately, an identity crisis.
17 minutes | USA | 2022
A teenage girl from El Salvador begins questioning her gender identity and personal expression after discovering an underground pole dancing studio in New York City.
4 minutes | USA | 2021
A former couple tries to navigate their break-up, with all its messiness and petty jealousies, in the extremely-close quarters of their workplace: a cockpit.
7 minutes | USA | 2022
Blending surrealism with relatable social and sexual anxieties, a woman and her talking vulva get ready for a date.
Coming Out With the Help of a Time Machine
15 minutes | USA | 2021
Coming out to his traditional and god fearing Indian parents, Sid uses a time machine to reset the day to make sure everything goes perfect.
Compositions For Understanding Relationships
6 minutes | USA | 2021
An experimental love letter exploring personal connections through a series of geometric shapes.
17 minutes | United Kingdom | 2022
A UK Atlanta centering a questioning and emerging Black rapper who finds comfort and musical growth in a femme Black producer.
13 minutes | Argentina, USA | 2023
By a gas station in rural Argentina, a young kid secretly dreams of becoming a dancer. It’s only after a dance off with RUBY, a broken-hearted drag queen, that he finds the courage to follow his dreams.
10 minutes | Pakistan | 2021
A young man comes to meet his dying father for the confrontation of his life.
20 minutes | USA | 2021
A fateful meeting at a liquor store leaves Damian longing for Izan, as the relationship between the two blossoms out of innocence and fantasy, but can anything come of that?
8 minutes | Armenia | 2022
In the midst of mounting pressure to join an anti-regime uprising, Badaskhan discovers coded messages from their ancestors through a mysterious plant growing in their safe house.
14 minutes | USA | 2022
Two women on the heels of a breakup are forced to relive key moments from their relationship in order to escape their once-shared apartment.
16 minutes | USA | 2022
At the end of summer, Kevin pierces his own lip as a last-ditch effort to win over a skater boy, who also happens to be his best friend.
89 minutes | USA, Japan | 2022
As they prepare for an historic performance, a Japanese Taiko drumming ensemble surmounts unforeseen obstacles as they shape the future of their culture for generations to come.
Follow The Protocol (Seguindo Todos os Protocolos)
75 minutes | Brazil | 2022
What does queer sexuality look like after a post-apocalyptic event? Francisco questions what it means to be sexually-liberated in a post-pandemic world.
12 minutes | United Kingdom | 2022
Two half-dead women are being trafficked, ravenous for food. Dodging men in the shadows, with hunger and dawn rising, something has to give.
9 minutes | USA | 2022
A thrifty, fabulous,and newly independent drag artist unwittingly faces an unusual request from an enigmatic stranger in exchange for a free dress.
15 minutes | USA | 2022
A kung-fu obsessed girl finds an unlikely sensei in the trans masc chef (River Butcher) at the exclusive country club where her dad works, and together they plan to win the upcoming kids’ golf tournament.
9 minutes | USA | 2021
With time running out and obstacles mounting, the couple’s everyday issues begin to surface and take on new meanings.
A Guide To Not Dying Completely Alone
12 minutes | USA | 2022
The bitchy, gay “Eat, Pray, Love” you didn’t know you needed—when a young man passes out in a gay bar bathroom, he realizes he should probably change his life.
15 minutes | Sweden | 2021
Two Arab men are playing a sexy game but get interrupted by one of their biggest fears - a threat from the Arab world.
12 minutes | USA | 2021
After his first experience with a girl doesn’t go as planned, a teenage boy tries to navigate the awkward question of his sexuality.
110 minutes | USA | 2022
An ill-fated week blows open long-held secrets by a Hmong family forcing each family member to make decisions that will affect each of their lives.
10 minutes | USA | 2022
When a Queer Native Person at a music festival sees a Non-Native person wearing a ceremonial headdress, they retreat into their mind to find the perfect insult.
17 minutes | USA | 2022
Rumi is college bound, the model sibling/son/boyfriend who finds strength in his indigenous Ecuadorian identity, which ultimately anchors him when life-altering truths are revealed.
6 minutes | USA | 2022
Two queer high schoolers are sick of being bullied by their classmates, so they strike back as any of us would with witchcraft.
5 minutes | USA | 2022
A documentary celebrating grassroots activist Mother LaTravious, a Black Trans femme matriarch whose journey from caterpillar to a butterfly began in her 30s.
After a devastating break-up, a gay man terrified that he’s over the hill–having just turned 30–must conquer his insecurities to make it to a truly terrifying event: a pool party.
24 minutes | USA | 2022
Follows the journey of two Black trans activists who run for office and work to build Louisiana’s first housing refuge for trans and gender non-conforming residents.
15 minutes | USA | 2022
A young boy explores and asserts his gender identity on Halloween, and finds acceptance from an unexpected figure.
10 minutes | USA | 2021
A chorus of queer and trans BIPOC reflects on how the intersectionalities of gender and people are infinite.
14 minutes | Canada | 2022
Imran and Alykhan, two Muslim youngsters, meet at a winter camp, where they hide their relationship from their peers until the closing night dance comes around.
5 minutes | USA | 2022
After opening a portal to another dimension, two friends learn why they should probably stick to their own dimension’s pizza.
Kenyatta: Do Not Wait Your Turn
95 minutes | USA | 2023
Malcolm Kenyatta, a State Representative in the swing state of Pennsylvania, is running for a seat in the United States Senate. He challenges a system that holds “poor, Black, and gay” people to a different standard.
11 minutes | USA | 2022
A meet cute between two men in a record shop connects the pair through an introduction to new sounds and a mutual taste in indie records.
13 minutes | Canada | 2021
Filipinx queer non-binary icon Kimmortal's acting debut as a young adult trapped between their mother and father's war of silence and finding comfort in unexpected places.
The Last Time We Came Out of the Closet
13 minutes | Brazil | 2022
In a parallel television dimension, a guest on a daytime talk show discusses why he’s the saddest gay person in the world.
Little Richard: I Am Everything
98 minutes | USA | 2022
Glamorous and groundbreaking, the iconic Little Richard takes center stage in Lisa Cortés’ electrifying rock-doc: an epic, shapeshifting cultural history which extends beyond the pomp of that legendary bouffant to reclaim his rightful place as the true King of Rock n’ Roll. As a singer-songwriter from the American South — forged in the queer Black music community of the region — Richard Wayne Penniman broke barriers and set the tempo for the next century of popular music. But while his exhilarating stage presence and peacock persona acted as a force of liberation for LGBTQ+ visibility, his relationship to his own identity was far more complex. And though his unmistakable signature could be found all over the work of chart-topping white artists, he was rarely given credit. This portrait of a revolutionary artist in a constant cycle of reinvention sets the record straight, recalibrating the culture around his unforgettable story and the queer Black musicians who inspired him.
13 minutes | USA | 2022
While visiting the adoptive family of her eight-year-old biological son, Tara overcomes the hesitation of his parents to relay advice she gathered from growing up as a queer outcast.
A young woman falls in love with a waitress in a greasy-yet-nostalgic Hong Kong-style cafe, but a language gap divides the two - or is there something more.
15 minutes | USA | 2022
After discovering that her ex is dating a rich douchebag, a young woman looks for solace at a meeting for love addicts.
10 minutes | 2021
A look at children’s perspectives on gender and family, using audio interviews, animation, and mixed media.
9 minutes | India | 2022
Before the ceremony of their wedding day, a groom comes out as nonbinary to the bride-to-be of their arranged marriage.
13 minutes | USA | 2021
After being rejected by her favorite customer, a cashier must reconcile her feelings when the customer continues to visit the ramen shop.
13 minutes | USA | 2022
A baseball player discovers his passion for Japanese traditional dance and is confronted with the choice of embracing his true identity or masking behind the pressures of family.
11 minutes | USA | 2022
5 minutes | USA | 2022
A poetic love letter between two women rebelling against the heteronormative gaze.
17 minutes | Taiwan | 2022
When an insecure teenage girl meets a cool school girl with a couldn't-give-a-damn attitude, she becomes infatuated and follows her down a rabbit hole.
22 minutes | Canada | 2021
With minimal support from their traditional Chinese father, brassy Aidan Lee grieves the loss of their mother and finds reconnection dressing up in their mother’s drag.
11 minutes | USA | 2022
This playful and experimental evocation of a childhood crush asks us to imagine what gets kicked up for our current selves when we realize we embody our formative desires.
5 minutes | USA | 2022
Within the first three seconds of meeting, two men dream of the rise and fall of their relationship.
15 minutes | India | 2021
Renuka and her girlfriend Sadiya enjoy a day out together. Unbeknownst to them, Renuka's son knows what they're up to, and confronts his mother.
5 minutes | USA | 2021
A throbbing exploration of self and becoming one.
15 minutes | USA | 2022
Stigma remains an ongoing issue for a former Filipina actor living with HIV alongside her gay son who was born positive — but tenderness and resiliency prevail.
6 minutes | USA | 2022
Three dancers at Natural Bridges Beach reflect on climate change, sea level rise, and personal loss, seeking and imagining queer, trans abolitionist futures.
9 minutes | USA | 2022
9 minutes | USA | 2022
Karim must find a way to tell his childhood friend the truth about the past, but when he can’t find the words, their conversation becomes increasingly surreal until he loses control.
13 minutes | USA | 2022
Carrie and Nayeli just bought their first home in Joshua Tree and are creating a new life in the desert together. In the midst of unpacking, the duo spontaneously decides to indulge in psychedelic mushrooms leaving them to explore their new stomping grounds and unpack more than just dishware.
5 minutes | USA | 2022
A queer woman of color delivers a love letter crafted for all queer and lesbian women around the world: live and thrive and fight for love!
16 minutes | France | 2021
Driving in their car, a couple cruise on the Parisian ring road until Éva opens up about the situation she is going through.
10 minutes | USA | 2022
Tommy, a baby gay, meets with social butterfly Vela to get his ears pierced in anticipation for a party.
Polartropica "What's Your Fantasy"
3 minutes | USA | 2022
A luscious, synth-driven, sticky, dream-pop Venus flytrap adventure that can transport you to any fantasy you desire.
13 minutes | United Kingdom | 2023
Kanem finds himself questioning the dynamics of power, class, race and privilege as the under-discussed realm of hook-up and chemsex culture turn his life upside down.
Recuerdo de una tarde en la azotea
9 minutes | Mexico | 2022
Two men flirtatiously walk on the rooftop of a building, capturing the memories they share and leaving no word left unsaid.
15 minutes | USA | 2022
When a grieving couple goes to a "rental family" agency to hire an actor to role-play their dead son, they discover that their evening of remembrance is more than they bargained for.
12 minutes | USA | 2022
A young couple celebrates their one-year "fauxniversary" at the beach, blissfully unaware of what the future holds.
10 minutes | USA | 2023
A genderqueer college student throws a party the night before graduation that takes an unexpected turn.
4 minutes | USA | 2022
This colorful conclusion to the COVID-themed trilogy will make you thankful we’re no longer all locked up, and you can show off that cute ass butt.
11 minutes | Canada | 2022
Two strangers are scared on a late walk home. As they try to escape one another, their worlds collide at an intersection forcing them to question who they're afraid of and why.
4 minutes | 2022
While waiting for the bus, a spirited young girl — to the disapproval of her grandma — befriends a familiar-seeming stranger after bonding over a small gift.
30 minutes | India | 2020
A mother's nonbinary child seeks validation …
12 minutes | United Kingdom, India | 2022
15 minutes | USA | 2022
Following a relationship born out of the Pinochet dictatorship, a queer romance buds between a mortician and the granddaughter of the man she is embalming.
87 minutes | Canada | 2022
Tony, Julian, and Otis are queer adolescents ready for a fun summer adventure, but find their plans upended by a mysterious incident poised to change their lives.
22 minutes | Germany | 2022
This film documents Four Berlin-based migrant queer musicians opening up, becoming vulnerable, and letting go to find comfort and "reverberations" of their sounds in each other.
62 minutes | France, Chile | 2022
Bastian embarks on a journey through adolescence, confronting the stark and sometimes surprising realities of transness in Chile through the lens of his doting mother Lorena.
13 minutes | USA | 2022
After being thrown out by his parents, a young, homeless, trans man fights for survival on the gritty streets of Los Angeles until he can get on his feet again.
5 minutes | USA | 2022
Asexual T navigates uncertainty and struggles to maintain their strained friendship with Gwin, as they find themselves monitored by a persistent disembodied voice demanding an answer.
6 minutes | United Kingdom | 2022
Poems and archival footage of Black history from the Caribbean, United Kingdom, United States, and the African continent become Black people-centered and mental health-affirming rallying calls.
84 minutes | USA | 2022
Before it was home to the Whitney and the High Line, Manhattan’s Meatpacking District was home to a community of transgender women of color who survived on sex work. This is the story of how this neighborhood changed, and how these women survived through it all.
100 minutes | Iran, Canada | 2022
Entangled with the current politics of Iran, a young swimmer trains for a national championships with his new coach. But the relationship between the two men induces echoing criticism from the community around them.
17 minutes | United Kingdom | 2022
The world stalls over Covid-19 and two London lads discover mutual romantic feelings but violence enters their world risking the relationship before it can even begin.
This One Is for the Neighborhood
17 minutes | USA | 2022
An unlikely pair — a non-binary painter and an uptight woman — bond through the power of story, leading them to rediscover the meaning of home and close circles that burden them.
87 minutes | Canada | 2022
As two young women fall in love, each is forced to confront their family histories in unexpected ways, while navigating multiple legacies of grief, identity, and displacement.
Thriving: A Dissociated Reverie
10 minutes | Canada | 2023
A former sex worker diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder tries to figure out how to thrive in a capitalist hellscape that toes the line between heaviness and comic self-awareness with perfect tonal precision.
15 minutes | México | 2021
This film explores ecofeminism, the destruction of Indigenous gender identities, and loss of territory through a sublime and sensual dance.
8 minutes | USA | 2022
An intimate look at photographer Tommy Kha as he tries to reconnect with his hometown, Memphis TN.
Undocumented Tales (Season 4, Episode 1)
27 minutes | USA | 2023
Fernando, an undocumented queer immigrant living in Los Angeles struggles with a mental disorder but he keeps it a secret from his friends and everyone – until he starts dating Johnny.
UNIDAD: Gay & Lesbian Latinos Unidos
40 minutes | USA | 2022
Gay & Lesbian Latinos Unidos (GLLU) was formed in 1981 to help bring Queer Latino issues to light in the LGBT community. This is their story.
27 minutes | Australia | 2022
16 minutes | USA | 2022
8 minutes | USA | 2021
On the eve of Jamila and Rae’s one-year anniversary, Rae receives a voicemail from her ex-lover.
20 minutes | China | 2023
A young Chinese filmmaker returns to his hometown in search of himself and an overdue conversation with his mother.
14 minutes | USA | 2022
A teenage girl is forced to live with the aunt she’s never met when her parents are killed in a car accident, and together they must learn to coexist.