Last Thursday was the opening night of the 10 year anniversary of Outshine Fort Lauderdale and they opened with the film Studio 54, which is an amazing Documentary with real footage, and current interviews of the people that made it the most iconic disco in history. After the movie, the Opening Night Party was at Middle River Manor. For those of you who have never been to this location, like I hadn’t, you are missing an incredible house in Middle River. With 4 or 5 bedrooms and around 8 bedrooms this mansion is amazing and is on the water. The opening party was a huge hit with delicious food, overflowing cocktails and packed with incredible people.
If you missed the opening Party, fret not, as there are two more you can attend. On Thursday, October 25, after the Centerpiece Movie, Girl, they will have the Center piece party at 8:30 pm at Savor Cinema (503 SE 6th St. Fort Lauderdale), and on Sunday, October 28, directly following the closing film, Boy Erased, they will feature the Closing Night Party and Awards at 8pm at RIVA Fort Lauderdale (1180 N Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale)
There are 16 more films showing the second weekend of the Film Festival. Below we highlight eight of them:
Girl – East Coast Premiere
Thursday October 25th 2018, 7:00 pm
Centerpiece Film
Fifteen-year-old Lara’s goal is clear: to become a professional ballerina. Supported by her father, she attends a prestigious dance school, dedicating herself to the grueling journey. But the frustrations and impatience of adolescence intensify as she gradually faces the daunting challenges classical ballet imposes on the body of girl born in a boy’s body. Winner of the Camera d’or and Prize of the Best Actor at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Girl presents a fundamentally supportive environment for the protagonist while making clear the challenges she faces.
Friday October 26th 2018, 7:00 pm
Savor Cinema
Perhaps the most controversial photographer in American history, Robert Mapplethorpe’s work celebrated a range of subjects, from flowers to S&M. He electrified the contemporary art world and immortalized a generation ravaged by AIDS. From the early ’70s until his untimely death, the film explores the intersection of his art and his sexuality and his struggle for mainstream recognition, all in the face of the emerging AIDS crisis. Featuring Matt Smith (Doctor Who, The Crown) the biopic offers a nuanced portrait of an artist at the height of his craft and of the self-destructive impulses that threaten to undermine it all.
Friday October 26th 2018, 9:15 pm
The Classic Gateway Theatre
After having broken up with his boyfriend of 8 years and having his heart broken by his rebound guy, Rafael decided to get away and meet three friends in different countries: Julia in England, Fábio in Portugal and Mayara in Argentina. They all hold a special place in his life and will provide comfort and support he desperately needs at this time…..or will they? Loosely inspired by the filmmaker’s actual experiences and combining three countries, four exiles, and one broken heart, 45 Days Away From You is all true, is all fiction, and is wholly entertaining.
Friday October 26th 2018, 9:30 pm
Savor Cinema
Mario has fallen in love for the first time. Yet his new love is Leon, the team’s new striker, who could pose a threat to Mario’s chances of advancing his soccer career. Before long, their relationship is discovered by their team members and rumors begin to spread beyond the locker room. Mario realizes this jeopardizes his career as a professional football player, but he does not want to lose Leon at any price. He has to make a decision: does he risk his fame as a soccer star or does he lose the only man he has truly loved?
Saturday October 27th 2018, 12:30 pm
The Classic Gateway Theatre
Around 15,500 transgender people serve in the U.S. military where they must conceal their gender identity because military policies still discriminate. Transmilitary chronicles the lives of four of these individuals (Senior Airman Logan Ireland, Corporal Laila Villanueva, Captain Jennifer Peace & First Lieutenant El Cook) defending their country’s freedom while fighting for their own. They put their careers and their families’ livelihoods on the line by coming out as transgender to top brass officials in the Pentagon in hopes of attaining the equal right to serve.
Saturday October 27th 2018, 9:30 pm
The Classic Gateway Theatre
Genre: Drama, Gay, Historical Fiction
Tom (Tennessee) Williams, an aspiring writer in his 20s, lives with and negligent father (Vincent D’onofrio). Tom attempts to maintain peace in the family while also dealing with his depressed and anti-social sister. Struggling against the societal pressures and expectations of him, Tennessee is determined to hone in on his artistic talent and achieve greatness. Directed by James Franco, Tenn focuses on a young Tennessee Williams struggling to find his voice and at the same time his true self as a gay man in 1930’s St. Louis.
Sunday October 28th 2018, 12:45 pm
The Classic Gateway Theatre
The story of the groundbreaking life and work of 4-time Tony-winning playwright Terrence McNally: a personal journey through 5-decades of the American theatre, the struggle for LGBT rights, triumph over addiction, the power of the arts to shape society, and finding love and inspiration at all ages. At 78, Terrence is one of the world’s most renowned, risk-taking playwrights, but he wakes up every day with the spirit of an ambitious and romantic young man. It’s that attitude, mixed with a quiet courage that makes him one of the best American playwrights.
Sunday October 28th 2018, 6:00 pm
Closing Night Film
Savor Cinema
Boy Erased tells the story of Jared (Lucas Hedges), the son of a Baptist pastor in a small American town, who is outed to his parents (Nicole Kidman and Russel Crowe) at age 19. Jared is faced with an ultimatum: attend a gay conversion therapy program or be permanently exiled and shunned by his family, friends, and faith. Based on the best-selling novel, Boy Erased is the true story of one young man’s struggle to find himself while being forced to question every aspect of his identity. Beautifully written and superbly acted, this has Oscars written all over it.
