The truth is that in order to really advance the LGBT movement, we need to start seeing more LGBT people of color out in the community. Outfest has been a leader in showcasing LGBT people of color in front of and behind the camera at their annual Outfest Fusion: The Los Angeles LGBT People of Color Film Festival event.
We took our NoMoreDownLow.TV crew out to cover the film festival. You can watch the NoMoreDownLow.TV newsbreak below. The segment features an interview with the creator of the groundbreaking series Noah's Arc, Patrik-Ian Polk. Polk discusses his new film The Skinny. Plus, check out other films featured at the festival, including Stud Life, Slow, and Promise Me a Lie.
From full-length features to shorts, this year's Outfest Fusion film festival continued its tradition of preserving the images of LGBT people of color and their artistry. Taking pride in showcasing and nurturing emerging talent, the festival also offers a platform for stories that are often overlooked in the mainstream movie-making industry and popular culture.
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Outfest Fusion programmer Jennifer De Clue said, "[Outfest] Fusion is the only kind of film festival that focuses on queer people of color specifically."
Producer/actor Shaka Walker said, "It's one of the films that I'm part of that I produced. It's called Promise Me a Lie, and it's basically about a Latino gay guy who falls in love with a DL guy. And it's basically telling a story between someone who's openly gay and someone who's on the Down Low."
Actor Jennia Fredrique, from The Skinny, said, "I love people being fully who they are, and being from Gary, Indiana, where you see kids getting beat up or mistreated, this represents those kids that need to see themselves represented."
Outfest Fusion concluded with the world-premiere screening of director Patrick-Ian Polk's new film, The Skinny. Polk told us, "The Skinny is about five Brown University classmates reuniting one year after graduation for gay pride weekend in New York City."
(The first run of The Skinny begins April 6, 2012 in Washington D.C. and Atlanta.)
Congrats to Outfest for producing a great festival that encourages the development, work, and visibility of LGBT people of color. It's this type of visibility that will get us another step closer to full equality. Let's stand together!
The Skinny trailer:
Stud Life trailer:
Find more news segments focused on black LGBT issues, visit NoMoreDownLow.tv or our YouTube channel. Learn more about Outfest Fusion at outfest.org.
Learn more about The Skinny and Patrick-Ian Polk at tallskinnyblackboy.com.
Learn more about Stud Life at studlifethemovie.com.
Learn more about Darius Monroe and Slow at facebook.com/slowshortfilm.