Monthly Program Will Offer Films and Discussions at the West Hollywood City Council Chambers at West Hollywood Library
Alonso Duralde / Outfest
alonso@outfest.org / 213-480-7088
LOS ANGELES, CA (March 8, 2013)
Outfest, the leading organization that promotes equality by creating, sharing and protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) stories on the screen, announces a new program: Outfest West Hollywood Series, a monthly program featuring films and discussions of interest to LGBT audiences at the West Hollywood City Council Chambers at West Hollywood Library, 625 N. San Vicente Blvd. in West Hollywood. The program will be the first Wednesday of the month throughout the year and is made possible in part from a grant from the City of West Hollywood through its Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission
“We are delighted to work with the City of West Hollywood to present a series of films and conversation that will address issues and ideas specific to the LGBT community while offering compelling and provocative entertainment to audiences of all stripes,” says KP Pepe, Outfest Director of Programming. “The new library has become a hub for the community at large, and Outfest looks forward to adding it to our many programming venues located throughout the greater metropolitan area.”
Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance at brownpapertickets.com. Tickets are $10 general/$6 for Outfest members. Free Validated Parking will be available in the five story public/park structure.
Outfest West Hollywood Series launches with a timely and thought-provoking program:
Wednesday, February 5, 7:30pm: THE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING: LGBT HUMAN RIGHTS IN RUSSIA ON THE EVE OF SOCHI ’14: As the eyes of the world turn toward Sochi, we ponder the questions: What’s the state of LGBT dissent in Russia as the country cracks down on the community? What can we do in the United States to help? And will the world’s focus on the upcoming Winter Olympics aid and abet Russia’s repressive government or draw attention to its human rights violations? The evening will include documentary footage and short films that protest Russia’s infamous “Gay Propaganda” law, as well as conversations with panelists including Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (schedule permitting), who recently visited St. Petersburg to screen MILK at the country’s only LGBT film festival; journalist Ana Kasparian (“The Young Turks”); émigré Milena Chernyavskaya, who fled Russia after the laws forced her to shut down the lesbian magazine she founded; Chadwick Moore, whose article “Love in Putin’s Russia” recently ran in The Advocate; and Joe Barbarsky from US-based protest collective (We Are) #GayPropaganda. 90 min.
About Outfest
Founded by UCLA students in 1982, Outfest is the leading organization that promotes equality by creating, sharing and protecting LGBT stories on the screen. Outfest builds community by connecting diverse populations to discover, discuss and celebrate stories of LGBT lives. Over the past three decades, Outfest has showcased thousands of films from around the world to audiences of nearly a million, educated and mentored hundreds of emerging filmmakers and protected more than 20,000 LGBT films and videos.
About The City of West Hollywood
The City of West Hollywood, also known as The Creative City, has a strong commitment to providing accessible arts and cultural events programming for its diverse community and visitors. This commitment led to the building of the West Hollywood Library in 2011, which has served as a hub of cultural programming in the area. Through its Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission, the City presents numerous film screenings, exhibitions, concerts, and other cultural events throughout the year, as well as an entire month of LGBTQ arts events during June Pride month. For more information on these West Hollywood arts and cultural events, please visit www.weho.org/arts and www.weho.org/pride.