For the first time features by trans filmmakers will bookend Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival (July 13-23), with opener Aristotle And Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe and closing selection Chasing Chasing Amy.
Both Aitch Alberto and Sav Rodgers are alumni of Outfest’s artist development programmes. Alberto took part in the Outfest Screenwriting Lab in 2007 and has returned to mentor young filmmakers in Outfest’s programmes.
Rodgers is an alum of both OutSet – Outfest’s filmmaking lab and mentorship programme for LGBTQ+ youth (16-24) to share their stories in film – and the 2021 Outfest Screenwriting Lab with his and Taylor Gates’ narrative screenplay I Love You, Margot Robbie.
Based on Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s beloved and best-selling young adult novel, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe centers on the friendship between two teenage Mexican-American boys in 1987 El Paso who explore a new, unusual friendship and the difficult road to self-discovery.
Max Pelayo and Reese Gonzales star with Eugenio Derbez, Eva Longoria, Veronica Falcón and Kevin Alejandro in the 2022 TIFF premiere. Blue Fox Entertainment holds US rights.
Chasing Chasing Amy will receive its world premiere in June at Tribeca Festival and investigates the history and legacy of Kevin Smith’s 1997 indie hit Chasing Amy, wrestles with its complicated queer storyline, Rodgers’ own coming out process as a trans man, and the intersection between devoted fandom and the tough realities of the Hollywood machine.
It features the participation of Smith, Joey Lauren Adams, Jason Lee, Guinevere Turner, and LGBTQ+ notables including former Outfest executive director Christopher Racster, Andrew Ahn, Princess Weekes, Trish Bendix, and Bob Hawk.
Chasing Chasing Amy is a Yeehaw Pictures, Spacestation, and Professional Amateur Production produced by Alex Schmider, Carrie Radigan, Lela Meadow-Conner, Matthew C. Mills, and Rodgers. CAA Media Finance represents sales.
“The power of filmmaking can inspire, uplift, and unite audiences, and this is something that our community needs now more than ever as our rights are being attacked and restricted across the country,” said Damien Navarro, executive director of Outfest, “To make history while we celebrate the power and creativity of our community with these two incredible filmmakers gives us hope that our voices can encourage future generations of artists.”
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