Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival has announced the complete list of award winners for 2022 festival, which took place in Los Angeles (CA, United States) from July 14-24.
Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival is 11 days of not to be missed world-class films, panels, and events celebrating the queer experience.
Established in 1982, Outfest is a Queer arts, media, and entertainment organization offering programs designed to increase access, diversity and visibility for storytellers and audiences alike. What began as a Queer film festival has become a movement. After 40 years of bringing LGBTQIA+ stories to regional, then national, and now global audiences, Outfest is a force for change in the world. Outfest helps LGBTQIA+ storytellers overcome barriers to entry into the entertainment industry by providing critical skills, access and support to both emerging and established filmmakers.
Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival is an Academy Award® qualifying festival for the Live Action Short Film category. Winners of International Narrative Short Grand Jury Prize and Narrative Short Grand Jury Prize will be eligible for consideration in the Live Action Short Film category of the Academy Awards® without the standard theatrical run, provided the films otherwise complies with the Academy Rules.
Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival 2022 winners
Audience Awards
Audience Award for Best Documentary Short
“CANS Can’t Stand” by Matt Nadel & Megan Plotka won the Audience Award for Best Documentary Short at the 2022 Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival.
Directed by Matt Nadel & Megan Plotka, “CANS Can’t Stand” tells the story of a group of Black trans women in New Orleans, who fight to repeal Louisiana’s unjust Crime Against Nature by Solicitation (CANS) law and advance trans liberation statewide.
Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature
“Stay on Board: The Leo Baker Story” by Nicola Marsh & Giovanni Reda won the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 2022 Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival.
Directed by Nicola Marsh & Giovanni Reda, “Stay on Board: The Leo Baker Story” tells the story of Competitive skateboarder Leo Baker faces a turning point in his life in the lead up to the 2020 Olympics.
Audience Award for Best Narrative Short
“Troy” by Mike Donahue won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Short at the 2022 Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival.
Directed by Mike Donahue, “Troy” tells the story of Troy, who has loud sex, 24/7. Troy shares a wall with Thea and Charlie. Troy is ruining their lives… or is he saving them? Troy is a darkly comedic tale about the unexpected consequences of unasked-for intimacy.
Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature
“Unidentified Objects” by Juan Felipe Zuleta won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the 2022 Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival.
Directed by Juan Felipe Zuleta, “Unidentified Objects” tells the story of an uptight dwarf and his free-spirited, alien-obsessed neighbor, hitting the road on a border-defying search for their place in the universe.
Audience Award for Best Platinum Short
“Remnants” by Primo Justice Schiappa won the Audience Award for Best Platinum short at the 2022 Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival.
Directed by Primo Justice Schiappa, “Remnants” follows Lucas as he works in his run-down workshop to combine science and magic to bring his love back to him.
Audience Award for Best Episodic
“Sleep With Me” by Samantha Lee won the Audience Award for Best Episodic at the 2022 Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival.
Directed by by Samantha Lee, “Sleep With Me” tells the story of Harry DJs at the radio station, offering relationship advice “because all broken hearts deserve to be heard.” Living in a wheelchair, he has learned to let microaggressions take over and uses his positivity to help others find love.
Grand Jury Awards
Paul D. Lerner and Stephen Reis Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding Documentary Feature
The Paul D. Lerner and Stephen Reis Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding Documentary Feature at the 40th Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival went to “Sirens” directed by Rita Baghdadi “For its nuanced and universal perspective of an all-female queer metal band in Lebanon against the backdrop of conflict.”
Directed by Rita Baghdadi, “Sirens” tells the story of Lilas and Shery, co-founders and guitarists of the Middle East’s first all-female metal band, wrestling with friendship, sexuality and destruction in their pursuit of becoming thrash metal rock stars.
Honorable Mention for Documentary Feature
“Jeannette” by Maris Curran won an Honorable Mention for Documentary Feature at the 40th Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival “For its evocative observation of one woman’s journey through grief — as a mother, an athlete, and a survivor of gun violence.”
Directed by Maris Curran, “Jeannette” tells the story of the queer single mother and bodybuilder, Jeannette Feliciano, who believes that strength is to show love.
Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding North American Narrative Feature
The Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding North American Narrative Feature at the 40th Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival went to “Please Baby Please” directed by Amanda Kramer “For its dazzling and inspired vision, its confident and inventive direction, its daring and committed performances, its luscious visual style, its thematic relevance and its delightful queer sensibility, one that pays homage to legendary queer filmmakers like Kenneth Anger and Fassbinder, and yet manages to stand on its own.”
Directed by Amanda Kramer, “Please Baby Please” tells the story of the newlyweds, Suse and Arthur, who become the dangerous obsession of a greaser gang that awakens a sleeping quandary into the couple’s sexual identity.
Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding Performance in a North American Narrative Feature
Matthew Jeffers won the Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding Performance in a North American Narrative Feature for his portrayal of Peter in “Unidentified Objects” directed by Juan Felipe Zuleta. The jury awarded Matthew Jeffers “For his funny, heartrending, and hopeful performance as a man discovering himself while on a road-tripping odyssey.”
Directed by Juan Felipe Zuleta, “Unidentified Objects” tells the story of an uptight dwarf and his free-spirited, alien-obsessed neighbor, hitting the road on a border-defying search for their place in the universe.
Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding Screenplay in a North American Narrative Feature
The Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding Screenplay in a North American Narrative Feature at the 2022 Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival went to Juan Pablo González, Ana Isabel Fernández and Ilana Coleman for “Dos Estaciones”. The statement of jury reads, “This film speaks volumes using minimal dialogue, displaying the power of its conceptualization. For presenting a unique perspective of a queer woman taking on the traditionally macho role of a tequila factory owner.”
Directed by Juan Pablo González, “Dos Estaciones”, set in the bucolic hills of Mexico’s Jalisco highlands, tells the story of the iron-willed businesswoman, Maria Garcia, who fights the impending collapse of her tequila factory.
Honorable Mention for North American Narrative Feature
“Youtopia” by Scout Durwood won an honorable mention for North American Narrative Feature at the 2022 Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival “For her innovative, hilarious, and politically erudite storytelling and exceptional musical numbers.”
Directed by Scout Durwood, “Youtopia” follows Scout Durwood as she inadvertently becomes the leader of a cult that engages with the multiverse and aliens.
Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding International Narrative Feature
Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding International Narrative Feature at the 2022 Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival went to “Mars One (Marte Um)” directed by Gabriel Martins “For its nuanced, layered and touching portrayal of family life that will linger in our hearts.”
Directed by Gabriel Martins, “Mars One (Marte Um)” tells the story of a lower-middle-class Black family of four, who tries to keep their spirits up and their dreams going in the months that follow the election of a right-wing president, a man who represents everything they are not.
Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding Screenplay in a International Narrative Feature
The Grand Jury Prize of the 40th Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival for Outstanding Screenplay in a International Narrative Feature went to “Sublime” directed by Mariano Biasin “For its subtle and heartfelt representation of young love and connection.”
Directed by Mariano Biasin, “Sublime” tells the story of Manuel living in a small coastal town. He plays bass in a band with his best friends. One of them is Felipe, with whom he shares a strong friendship. Unbreakable bond. Until the time comes to put it to test.
Honorable Mention for Screenplay in a International Narrative Feature
“Attachment” by Gabriel Bier Gislason won an honorable mention for Screenplay in a International Narrative Feature at the 2022 Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival “For its perfect balance between camp, suspense and heart and its original and unique take on the horror genre.”
Directed by Gabriel Bier Gislason, “Attachment” tells the story of Maja, a Danish has-been actress, who falls in love with Leah, a Jewish academic from London. Leah suffers a mysterious seizure, and Maja returns with her to London. There, she meets Leah’s mother, Chana, a woman who could hold dark secrets.
Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding Performance in a International Narrative Feature
Aamu Milonoff won the Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding Performance in a International Narrative Feature for her portrayal of Mimmi in the “Girl Picture” (“Tytöt Tytöt Tytöt”) directed by Alli Haapasalo. The jury awarded Aamu Milonoff “For the understated genius of her performance that was so dynamically conveyed in the quiet moments.”
Directed by Alli Haapasalo, “Girl Picture” (“Tytöt Tytöt Tytöt”) tells the story of Mimmi, Emma and Rönkkö, who are girls at the cusp of womanhood, trying to draw their own contours. In three consecutive Fridays, two of them experience the earth moving effects of falling in love, while the third goes on a quest to find something she’s never experienced before: pleasure.
Honorable Mention for Performance in a International Narrative Feature
Raphaëlle Perez won an honorable mention for Performance in a International Narrative Feature at the 2022 Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival for portrayal of Raphaëlle in “My Emptiness and I” (“Mi vacío y yo”) directed by Adrián Silvestre. The jury awarded Raphaëlle Perez “For the emotional journey that she took us on with her depiction of her authentic and vulnerable self.”
Directed by Adrián Silvestre, “My Emptiness and I” (“Mi vacío y yo”) tells the story of a trans woman, who decides to make her transition and embrace her place in the world after struggling with embarrassing dates and being diagnosed with gender dysphoria.
Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding International Narrative Short
“Warsha” by Dania Bdeir won the Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding International Narrative Short at the 2022 Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival. The jury awarded “Warsha” directed by Dania Bdeir for the following reason: “Poised between prayer and ecstasy, WARSHA suspends audiences in an eternal waltz between the self and the sublime, as we witness the transformation of its protagonist from an everyday laborer and refugee to an everyday super person.”
Directed by Dania Bdeir, “Warsha” follows Mohammad, a Syrian migrant working as a crane operator in Beirut. One morning he volunteers to take on one of the tallest and notoriously most dangerous cranes in Lebanon. Away from everyone’s eyes, he is able to live out his secret passion and find freedom.
Honorable Mention for International Narrative Short
“Tank Fairy” by Erich Rettstadt won an honorable mention for International Narrative Short Film at the 2022 Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival. The jury awarded an honorable mention to “Tank Fairy” by Erich Rettstadt for the following reason: “A film whose lead character turns heads in Taipei City, rocking a blue pleather jumpsuit while riding a hot pink and purple motorbike as she performs her daily job of delivering tanks of gas with a dash of sass. After she befriends young JoJo, who is in desperate need of a queer fairy god-mother, you’ll never think of Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out for A Hero” the same. With minimal dialogue and a delicious dance routine, this film plays out like a silent movie with heightened, truthful emotions.”
Directed by Erich Rettstadt, in “Tank Fairy”, once upon a time, the magical Tank Fairy delivered tanks of gas (with plenty of sass) to the home of young Jojo, a lonely dreamer in need of a glittery godmother.
Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding Documentary Short
“Love, Barbara” by Brydie O’Connor won the Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding Documentary Short at the 40th Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival “For its sincere and intimate remembering of the trailblazing queer filmmaker Barbara Hammer.”
Directed by Brydie O’Connor, “Love, Barbara” is the legacy of pioneering lesbian filmmaker, Barbara Hammer, seen through the lens of her partner of over thirty years, Florrie Burke.
Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding U.S. Narrative Short
“Work” by April Maxey won the Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding U.S. Narrative Short at the 40th Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival “For its tenderly observed portrait of queer heartbreak in a specifically queer community.”
Honorable Mentions for U.S. Narrative Short
The jury awarded two U.S. narrative short films with honorable mentions.
“Ele of The Dark” by Yace Sula won an honorable mention for U.S. Narrative Short “For its formal ingenuity and layered explorations of self.”
Directed by Yace Sula, “Ele of The Dark” tells the story of a non-binary visual artist, who contemplates their relationship with darkness and its hold on their complexion, trauma and queerness.
“Lollygag” by Tij D’oyen won an honorable mention for U.S. Narrative Short “For its visual confidence and playfully twisted nostalgia.”
Directed by Tij D’oyen, “Lollygag”, set in the leisured suburb of East Hampton, plays out a woman’s sensual yet macabre childhood memory that occurred the summer of her parents divorce. Lollygag is a bleak sun-drenched study of isolation, ennui, obsession and loss.
Special Programming Awards
The “Emerging Talent” award of the 40th Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival went to Yusuf Shadeed Nasir for “Regret to Inform You”.
The “Freedom” award of the 40th Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival went to “Uýra: The Rising Forest” (“Uýra: A Retomada da Floresta”) directed by Juliana Curi.
The “Artistic Achievement” award of the 40th Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival went to Mohammad Shawky Hassan for “Shall I Compare You To A Summer’s Day?”.
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