GLAAD, in partnership with Outfest, announced this week that it will host the inaugural virtual Queer House @ the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Celebrating the LGBTQ inclusive films and filmmakers at Sundance, Queer House will offer a program of panels, discussions, and performances with industry talent, exploring the history and purpose of queer cinema.
Queer House programming is open to the public for free. Click here to visit Queer House at Sundance’s virtual main street.
“GLAAD is thrilled to lock arms with our friends at Outfest for this year’s virtual Sundance Film Festival, building upon both organizations’ long legacy of supporting LGBTQ-inclusive films and filmmakers at the festival that is known around the world as the birthplace of the ‘New Queer Cinema.’” said Jeremy Blacklow, GLAAD’s Director of Entertainment Media. “From GLAAD’s long track record of LGBTQ programming during Sundance, through Outfest’s hugely successful Outfest House just last year, we are proud to once again amplify and celebrate the groundbreaking LGBTQ films premiering at Sundance in 2021.”
“Seeing how meaningful it was to see our brief partnership in programming at last year’s inaugural Outfest House on Main Street at Sundance, it was quickly obvious why Outfest and GLAAD should partner in a more meaningful and expanded way this year,” said Damien Navarro, Executive Director of Outfest. “Providing our community, our filmmakers, and their stories from this year’s Sundance programming slate as well as voices from across our industry will cover subjects and topics that we believe are top of mind and that should be given a platform to amplify their wisdom.
Below you will find more information on each of the eight Queer House events being hosted by GLAAD and Outfest during the Festival:
Queer & Latinx Representation in Film & Television
Panel Discussion
January 29th, 11am MT
In the past few years, we have finally begun to see a bit of an uptick in LGBTQ inclusion on TV with Spanish-language or Latinx shows like Vida, One Day at a Time, Veneno, Élite, Control Z, Gente-fied, and other shows on TV networks or streaming platforms. How is film doing? To get their takes on the highs and lows of creating Latinx LGBTQ characters in English-language US films or projects from Mexico and Latin America we invited these writers, directors, and showrunners with a wealth of experience to chat with us.
Moderated by: Monica Trasandes, Director Spanish-Language & Latinx Media & Representation, GLAAD
Panelists:
Fernanda Eguiarte (“Amarres,” “Ana””)
Marialy Rivas (“Young & Wild,” “Princesita,” “La Jauría,” Sundance alumni)
Tanya Saracho (“Vida,” Starz)
Marcelo Tobar (“Oso Polar,” “El Club de Los Idealistas,” “Ana,” “Amarres” )
Moisés Zamora (Netflix’s “Selena: The Series”)
Focus on Transmasculinity in Film & Television
Panel Discussion
January 30th, 2pm MT
Despite impactful contributions—from grassroots advocacy to Hollywood representation— transgender men and non-binary transmasculine people still exist outside of mainstream culture’s imagination. The evolution of masculinity embodied by trans men and non-binary people is still absent from our screens. Listen as diverse storytellers dive deep into how their work provides a crucial perspective culture-makers are missing. This intersectional panel brings established and emerging perspectives, across identities and industry roles, to expand understanding of the transgender community, enrich imagination with new types of masculinity, and empower a new era of increasingly inclusive storytelling.
Moderated by: Nick Adams, Director of Transgender Representation, GLAAD
Panelists:
Sydney Baloue (he/him), journalist; writer & co-EP (“Legendary”)
Elliot Feliciano (he/they), writer & director; assistant (“Vida,” “POSE”)
Yance Ford (he/him), director & producer (“Strong Island”)
D’Lo (he/they), actor & writer & comic (“Connecting,” “Nimzo,” “Transfinite”)
Bobbi Salvör Menuez (they/them), actor (“Euphoria,” “Adam,” “I Love Dick”)
Alex Schmider (he/him), producer (“Disclosure,” “Changing the Game”)
Scott Turner Schofield (he/they), actor & trans consultant (“Euphoria,” “The Craft,” “Becoming a Man in 127 EASY Steps”)
Leo Sheng (he/him), actor (“The L Word: Generation Q,” “Adam”)
In Conversation: Rita Moreno One-On-One with Wilson Cruz
January 30th, 5pm MT
Queer House @ Sundance presents an intimate conversation between icon Rita Moreno about her new PBS American Masters’ documentary Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It, premiering at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and actor/activist Wilson Cruz (Star Trek: Discovery). From their shared Puerto Rican heritage and love of social justice to their long-lasting legacies in Hollywood, these two entertainment titans are going to have a discussion you won’t want to miss.
TOGETHER TOGETHER with Queer House
Panel Discussion
January 31st, 2:30pm MT
Join Queer House for a conversation with the cast of the Sundance film Together Together, debuting in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. GLAAD’s Head of Talent, Anthony Ramos, will chat with writer/director Nikole Beckwith, Ed Helms, and Patti Harrison.
The Past, Present, and Future of Queer Non-Fiction
Panel Discussion
February 1st, 11:00am MT
The filmmakers responsible for some of the most influential and groundbreaking LGBTQIA+ Sundance-premiere documentaries gather for a discussion about how non-fiction filmmaking has played a vital role in queer storytelling and activism, how Sundance and the festival circuit helps amplify the reach of these important works, and how queer stories can continue to evolve and flourish in the documentary landscape.
Moderated by: Nadia Hallgren (filmmaker, “Becoming,” “After Maria”)
Panelists:
Randy Barbato (”Becoming Chaz,” co-founder World of Wonder Productions)
Marta Cunningham (“Valentine Road”)
Sandi DuBowski (“Trembling Before G-d”)
Sam Feder (“Disclosure”)
Global Queer Voices
Panel Discussion
February 2nd, 11:00am MT
As LGBTQIA+ stories increasingly gain visibility on the film festival circuit and through theatrical and digital distribution, it’s important to remember that the global queer experience extends beyond what we’ve often been able to see onscreen. The desire to connect with our international queer community can be hindered by many factors: regimes that suppress queer self-expression, misconceptions about global queer communities from industry gatekeepers, and lack of access to the streams of financing, development, and distribution afforded to other filmmakers. This panel will welcome queer artists from around the world, at various stages of their careers, to discuss the LGBTQIA+ communities they’ve sought to represent onscreen, the roadblocks that exist for queer stories getting made, and how these artists can access more resources and opportunities.
Moderated by: Elias Ribeiro (producer, “The Wound”)
Panelists:
Maysaloun Hamoud (filmmaker, “In Between”)
Uyaiedu Ikpe-Etim (director, “Ìfé”)
Sridhar Rangayan (filmmaker, “Evening Shadows,”, founder of KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival)
Parvez Sharma (filmmaker, “A Sinner In Mecca”)
In Conversation: THE WORLD TO COME
February 2nd, 11:00am MT
Outfest’s Director of Festival Programming Mike Dougherty talks with the talent behind Mona Fastvold’s The World To Come. Adapted from the Jim Shepard story, and starring Katherine Waterston and Vanessa Kirby, the film charts the intimate relationship that develops between two women in 19th century America as they deal with isolation and loneliness in the Northeast frontier.
Be Scene: An LGBTQIA+ Actors Showcase
February 3rd, 11:00am MT
Brought to you by Emmy-nominated actor Rain Valdez’s (Razor Tongue) ActNOW acting classes – which boasts distinguished instructors like Jamie Clayton, Alexandra Billings & Cassandra James and notable alumni like Ian Alexander (Star Trek: Discovery) and Vico Ortiz (Vida) — this showcase will feature a diverse lineup of LGBTQIA+ talent performing scenes from popular, if heteronormative, works and giving them a delicious queer spin. Born out of a need to create visibility and bridge the gap between LGBTQIA+ actors & accredited agencies, casting directors & producers, ActNOW both highlights some of the most exciting, up-and-coming LGBTQIA+ acting talent around, and reimagines the cinematic landscape as one that always works toward queer visibility and inclusion.
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The Sundance Film Festival will take place digitally via a feature-rich, Sundance-built online platform and in person on Satellite Screens across the country (public health permitting) from January 28th – February 3rd, 2021. Additionally, Festival attendees can gather in virtual waiting rooms, participate in live Q&As, and congregate in new, inspired online environments to interact in a range of ways both new and familiar. The Sundance Institute shared details of how the Festival will meet audiences on the online platform and Satellite Screens in December.
Last week, GLAAD announced the findings of its annual Where We Are on TV report. Where We Are on TV analyzes the overall diversity of primetime scripted series regulars on broadcast networks and assesses the number of LGBTQ regular and recurring characters on primetime scripted cable programming and original scripted streaming series on the services Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix for the 2020-2021 TV season.
The 2020 Where We Are on TV report found that 9.1% of series regular characters scheduled to appear on broadcast scripted primetime television this season are LGBTQ — a decrease of one percentage point from 2019’s record high percentage of 10.2 percent.
Read the full study here: /whereweareontv.
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About GLAAD:
GLAAD rewrites the script for LGBTQ acceptance. As a dynamic media force, GLAAD tackles tough issues to shape the narrative and provoke dialogue that leads to cultural change. GLAAD protects all that has been accomplished and creates a world where everyone can live the life they love. For more information, please visit www.glaad.org or connect with GLAAD on Facebook and Twitter.
About Outfest:
OUTFEST®, est. 1982, is one of the only global LGBTQIA+ arts, media and entertainment organizations whose programs empower artists, communities and filmmakers to transform the world through their stories, while also supporting the entire lifecycle of their career. Outfest’s mission creates visibility to diverse LGBTQIA+ stories and empowers storytellers, building empathy to drive meaningful social change. Outfest programs give artists, filmmakers and entertainment professionals the opportunity to discover their voice, provide the pathways to the visibility of their work by all members of the public, and assure that their legacy will live on for generations to come. To discover more about Outfest’s programs, membership, alumni network, or for a calendar of events go to www.outfest.org or connect to our social channels at @outfest.