OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival Fort Lauderdale Offers Preview with Early Release of Select Film Titles

The following is a press release from OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival Fort Lauderdale:

OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival Fort Lauderdale, internationally acclaimed as one of the largest LGBTQ+ cultural festivals in the world, has released a preview* of its 2023 edition lineup, in advance of its September 29 full schedule announcement. The 15th annual film festival celebrating queer culture with internationally acclaimed features, shorts, and documentaries that inspire, entertain, and educate along with a variety of parties and special events, will take place October 19-29 at various venues throughout Broward County.

"Momentum is building for our milestone OUTshine LGBTQ+ Fort Lauderdale edition and we couldn't contain our excitement; we had to share," said Mark Gilbert, OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival Fort Lauderdale interim executive director. "We've been working diligently to fine-tune this year's thought-provoking premieres, features and shorts and we're thrilled to unveil these early titles and announce OUTshine After Dark, a fitting Halloween season complement to pique curiosity and stimulate the imagination!"

OUTshine After Dark at Paradigm Cinemas: Gateway Fort Lauderdale, the newest addition to the festival line-up, will showcase a curated international selection of queer horror films, erotic thrillers and offbeat films that fit in with autumn's spooky season vibe. Films to be screened include psychological horror films "The Judgement" (Egypt, 2023) and "Almamula" (Argentina, France and Italy, 2023), horror film "You're Not Me" ("Tú no eres yo") (Spain, 2023), and the erotic thriller "The Trace of Your Lips" ("La Huella De Unos Labios")(Mexico, 2023).

This year's announced Centerpiece Film will be "Glitter & Doom" (USA/Mexico, 2023), a fantasy summer romance. The film follows a musician who wears charisma as camouflage and a carefree kid about to run away with the circus as they fall in love at first sight. Other announced films include the Spanish parenting drama "Leon"; Berlin Festival favorite "Norwegian Dreams" (Norway & Poland, 2023); the dramedy "I Love You More" (Kosovo/Albania, 2023); the U.S. premiere of "Luise" (Germany, 2023), a WWI chamber drama; "Opponent" ("Motstandaren") (Sweden/Norway, 2023), a Berlinale favorite; OUTshine's Cocktails & Cinema locally produced feature "Big Easy Queens" (USA, 2023); the filmed in Miami narrative "February" ("Febrero") (Cuba/USA, 2022); and "Solo" (Canada, 2023).

Opening night will commence on Thursday, October 19, at NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale. Additional events include a Men's Spotlight Film & Party on October 21, a Ladies' Spotlight Film & Party on October 27, and the Closing Night Film, party and awards ceremony on October 29. The well-received Cocktails & Cinema community films and Happy Hour initiative, launched during last year's Fort Lauderdale film festival, will also have various screenings.

OUTrageous, OUTspoken, and OUTstanding, this year's OUTshineLGBTQ+ Film Festival Fort Lauderdale edition is sponsored, in part, by Gilead, the State of Florida through the Division of Arts & Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward County Cultural Council. Support has been provided by the following funds at the Community Foundation of Broward: the Stephen and Ethel Keller Fund, the Maxine Powers Hofert Fund, the Drial Foundation Fund, and the Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation Broward Community Fund at the Community Foundation of Broward. This program was also made possible by a grant from The Our Fund Foundation, an LGBTQ Community Foundation.

Ticket subscription packages are on sale, now, for the 15th anniversary edition of the OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival Fort Lauderdale. Individual event tickets will go on sale on September 29. For more information, call (877) 766-8156 or visit outshinefilm.com.

About OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival

The OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival, celebrating 15 years in Fort Lauderdale and 25 years in Miami, is a bi-annual film festival with a mission to inspire, entertain, and educate; encouraging a sense of community through international and culturally diverse film, video and other media that offer historical, contemporary and entertaining perspectives on the LGBTQ+ experience. Launched separately - in 1998, as The Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, and in 2008, as the Fort Lauderdale Gay & Lesbian Film Festival - both were brought together under one brand to become OUTshine Film Festival, underscoring its brightness, broad appeal and dynamic multicultural locations, the nonprofit festival is critically and internationally acclaimed as one of the largest LGBTQ+ cultural arts happenings in the world. OUTrageous. OUTspoken. And OUTstanding in what we deliver. For more information and tickets, visit outshinefilm.comand follow us on Facebook @OUTshineFilmFestival, on Twitter @OUTshineFilm and on Instagram @OUTshineFilm.