OutReels Film Festival is screening 16 movies, short films and documentaries highlighting stories told from an LGBTQ+ perspective. The festival, in its eleventh annual run, is Friday, Nov. 4 through Sunday Nov. 6 at Warsaw Federal Incline Theater in Price Hill.
The first night of the festival will also serve as a ceremony to honor Nigel Cotterill and Juan-Carlos Diaz, owners of Below Zero Lounge and The Cabaret, for “their commitment to creating safe spaces in Cincinnati through their businesses,” according to a release.
The festival is screening movies of all sorts of genres by filmmakers from around the world. Friday night opens with Art and Pep, which is, the release explains, “a documentary that tells the story of two civil rights leaders whose iconic bar, Sidetrack, has helped fuel movements and create community in Chicago.”
The film’s subjects Art Johnston and Pepe Peña will host a Q&A session along with director Mercedes Kane following the screening.
Elevating LGBTQ+ voices
“In the LGBTQ+ community, there's lots of variation, it’s a big wide spectrum there, so we're trying to reach all of these audiences,” says David Wolff, the festival’s director. “One of my favorite films this year is a short film called Bi the Way, which is from Germany, and it's just about how people always throw around that term, LGBTQ, but how many times are they really talking about the 'B'? So, it’s this guy's experience of being the 'B' in the LGBTQ and kind of not feeling part of that community.”
“We're looking at films that celebrate our communities, celebrate achievements — celebrate who we are,” Wolff says. “I've always enjoyed film and, growing up, I didn't always see myself in the movies. The first time I did I saw that opens up this whole new world. So, I like sharing that with other people.”
