Here’s the latest!
Sneak preview of “Unfurled” at MOCA in Los Angeles, Oct. 28, 2023
We had a sneak preview of our nearly-finished documentary “Unfurled” on October 28, 2023 at Los Angeles’ renowned Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). The occasion was a book signing and celebration of a new book by artist Eve Wood, the “star” of “Unfurled.” In her new book, Remarks on Color, Eve shares her sweet-and-sour take on life through her paintings and essays.
The event was well-attended, with standing room only for our screening. It was a thrill to see our film on a theater screen, and a great opportunity to gauge the audience response (reassuringly positive) before putting the final touches on our production.
OUT LOUD screens (IRL!) at SouthSide Film Festival
06/15-19/2021—Based in Bethlehem, PA, the SouthSide Film Festival promotes “an international film culture in the heart of the revitalized South Side of the city.” After canceling last year due to the pandemic, the Lehigh Valley’s longest running film festival is celebrating its 17th year, June 15-19, 2021. As an official selection, OUT LOUD will be screened in a real theater for a live audience! If you happen to be in Bethlehem, our screenings take place Thursday, June 17, at 7:20 pm and Saturday, June 19, at 1:20pm at the Charter Arts High School, 321 E. 3rd St.
For further details: https://southsidefilmfestival.com/
Skirball Cultural Center Streaming OUT LOUD
06/07/2021—The renowned Skirball Cultural Center, one of the leading cultural venues in Los Angeles, is streaming OUT LOUD for 4 days, June 11 through June 14, 2021. To cap things off, they’re also hosting a live virtual conversation and Q&A with the filmmakers (yes, that’s us!), chorus founders Lindsey Deaton and Lisa Marchbanks, and film composer Alana Balagot on Tuesday, June 15, 2021 at 7pm (Pacific time).
Reserve your FREE tickets today at: https://www.skirball.org/programs/film/out-loud
SR Film Festival Update—and Milestone
03/04/2021—The 8th SR Socially Relevant Film Festival NY has posted its schedule—an impressive slate of great films, panels and discussions. To find out more and to buy tickets, please go to: https://srff.sparqfest.live/en/index.html
We’re also happy to mark a milestone for our film. To date, OUT LOUD has been accepted at 20 film festivals around the world! We’ve updated our show poster with our laurels. Fingers crossed there will be a few more to add later this year.
And online German film site, epd Film, highlights OUT LOUD in its review of the festival:
https://www.epd-film.de/meldungen/2021/socially-relevant-film-festival-new-york
OUT LOUD in the Big Apple
02/04/2021—2021! A new year, a new president and vice president, and new hope! All the best to everyone out there! In this spirit, we were honored to learn that Out Loud is an official selection of the 8th SR Socially Relevant Film Festival, in New York, March 15-21, 2021. This festival is dedicated to the idea that “through raised awareness, expanded knowledge about diverse cultures, and the human condition as a whole, it is possible to create a better world free of violence, hate, and crime.” The slate of selections will be made public later in February and we’ll keep you posted.
Transgender Day of Remembrance 2020
11/23/2020—Founded in 1999, Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is observed around the world on November 20 to honor the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence. Tragically, for trans people across the globe, 2020 was even deadlier than 2019, with 6% more transgender lives lost to violence. The fight for trans rights and equality goes on, as critical as ever.
We were honored to have OUT LOUD featured in two events commemorating this year’s TDOR on opposite sides of the globe. As mentioned in our last post, OUT LOUD headlined at the inaugural Tampa Bay Transgender Film Festival Nov. 20-22. Our film was also featured by Queer Screen in Sydney, Australia in a special virtual screening that was made available across Australia Nov. 20-22.
Inaugural Tampa Bay Transgender Film Fest
11/14/2020—We are thrilled and honored that OUT LOUD will be one of the featured films at the first Tampa Bay Transgender Film Festival, held in partnership with St Pete Pride. The festival will kick off on Friday, Nov. 20, the Transgender Day of Remembrance, and will run through Nov. 22. The vision for the Tampa Bay Transgender Film Festival “is to create a space grounded in and centered around the transgender community, support those in film who support our community, and share these films with our allies.”
All the films in the festival will be available for screening from noon on Nov. 2o through Nov. 22, at: https://transfilmfest.eventive.org/films. There are 300 FREE tickets per movie on a first come first served basis. (From 301-500 tickets there is a $1 fee)
Out in the South
11/14/2020—OUT LOUD is streaming 11/13 thru 11/19 at the OutSouth Queer Film Festival, based in Durham, North Carolina. OutSouth is the second largest LGBTQ+ film festival in the Southeast USA. Only folks based in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, & Virginia can stream the festivals films—if that’s where you live or you know someone who does, here’s where you can get tickets:
https://watch.eventive.org/outsouth/play/5f736fe74a3cc501076a0ae4/5f736f35f905ce0116bfc658?fbclid=IwAR0RY4LaAbiex-fobJcpPVulmJ3sOBUQjdqOiPV_aUXWWF-OhAyXDl7oKgo
North of the Border
11/14/2020—This year, the NorthwestFest Documentary Film Festival and the Rainbow Visions Film Festival have combined efforts. On Saturday, November 14, there will be an IN-PERSON screening of OUT LOUD at the historic Garneau Theatre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, as part of a a double feature 12pm-2pm. The theater is limited to 100 seats per screening to allow for sufficient distancing and safety precautions. For more info and tickets:
https://www.northwestfest.ca/2020-nwfrvf/out-loud?fbclid=IwAR0Mker1oECt-Bn_62iU9kECfPLJ-wXGHIQZ_n4GrUiuxdEvIBnGA5MiwGo
OUT LOUD’s Latest Laurels
10/26/2020—OUT LOUD recently screened (and streamed) as an official selection at two additional virtual festivals. We had our New Mexico premiere at the 18th annual Way Out West Film Fest, based in Albuquerque. The festival program included this note about our film: “This thrilling, inspirational musical diary is sure to leave you smiling, even if you need a box of Kleenex within reach.”
We were also honored to be included in Reel Affirmations, Washington DC’s International LGBT Film Festival.We were also honored to be included in Reel Affirmations, Washington DC’s International LGBT Film Festival.
Desperado
10/24/2020—We’re pleased to announce that OUT LOUD is streaming through October 25 at the 2020 Desperado LGBT Film Festival in Phoenix—available only to folks in Arizona. Get your tickets here: https://desperadofilmfestival.eventive.org/welcome
OUT LOUD at the Drive In
10/09/2020—For the past two decades, the Woodstock Museum Film Festival in upstate New York (yes, near the site of that 1969 rock festival) has been held over Memorial Day weekend. Each year the festival has a theme and a slate of independent films is chosen accordingly. This year’s theme is “IMPACT” and we’re delighted and honored that festival officials chose OUT LOUD as an official selection. The pandemic has made indoor screenings impossible but the festival will go on, a month later than planned, in two alternate venues. Films will be projected at a local drive-in on Oct. 12, 13, 14. (OUT LOUD is slated on the 12th at 10 pm.) Then, on the following three Friday’s, Oct. 16, 23, 30, all the films will be screened on Woodstock Access TV in Woodstock, NY. For further details: https://facebook.com/events/s/woodstock-museum-drive-in-film/648913122678756/?ti=ic
Peace and Love!
OUT LOUD in the Rockies
10/09/2020—The Crested Butte Film Festival normally showcases “world-class narrative, documentary features and shorts, action adventure and kids programming” in the spectacular setting of a Colorado Rocky Mountain ski resort—but this year, due to COVID, the festival went all virtual, with one hundred films streamed September 25 – October 4 anywhere in the world. We were thrilled to have OUT LOUD included as an official selection!
OUT LOUD Wins Audience Choice Award
09/22/2020—OUT LOUD was just selected by the audience of the 2020 Fargo-Moorhead LGBT Film Festival as the recipient of this year’s Audience Choice Award! It’s our first award, and we’re grateful to all the film fans who tuned in virtually and voted for us. Cheers!
Hollywood Proclamation for OUT LOUD
09/22/2020—Last night we were deeply honored to have OUT LOUD acknowledged in a proclamation by the City of West Hollywood. The proclamation was presented to us by Mayor Lindsay Horvath during a virtual (of course) City Council Meeting. Incorporated in 1984, the city of WeHo (as we fondly call it) has its roots in the LGBT community and is a trailblazer in the defense of LGBT rights—and many other critical social movements. Today, it’s one of the most influential small cities in the nation, with an impact on the national progressive public policy agenda. Thank you to Mayor Horvath and all the council members for this vote of confidence!
More Ink for OUT LOUD
09/03/2020—We are thrilled to get two great reviews from the Northern California press in conjunction with OUT LOUD screening at this year’s SF Docfest.
The Mercury News had this to say: “Director Gail Willumsen tagged along with the groundbreaking Trans Chorus of Los Angeles for about a year, capturing everything from tryouts to rehearsals to the transgender choir’s 2016 debut performance. It was time well spent. “Loud” wraps up into the lives of these evolving singers and culminates with the performance of their first concert, guaranteed to bring a tear to your eye.”
The Bay Area Reporter’s coverage included this: “The best parts of OUT LOUD are the personal stories such as recovering from reconstruction surgery, overcoming discrimination at work, or dealing with abuse at home or in their personal lives. Some of the music was composed by trans woman member Jordan Balagot and one of the documentary highlights is TCLA singing her original composition “Genderfreak.” It all leads to an inspiring, thrilling conclusion, not to be missed.”
Out on Film!
08/27/2020—OUT LOUD will stream on opening night—Sept. 24, 2020—of the 33rd annual Out on Film Festival, Atlanta. This 11-day celebration of LGBTQ culture showcases films by, for, and about the LGBT community and its allies.
https://www.outonfilm.org/
OUT LOUD on the Festival Circuit
08/25/2020—While we remain close to home during the pandemic, we’re glad that OUT LOUD is on the road, if only virtually. We recently learned that our film will enjoy “official selection” status at two more upcoming film festivals. Both have decided to go to an online format.
The Fargo-Moorhead LGBT Film Festival normally takes place at the historic Fargo Theatre in downtown Fargo, North Dakota. This year, OUT LOUD and a bevy of other films will be streaming Sept. 13-19.
http://fmlgbtff.com/
The Fabulous Independent Film Festival is part of the Harvey Milk Festival, in Sarasota, Florida. The event honors the legacy of Harvey Milk by fostering the arts as a catalyst for social and political change—and we are honored to have our film showcased there. OUT LOUD will begin streaming on Oct. 1, 2020. (Only Florida residents will be able to buy tickets.)
https://harveymilkfestival.org/10-annual-queer-fabulous-independent-film-festival/
OUT LOUD at SF DocFest
08/24/2020—We’re pleased to announce that OUT LOUD is an official selection of the 19th San Francisco Documentary Festival, September 3–19, 2020. Like so many festivals in this time of COVID, SF Docs has gone virtual, and festival organizers are doing their best to bring filmmakers and audiences together with virtual events. Check out the website and you just might see Jill and Gail participating in a “Filmmaker Feud” game show. For further information go to: https://sfdocfest2020.eventive.org/films
OUTFEST!!
08/12/2020—We’re thrilled to announce that OUT LOUD is an official 2020 selection of Outfest, the largest and oldest film festival in Los Angeles and one of the most widely-recognized LGBTQ film festivals in the world. Our film will be available to stream starting Saturday, August 29! https://www.outfestnow.com/out-loud/videos/out-loud
For more info about the schedule and lineup, go to: https://outfest.org/outfestla2020/
And Broadway World gets the word out about OUT LOUD in Outfest:
OUT LOUD Gets Ink
08/06/2020—In anticipation of our screening at the upcoming All Genders, Lifestyles, and Identities Film Festival (aGLIFF) (August 6-16), the Austin Chronicle gave OUT LOUD a thumbs-up. You can check out our first print review at:
https://www.austinchronicle.com/screens/2020-08-07/trans-chorus-sings-proud-in-out-loud/
OUT LOUD Heads for Texas
08/06/2020—OUT LOUD will stream in the upcoming All Genders, Lifestyles, and Identities Film Festival (aGLIFF) August 6-16. This festival is in Austin, Texas and all online screenings will be available only to people located in Texas. So, feel free to forward this email to folks you know in the Lone Star State!
OUT LOUD will be available to screen online starting Aug. 8 on aGLIFF’s Virtual Festival platform. For tickets, go to: https://watch.eventive.org/agliff/play/5f03962fa5434800596c434b
For more info about aGLIFF, go to: https://www.agliff.org/agliff-33
OUT LOUD Film Festival Premiere
05/28/2020—We’re pleased to announce that OUT LOUD, our documentary about the first season of the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles is finally finished and will have its film festival premiere at Translations: Seattle Transgender Film Festival 2020 on Saturday, May 9th at 4 pm. This year, due to COVID-19, Translations will be a strictly online, streaming festival, so we hope you’ll tune in to the virtual screening. For details, please go to: https://threedollarbillcinema.org/translations/.
It’s been a long journey for us to bring OUT LOUD to completion. We wrapped things up in January when composer Jordan Balagot (who is also a member of the chorus) lent her immense talents to the project and created an fantastic original music score for OUT LOUD. We then began submitting the documentary to film festivals across the world—and then COVID-19 hit. Many if not most festivals have postponed indefinitely or cancelled their 2020 festivities. So we are all the more grateful that the folks at Translations made the bold shift to holding an online festival that we can all enjoy remotely. In this time of social distancing, it’s an honor to be part of an event that can bring us all close in spirit.
You can find archived news about past projects here.