By Elijah Root Sanchez
Not only is is the 2018 Los Angeles Film Festival LGBTQ+ inclusive, but it also has multiple pictures from distinct genres, not just drama. This is crucial to highlighting the different facets of the the LGBTQ+ community.
The festival premieres runs Sept. 20-28. It “showcases compelling independent films, TV and episodic work from emerging storytellers, alongside filmmaker-driven studio titles,” according to the LA Film Festival’s website.
The festival also feature films with different intersectional identities, showcasing often marginalized groups of the LGBTQ+ community.
One such feature is the documentary, “Moroni for President.” The LA Film Festival describes the documentary as “a young, gay college professor begins a grass-roots campaign to become the next President of the Navajo Nation.” The film follows Moroni Benally as he challenges the traditional values of the reservation in which he was raised.
The film addresses his identity from multiple angles. “The film delves into Moroni Benally’s layered identity as a Mormon and gay Navajo man and, along the way, expands to include other LGBTQ characters working on some of the other campaign,” the festival website states. The film should be an interesting view into the lives of people with these intersecting identities.
Another LGBTQ+ film that the festival features is “Socrates,” which follows a 15-year-old boy in São Paulo that is forced to live on his own after his mother’s death. “The search for a job, and dealing with his own sexual awakening, proves to be a lot to handle,” according to the festival website.
“Socrates” star Christian Malheiros in his Debut film as the title Character in “Socrates.”
The filmmakers of this movie also provided opportunities for young people of the region. According to the “Socrates” website, the film “was produced by a crew of 16-20-year-olds from the Querô Institute, a UNICEF-supported project that provides social inclusion through filmmaking to underrepresented youths.” The film explores important subjects for LGBTQ+ youth and provides young filmmakers opportunities as well.
The film festival will also feature the documentary “Making Montgomery Clift.” The LA Film Festival claims the “film star Montgomery Clift’s legacy has been a story of tragedy and self-destruction, but a more complicated picture emerges when his nephew dives into the family archives.” The film will investigate the complicated past of the LGBTQ+ film legend.
Individual tickets are available, or different passes are available if you want to see other films that the festival has to offer. Tickets and passes are available for purchase here. The rest of the film festival should have an array of quality movies that everyone should see if they have the chance.
