LOS ANGELES, CA- After a two-year hiatus, OutfestNEXT made its triumphant return to The Renberg Theatre at the LA LGBT Center and LOOK Dine-In Cinema in Glendale this November. Since its inception in the 1980s, the OutfestNEXT film festival has served as a vital space for queer filmmakers to screen everything from feature films to documentaries and shorts. This year, I had the pleasure of attending several screenings- and as a queer movie lover, I was thrilled to see these films and finally share my thoughts beyond my own Letterboxd.
The first screening I attended was a documentary by Dustin Lance Black titled Rock Out. The film explores the history of queerness in rock and pop music, with much of the narrative framed through Black’s attempt to better understand his own brother’s story. His brother- a gay man, metalhead, and punk rocker- spent much of his life feeling isolated, believing there wasn’t space for someone like him in the gay community. But as the documentary reveals, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Rock Out illustrates how queerness has always been embedded in the DNA of rock and roll, whether through the artists themselves or the groundbreaking teams behind the scenes.
The film begins with the story of Brian Epstein, The Beatles’ legendary manager. As a gay man navigating the public eye in the 1960s, Epstein’s personal struggles and societal pressures led to his tragic death by suicide in 1967. Yet his work carved a path for countless others- especially queer men- who followed him into the music industry as successful managers and creatives. From there, the film weaves through the early gay liberation movement of the 1970s, the AIDS crisis of the ’80s and ’90s, and the modern-day visibility of queer artists and industry professionals. The core message resonates: we must never grow too comfortable. Queer voices must continue telling their stories to ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself.
The next film I caught was a feature titled Drive Back Home, directed by Michael Clowater. Set in rural 1970s Canada, the film opens in the wake of a family patriarch’s death. Shortly after the funeral, Weldon, played by Charlie Creed-Miles, learns that his estranged older brother Perley (Alan Cumming) has been arrested in Toronto for being caught having sex with another man in a public restroom.
The family’s reaction makes it clear this isn’t the first time something like this has happened, and it’s also clear why Perley left home in the first place. Their mother insists that Weldon drive to Toronto, bail Perley out, and bring him home for an extended visit. The rest of the film follows the brothers on their physical and emotional journey back to their childhood home. Along the way, Weldon learns more than he ever expected about his brother’s life, identity, and struggles. Some of the film’s most heartbreaking scenes portray the discrimination Perley faces, forcing Weldon to witness the pain that queer people endure.
Drive Back Home is both beautiful and intensely sad. I was already a fan of Alan Cumming, and he did not disappoint here—his performance, alongside Creed-Miles, was raw and moving. The story explores grief, family, and the complicated path toward acceptance. The cinematography and dialogue were fabulous, and, as a Cajun, I even got a kick out of the jokes about Canadian French.
For my final screening, I decided to go for something lighter: a collection of short films titled Pride Is a Riot. This curated mix of comedy shorts turned out to be the perfect pick-me-up after two emotionally heavy features. I loved the diversity of styles in this block. There was the absurdist She Raised Me, in which a man, on the verge of breaking up with his boyfriend, instead meets the boyfriend’s mom, who happens to be a famous puppet. Then there was the surreal Over Easy, where a lesbian couple confronts their feelings about parenthood after receiving a giant egg that triggers animated dream sequences and technicolor cutaways.
One of my favorites was Minister Chucky, a short shot in a hand-held, iPhone-style documentary format. It follows a queer couple who flee to Las Vegas to get married by a Chucky doll impersonator at an Elvis chapel. Yes, it’s as delightfully chaotic as it sounds… and yet, like all great queer comedy, it’s layered with meaning.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at OutfestNEXT. It was inspiring to be among artists and film lovers at a time when the entertainment industry is struggling to maintain autonomy and survive financial uncertainty. A point that was emphasized all weekend by staff, creators, and attendees alike was how essential it is for queer people to keep telling their stories. Organizations like OutfestNEXT provide critical platforms to amplify these narratives and share them with wider audiences. This type of visibility is more than representation. It’s a form of resistance and a vehicle for understanding. Creativity and storytelling have always been ways for us to make sense of the world, and for the world to understand us in return.
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