By Mikkel Hyldebrandt
In its 33rd year, Atlanta’s Out On Film LGBTQ film festival has received another distinction that will propel it from its underground roots to the national stage: Out On Film has been designated as an Oscar® qualifying film festival!
In a bit of a surprise move, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as an Academy Award® approved Atlanta’s own Out On Film LGBTQ film festival as an Oscar® qualifying film festival. That means, that short films that win the festival’s Best Drama Short award will now be eligible to enter the Academy’s Live Action Short film competition for the concurrent season.
“We are honored and ecstatic to have the Academy recognize us as a qualifying festival,” said Jim Farmer, festival director and executive director of Out On Film, “For the past 32-years, we’ve produced Out On Film with the primary goal of providing a safe and welcoming environment where filmmakers can share their LGBTQ-themed stories with our community and allies. We are thrilled to add that we can offer recipients of our Best Drama Short award the possibility of being considered in the Live Action Short Film category of the Academy Awards®, provided their films otherwise comply with the Academy rules, and reach an even larger audience.”
Out On Film is one of the three Atlanta film festivals to be Oscar® qualifying, joining the Atlanta Film Festival and Bronzelens Film Festival, and one of only a handful of LGBTQ film festivals in the world, including three in the United States.
About Out
On Film
Established in 1987, Out On Film has grown from
a weekend event into an 11-day event where filmmakers can showcase, screen and
promote emerging LGBTQ-themed features, documentary, and short films from
across the world. One of the oldest and largest LGBTQ film festivals in the
United States, Out On Film received a grant from the Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences in 2013 for its visiting filmmaker series, as well as
numerous awards the last decade.
In addition to events throughout the year, Out On Film will host its next festival from September 24 – October 4, 2020. For more details, visit outonfilm.org.