Outfest Goes All Out

The 27th annual Outfest kicked off Thursday night in downtown Los Angeles with a gala screening of “La Mission.” At the afterparty, writer/director Peter Bratt embraced Outfest’s Exec Director (and mom-to-be) Kirsten Schaffer and Director of Programming Kim Yutani. Peter and his brother Benjamin (who stars in the film) addressed the audience before the screening, saying how proud they are to have the film open this year’s festival. The film premiered in January at the Sundance Film Festival and played here to a packed house at LA’s landmark Orpheum Theater. The evening started with an indoor/outdoor reception and presentation of Outfest’s 13th annual Achievement Award to filmmaker Don Roos.  Lisa Kudrow and Christina Ricci (who starred in Roos’s “The Opposite of Sex”) introduced the openly gay filmmaker who gave a funny, inspiring and crowd-pleasing speech, sure to help generate interest in his “Conversation with Paris Barclay” later at the festival. The fest continues thru July 19th. [Photo and caption by Bryan Stamp]