5 Films You Need to See at Atlanta’s Out on Film

Atlanta's annual LGBT film festival, Out on Film takess place Oct. 1 through 8. Recently voted as the Best LGBT Event in Atlanta by the readers of Georgia Voice, this year the festival has assembled a selection of films that attempts to capture just what it means to be queer in contemporary society -- in often challenging and captivating ways.

Freeheld

We're sure you've heard all about this film, which chronicles the lengths and hurdles a lesbian couple undergoes to ensure pension benefits after one is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Fun fact fo ya, before Freeheld was a feature length film, it was an Academy Award winning documentary short! So, already there's some great pedigree involved, and with Julianne Moore and Ellen Page starring, what more does a movie really need?

Watch the trailer below:

54: The Director's Cut

When 54 was released seventeen years ago, it was lambasted by critics and has since become all but forgotten. That is, until director Mark Christopher decided to re-edit the feature and restored over thirty minutes of footage, reclaiming the version he had originally intended on creating before the studio intervened. Expect a lot more gayness everywhere that, at the time, the studio was too scared to show. Also, as if you need further incentive, we're talking 90s Ryan Phillipe. I mean, come on.

Watch the trailer below:

Addicted to Fresno

Lord knows how much we love Judy Greer and Natasha Lyonne. Who doesn't remember Crazy Kitty from Arrested Development and the husky voiced best friend in American Pie? These two incredible actresses, who have recently, outside of TV, seemed to only be given unsubstantial parts, look like they finally have meaty film roles to sink their teeth into. Greer and Lyonee play two co-dependent sisters, one a lonely lesbian and the other a recovering sex-addict, whose lives become very complicated with the addition of a dead body. The director Jamie Babbit, whose credits include But I'm a Cheerleader and a few episodes of Looking, promise dark laughs along with fascinating characters.

Watch the trailer below:

Desert Migration

Daniel Cardone, who was a production secretary on the fantastic Australian crime drama Animal Kingdom, showcases his newest documentary. The film captures the lives of long-term HIV/AIDS survivors who wish to create a unique community for themselves in Palm Springs, so they migrate from all over the country to do so. The desert landscape, at once striking and severe, becomes a beacon of hope for these fighters as they search for a place to call home.

Watch the trailer below:

The Guy With the Knife

Another documentary to catch our eye, this bold film traces the friendship between a convicted 'gay-bash' murderer and the prominent gay rights activist who helped send him to prison. That same activist is now attempting to get him out of prison, feeling that his length of incarceration is too harsh. The film confronts its viewers to question what they believe justice is, and if some ends can really justify their means within the modern American justice system.

Watch the trailer below:

Screenings will be held at Landmark's Midtown Art Cinema, Atlanta, Ga. Festival passes, individual, and three-packs are on sale now.