Shoppers , well, moviegoers , are flocking back to OutfestNEXT: four days of queer cinema, lively panels and rooftop cocktails at the L.A. LGBT Center’s Village at Ed Gould Plaza from July 23–26, a compact celebration of new voices, bold stories and community filmmaking that matters right now.

Essential Takeaways

  • Event dates and place: OutfestNEXT runs July 23–26 at the L.A. LGBT Center’s Village at Ed Gould Plaza, with screenings in the Renberg Theatre and Outfest Microcinema.
  • Headliner film: Gregg Araki’s I Want Your Sex, a kink-forward sex comedy-thriller starring Olivia Wilde and Cooper Hoffman, anchors the programme.
  • Diverse lineup: Features narrative features, documentaries and shorts including Barbara Forever, Test, Maspalomas and Something You Should Know About Me.
  • Community and craft: The Microcinema hosts filmmaker workshops and panels, plus receptions with cocktails from Art & Rev, creating space for conversation and networking.
  • Tickets: Members get early access on June 29; general public sales open July 1 via Outfest.org.

Why Gregg Araki’s new film is the buzziest pick

OutfestNEXT has chosen a provocative centrepiece: Gregg Araki’s I Want Your Sex, which pairs a cheeky premise with a glossy, contemporary cast that includes Olivia Wilde and Cooper Hoffman. Expect a film that leans into tone, texture and frank sexuality , the kind of movie that makes audiences talk afterwards, not just applaud.

Araki’s return feels like a homecoming. He’s an Outfest Achievement Award recipient and credits festivals like Outfest and Frameline for giving early queer filmmakers a platform in the 1980s and 90s. That historical throughline , festival helped launch careers, festival still does vital work , matters as queer cinema faces both cultural pushback and renewed mainstream interest.

If you’re drawn to boundary-pushing comedies and sex-positive storytelling, this screening is the one to plan around. Book early: headline films draw locals and visitors alike, and seats in Renberg Theatre fill fast.

A Sundance-to-LA pipeline: Barbara Forever and documentary highlights

Documentary fans have plenty to look forward to, starting with the Los Angeles premiere of Barbara Forever, directed by Brydie O’Connor and executive produced by Kristen Stewart. The film revisits the life and work of lesbian filmmaker Barbara Hammer, and it carries the quiet thrill of seeing a Sundance favourite find another home in LA.

Outfest has long been a place where archival, experimental and activist documentaries resonate with live audiences. Seeing Hammer’s work reframed for younger viewers is both an education and an emotional experience , expect thoughtful Q&As and audience members who came to honour a lineage as much as to see a film.

If you like documentaries that feel intimate, tactile and personal, factor in the Microcinema schedule; panels and workshops often pair screenings with deeper conversation.

Narrative variety: rom-coms, dramas and microbudget triumphs

The programming mixes tones and budgets. Test is a sports drama about a small-town bodybuilder pursuing his dreams; Maspalomas tells of a gay man forced from his Canary Islands life into a conservative nursing home; Something You Should Know About Me is a coming-of-age rom-com executive produced by Lilly Wachowski.

Then there’s Can’t Go Over It, a dramedy shot entirely on location in the Adirondacks about two queer friends on a hiking trip. Its microbudget roots show in an intimate, lived-in feel that often makes these films the most memorable. Together, these titles demonstrate OutfestNEXT’s appetite for variety , from earnest and quiet to boldly comic and queerly surreal.

When planning your schedule, balance the big-name screenings with smaller films; the intimate projects often spark the most genuine post-screening conversations.

Workshops, panels and the benefits of the Microcinema

OutfestNEXT isn’t just about watching films , the Outfest Microcinema runs filmmaker workshops and panels throughout the weekend, creating space for craft talk, career tips and industry networking. For emerging filmmakers this is gold: practical guidance, peer feedback and the chance to meet festival programmers.

Sponsors like Delta Air Lines and Art & Rev help keep events lively; Art & Rev will provide cocktails at receptions in the Village Courtyard, which makes networking feel a lot less formal and a lot more sociable. If you’re attending to learn, bring business cards, a short logline and questions you actually want answered.

Expect conversations about distribution, festival strategy and funding , subjects that are immediately useful whether you’re finishing a short or planning a feature.

Why OutfestNEXT still matters for queer film and community

Outfest was founded by UCLA students in 1982 and has showcased thousands of films to audiences of nearly a million over decades. OutfestNEXT condenses that long history into a tight weekend that foregrounds new work and community resilience.

Senior programmer Daniel Crooke frames the series as the convergence of defiant expression and community power , a fair summary. In an era when queer storytelling can be both celebrated and politically contested, these festivals are practical platforms where filmmakers find audiences, allies and collaborators.

If you care about the future of queer cinema, this is more than a film slate , it’s a pulse-check on what stories are being made and who gets to tell them.

It's a small weekend that promises big conversation and, yes, a few films you'll still be thinking about on the commute home.

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