What Black culture stories and events to catch at Atlanta’s Out on Film festival
Out on Film, Atlanta’s LGBTQ film festival, spotlights and presents diverse queer experiences through cinema.
The festival, which starts on Thursday and ends Oct. 5, is screening features, documentaries and short films at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema, Out Front Theatre Company and some virtually.
Now in its 38th year, Out on Film’s additional programming includes networking mixers, panels on guerrilla filmmaking, distribution, speed pitching, special effects and live screenplay readings.
Here’s a guide to some of the Black culture films being shown during 2025 Out on Film Festival.
“I Was Born This Way”
Thirty-four years before pop artist Lady Gaga preached self-acceptance on her 2011 hit “Born This Way,” Carl Bean turned the phrase into a disco anthem and efforts he felt could help others embrace humanity.
“I Was Born This Way” is the festival’s opening night selection that chronicles Bean overcoming childhood abuse in Baltimore to become a Motown Records artist, AIDS activist, Archbishop and founder of Unity Fellowship Church, the first LGBTQ church for Black and people of color. Using rotoscope animation, the documentary features appearances from celebrities Gaga, Billy Porter, Questlove and Dionne Warwick.
Actor Julian Walker is moderating a post-screening Q&A with cast and crew.
Thursday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m. at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema. $15.
“Assembly”
“Assembly” tells the visually stunning story of an old military barrack reimagined and converted into a safe space and creative utopia for performers and artists to explore their Black and queer identities.
Filmmakers Rashaad Newsome and Johnny Symons, who also wrote the film, blend artificial intelligence, rich color saturation, dance, musical performances and spoken word poetry. The cast uses voguing, visual and performing arts as healing and resistance.
“Assembly” received Out on Film’s 2024 Filmmaker Fund Award. Newsome and Symons are expected to attend the screening.
Sunday, Sept. 28, at 4 p.m. at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema. $12.
Icon Award: Angelica Ross
Actress, tech disrupter and human rights activist Angelica Ross is receiving Out on Film’s Icon Award on Tuesday.
The Emmy-nominated performer portrayed the no-nonsense ballroom scene figure and sex worker Candy Ferocity on FX’s “Pose.” She appeared on the network’s “American Horror Story: 1984,” becoming the first transgender actor to have two series regular roles.
Ross is the founder and president of TransTech Social Enterprises, a company that empowers, provides workforce development and digital education for the LGBTQ community. She regularly advocates on Capitol Hill for protecting the human and civil rights for Black, queer and trans communities.
Tuesday, Sept. 30, at noon at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema. Free with RSVP.
“Blackbird” 10th Anniversary
Last summer, Patrik-Ian Polk celebrated 20 years of “Noah’s Arc,” the writer and director’s groundbreaking dramedy about four Black queer men navigating their friendship and romantic relationships.
“Blackbird,” Polk’s 2015 film, is returning to Out on Film for its 10th anniversary screening. The coming-of-age story, adapted from author Larry Duplechan’s 1986 novel, is about a rural Mississippi-based choir boy coming to terms with his sexuality and missing sister.
Actors Julian Walker, Mo’Nique, Torrey Laamar, producer Sidney Hicks and Polk are having a talkback following the screening.
Saturday, Oct. 4, at 7:45 p.m. at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema. $12.
“Move Ya Body: The Birth of House”
After disco records made by Black, gay and female artists were set on fire in Chicago’s Comiskey Park in July 1979 by rock music purists to declare disco and dance music dead, it sparked a revolution from Black music enthusiasts to preserve those good times on the dance floor.
“Move Ya Body: The Birth of House” showcases how house music, a style of dance music rooted in Black and gay clubs driven by a pulsating beat and gospel music-inspired vocals, rose from those ashes and survived prejudice through infectious grooves and creating an atmosphere that celebrates liberation and pride. Directed by filmmaker Elegance Bratton and executive produced by Oscar winner Roger Ross Williams and former First Lady Hillary Clinton, the music documentary features interviews from house music pioneers, horror film-inspired recreations and archival footage.
Saturday, Oct. 4, at 10 p.m. at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema. $12.
About the Author
Christopher A. Daniel is a Black Culture reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He is an Atlanta-based, award-winning journalist, cultural critic and ethnomusicologist. He previously taught courses at Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University and Georgia State University.
