‘Empire’ Producers, ‘L Word’ Cast Join Outfest Fusion

An upcoming episode of “Empire” followed by a Q&A with the show’s producers kicks off the 2015 Outfest Fusion at the Egyptian Theater on Friday, March 13.

The evening continues with the Los Angeles premiere of a digitally restored print of “Paris Is Burning,” courtesy of the Sundance Institute, the UCLA Film & Television Archive, the Outfest UCLA Legacy Project and Miramax.

On Saturday, cast members of “The L Word” will present writer-director-producer Rose Troche (“Go Fish,” “The Safety of Objects,” “The L Word”) with the 2015 Fusion Achievement Award. A program of Fusion Gala Short Films will follow.

Troche, a native of Puerto Rico, burst on the scene in 1994 with the hilarious and paradigm-shifting “Go Fish.” Produced on a shoestring budget by Troche (who also directed and co-wrote with the film’s star, Guinevere Turner), the scrappy comedy made a splash at Sundance before enchanting audiences worldwide with a smart and sexy look at lesbian life.

The Outfest Fusion line-up boasts the World Premiere of “Ascendance: Angels of Change,” about the Trans youth group at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles run by Bamby Salcedo; and the US Premiere of “Stories of Our Lives From Kenya,” which just played the Berlin Film Festival, as well as the romantic comedy “Eat With Me.”

Fresh off its win at the Independent Spirit Awards, “Dear White People” will include a Q&A with the filmmakers.  Also playing is “The Year We Thought About Love,” a documentary that follows an LGBT youth theater troupe in Boston, an encore screening of “I Am Happiness on Earth” and a selection of Documentary Shorts.

“This year’s films are about telling your truth, a theme that runs through our entire line-up,” said Lucy Mukerjee-Brown, Outfest’s director of programming,

Outfest Fusion will also host a two-week Fusion Lab in the heart of Koreatown, providing free classes in screenwriting, storytelling, cinematography, editing and directing. The classes are taught by Outfest Alumni filmmakers, including Angela Robinson, D’Lo, Doug Spearman, Alex Kondracke and George Reyes, Ava Berkofsky and Jamie Renee Williams.
Reserve a spot in advance for these highly anticipated classes at www.Outfest.org/fusion2015 and select the Fusion Lab tab.

For complete listings and to purchase tickets, see outfest.org/fusion2015 or call (213) 480-7088.  Presenting Sponsor of Outfest Fusion is HBO and the Premiere Sponsor is NBCUniversal.

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

FRIDAY, MARCH 13

7 p.m. – EXCLUSIVE TELEVISION EVENT: EMPIRE (Egyptian Theatre – Rigler)

7:30 p.m. – STORIES OF OUR LIVES (Egyptian Theatre – Spielberg)

9 p.m. – PARIS IS BURNING – New Digital Restoration! (Egyptian Theatre – Rigler)

9:30 p.m. – DEAR WHITE PEOPLE (Egyptian Theatre – Spielberg)

SATURDAY, MARCH 14

2 p.m. – THE YEAR WE THOUGHT ABOUT LOVE (Egyptian Theatre – Spielberg)

3 p.m. – EAT WITH ME (Egyptian Theatre – Rigler)

4 p.m. – I AM HAPPINESS ON EARTH (Egyptian Theatre – Spielberg)

5 p.m. – ASCENDANCE: ANGELS OF CHANGE (Egyptian Theatre – Rigler)

6 p.m. – DOCUMENTARY SHORTS (Egyptian Theatre – Spielberg)

8 p.m. – FUSION GALA & ACHIEVEMENT AWARD PRESENTATION (Egyptian Theatre – Rigler)