Kathy Griffin will appear at Outfest at a screening of the new series “Unconventional.” (photo courtesy of Kit Williamson)

The name Outfest didn’t come along until 1994, but the event has been a staple in Los Angeles for 40 years. Starting in 1982 as both a media festival and conference, Outfest quickly grew to become the preeminent LGBTQ+ film festival, even expanding into the streaming and educational realm to multiply the potential for young creatives.

This year’s 40th anniversary festival is pulling out all the stops with no shortage of well-known names on the roster, including prominent filmmaker Todd Haynes, television creator Brian Fuller and full-fledged stars Julianne Moore, Rosie O’Donnell and Kevin Bacon. Executive director Damien S. Navarro, who has been in his role since 2019, is touting this year’s event as the biggest yet. Navarro helped steer the organization’s inclusion of television and streaming content, which started two years ago.

“I think as we looked ahead at the creators that were traditionally for many years simply doing independent film, now all of them – whether they were a screenwriter, a director, a producer, whether it was film school or self-taught or coming from an influencer on TikTok – [realize] that they were not bound by a particular media as far as story format,” Navarro said. “We wanted to make sure we reflected that.”

A longtime ally of the LGBTQ+ community, actress and comedian Kathy Griffin will also be making an appearance at a screening of the new series, “Unconventional,” on July 21. The appearance will be one of the first large-audience events Griffin has participated in since her recent bout with lung cancer, which necessitated half of her lung being removed and impaired her voice.

“Kathy Griffin plays a recurring role in ‘Unconventional,’ appearing as my character’s acerbic Ph.D. advisor Dr. Edie Ellis,” series star and creator Kit Williamson said. “I’ve been a fan of hers forever, and I think she’s a force of nature – one of the most kind, resilient and hilarious people I’ve ever met. I’m in awe of her tenacity and her talent and so grateful to have her play a part in the show.”

“Unconventional” is just one of the large variety of offerings during Outfest’s 10-day event.

“[It’s] is about two eccentric, queer siblings and their significant others trying to start an unconventional family in the desert,” Williamson said, adding that he is thrilled to be back at Outfest after his previous series, “EastSiders,” played at the festival.

“And to be screening at a venue like The Ford Amphitheater is surreal,” he said.

The Ford is one of several venues, including the Director’s Guild of America in West Hollywood and the Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater in downtown Los Angeles, that will be utilized for screenings.

When Outfest began in the early-1980s, the gay community was at the very beginning of the AIDS crisis. In a time when death and political oppression was commonplace, the festival provided a much-needed voice in the fight.

“I think the interesting part of this is we didn’t begin as a film festival. We actually started as a conference and a summit. The film program at UCLA wanted to address many of the conversations at the time, whether it was HIV, queer representation in media, independent filmmaking in general, so they had a very robust, multi-day conference that also happened to show some movies,” Navarro said. “So, that DNA has absolutely impacted the way Outfest has involved and grown, whereas a lot of other film festivals have started simply as film festivals started by a filmmaker. We’ve always had this kind of innate education, academic rigor that’s been built into everything that we do. And I think [we are] one of the first organizations of our kind to create programs outside of film festivals that’s indicative of that kind of DNA.”

As public opinion on LGBTQ+ rights has shifted in recent decades, the festival itself has become a larger, more mainstream event.

“Now the [festival] is being accessed by so many new, young people, allies – 20% of our attendance last year were allies. [It] used to be that you’d sneak into the backdoor of Outfest if you weren’t out. To see it now just become such a beloved piece of our culture that people want to protect and love and grow and come back to is magical,” Navarro said.

In addition to the actual event, Outfest also has a screenwriting lab, a trans and non-binary actors fellowship, projects for young and aspiring filmmakers, and is involved in preservation efforts related to LGBTQ+ cinematic representation. Its streaming platform is also now available on all major app providers.

“It’s kind of what we are deeming as the PBS of our history,” Navarro said. “And it’s still in its Beta stage. Just for example, we just posted … a seven-part audio series featuring the voices of the youth from Texas and Florida talking about what’s going on.”

With the recent reversal of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court, concerns have spread throughout the LGBTQ+ community about what other rights might be taken away by the court. Outfest has a unique opportunity to speak to these fears.

“We may be a [nonprofit] that isn’t allowed to support any particular political representation, but we sure as hell can show films and bring attention to and host conversations and summits and talkbacks that delve deeply into this,” Navarro said.

Outfest continues through July 24. For a complete list of events, tickets and information, visit outfest.org.