Out On Film Announces 2025 Filmmaker Fund Recipients
Atlanta’s Out On Film, one of the most honored LGBTQ film festivals in the world, announces its 2nd annual Filmmaker Fund Recipients
Nine Queer Filmmakers Awarded Up To $2500 To Finish Film Projects, Starring Ethan Embry (“Scream 7,” “Grace and Frankie”), Jenna Kanell (“Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” “Terrifier”), Molly Kearney (“SNL”), Kimia Behpoornia (“Abbott Elementary,” “Abby’s”), and TikTok Star/Author Dylan Mulvaney (“The Dylan Hour” podcast)
[Atlanta, GA, April 11, 2025] – Atlanta’s Oscar®-qualifying and USA TODAY “10Best” film festival Out On Film today announces its 2nd annual Filmmaker Fund recipients as part of the nonprofit organization’s ongoing commitment to championing queer filmmakers. From a pool of dozens of diverse applicants, nine outstanding filmmakers have been awarded grants of up to $2500 each to facilitate completion of their individual film or documentary projects, all with dynamic talent in front of and behind the camera (see details below). The grants, totaling over $15K this year, were made possible through the success of a 2024 Kickstarter campaign.
“As one of the most honored LGBTQ film festivals around today, we are proud to help this fresh, new group of nine filmmakers finish their seven films and documentaries, and bring even more exciting, moving and diverse queer stories to the community – particularly in these volatile times for us, nonprofits and the arts nationwide,” said Out On Film Festival Director Jim Farmer.
“With the Filmmaker Fund, Out On Film displays its firm commitment to not only showcasing but enhancing the work of emerging queer filmmakers, specifically those Southern voices,” said Out On Film Executive Director Justice Obiaya.
This year’s nine recipients/seven film and documentary projects are:
Hannah Aslesen (Writer/Producer/Star, she/her, GA-based) - “Scissors” / short film – When a bachelorette crew rents a remote cabin for a weekend of booze and bonding, a backwoods killer learns the hard way that these women are scarier than he is. Credits: Director/Producer Hannah Alline (“Mayfair Witches”), Executive Producers Michael Riley and Tim Reis (“The Demon’s Rook”), Producers Aaron Chewning and Andrew Hunter (“Red Notice”), Cinematographer Kristina Zungia. Also stars Atlanta-based Ethan Embry (“Scream 7,” “Grace and Frankie”) and Jenna Kanell (“Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” “Terrifier”). along with Georgia Bridgers (“Bad Batch”), Najah Bradley (“Interview with a Vampire”) and Annisa Matlock (“Peacemaker”).
Sidney Fussell (Writer/Producer/Director, he/him) - “Hallelujah Anyway” / documentary short – Once the star of his church's choir, Nathan Townsend entered the Philly AIDS ward at the height of the epidemic, selling his life insurance to pay for his own funeral. Then, a miracle -- he didn't die. Thanks to the invention of life-saving medications, Nathan is 69 today and a man of profound faith, using his second chance at life to combine sex-positive activism with old school spirituality. Credits: Emmy-nominated Executive Producer Robert Profusek, Cinematographer Emir Fils-Aime, Editor Francesca Sharper.
Kerri Garrett (Director/Executive Producer/Lead Actor/Co-Choreographer, she/they) - “A Westside Love Story” / short film – A mixed-up wing order sends two queer HBCU sophomores on an unforgettable impromptu first date through Atlanta’s West End. Credits: Producers Morgan B. Powell (GLAAD Media Award-nominated “The Come Up;” “Grace”) and Tré Hazelwood, Cinematographer Sade Ndya (“Soñadora”), Writer NOVA CYPRESS BLACK (“The L Word” season 3 writer), Editor/Sound Logan Lynette Burroughs (“Spirit Never Dies, Only Transitions”), Ivy Sole (“Missing Rhythms,” “Gasoline”). and Atlanta-based Composer/musician K Calloway. Also stars Suni MF (“Rap Sh!t”).
Carly Kane (Producer/Co-Writer, she/her) & Kendall Alex Payne (Director/Co-Writer, she/her).- “Dead End” / short film – After one of their friends passes away, a lesbian friend group reluctantly goes on a pre-planned couples cabin trip to heal. On the trip, the group conducts a seance to communicate with their dead friend and hidden secrets within the friend group start to surface. Stars Molly Kearney (“SNL”), Jess Henderson (“And Just Like That”), Taylor Ortega (“Welcome to Flatch”), Maddie Silverstein ("Guilt Free:), Emmy®-nominated Asha Ward (“SNL” writer, “Gender Agenda”), and Sureni Weerasekera (“Don’t Tell Comedy”).
Alyssa Lerner (Writer/Producer/Director, they/them) - “First Death” / short film – An abruptly deceased soul struggles to move on from their first lifetime. Credits: Producer Tracy Smith, Cinematographer Ruby Paiva, Editor Spenser Reich, Production Designer Angela Simmons (“Julia Wuz Here”), Composer Ariel Loh (“The Eyes Of My Mother”), VXF Alden Peters (“Femme”) and Line Producer Amy Geist (“Dysmorphia”). Stars trans activist/content creator/author Dylan Mulvaney (“The Dylan Show” podcast), Kimia Behpoornia (“Abbott Elementary,” “Abby’s”), Vic Michaelis (“Murder in a Small Town”), and Kiko Soirée (“Savior Complex” podcast).
Matt Nadel (Producer/Director, he/him) - “Odd Man In” / documentary short – This documentary short explores the complex double life of Donald Webster Cory, a mysterious writer who helped ignite the early gay rights movement—and then betrayed it. Credits: Academy Award®-winning Executive Producer Caroline Waterlow (“OJ: Made In America”), Producer Luke Hodges, Producer/Editor Peter Lansworth, Archival Producer Debra McClutchy (“The Martha Mitchell Effect”), Cinematographer Steve McCord, and Historical Consultant Dr. George Chauncey.
Tony Zosherafatain (Emmy®-shortlisted and GLAAD-nominated Co-Director/Co-Producer, he/him) & Felix Endara (Co-Director/Co-Producer, he/him) - “Lens on Self: The Loren Cameron Story” / documentary short film – This documentary explores the extraordinary life of trans male trailblazer Loren Cameron, a visionary photographer, bodybuilder, and activist who shattered societal norms, leaving an enduring legacy that sparked the imaginations of generations of trans men, propelling them on their own journeys of transition.
Last year, Out On Film’s first Filmmaker Fund awarded six grants, totaling over $10K. 2024 recipient Lane Michael Stanley, transgender director/playwright/filmmaker/producer and co-founder of Secretly Famous Productions, will debut their 2nd feature film “T” at the 2025 Out On Film festival. The other five 2024 recipients have also completed their projects, with Millie Rose Evans’ “9 Lives” debuting successfully at last year’s Out On Film.
Looking ahead, the Kickstarter campaign for the 2026 Filmmaker Fund will launch next month on May 20 and run through June 20, 2025. See outonfilm.org for more information.
Out On Film’s 2025 has been a busy one, starting with a sold-out premiere of the Revry/Tony Talks film “Boss Up: The Musical” earlier this year; a sold-out local debut of the acclaimed “A Nice Indian Boy”; and the hugely successful “Spring Mini-Fest,” featuring the Southeastern debuts of Andrew Ahn’s “The Wedding Banquet,” Cristina Costantini’s “Sally” and Daniel Minahan’s “On Swift Horses.”
Upcoming Spring/Summer events include Out On Film’s “The Real World of Screenwriting” Virtual Conference with instructors Tee Johnson and Lisa Maydewell on April 26;co-screening of the classic gay film “Trick” at Out Front Theatre on May 6; and the Landmark Theatre’s Pride Series in June.
