Outfest Los Angeles 2023 To Open With ‘Aristotle and Dante’

Gay Movie

2023-06-08
15:03

Outfest Los Angeles 2023, an LGBTQ+ film festival, just announced that the highly anticipated YA novel-turned-film ‘Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe’ will be its opening film!

‘Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe’, based on a novel of the same title by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, tells the story of two teenage Mexican Americans in El Paso, Texas, Aristotle Mendoza and Dante Quintana, who forge a friendship, explore their sexualities, and understand themselves and their families through the realities of a rather harsh world. Aristotle is played by Max Pelayo while Dante Quintana is portrayed by Reese Gonzales. Trans filmmaker Aitch Alberto directed the film.

It has yet to be released in theaters, although ‘Aristotle and Dante’ have screened in several film festivals since 2022. It first premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival and was included as a selection for the 2023 Palm Springs International Film Festival. It is said that it might be released this summer.

Outfest also announced that it will close with the documentary ‘Chasing Chasing Amy’, directed also by trans filmmaker Sav Rodgers. ‘Chasing Chasing Amy’ is about the legacy of the 1997 indie film ‘Chasing Amy’ and its influence on queer culture and the queer community.

This will be the first time that Outfest will open and close with films made by trans artists.

Outfest Los Angeles 2023, now in its 41st year, will run from July 13 to 23 across Los Angeles.

Sources: (1) (2) (3)