Film Out and OUTFEST collection, 1991-2025

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Summary

Title:
Film Out and OUTFEST collection
Dates:
1991-2025
Creators:
Film Out San Diego, Outfest (Film festival), and Germain, Diane F.
Abstract:
This collection contains materials related to Film Out San Diego and OUTFEST. This collection is comprised of six accessions containing organization materials, including internal documents, correspondence, festival ephemera, and newspaper advertisements.
Extent:
4.5 Linear Feet (7 boxes)
Language:
English .

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains festival programs, awards, DVDs, lanyards, flyers, postcards, advertisements, posters, meeting minutes, financial and corporate documents, festival lineups and acceptances, and film synopses and reviews. The collection covers the period from 1991 to 2025 and most material is local to San Diego, California, with some material coming from Los Angeles.

Biographical / historical:

Film Out San Diego began as the thesis project of San Diego State University alumn Joe Ferrelli, who filed for the organization's nonprofit status in 1993, launching the festival the same year at the Ken Cinema. Throughout the 90s, the organization went through various stages, including a rebranding as Outfest San Diego, and serving as a sidebar at the San Diego Film Festival. It reclaimed the Film Out name in 2005, with Michael McQuiggan becoming the festival programmer. Since then, Film Out has hosted the annual LGBTQ+ Film Festival in San Diego, in venues such as the North Park Theatre, San Diego Natural History Museum, and the Museum of Photographic Arts.

Outfest is a nonprofit organization founded in 1979 by John Ramirez and Stuart Timmons on the University of California Los Angeles campus. First called the "Gay and Lesbian Media Festival and Conference", the organization became known as Outfest in 1994. Outfest has hosted the Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival since 1982, which features eleven days of film screenings, panels, and celebrations. They have also hosted the QTBIPOC Film Festival since 2003, and have programs to support LGBTQ+ filmmakers and the preservation of LGBTQ+ films.

Arrangement:

This collection is organized into six accessions:

  1. Accession No. L2011.20, Film Out and OUTFEST records, 2003-2007
  2. Accession No. L2013.52, Film Out and OUTFEST collection, 1991-2013
  3. Accession No. L2015.22 Film Out collection, 2013-2014
  4. Accession No. L2016.18, Film Out collection, 2014-2016
  5. Accession No. L2018.05, Film Out records, 2016-2018
  6. Accession No. L2025.01 Film Out collection, 2017-2025

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Natalie Hollander
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-03-09 17:31:29 +0000 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for research.

Terms of access:

Copyright was transferred to Lambda Archives of San Diego, but copyright restrictions may apply for some materials. Permission must be obtained to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use." Responsibility for obtaining permissions for any use and distribution of these materials rests exclusively with the user and not Lambda Archives of San Diego. Permission to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use" must also be obtained from Lambda Archives of San Diego as owners of the physical property

Location of this collection:
4545 Park Blvd, Suite 104
San Diego, CA 92116, US
Contact:
(619) 260-1522
info@lambdaarchives.org
Website