Gender Identity of Actors in Queer Cinema: VOLUME ONE

This is a free event. No tickets or reservations are required. There are no geo-blocking restrictions. This event can be seen worldwide.

TIME: Sunday, August 15 at 3:00 pm – 3:45 pm (EST)

LENGTH: 45 minutes

LINK: CLICK HERE

Simply click on the link above on Sunday, August 15 at 3:00 pm (EST) to view the Panel Discussion.

This program includes a live chat so that you can submit questions to the artists.

Note: The link will redirect you to our YouTube Channel

After the live event is over, the recorded video will be available to watch by clicking on our YouTube Channel. Films

Synopsis of the panel discussion topic:

Does having an LGBTQ+ actor playing in LGBTQ+ films make it more authentic or does it even matter? How do Director’s choices affect the story or the film as a whole? When is it critical to have LGBTQ+ actors on screen? Narrative filmmakers will discuss representation on-screen by LGBTQ+ actors and non-LGBTQ+ actors at OUTSOUTH. Filmmakers will discuss how the script or personal directing philosophy influenced the decision to choose their actors. How were actors directed in the storytelling of the LGBTQ+ experience? Actors will discuss what they felt they brought to the role of the LGBTQ+ character. 

This discussion is open to audience questions about the topic. Filmmakers and actors will offer their opinions and experiences related to the topic discussed. OUTSOUTH is always happy to have filmmakers share their stories and enlighten audiences about the challenges and thrills of filmmaking. 

Artists on the panel:   

Jack Murphy (He/Him) is a Dublin-born actor who made history playing Ireland's first trans character in a soap opera in 2017. He was subsequently nominated for Ireland's GALA Awards for the LGBT+ Public Figure Award and the LBGT+ Arts and Entertainment Award. The GALAS were created to honour those who work towards a better future for LGBT+ people in Ireland. Jack's portrayal of Alex in Cost You Nothing won him a Special Mention Award for Outstanding Performance at the Chicago Irish Film Festival earlier this year. He looks forward to bringing his trans experience to the screen on many more occasions but also has ambitions to be cast in cis male roles in the future too.

Patricia Kelly (She/Her) is a writer, director, producer and actor. Her first three shorts screened at international & Irish festivals, picking up a number of awards and nominations along the way. Cost You Nothing will air on Ireland's national TV station, RTE, later this year and her first radio comedy play also aired on the national broadcaster. She is currently in production on her fourth short and in post-production on her fifth and sixth. She is developing two narrative feature scripts and is also writing three black comedy TV series. She was a script reader for Northern Ireland Screen for four years & has an MA in Screenwriting for Film & TV. Patricia is passionate about bringing characters not often seen and voices rarely heard to the screen, often concentrating on films that explore social issues such as homelessness, autism and LGBTQ+ rights. She is a member of the Writers Guild of Ireland, Screen Producers Ireland and Women in Film and Television Ireland. Her production company is MnáMná Films (www.mnamnafilms.com).

Joe Solomon is a Producer and Director who has always had a passion to tell stories that fully engage, provoke and entertain audiences through film. He loves the short film format and has explored a few genres in his work and is now studying at the National Film and Television School in the UK, where he is getting their support to direct a short horror film and develop a feature. His short film, Eve, is screening at OutSouth.

Francesca Reid, as seen on E4, BBC3 & Comedy Central, is an actor/singer/comedian/improvisor/presenter/drag king. Graduating from East 15 Acting School, she took her passion for clowning across the globe training in both the US & UK. Her most recent solo show, was a wonderfully received run at the pre-pandemic, Vault Festival of her first solo hour as the bawdy & ladish "Brent Would". The short film, Eve, is screening at OutSouth.

Dean Marriott is an Irish and British writer/director based in Berlin, Germany. He originally trained as an actor and more recently completed an MA in Directing at MetFilm School in Berlin. Next of Kin is his first short film since graduating and premiered at Raindance. He is currently in post-production for his next short, Hold My Hand, which was awarded the 2021 Pears Short Film Fund bursary by UK Jewish Film.

Xiaowen Wang studied Production Design at the AFI conservatory in Los Angeles. She graduated from Parsons in Fashion Design, graduated from FIT in jewelry design, and spent five years in New York gaining more experience in costume and theater design. Before coming to the United States, she joined a famous Chinese studio to learn cartoon-making, set design and media design. She is also a member of the Art Directors Guild. For the past few years, she’s been working as a director on films and TV series. Her first short film “Cocoon Love” won international recognition at the Palm Springs International ShortFest, Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival and OutSouth Queer Film Festival. “A Whisper In The Island Of The Heart” is her second short film.

Mengyuan “Vivian” He is a graduate cinematographer from UCLA’s MFA Program. Mengyuan got her bachelor’s degrees both in Business and Film and Media Studies at UC Irvine. Her cinematography works have received international recognition at the Palm Spring International Festival, Inside Out LGBT Film Festival, and the Korean Queer Film Festival. Her works span categories of narrative, commercials, and documentaries. As a Chinese Queer female filmmaker, she continues to hone her craft as a visual storyteller. She hopes that her work will shed light on stories that haven't yet been told.