Gender Identity of Actors in Queer Cinema: VOLUME TWO

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

TIME: Wednesday, August 18 at 8:30 pm – 9:15 pm (EST)

LENGTH: 45 minutes

LINK: CLICK HERE

Simply click on the link above on Wednesday, August 18 at 8:30 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:   

Brittany Devon (they/she) is an award-winning actor based in Chicago, Illinois. They are a graduate of The Second City Conservatory and founder of Her Them Productions. They believe in the power of on-screen presence and representation. They use this as part of the narrative by simply being on screen as they are to create normalcy, as seen in Total Catch. Follow their journey on Instagram @brittanydevonofficial

Cailleah Scott-Grimes is an award-winning Toronto-based director and illustrator. She holds an MFA in Film Production from York University and a BA in Visual Studies and East Asian Studies from the University of Toronto. From death positivity to struggles with gender identity, Cailleah's work brings an intimate lens to transgressive topics that are difficult to talk about. Her short film, Between Us, is screening at OutSouth.

Mariella Kai (they/them) is an Australian writer and director based in Tokyo, Japan. Their identity as an LGBTQ+ filmmaker greatly influences Kai's narrative work, as they strive to tell nuanced queer stories borne of real experiences. In their debut role as an actor, Kai plays the non-binary Canadian partner in Cailleah Scott-Grimes' short, Between Us.

Shannon Gibbs is an award-winning nonbinary identified LA filmmaker with a passion for creativity and collaboration in its many forms. Themes of individuality within restricted worlds run through all their work in film. They wrote and star in My Own, which tackles the nuances of living as a nonbinary person in a binary society through the rigid lens of ballet and premiered at Oxford Film Festival in March. She recently directed and costumed the short film, Bottled Up, which won Best Drama at the LA Film Awards. They are currently costuming two shorts, while writing and rewriting an exciting new project with West 36 Productions to shoot in the fall. Shannon currently works as the assistant to EP and actress, Nancy Stephens.