The Out In Africa South African Gay & Lesbian Film Festival was launched in 1994 to celebrate the inclusion in the South Africa Constitution of the clause prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.

The festival set out to address the lack of visibility of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex individuals (LGBTIs) in South African social and cultural life after decades of apartheid repression. It also aimed to counter the negative images of LGBTIs that prevailed in certain communities, and served as a platform for discussion and debate about the situation of LGBTIs in South Africa’s newly founded democracy.

The Out In Africa film festival showcases films from around the world, and stimulates and promotes the home-grown film industry. As a socially conscious movement with a political purpose, Out in Africa aims to generate images and representations of its own community that promote a sense of belonging and pride – films that explore the LGBTI community’s particular identity, lifestyles and concerns. Out in Africa also organises filmmaking workshops for aspirant filmmakers and many of their short films have screened at international film festivals around the world. International filmmakers are invited to the Out in Africa film festival to present the filmmaking workshops.

The Out In Africa South African Gay & Lesbian Film Festival takes place annually in three instalments in Johannesburg and Cape Town. The first takes place in April, the second in July and the third in October. Each instalment features several international feature films as well as a host of international and local shorts.

April 2013