The Los Angeles People Of Color Film Festival

Fusion: The Los Angeles LGBT People of Color Film Festival, now in its ninth year, is the only multi-cultural, gender-inclusive People of Color film festival in the United States. The festival will be held March 22nd - 24th at between the Egyptian Theater and the Renberg Theatre in Hollywood, and is presented by NBCUniversal. This year the festival has scheduled short and feature films and also includes panels, workshops, and parties that highlight and celebrate the diversity of the LGBT and people of color communities.

"Fusion is so vital because it's the only place many of these films are going to be showcased, and they deserve the exposure," Jennifer DeClue, Fusion Programmer, said.

In addition, Lee Daniels (Precious, Monster's Ball) will present the 2012 Fusion Achievement Award to Patrik-Ian Polk (Director of Punks, Noah's Arc), who returns to the festival with the world premiere of his third feature, The Skinny, on Saturday, March 24.

In a press release Polk stated, "Outfest has been a loving supporter of my work since my first film Punks in 2000. I've shown all my films there, and the amazing work they've done with Fusion specifically highlighting the work of LGBT filmmakers of color is a shining example of their commitment to promoting diversity within the genre of gay film."

This also marks the third year of the Fusion Access L.A. program. Fusion partners with NBCUniversal to bring aspiring filmmakers in contact with industry leaders at NBCUniversal studios to inspire, educate, and mentor. On Friday, March 23 participants will take part in panels that include: Networking, Working Writers on Writing and enjoy a Power Lunch with an NBCUniversal creative executive at each table for a more personal conversation about the ins and outs of Hollywood.

Fusion 2012 will also unveil the first work of OutSet: The Young Filmmakers Project from LifeWorks and Outfest, created to empower and educate LGBT youth to tell their stories through film.

The festival will kick off with the live performance piece; Jotalogues: Talking Taboo in the Beast of Times, written and performed by multi-disciplinary Xicana artist Adelina Anthony with D'Lo.

"This festival features films made for and by those in the queer community and the people of color community. These are two marginalized communities that together are rarely celebrated,"DeClue said.

The additional line-up of this year's Fusion includes the World Premiere of Stud Life by London-based and Outfest award-winning filmmaker, Campbell X. Also generating buzz is a Legacy Project screening of Nisha Ganatra's iconic 1999 film, Chutney Popcorn.

Fusion is a project under the Outfest umbrella. Outfest is the leading organization showcasing, nurturing and preserving lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender film images and artistry. For 29 years Outfest has led the charge, spotlighting emerging talent, creating community between filmmakers and audiences and offering a world-class forum for stories that reflect and often transform LGBT lives.

Since its founding in 1982, Outfest has showcased over 4,500 films for audiences well over half a million people. Their festivals, year-round screening series and special events bring together film lovers, innovative artists, celebrities and entertainment industry professionals.

For complete event and film listings and to purchase tickets, log on to outfest.org/fusion