COMING OUT ON FILM.

Byline: Greg Hernandez Staff Writer

When ``Puccini for Beginners'' kicks off Outfest Thursday night, the film's writer-director, Maria Maggenti, is hoping to hear a lot of laughter inside downtown's Orpheum Theater.

``Puccini,'' starring Elizabeth Reaser, Gretchen Mol and Justin Kirk, is one of several high-profile comedies being screened during the 12-day Outfest 2006: the 24th annual Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.

``One of the trends we've seen this year is there are more comedies,'' says Kirsten Schaffer, Outfest's senior director of programming and operations. ``We are opening and closing with a comedy, and there are many in between.''

The influx in comedy titles reflects a continuing shift from mostly heavy issue-oriented gay films to a lot more lighter fare. In all, more than 200 movies, including feature films, documentaries and short film programs of various genres, will play at several venues, including the Directors Guild of America which serves as festival headquarters.

Maggenti's film, billed as a sophisticated screwball sex comedy, focuses on a woman with a fluid sexuality struggling to make a commitment.

``It's less about what is it to be a lesbian and more about what are the differences between men and women,'' says Maggenti, also writer-director of the gay classic ``The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love.'' ``I think the film appeals to a really wide audience. But if you come from a queer background, there is stuff in there that you will catch that no one else will catch.''

Other Outfest comedy selections include: ``Another Gay Movie'' about four friends who make a pact to lose their virginity by the end of summer; the high school comedy ``Fat Girls,'' and Ed Burns' ``The Groomsmen.''

A comedy featured in the ``New Directors Spotlight'' portion of Outfest is ``Coffee Date,'' written and directed by Stewart Wade and starring out actor Wilson Cruz opposite Jonathan Bray. It also features Jonathan Silverman, Sally Kirkland and out actor Jason Stuart.

The film, about a straight man (Bray) whose brother (Silverman) sets him up on a blind date with a gay man (Cruz) as a practical joke, grew out of a short film of the same name that had screened at previous festivals.

``People kept asking me if it was going to be a feature, and everyone wanted to know what was going to happen to the characters,'' Wade says.

Another of the highly anticipated comedies is ``Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds,'' which festival organizers say is the first American gay sequel ever. The original film, ``Eating Out,'' screened at Outfest two years ago and went on to become a solid success. It starred Ryan Carnes, who went on to a recurring role on ``Desperate Housewives,'' and Jim Verros, a finalist during the first season of ``American Idol.''

``I love the spirit of Outfest and the opportunity to see films a lot of people will never see -- it's such an enlightening experience,'' says Verros, who returns for the sequel. ``We have a strong cast and a strong script, and we are in great position to launch off the success of the first movie.''

Outside the comedy field, don't expect to see any movies trying to emulate the Oscar-nominated gay cowboy story ``Brokeback Mountain.'' Instead, expect lots of variety, according to Schaffer.

``We're a community-based festival with a lot of different constituents within the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) community,'' Schaffer says. ``Because of that, we are trying to create a balanced program that basically has something for everyone.''

The family comedy ``Dirty Laundry,'' for example, is about an African-American magazine writer living in New York who returns to the Southern family he hasn't seen in a decade. His coming out leads to much drama within the family and church.

``It unfolds and develops into the family acceptance of him and his acceptance of himself,'' says writer-director Maurice Jamal, who shot and edited the film in six weeks on a recipe of ``lot of denial and a lot of espresso.''

``Laundry'' stars Rockmond Dunbar as the young man, with Loretta Devine as his mother and Jenifer Lewis as his aunt. Also in the cast is openly gay actor Alec Mapa.

The film has the support of the Human Rights Campaign, which sponsored sneak preview screenings across the U.S.

The subject of church and religion is at the center of the documentary ``Camp Out,'' which follows 10 teenagers at the first overnight bible camp for gay Christian youths.

Directed by Kirk Marcolina and Larry Grimaldi, the film tells the story of youths who refused to turn their back on their faith despite the stance against homosexuality taken on by many faiths.

The festival's documentary centerpiece is ``Wrestling With Angels: Playwright Tony Kushner,'' which covers Kushner's life from 9/11 through the 2004 presidential election.

Other documentaries being screened at Outfest include: ``Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema''; ``Small Town Gay Bar,'' about people who risk their lives to meet friends for a drink; ``Meth,'' about the rising use of crystal meth among gay men; and ``Saint of 9/11,'' about an openly gay parish priest killed at the World Trade Center after administering last rites to fallen firefighters.

The festival's dramatic centerpiece is the Spanish-language film ``El Cielo Dividido (Broken Sky)'' from filmmaker Julian Hernandez; the international films ``Un Amour A Taire'' (A Love to Hide), ``Reinas'' (Queens) and ``C.R.A.Z.Y.''; and the female love stories ``The Gymnast,'' ``What's Up Scarlet?'' and ``Loving Annabelle.''

A late addition to the lineup was ``Shock to the System: A Donald Strachey Mystery,'' which stars out actor Chad Allen as a private investigator who happens to be gay.

Attendance is expected to be more than 45,000 at a festival that is the world's second largest of its kind behind San Francisco. Festival organizers received more than 800 entries this year.

``There's lots of questions these days about what is the future of gay film festivals between the DVDs and the gay television channels,'' Shaffer says. ``The experience of sitting with people in a room watching a film is unlike anything else -- and that will never change. We're a community event. People look forward to Outfest to see their friends, go to parties and to see life-changing movies with a crowd.''

Greg Hernandez [phone]

[e-mail]

OUTFEST 2006: THE 24th LOS ANGELES GAY AND LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL

When: July 6-17.

Where: Directors Guild of America, Ford Ampitheatre, Laemmle Monica, Regent Showcase, LA Gay and Lesbian Center's Village at Ed Gould Plaza, Orpheum Theatre, Barnsdall Gallery Theatre, Vista Theatre, REDCAT at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Tickets: Regular screenings: full price: $12 non-members, $9 members; Ford Ampitheatre events: $15 non-members, $12 members; Opening night gala: $40-$135; Awards Night: $30 non-members, $20 members; Closing night: $20-$50. Available at Festival Box Office at DGA Theatre, 7920 Sunset Blvd. [phone] or through outfest.org.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Chad Allen, right, is a gay private investigator in ``Shock to the System: A Donald Strachey Mystery,'' to be screened at OutFest.

(2 -- color) Elizabeth Reaser and Gretchen Mol in a scene from Outfest's opening-night film, ``Puccini for Beginners.''

(3 -- color) Elizabeth Reaser and Julianne Nicholson in ``Puccini for Beginners.''