Tickets, passes available for Palm Springs LGBTQ film festival Cinema Diverse

Palm Springs' LGBTQ+ film festival Cinema Diverse will celebrate its 16th anniversary this year, and it all kicks off on Sept. 21 with a special preview of Billy Clift's new film "Here We Are."

The film stars Mel England ("Ron and Laura Take Back America") and Wil J. Jackson ("Law & Order: Special Victims Unit") — both of whom also wrote and produced "Here We Are" — as an interracial gay couple. When Phil (England) and John (Jackson) first meet, sparks fly and they discover a deep connection. But when everything that they know changes when the COVID-19 pandemic hits, they must confront a divided world and face their buried pasts.

Clift previously directed the television series "Not So Straight in Silver Lake" and "Food Fetish" and short film "No Goodbyes." "Here We Are" also stars Sally Kirkland ("80 for Brady"), Christine Elise ("Chucky"), Gregory Zarian ("Westworld") and Elizabeth Regen ("Entourage"). Jerome Joseph Gentes also produced the film.

The film will screen at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 21 at the Palm Springs Cultural Center. Cinema Diverse will continue through Sept. 24 and the following weekend, Sept. 28 through Oct. 1.

Michael C. Green, executive director of the Palm Springs Cultural Center, said Clift and England will be present during opening night, and several other filmmakers will make appearances throughout the festival. There will also be an opening night party after the film at the Cultural Center.

Films to catch

The multi-day Cinema Diverse film festival features a mix of feature and short-length films.

Each day of the festival features a centerpiece film that attendees can't miss. Those include:

• "Lie With Me," 7:30 p.m. Sept. 22: A French film by Olivier Peyon that follows an author who returns to his hometown. There, he has to face the memories of his first love.

• "Glitter and Doom," 7:30 p.m. Sept. 23: Directed by Tom Gustafson, "Glitter and Doom" is a fantastical summer romance musical about a musician and a carefree kid who fall in love at first sight.

• "Commitment to Life," 7:30 p.m. Sept. 24: This documentary showcases the fight against HIV/AIDS in Los Angeles and how a group of people — doctors, movie stars, studio moguls and activists — changed the course of the epidemic.

• "The Mattachine Family," 7:30 p.m. Sept. 28: A film by Andy Vallentine that follows Thomas and Oscar, a couple very much in love. After their first foster child returns to his birth mother, they find they have different ideas about what it means to make a family.

• "The Judgment," 7:30 p.m. Sept. 29: An Egyptian gay couple returns to Egypt for a family emergency and have to pretend to be just friends. "The Judgment" is directed by Marwan Mokbel.

• "Coming Around," 7:45 p.m. Sept. 29: Directed by Sandra Itäinen, "Coming Around" follows 28-year-old second-generation Palestinian-Egyptian Brooklynite Eman as she grapples with the decision to come out to her devout mother.

• "I Love You More," 7:30 p.m. Sept. 30: "I Love You More" will have its U.S. premiere at Cinema Diverse. The film centers on Ben, a shy Kosovar teen, who is gearing up to meet his secret love Leo. At the same time, his family surprises him with a life-changing opportunity. Green said director and writer Erblin Nusho will attend the festival, most likely as his alter ego, Adelina Rose.

The closing night film is "Shoulder Dance," written and directed by Jay Arnold. It's been 24 years since best friends Ira (Matt Dallas) and Roger (Rick Cosnett) last saw each other. When Roger arrives unexpectedly for the weekend, long suppressed desires dangerously resurface.

The festival also features a number of short film blocks that showcase movies with a similar theme. Some of the themes include animation, coming out tales, female stories, nonbinary shorts, documentaries and comedies.

For a full list of films, visit psculturalcenter.org/filmfest/schedule-at-a-glance

Q&As and other events

Along with film screenings, Cinema Diverse will feature some additional events for attendees.

Question and answer sessions will be held following film screenings if filmmakers are present. An exact list of which films will have these sessions is not available.

Following the 4 p.m. Sept. 24 screening of "Unfix," there will be a special panel on conversion therapy. "Unifix" tells the story of Ari, who was forced into conversion therapy when he was 11 following a brief encounter with another boy. Several years later, Ari is 35 and considered "fixed." But when the pandemic hits, his world flips once again, which triggers questions about his authentic self. The film was written and directed by Graham Streeter.

Tickets and passes

Tickets and passes for Cinema Diverse are on sale. Individual film tickets cost $14.50, while short sets costs $10.

An all-access pass costs $179, which is good for entry into any Cinema Diverse screening. If you can only catch a handful of films, the six-pack pass offers discounted access to six screenings for $79.

Visit psculturalcenter.org/filmfest to purchase tickets or passes.

Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Tickets on sale for Palm Springs LGBTQ film festival Cinema Diverse