Outfest has announced that writer, director and actor John Cameron Mitchell (“Hedwig & the Angry Inch,” “Rabbit Hole,” “Shortbus”) will receive the 19th annual Outfest Achievement Award.
The Achievement Award is Outfest’s highest honor and is presented in recognition of a body of work that has made a significant contribution to LGBT film and media. The Achievement Award will be presented to Mitchell prior to the 2015 Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival Opening Night Gala screening of “Tig” on Thursday, July 9 at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles.
“John Cameron Mitchell’s iconic creation of ‘Hedwig’ almost two decades ago was a groundbreaking piece exploring transgender lives,” said Christopher Racster, interim executive director of Outfest. “Ever since then, John has been able to push boundaries on stage and screen, and by doing so leaving an indelible mark on the LGBT community and mainstream audiences alike. We can’t think of a more deserving recipient of this year’s Achievement Award, and hope that John will continue to inspire us to get our wig out of the box.”
“What an honor to get an award that went to folks that were my queer forebears, formerly heroes and later friends: Todd Haynes, Gus Van Sant, Christine Vachon and Ian McKellen,” added Mitchell. “As Harry Hay told us, queer people contribute to the world by their unique way of seeing the world, through a prism of fluid gender, which challenges the world to integrate male and female energies into a single harmonious human energy that transcends labels. Outfest celebrates that way of seeing.”
Outfest has previously presented the award to James Schamus, Kimberly Peirce, John Waters, Jane Lynch, Bill Condon, Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, Don Roos, Donna Deitch, Kenneth Anger, Gregg Araki, Todd Haynes, Jane Anderson, Christine Vachon, Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, Gus Van Sant, Ian McKellen, John Schlesinger and Strand Releasing.
Outfest is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization that promotes equality by creating, sharing and protecting LGBT stories on the screen. This year’s Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival is being presented by HBO, and will be held July 9-19.