Actor Elliot Page will receive Outfest’s Achievement Award during the LGBTQ film festival’s closing night gala Aug. 22. Photo: Wynne Neilly
Actor Elliot Page will receive Outfest’s Achievement Award during the LGBTQ film festival’s closing night gala Aug. 22.
The event could mark Page’s first major public appearance since he came out as transgender in December. Page, who has since given interviews to Oprah Winfrey and Time.
The award is given to people who have “made a significant contribution to LGBTQIA+ stories, arts and media visibility.”
Todd Haynes, Bill Condon, John Waters, Kimberly Peirce, Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, Angela Robinson and Nisha Ganatra have received the prize in previous years.
Page said it gives him “great honor” to receive the award and represent the LGBTQ community.
“Now more than ever, it is so important for our voices to be amplified and represented in film and media, and for people to hear our stories,” Page said in a statement.
Page will receive the award from Kieran Medina, lead programmer for Outfest’s annual Trans & Nonbinary Summit.
The event will take place at L.A.’s Orpheum Theatre.
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An Oscar-nominated actor, Page is best known for his roles in “Juno,” “The Umbrella Academy,” “Hard Candy,” “Inception,” as well as the “X-Men” movies.
His directorial debut, “There’s Something in the Water” was released on Netflix last year.
Page also created and produced the groundbreaking, two-time-Emmy-nominated documentary series “Gaycation.” In the series, Page and Ian Daniel explore LGBTQ culture and the often harsh realities facing queer communities across the world.
“There is no one more poised to receive this year’s Outfest annual Achievement Award than Elliot,” Outfest executive director Damien S. Navarro also said in the statement. “His courage, advocacy and personal journey have made him one of the most admired and respected public figures of his generation and his talent and voice are leading a new generation within the LGBTQIA+ and entertainment community.”
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The 5th annual Trans & Nonbinary Summit is scheduled for Aug. 21. The lineup will feature a keynote by Tourmaline, a panel with Zackary Drucker and our Lady J about storytelling in a post “Pose” world, a curated shorts program, and a table read of the series “Razor Tongue” from creator and star Rain Valdez opposite Alexandra Grey, Trace Lysette, and Jacob Tobia.
