As leader of the world’s only LGBT political party, Bemz Benedito dreams of being the first transgender woman in the Philippine Congress. But in a predominantly Catholic nation, rallying for LGBT representation in the halls of Congress is not an easy feat. Bemz and her eclectic team of queer political warriors must rethink traditional campaign strategies to amass support from unlikely places. Taking their equality campaign to small-town hair salons and regional beauty pageants, the activists mobilize working-class trans hairdressers and beauty queens to join the fight against their main political opponent, a homophobic evangelical preacher, and prove to the Filipino electorate that it’s time to take the rights of LGBT people seriously. Culminating on election day, OUT RUN provides a unique look into the challenges LGBT people face as they transition into the mainstream and fight for dignity, legitimacy, and acceptance across the globe.
Awards:
- BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
- WORLD PREMIERE – Full Frame Documentary Festival
- OPENING NIGHT FILM – &Proud LGBT Film Festival
- CENTERPIECE DOCUMENTARY – TWIST Seattle Queer Film Festival
- BEST DOCUMENTARY NOMINEE – Hawaii International Film Festival
An eye-opener of a documentary.
–San Jose Mercury News
…leavened with humor and pageantry, resulting in a film that displays uncommon warmth.
–Library Journal
Essential viewing for understanding the convergence of transnational politics & sexualities today.
–Celine Parreñas Shimizu, Professor of Cinema, San Francisco State University
