Outfest postpones Legacy Awards amid ongoing financial issues – The Hollywood Reporter

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Outfest, a long-running LGTBQ-focused film festival in Los Angeles, continues to face setbacks, scaling back operations Thursday, furloughing staff and postponing its gala fundraiser, the Legacy Awards. Then he announced.

In a statement from the board of directors, hollywood reporterchanges occur due to “economic conditions in the media and entertainment industry.”

News of the cuts comes weeks after the nonprofit’s staff announced plans to unionize. “To succeed in our mission of building a more just and equitable film industry, we must first build it for our organization,” a staff memo to the board said. was read aloud, calling for the union’s voluntary recognition. Two days later, it was announced that five of Outfest’s 12 employees, all of whom had voted to unionize, received notice of termination on Thursday. In addition, Executive Director Damien Navarro will take a “minimum” of 45 days off.

“At a time of change and potential growth, we are disappointed that the immediate course of action is one of retrenchment rather than cooperation,” an anonymous union organizer said at the time. In a statement given to THRAn Outfest spokesperson said: “Staff members were informed of the planned layoffs before the organization contacted them to form a union.” Outfest is clearly pro-union. ”

As part of Thursday’s memo announcing the latest layoffs, the Outfest board said it had “provided written recognition of the union to staff, including contacting them to find a meeting date.” Respect for our staff is our continuing priority as we chart a productive path forward. ”

This year’s Legacy Awards were to be held on October 22nd at the Nueue House in Los Angeles, with Shirley MacLaine and Trace Lysette set to receive the award. Recent winners include Janelle Monáe, Billy Porter, Tom Hanks, and more.

Read the full statement from the Board of Directors below.

To ensure that Outfest can sustain and grow its core mission of championing and creating opportunities for LGBTQIA+ storytellers for the next 40 years, our Board of Directors has made the difficult decision to scale back operations over the next few months. He will postpone the Legacy Awards to 2024 and suspend the program.

Like other nonprofit organizations, Outfest has been severely impacted by the financial climate of the media and entertainment industry. Although this unfortunately means that the organization has to begin furloughing the majority of its staff, we will continue to serve our community, provide a supportive environment for our staff and ultimately… Humblely focus on creating a financial model that prioritizes programs that protect your organization.

The board proudly supports its employees’ right to form a union and provides them with documentation recognizing their union, including contacting them to find meeting dates. Respecting our staff remains a priority as we move forward on our productive path.

We are optimistic that this provides the organization with the best possible position to ensure that Outfest’s festival and programming can ultimately continue to support LGBTQIA+ filmmakers.