Outfest celebrates 26 years. What hasn't changed?

Filmmaker Stewart Wade has been attending Outfest: The Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festivalhe was a kid growing up in Woodland Hills and Agoura Hills. Seeing movies that "spoke to my life so clearly," like the seminal 1986 AIDS drama "Parting Glances" with Steve Buscemi, inspired him to make movies himself.

Outfest, now in its 26th year, has clearly been supportive of his longtime allegiance. His comedic short "Coffee Date" -- about a straight man who makes a date on the Internet to meet for coffee only to discover that his "date" is a guy -- was such a huge success when it played the festival in 2001, Wade decided to make a feature-length version, which, in turn, received theatrical distribution after a rousing screening at Outfest two years ago.

And now he's returning yet again to the annual festival, which kicks off Wednesday evening. His latest comedy, "Tru Loved," will be shown closing night, July 21, at the Orpheum Theatre. The teen comedy revolves around a new girl at high school who has two moms and two dads. It also happens that the football team's star quarterback she's dating is in the closet.

The film illustrates how gay, lesbian and bisexual cinema is evolving. "Initially gay cinema was almost exclusively coming-out stories because that is what we as a culture were struggling with," says Wade. "It's still an issue for many, many people, but there is so much more going on in the culture. The whole gay marriage issue now is huge, which is something we are dealing with in our movie, and California is dealing with the ballot in November."

"I think what's unique and inspiring about Outfest is there just a real strong sense of community," says Wade's life and producing partner, Antonio Brown. "The whole gathering of people around these unique and interesting films: It just inspires more beyond the filmmaking. It makes me want to do more in the community and become part of more in everyday life. It inspires me to be acting in the community as well."

Kirsten Schaffer, interim executive director of Outfest, says that while the festival's main audience is gay men, it does attract straight moviegoers as well, and organizers are working to expand Outfest's appeal. "We are trying hard to generate more of a female audience and bring in a younger audience and bring in more people-of-color audience," she says.