Outfest facing new hurdles

July 08, 2009 Los Angeles' oldest continuously running film festival will celebrate its 27th edition under somewhat straitened circumstances. With money harder to come by, Outfest, the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, is being forced to cut back on the number of screenings. "It's definitely a challenge," says Kirsten Schaffer, executive director of Outfest, estimating that corporate spending is hovering at about two-thirds the level of 2006, when Outfest's year-round budget -- which includes spending on several outreach and archive projects as well as the festival itself -- approached $2 million.

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