The wide world of Outfest

If the “gay agenda” is truly a plan to achieve deviant world domination, and if the sheer range of activities at this year’s Outfest is any indication of that intent, it’s already a done deal.

Representing every continent except Antarctica, the 22nd installment of L.A.’s gay film festival, which opens tonight, is no longer an outlaw project but an established part of contemporary cultural discourse, with as much intellectual oomph as that thing in Utah.

And it’s still relatively free of limo lock, junior agents and Jennifer Lopez (though a screening of “Gigli,” that mock-worthy bomb, is planned, complete with live, cutting commentary).

There’s no shortage of serious subject matter, including author Anne-Christine D’Adesky’s documentary on the global fight against AIDS, “Pills, Profits, Protest: Voices of Global AIDS Activists.” There’s also drama (Franco Zeffirelli’s “Callas Forever”), subversion (Bruce LaBruce’s “Raspberry Reich”), fun (Stephen Fry’s “Bright Young Things,” based on Evelyn Waugh’s novel “Vile Bodies”) and even a “Homo Horror” program (including feature films “The Hunger” and “Hellbent.”).

Then there are the many events that go beyond mere screenings -- awards presentations, parties and discussion groups (see sidebar) among the highlights of the festival, which runs till July 19:

Red carpet

Tonight’s opening gala premiere of Angela Robinson’s “D.E.B.S.” goes up at downtown’s Orpheum Theater. Before the screening, Todd Haynes, notable for his success in bridging the gap between edgy filmmaking and Oscar aspirations with “Far From Heaven,” will be honored with the eighth annual Outfest Achievement Award. Nosebleed seats may still be available, but the race belongs to the swift. Entry includes admission to the post-premiere gala in back of the theater.

Fresh air

The Under the Stars program at the Ford Amphitheatre includes Wednesday’s sing-along screening of “Moulin Rouge” and a July 17 screening of 1983’s lesbian/fashion/vampire flick “The Hunger.” Awards Night, on July 18, features a ceremony honoring the best of the fest as well as a screening of Richard Day’s “Straight-Jacket,” a comedy-romance inspired by the story of Rock Hudson’s blind marriage in the 1960s.

The Ford has plentiful seating, and even waitlisters have an excellent shot at getting in. Moviegoers are encouraged to come early for screenings at the Ford, and Tasteful Creations [(310) 652-3797] offers boxed picnic dinners. Dinner orders must be placed at least 48 hours before screening.

Family value

For the kids, Family Fun at the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center’s Village (1125 N. McCadden Place, L.A.) will feature games, refreshments, a moon-bounce and a special screening of Disney’s animated feature “The Three Musketeers,” starring Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy. Admission is free. 1 p.m. Sunday.

Closing night

The final screening will be of “A Home at the End of the World,” a much-anticipated examination of what is possible when friendship and loyalty transcend labels. It stars Colin Farrell, Robin Wright Penn, Dallas Roberts and Sissy Spacek and was directed by Michael Mayer and written by Michael Cunningham. To be held at the Arclight in Hollywood, it also solidifies Outfest’s ascension to the A-list festival circuit.

How to get in

You could try the festival website, www.outfest.org, but your best bet this late in the game is to head to festival headquarters in the lobby at the Director’s Guild of America building. The ticket office is open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Parking is available at the facility for $4. Free parking is available at St. Ambrose Church.

Tickets can be ordered at (213) 480-7065, but you will need the films’ code numbers, titles and ticket prices (from the program guide or website) and a credit card. Advance tickets are available until 7 p.m. the day before the screening by phone, online or at headquarters. Same-day tickets are available at the box office an hour before the event (cash only).

Full-time students (with valid ID) and seniors can buy tickets for $5 at venues where seats are available once standbys have been accommodated.

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Professional chatter

Outfest provides an unusual level of access to the minds and ears of some of the most influential filmmakers and writers working. All of the following will be at the Directors Guild of America.

* Writer-director Todd Haynes will discuss his extraordinarily wide-ranging, award-winning body of work at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. His films include “Far From Heaven,” “Velvet Goldmine,” “Safe” and “Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story.”

Preceding that discussion at 2:30 p.m. is the panel “If They Only Knew: Gay Directors and Teen Comedy,” in which directors will talk about the ability and affinity gay directors seem to have with topics of interest to heterosexual teens. The guests will include Jim Fall (“The Lizzie McGuire Movie”), Jamie Babbit (“But I’m a Cheerleader,” “Gilmore Girls”), Brian Dannelly (“Saved!”), Todd Holland (“Malcolm in the Middle”) and Angela Robinson, whose movie “D.E.B.S.” opens the festival and who is now at work on a remake of “Herbie the Love Bug.”

* At “The Cutting Edge: Film Technology in 2004,” producer Doug Lindeman, director Chris Russo and cinematographer Nancy Schreiber and others will review advances in technology for independent filmmakers. 12:30 p.m. Sunday.

* Filmmakers and scholars, among them Bruce LaBruce and John Rechy, will discuss whether gays’ increasing visibility and acceptance jeopardizes their intellectual and aesthetic point of view, in a panel called “The Death of Queer Art?” 2:30 p.m. July 17.

* “Six Feet Under” creator Alan Ball and executive producer Alan Poul will be joined by writers and cast members to talk about the HBO series’ complex, remarkably realistic characters. 4:30 p.m. July 17.