Bears and Marines Sweep Outfest Awards

BearCity, an outrageous romantic comedy set in New York's bear scene, and A Marine Story, a searing "don't ask, don't tell" drama, took top honors at the 28th annual Outfest Awards. BearCity received two awards -- one for the screenplay cowritten by Lawrence Ferber and Douglas Langway and one for actor Stephen Guarino, best known for Logo's Big Gay Sketch Comedy. A Marine Story received three awards -- star Dreya Weber, who also produced, won the female acting award; the film received both the Audience Award for Outstanding Dramatic Feature and the Grand Jury Award for Outstanding U.S. Dramatic Feature.

The Topp Twins, the crowd-pleasing documentary about popular lesbian country-singing comedian twin sisters from New Zealand, received the Special Programming Award for Freedom. Special Programming Award for Artistic Achievement went to Undertow, a romantic drama set in a Peruvian fishing village. The screenplay for Undertow was developed as an Outfest Screenwriting Lab fellow in 2003.

Audience Awards went to the ensemble comedy The Four-Faced Liar (Outstanding First U.S. Dramatic Feature), I'm Just Anneke (Outstanding Documentary Short), You Move Me (Outstanding Dramatic Short), and Forever's Gonna Start Tonight (Outstanding Documentary Feature).

Grand Jury Awards were handed to Strange Powers: Stephin Merritt & the Magnetic Fields (Outstanding Documentary Feature), Close (Outstanding Documentary Short), Samaritan (Outstanding Dramatic Short), and The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister (Outstanding International Dramatic Feature).

Comedian Drew Droege, who appeared in supporting roles in several Outfest selections, received the Special Programming Award for Emerging Talent. The awards were presented on July 18 at the Director's Guild in Los Angeles.

Watch interviews with cast of A Marine Story and The Four-Faced Liar below: