Billy Porter, Megan Stalter Honored At Provincetown Film Festival

Nearly four years after his historic Emmys win, Billy Porter is being celebrated for his boundary-smashing talents once again.

On Saturday, the “Pose” actor is slated to receive the “Excellence in Acting” award at the 2023 Provincetown International Film Festival in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The honor coincides with the New England premiere of Porter’s latest film, “Our Son,” directed by Bill Oliver and co-starring Luke Evans.

The five-day festival, which kicked off Wednesday, will also feature appearances by writer, actor and director Julio Torres and actor and comedian Megan Stalter. Torres and Stalter are each due to receive the “Next Wave” award in recognition of their commitment to independent films.

Beloved by audiences for her scene-stealing portrayal of Kayla on the Max series “Hacks,” Stalter will be on hand to introduce her new movie, “Cora Bora,” directed by Hannah Pearl Utt. Torres, a veteran “Saturday Night Live” writer, is screening his directorial feature debut, “Problemista,” in which he also stars.

Catch the Provincetown International Film Festival’s 25th anniversary trailer below.

In addition, Canadian writer-director Bruce LaBruce is due to accept this year’s “Filmmaker on the Edge” award, followed by a conversation with legendary “Hairspray” director John Waters.

Located at the northern tip of Cape Cod, Provincetown has been a popular resort destination for the LGBTQ+ community for decades. Now in its 25th year, the town’s film festival has been spotlighting queer cinema since its inception.

Highlights of the 2023 roster include the musical comedy film “Theater Camp,” starring Molly Gordon and Ben Platt, and screenings of the forthcoming HBO documentary “Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed.”

Andrew Peterson, the festival’s director of programming, told HuffPost that the five-day event is “obviously programmed with a queer eye.” But its organizers have also made a distinct effort to showcase films on other topics, including politics, fine arts and the environment.

When asked about this year’s lineup, Peterson named Daishi Matsunaga’s “Egoist,” which depicts a same-sex relationship in present-day Japan, and the Cherokee-language documentary “We Will Speak” as two of his personal favorites.

“Festivals are about ideas, and it’s not just about seeing them on a screen ― it’s about having conversations,” Peterson said. “One of my favorite things is the ability to take a chance on a film that I’m not sure our audience is [eager] to see, but I really think is important for them to watch.”

Of course, Peterson and his co-organizers are aware that this year’s festival is taking place amid a troubling surge in anti-LGBTQ legislation, much of it targeting drag artists and the transgender community, in states across the U.S.

To that end, he believes “Queendom,” a documentary focusing on queer performers who face persecution under Russia’s “gay propaganda” laws, may broaden viewers’ perspectives.

“A lot of the issues we’re having here, we look at them just through a U.S. lens,” he said. “I think it’s really important to look at them through the perspective of other countries as well. Sometimes we’d be shocked at how similarly we’re handling things.”