Celebrate gay and lesbian films with the fourth year of Birmingham SHOUT at WorkPlay in Birmingham’s Southside. The two-day film festival, scheduled for May 29-30, will showcase features, documentaries and short films by new and established artists and offer attendees the opportunity to view topics of interest to the LGBT communities, as well as to interact with filmmakers and documentary subjects in attendance.  The festival opens with Sissyboy, Katie Turinski’s documentary chronicling the story of 12 gay men and the final performances of their Portland, Oregon drag show. Birmingham SHOUT is Alabama’s first and only gay and lesbian film festival and its goal is to foster the burgeoning LGBT community in Birmingham and provide compelling content for anyone interested in alternative and independent films. Check out the online schedule.

Festivals starting this week include:

Calaveras International Film Festival (May 30-31)

Muskegon Film Festival (May 30-31)

Festivals starting next week include:

Lighthouse International Film Festival (June 4-7): The 2009 festival will present feature films, shorts, documentaries and family films, including free outdoor showings of surfing movies at sundown and a screening of arm wrestling movie Pulling John (with arm wrestling party). Taking place on Long Beach Island, NJ — one of the East coast’s most popular surfing destinations — the festival celebrates four days of new, exciting and challenging films in honor of Long Beach Island’s historic Barnegat Lighthouse.

Connecticut Film Festival (June 2-7)

Hollywood Black Film Festival (June 2-7)

Another Hole in the Head: Two Weeks of Horror, Sci Fi and Fantasy (June 5-19)

Seattle’s True Independent Film Festival (June 5-14)