OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival Fort Lauderdale’s 15th anniversary edition, internationally acclaimed as one of the largest LGBTQ+ cultural festivals in the world, presents “Marinette” (France, 2023), a biographical story of Marinette Pichon, the pioneer of French women’s football who possessed an uncompromising ode to freedom, as its Ladies Spotlight Film.

Based on the biography “Ne jamais rien lâcher,” the “Marinette” traces the career of Marinette Pichon over three decades. The film follows her fight to spread awareness of women’s rights in sports. Born in 1975, she was the pioneer of French women’s football and one of the greatest stars of that sport in the world. A prodigy discovered at the age of five, she went on to become the first French player to make a career in the United States (men/women combined) and the record holder for the number of goals and selections for the French team (men/women combined). From her childhood, ravaged by an alcoholic and violent father, to the American dream (she was crowned best player and best scorer in the prestigious US league in 2002 and 2003 and “Most Valuable Player” in 2003), via her career with the French team, “Marinette” paints the portrait of a kid from a working-class background who was not destined for such an extraordinary career path.

An afterparty will take place at Hair Circus (501 SW 2nd Ave., Fort Lauderdale) immediately following the film at 9 p.m.

This year’s OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival 15th anniversary edition celebrating queer culture runs through October 29 and will feature 38 internationally acclaimed features and 26 shorts including premieres and documentaries that inspire, entertain, and educate along with a variety of parties and special events taking place at various venues throughout Broward County.

OUTrageous, OUTspoken, and OUTstanding, this year’s OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival Fort Lauderdale edition is sponsored, in part, by Gilead, the State of Florida through the Division of Arts & Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward County Cultural Council. Support has been provided by the following funds at the Community Foundation of Broward: the Stephen and Ethel Keller Fund, the Maxine Powers Hofert Fund, the Drial Foundation Fund, and the Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation Broward Community Fund at the Community Foundation of Broward. This program was also made possible by a grant from The Our Fund Foundation, an LGBTQ Community Foundation.

Tickets for the Ladies Spotlight Film and afterparty are on sale now. For more information, visit outshinefilm.com.