Outerlands

Outerlands is the feature debut of writer-director Elena Oxman, a Yale graduate who developed the project during her SFFILM FilmHouse Residency. Starring Asia Kate Dillon (best known for Billions) as Cass, a non-binary gig worker juggling jobs as a nanny, restaurant server, and party drug dealer to afford a tiny apartment in San Francisco's foggy western neighborhoods, the film follows what happens when Cass agrees to watch the 11-year-old daughter of a coworker and crush named Kalli (Louisa Krause). When Kalli fails to return, Cass and young Ari (Ridley Asha Bateman) form an unexpected bond that forces Cass to confront their own childhood trauma and abandonment. Filmed across more than 36 locations in the Outer Richmond and Outer Sunset districts during March and April 2024, the production turned real San Francisco landmarks into its backdrop: the Sunset Branch Library, Star of the Sea Catholic Church, the Balboa Theater (with noir classic Out of the Past on its marquee), Hamburger Haven diner on Clement Street, dive bar The Bitter End, and Ocean Beach's Kelly's Cove near the former Cliff House. Director Oxman chose these neighborhoods because they reflect where she first lived when she moved to San Francisco in 2011, drawn to their faded apartment buildings and graffitied walls. Cinematographer Lucia Zavarcikova captured the area's moody, overcast atmosphere. The film world-premiered in the Narrative Feature Competition at SXSW 2025, then closed the 68th San Francisco International Film Festival on April 27, 2025. It won audience awards at Wicked Queer in Boston and Turin's Lovers Film Festival, plus the Queer Media Society award at Filmfest Munchen. Lea DeLaria also stars. Coccinelle Film handled international sales starting at the Cannes marketplace, and Wolfe Video released it in the US and Canada on November 26, 2025. Variety praised it as a film of great cinematic sleight of hand, simple in presentation but hiding numerous layers that build to an emotional wallop.