Entries Sought for 7th Annual PlanetOut Short Movie Awards

Entries Sought for 7th Annual PlanetOut Short Movie Awards

Scion Returns as Presenting Sponsor of World's Largest Online Film Event Supporting Independent LGBT Filmmakers

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PlanetOut Inc. (NASDAQ:LGBT), a leading global online media company offering consumer services, news and entertainment to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, today announced a call for entries for the 7th Annual PlanetOut Short Movie Awards, presented by Scion and hosted by the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (MGLFF).

The PlanetOut Short Movie Awards, the largest online awards honoring film and video shorts by, about and of interest to LGBT audiences, is an acclaimed international platform for top gay and lesbian filmmakers. Deadline for entries is Dec. 2, 2005 and information can be found at Gay.com -- www.gay.com/entertainment/movies/posma and PlanetOut.com -- www.planetout.com/popcornq/posma

"The PlanetOut Short Movie Awards nurtures independent LGBT filmmakers by providing exposure to industry professionals, a mass audience to view and celebrate their work, and the largest cash prizes for any gay and lesbian film festival in the United States," said Jenny Stewart, manager, entertainment programming, PlanetOut Inc., and one of the judges. "As one of the country's major gay and lesbian film festivals and our partner for five years, the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival is the perfect place for participating filmmakers to garner additional exposure. We're also extremely grateful for Scion's continued sponsorship."

Carol Coombes, MGLFF program director, and also one of the judges, said that, "the Short Movie Awards are a great way to platform and profile innovative shorts to a global audience. We're thrilled to work once again with PlanetOut."

Throughout January and February 2006, Gay.com and PlanetOut.com members may vote for a winner of the Audience Award, and in turn, are automatically entered in a sweepstakes to win a Scion. In March, PlanetOut Video will screen the winning films online.

"Scion is proud to sponsor this important opportunity for LGBT filmmakers," said Andrea Lim, advertising/media manager for Scion. "Sponsoring the PlanetOut Short Movie Awards is an exciting way for Scion to further extend its support of the creative arts."

Among 25 finalists, five First Prize winners in the categories of drama, comedy, documentary, experimental and animation will be selected by the PlanetOut Short Movie Awards jury. One of the First Prize winners will be named the Grand Prize winner and will receive $10,000. The remaining category winners and the Audience Award winner will each receive prizes of $1,000. Juried winners will be announced at the 10th Annual PlanetOut Queer Brunch at Sundance Film Festival, Jan. 22, 2006. The prize-winning films will be screened at a special program and awards presentation on April 23, 2006, at the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, which runs April 21-30, 2006.

Aside from Stewart and Coombes, members of this year's jury include: Steven Flynn, executive vice president of marketing, Focus Features; Mark Reinhart, executive vice president of acquisitions and distribution, here! Networks; and, Honey Labrador, former model, actress and star of Bravo's "Queer Eye for the Straight Girl," and a noted independent producer in her own right. Labrador produced last year's PlanetOut Short Movie Awards Grand Prize winner, "PROM-troversy," featuring Jane Lynch.

More than 500 entries have been submitted to the contest in the past six years. Entrants have included Emmy award-winning filmmaker Andy Abrahams Wilson, Oscar winner Kathy Bates, two-time Emmy award-winning actress Dana Delany and actor Robert Gant of "Queer as Folk." Select entries have been featured in the Picture This! Entertainment DVD release "The First Annual PlanetOut Short Movie Awards Highlights" and on Sundance Channel.

The final date to submit entries to the PlanetOut Short Movie Awards is Dec. 2, 2005, for a $25 entry fee. An official submission form and detailed guidelines are available online at www.mglff.com or by contacting the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, 1521 Alton Road, #147, Miami Beach, FL 33139, by phone at 305-534-9924, by fax at 305-535-2377, or by e-mail at ccoombes@mglff.com. Additional rules and regulations are available online at

-- www.gay.com/entertainment/movies/posma and www.planetout.com/popcornq/posma

About PlanetOut Inc.

PlanetOut Inc. is a leading global online media company offering consumer services, news and entertainment to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. The company serves the worldwide LGBT audience through a comprehensive group of branded businesses featuring diverse chat, news, entertainment, travel, dating, personal finance, career, shopping and community services at Gay.com, PlanetOut.com, Kleptomaniac.com and OUT&ABOUT Travel. PlanetOut, based in San Francisco, offers FORTUNE 1000 advertisers access to what it believes to be the most extensive network of gay and lesbian people in the world. Gay.com consistently ranks in the top five, among all Web sites measured, for average time spent at home online per visitor in the U.S., according to Nielsen//NetRatings' Loyalty Stickiness Report. For more information, please visit www.planetoutinc.com.

About the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival

Entering into its 8th season, the Festival presents films and videos of all genres, lengths and formats, including dramatic, documentary and experimental works, by, about and of interest to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. With a strong international showing, it places special emphasis on works by U.S. Hispanic, Latin American and Spanish filmmakers. The upcoming Eighth Annual Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, hosted in the heart of fashionable South Beach, will continue its line-up of World, U.S. and South Florida premieres, with a diverse group of 40-plus programs over ten days. Directors attending the Festival will be joined by actors, distributors, critics and other special guests from around the world for a full schedule of screenings and panels, as well as social events at an array of Miami's hottest hotels, cafés, clubs and lounges. The 8th Annual MGLFF program will be announced online at www.mglff.com on March 27, 2006.

About Scion

Scion is the newest line of vehicles from Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. Developed with a new generation of youthful buyers in mind, Scion's mission is to provide distinctive products, the opportunity to personalize, and an innovative, consumer-driven process at the retail level. The Scion brand features three ground-breaking models. The xA is a taut subcompact five-door, featuring an athletic stance with sculpted wheel arches. The xB, an urban utility vehicle with an iconic shape, combines remarkable interior space with aggressive style. And the tC sports coupe surprises the buyer with the convenience of a hatchback and the luxury of a standard all-glass panorama moonroof, complementing the usual wide array of features on all Scions. For more information, visit www.scion.com.

Source: PlanetOut Inc.

CONTACT: Spencer Moore of PlanetOut Inc., +1-415-834-6476, or mobile, +1-415-317-7100, or spencer.moore@planetoutinc.com

Web site: http://www.mglff.com/

Web site: http://www.scion.com/

Web site: http://www.planetoutinc.com/

------- Profile: Ent