Albert’s performance in his adoption drama The Commitment has been nominated for two acting awards at the upcoming San Antonio QFest: the John Fryer Memorial Award for Best Male Performance and the Marsha P. Johnson Memorial Award for Best Portrayal of an LBGT Minority.

The first award is named after John E. Fryer who, in 1972, assumed the persona of Dr. Henry Anonymous and proceeded to present in front of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) a speech detailing the struggles of homosexual people within the organization. Homosexuality was still considered a sickness and therefore homosexuals were barred from being in the mental health field. His speech opened the door for the changing of hearts and minds that led to the APA removing the pathological definition of homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), thus allowing gay rights advocates to begin making advances throughout the world.

The second award is named after Marsha P. Johnson, a transgender performer at drag clubs and early gay liberation activist. She worked closely with ACT UP and was an early advocate for AIDS research and treatment. She was a co-founder of the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries in the 70’s. She was also a veteran of the Stonewall Riots, the pivotal point that brought forth the gay rights movement as a national call to action and is rumored to have been the ignition that started the fire of rebellion.

Written and directed by Albert, The Commitment screens at City Base Cinema on Friday, October 14th, 2016, at 7:50pm within the program block JOURNEY. According to the festival, “These films comprise the journey that each of us takes in life. Whether it is a journey to acceptance by society at large or a personal journey of finding acceptance of ourselves, each of us journey in life gaining new wisdom and new ways of viewing our world.” Tickets are on sale here.

San Antonio QFest operates under the umbrella organization of Pride: San Antonio which is a 501c3 organization. Originally established 5 years ago, this festival is held during LGBTQ History Month in order to promote the understanding and multicultural community that is the LGBTQ community.