San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival June 15 — 25, 2017 www.frameline.org Premier
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SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL LGBTQ FILM FESTIVAL
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CONTENTS Welcome to Frameline41
5
FILMS
Sponsors 10
Retrospectives 37
About Frameline
Showcase Programs
38
US Features
49
13
EVENTS & AWARDS
Episodic 54
Opening Night Film & Gala The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin
21
Centerpiece: US Feature Becks
23
Centerpiece: World Cinema I Dream in Another Language
25
Centerpiece: Documentary Chavela
27
Frameline Award: Alan Cumming
World Cinema
57
Documentaries 63 Shorts Programs
70
Family Matinee
73
PULL OUT Schedule at a Glance
P1
29
LOGISTICS
Closing Night Film & Party After Louie
31
Ticket Info & Order Form
74
First Feature Award
33
Festival Venues & Info
76
Barriers & Breakthroughs: Illuminating Filmmakers of Color Before & Beyond Moonlight 34
Frameline Board & Staff
122
Members & Donors
126
Film Index
128
Center of My World (P. 58)
Hot to Trot (P. 65)
Jesus is Dead (P. 59)
Sensitivity Training (P. 53)
Alaska is a Drag (P. 49)
Freak Show (P. 41)
Hello Again (P. 51)
Woke Women Mixtape (P. 56)
Rebels on Pointe (P. 67)
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Š 2017 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved.
Entertaining with Pride AT&T is proud to sponsor Frameline41 because we are committed to supporting organizations that strengthen the LGBT community. AT&T is also proud to be named one of the “Best Places to Work” by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) for the 13th consecutive year, receiving a perfect score from 2004-2017 on the Corporate Equality Index for its fair treatment of LGBT employees. Visit ATT.com/Pride and learn more about AT&T’s history of promoting LGBT equality.
WELCOME: FRAMELINE41 PRESENTS GENRE QUEER We are officially in our forties, building our collective LGBTQ wisdom and continuing to honor queer cinema’s vital power to create worldwide change. Now, more than ever, the exhibition, dissemination, and support of LGBTQ film are essential to creating dialogue, transcending boundaries, and expanding the representation of marginalized LGBTQ communities. This year we proudly leap forward with a vibrant new website and membership/ticketing platform, improving your Frameline experience with added membership perks. Join the family; it’ll be enriching! Frameline41 features 147 films sourced from 19 countries, along with festive parties, thought-provoking panels, and special programs. It’s an 11-day, international queer film summer camp of mediamakers and festivalgoers. We are thrilled to open with the exceptional biopic of a treasured San Francisco icon: The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin, directed by Jennifer Kroot and editor/co-director Bill Weber (To Be Takei, Frameline38). For four decades, the gracious, bold Maupin has deftly conjured the enchantment of San Francisco and its denizens within Tales of the City, and Untold will remind audiences of what, and whom, there is to love in San Francisco. In fact, a whole slate of Frameline41’s films honor an astonishing array of courageous LGBTQ lives that have spearheaded queer change. Catherine Gund and Daresha Kyi’s Chavela rediscovers the legacy of Chavela Vargas, the iconic macha chanteuse, sexual outlaw, and famed Pedro Almodóvar collaborator. Stumped, the uplifting survival story of quadrilateral amputee Will Lautzenheise (dir. Robin Berghaus), reveals identity, diversity, and the strength of the human spirit. Erin Heidenreich’s Girl Unbound pulls you into the world of Maria Toorpakai, Pakistan’s top-ranked female squash player who has been a target of Taliban death threats since the age of sixteen. David France’s The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson seeks answers about the 1992 death of transgender pioneer Marsha P. Johnson, while celebrating the lives and legacy of Johnson and her comrade Sylvia Rivera. Deepen the conversation at our special program, Barriers & Breakthroughs: Illuminating Filmmakers of Color Before & Beyond Moonlight, a series of films and panel discussions that examine the ways that queer and trans artists of color—especially emerging filmmakers—are exploring the intersection of ethnicity, gender, and sexuality. This series is proudly supported by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Discover an outstanding international slate of new dramas and documentaries, starting with the exquisite Centerpiece World Narrative I Dream in Another Language, which unearths the mystery of a 50-year feud between the last two speakers of a dying indigenous language in Mexico. Travel into the mountains of South Africa, where the haunting drama The Wound revolves around a Xhosa ritual that initiates teenage boys into manhood. Explore exceptional features from Armenia, Cuba, Mexico, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Taiwan, and Vietnam. The journey continues stateside in the Centerpiece US Narrative Becks, which follows a blue, broken-hearted, and flat broke singer-songwriter Becks (Tony-award winner Lena Hall of Hedwig fame) on her move back to the Midwest. Director Josh Howard’s The Lavender Scare travels back to 1953, when a presidential order barring federal employment of homosexuals ushered in an era of witch-hunts and mass firings. A Festival first this year is Frameline’s new Episodic section, featuring the freshest and most diverse content not found at a theater near you—until now! Whether it’s broad comedy, edgy drama, or of-the-moment nonfiction, these stunning series tap into the zeitgeist with uninhibited queer perspectives often missing from mainstream film and television. Frances Wallace Don’t miss everyone’s favorite Scotsman Alan Cumming in the Closing Night presentation Executive Director of Vincent Gagliostro’s After Louie. Cumming plays Sam, a survivor of the early years of HIV/ AIDS, who is bewildered by a younger generation of carefree gay men with their social media, sexting, and seeming political indifference. We will honor Cumming’s body of work with the 2017 Frameline Award. Des Buford Whether this is your 41st or 1st year, there’s something for everyone at Frameline41— Director of Exhibition visit the Castro, Roxie, Victoria, Elmwood, and Piedmont theatres—and come celebrate and Programming Genre Queer!
Kevin Schaub Program and Hospitality Manager
Peter L. Stein Senior Programmer
Harry Vaughn Programmer
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TESTING TREATMENT PREVENTION There is no cure, but when we add it all up, we can help stop the spread of HIV. Find out more at HelpStopTheVirus.com © 2016 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. UNBC3047 04/16
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Find out more at: goo.gl/6UI378
PRIDE
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SPONSORS Premier
Premier Creative
Major
Signature
10 Frameline41
Premier Hotel
Associate
Media
Industry
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Sponsors Continued
Event Production
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Event Venues
Catering + Beverages
Hospitality Bi-Rite Market · Escape From New York Pizza · Heliotrope San Francisco · Kabuki Springs & Spa · Kasa · KIND Snacks Locanda · Me & Tasty · New Conservatory Theatre Center · San Francisco LGBT Community Center · Smoke Berkeley
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ABOUT FRAMELINE Frameline thanks the following for their generous year-round support:
FRAMELINE’S MISSION is to change the world through the power of queer cinema. As a media arts nonprofit, Frameline’s programs connect filmmakers and audiences in the Bay Area and around the world.
Exhibition
Founded in 1977, the San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival is the longestrunning, largest, and most widely recognized LGBTQ film exhibition event in the world. With an annual attendance of 60,000+, the Festival is also the most prominent and wellattended LGBTQ arts program in the Bay Area. Additionally, Frameline presents year-round exhibitions and programs which include members-only sneak previews and special events featuring directors, actors, and other queer media icons. Frameline Encore is our yearround free screening series in Oakland and San Francisco that aims to increase accessibility to diverse queer stories. These films and panel discussions emphasize underrepresented LGBTQ experiences including those from gender expansive persons and queer communities of color.
Distribution
Established in 1981, Frameline Distribution is the only nonprofit distributor that solely caters to LGBTQ film. Frameline’s collection has over 250 award-winning films that we distribute globally to universities, public libraries, film festivals, and community organizations. Our films can also be seen on direct-to-consumer providers and streaming services. In 2008, Frameline Distribution launched Youth In Motion, a program that provides free LGBTQ-themed films and curriculum resources to Gay-Straight Alliances nationwide. This year, Youth In Motion added six states to its roster. It now supports over 1,050 schools in 50 states and Washington D.C. In 2011, we launched Frameline Voices, a digital showcase of diverse LGBTQ stories with an emphasis on films by and about people of color, trans and gender expansive persons, youth, and elders. This free content is available online at any time via a computer or mobile device.
Filmmaker Support
James C. Hormel & Michael P. Nguyen The Hurst Family Fund
Since 1990, the Frameline Completion Fund has awarded more than $490,000 to 143 film projects by and about the LGBTQ community. Grants are awarded annually and provide much-needed support to filmmakers for their final post-production work. These completed films often go on to receive international exposure and accolades. Submissions include documentary, educational, narrative, animation, and experimental projects about LGBTQ people and their communities. The Fund also seeks to bring new work to under-served audiences; with this in mind, applications by women, people of color, and transgender persons are especially encouraged.
Join Us
Frameline Members are vital to our year-round work in creating change for LGBTQ people everywhere. When you join as a member, your generous gift supports emerging filmmakers, youth outreach to create safer and more accepting communities, and the exhibition of thought-provoking films documenting LGBTQ lives and experiences both online and at the Festival. By joining the most respected LGBTQ arts organization in the nation, you invest in our future and also receive an array of exciting benefits. For more information about how you can be a part of the Frameline family, please visit us online: www.frameline.org/support. www.frameline.org
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@framelinefest
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We thank all of our donors and partners for furthering our mission and supporting LGBTQ media arts.
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HOPE SILENT. will never be
— Harvey Milk
It feels good to give back. And together with our generous customers and employees, Macy’s averages more than $1 million a week to initiatives important to you and your community – arts, education, HIV/AIDS, and women’s health and wellness. It adds up to nearly $71 million a year. It’s a good feeling we can all share, and to us, that’s the magic of giving.
LET TASTE TAKE YOU TO UNLIKELY PLACES Visting more than 280 destinations on all seven continents with our award-winning fleet. Unwind in world-class accommodations. Dine in up to 12 distinctive restaurants. And visit the Rooftop Terrace for A Taste of Film—a culinary journey that pairs the flavors of our Michelin-starred chef with an incredible film. Celebrity Cruises is a proud sponsor of the 41st Frameline International Film Festival.
Visit your local AAA Travel Agency, call 1-877-363-6649 or visit AAA.com/cruisecelebrity. ©2017 ©2017Celebrity CelebrityCruises. CruisesShips’ Inc. Ships’ registry: registry: MaltaMalta and Ecuador. and Ecuador.
OPENING NIGHT
THE UNTOLD TALES OF ARMISTEAD MAUPIN DIR Jennifer Kroot, editor/co-director Bill Weber 2017 USA 90 min
If San Francisco were a symphony, Armistead Maupin would be its consummate maestro. Over four decades, through nine installments of Tales of the City, Maupin has deftly conjured the enchantment of the “City by the Bay,” starting with the first book’s overture featuring wide-eyed ingénues, lovesick gay romantics, closeted elites and free-wheeling marijuanagrowing landladies. Originally serialized in the San Francisco Chronicle, Maupin’s cherished tales are not just novels; they are, in effect, archives of San Francisco history. Maupin notes that all of the characters in Tales of the City are autobiographical “in one way or another,” and the documentary makes this amply clear: riveting interviews with the likes of Sir Ian McKellen, Laura Linney, Olympia Dukakis, and the author himself show Maupin to be as endearing, funny, and vulnerable as his popular protagonists. He’s just as bold as them too, whether divulging the delicious details of a fling with Hollywood hunk Rock Hudson or taking a controversial stance on the “outing” of LGBTQ celebrities. Maupin is a multifaceted trailblazer— one who is a descendant of the Old South, once worked for conservative politician Jesse Helms, and spent most of his twenties a virgin. But then, Maupin was awakened by San Francisco, finding his “logical family” among its colorful denizens. Director Jennifer Kroot and editor/co-director Bill Weber, whose previous collaboration, To Be Takei, was the Frameline38 Centerpiece Documentary selection, reunite in crafting a joyously giddy love letter. Brimming with the same effortless charm that made their earlier film a crowd favorite, Untold will remind audiences of what, and whom, there is to love in San Francisco—just as Maupin has been doing all along. — CURRAN NAULT
Thursday, June 15, 7:00 pm · Castro OPENING NIGHT FILM & GALA
$75 MEMBERS, $90 GENERAL · open15T OPENING NIGHT FILM ONLY
MEMBERS $30, $35 GENERAL · MAUP15C film & gala proudly sponsored by
This film is a recipient of a Frameline Completion Fund grant.
GALA Following The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin, join us for our glittering Opening Night Gala at
Terra Gallery (511 Harrison Street at First Street). Feast on the sights, sounds, and flavors of the Festival while celebrating with mediamakers, industry professionals, and filmgoers alike. gala partners: Girl friday, gala event producer / Tito’s Handmade Vodka / Kokomo Winery / fogo de chao / The Hugh Groman Group / Simply Bliss Catering & Event Planning / Small Potatoes Catering / Curryous Catering / Poco Dolce Confections / The Front Porch / corona extra Guests must be 21 or over to enjoy beer, wine, or cocktails.
Host partner
Opening night 21
It’s a celebration And everyone’s included
Photo credit: Wayne White Photography
Employees of Bank of America are bringing the message of equality to people everywhere. Join us as we work to overcome every obstacle and celebrate every success. bankofamerica.com/diversity
©2016 Bank of America Corporation. | AD-01-16-8482.B | ARP5GWWY
CENTERPIECE: US FEATURE
BECKS
DIRS Daniel Powell & Elizabeth Rohrbaugh 2017 USA 92 min
Brooklyn singer-songwriter Becks (Tony winner Lena Hall of Hedwig fame) is blue, broken-hearted, and flat broke. After dropping everything to move west for her girlfriend’s big career break (on a reality show, naturally) she discovers she’s been replaced by a “younger, hotter, LA set of tits.” With only her car, a bag of clothes, and a guitar, Becks retreats to her Midwestern hometown and moves back in with her mom (Academy Award nominee Christine Lahti), a devout Catholic and ex-nun. What could possibly go wrong? The answer, of course, is a hell of a lot, as this down-on-her-luck thirtysomething battles her mother, performs for tips at her ex-boyfriend’s local bar, and tries to figure out her post-heartache future. But at least there’s the music, and Becks makes beautiful, knowing music—singer-songwriter perfection, throbbing with heartache and soul. And it’s the music that ultimately leads her to a new and unexpected connection with a restless housewife (Mena Suvari, American Beauty). A San Francisco native, the Grammy-nominated Hall captivates with just the right combination of wryness and vulnerability. The story of Becks may be a familiar one, crawling back from a shattering life-turn, but Hall—and the songwriting power of Alyssa Robins and Steve Salett—makes it unforgettable. — LUCY LAIRD
Wednesday, June 21, 6:30 pm · Castro $15 MEMBERS, $18 GENERAL · BECK21C proudly sponsored by
Centerpiece: US Feature 23
We are proud to support Frameline41 San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival.
POTTERY BARN
POTTERY BARN KIDS
PBTEEN
WILLIAMS SONOMA
WILLIAMS SONOMA HOME
WEST ELM
MARK AND GRAHAM
REJUVENATION
CENTERPIECE: WORLD CINEMA
I DREAM IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE SUEÑO EN OTRA IDIOMA
DIR Ernesto Contreras 2017 Mexico, Netherlands 101 min In Spanish with English subtitles
Tuesday, June 20, 6:30 pm · Castro $15 MEMBERS, $18 GENERAL · IDRE20C
The mysterious circumstances surrounding a decades-long feud between the last two speakers of a dying indigenous tongue are artfully intertwined with bittersweet remembrances of the past in this poetic meditation on life and lost love. A handsome young university researcher named Martin arrives in a remote Mexican village, deep in the Veracruz rainforest, with the intention of recording the ancient Zikril language before it disappears. The remaining locals who speak the language are all elderly. They include a woman named Jacinta, as well as two men, Isauro and Evaristo, who, for unknown reasons, have not spoken to each other in over fifty years. As Martin patiently attempts to bring the two men together for a conversation, scenes from the distant past peel back the origins of their longstanding grudge. A mystical cave where Zikril speakers gather after they pass away provides as much wonder and surprise as the central love triangle, which proves far more raw and complicated than Martin could ever have anticipated. Martin also connects with Evaristo’s granddaughter, Lluvia, who teaches English to village residents and yearns to start a new life in the United States. Director Contreras (2007’s award-winning Blue Eyelids), along with screenwriter Carlos Contreras (the two are brothers and frequent collaborators), have crafted an ambitious and spiritual film, suffused with the sounds and images of the rainforest. It’s a thought-provoking, stirring, and technically accomplished achievement. The filmmakers’ choice not to provide subtitles for much of the dialogue spoken in Zikril (a fictional dialect) is a bold one, and it adds a beautiful layer of mystery to this enchanting drama, winner of an Audience Award in the World Cinema Dramatic category at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. — CHRIS KEECH
proudly sponsored by
centerpiece: world cinema 25
CENTERPIECE: DOCUMENTARY
CHAVELA
DIRS Catherine Gund & Daresha Kyi 2017 USA 90 min In Spanish and English with English subtitles
This vibrant crowd-pleaser, which premiered at the 2017 Berlin International Film Festival, rediscovers the legacy of iconic chanteuse and sexual outlaw Chavela Vargas, a pistol-packing, cigar-smoking, tequila-downing, woman-loving singer whose renditions of classic Mexican ranchera songs are definitive for many Latinos. Chavela’s love affairs with Ava Gardner and Frida Kahlo gave her a reputation as the ultimate seducer, and her frequent collaborations later in life with Pedro Almodóvar (who is featured prominently in the film) solidified her artistic influence throughout the world. But it was her voice, swagger, and hunger for the spotlight that made her one of the greatest of all live performers—a reputation the film resoundingly confirms. This hunger lends Chavela a fiery momentum that makes essential a past that feels more relevant now than ever. Directors Catherine Gund (Born to Fly, Frameline38) and Daresha Kyi dive deep into archival interviews with Chavela during her later years, positioning her nostalgic—and quite frank—recollections as a starting point for what becomes a complex portrait of the artist as both a performer of indefatigable power as well as a fragile and tortured human being. Telling anecdotes teem with humor, as well as some outrage (especially regarding the rampant misogyny and homophobia she had to endure), while other revelations about her affairs and broken partnerships pack powerful emotional punches. The result is a larger-than-life portrait of one of the toughest, most talented singers of her generation, a macha lesbian who played by her own rules, baffling and transfixing an entire industry and countless audiences in the process. — HARRY VAUGHN
Monday, June 19, 6:30 pm · Castro $15 MEMBERS, $18 GENERAL · CHAV19C Thursday, June 22, 7:00 pm · Piedmont $15 MEMBERS, $18 GENERAL · CHAV22P proudly sponsored by
This film is a recipient of a Frameline Completion Fund grant.
Centerpiece: documentary 27
Coming Attractions Don’t miss this action-packed line-up of events that increase awareness about HIV/AIDS and raise critical funds for the life-saving services provided by San Francisco AIDS Foundation. September 16: TRIBUTE CELEBRATION
This year we’re celebrating 35 years of serving San Francisco, so mark your calendar now for Tribute Celebration and Santa Skivvies Run. Or become the star of your own fundraising event with our Do It Yourself program! December 10: SANTA SKIVVIES RUN
Our work. Our community. Get involved.
go to SFAF.ORG/EVENTS
DO IT YOURSELF
Frameline Award
ALAN CUMMING
Any box that society might try to construct, you can be certain that Alan Cumming won’t be confined to it: an actor, activist, singer, writer, director, producer, style icon, photographer, ordained marriage officiant, talk show host, perfumer, husband, LGBTQ path burner and more, Cumming resists easy categorization, opting instead to flout established norms of vocation and comportment. As a performer, he has worked in both the commercial and independent realms— on stage and the big and small screens—collaborating with a diverse roster of legends, from Liza Minnelli to Stanley Kubrick, Jay Z, Herb Ritts, Cyndi Lauper, the Spice Girls, and even the Smurfs. As an organizer, he has been a fierce advocate for civil rights and sex education, using his heart and celebrity to support the efforts of such organizations as GLAAD, HRC and amfAR. And, as a “capital P” personality, he has carved out his own eccentric niche, earning such offbeat appellations as “bawdy, countercultural sprite” (New York Times) and “European, weird, and sexually ambiguous” (Guardian). Unpredictable and sublimely uncontainable, consistent across Cumming’s anything-but-archetypal career are the brilliance of his artistry and the numerous accolades that have followed suit. A graduate of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD) in his native Scotland, Cumming’s theatrical credits
include the lead roles in Accidental Death of an Anarchist (Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance), Hamlet, Bent, The Threepenny Opera and no less than 808 performances as the Master of Ceremonies in Cabaret, earning him the Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards. On the big screen, Cumming has wooed audiences with triumphant performances as: Boris Ivanovich in the James Bond film Goldeneye; Sandy Frink in Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion; Fegan Floop in Spy Kids; Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler in X2; and Rudy Donatello, a gay man who takes on a biased adoption system in Travis Fine’s Any Day Now. Following scene-stealing stints on TV shows like Sex and the City, The L Word, Frasier and Rick and Steve, Cumming was recently nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Golden Globe Award and a Satellite Award for his tour-de-force turn as politico Eli Gold on CBS’s The Good Wife. His solo directorial debut was in Suffering Man’s Charity (Frameline31), where he played John Vandermark, a failed composer turned music teacher with a weakness for impoverished young men of great aspirations. If that were not impressive enough, Cumming has also received more than 30 awards for his humanitarian endeavors and was made an OBE (Officer of the British Empire) for his contributions to the arts and LGBTQ rights—an honor made all the more remarkable when the Queen’s portrait was removed from the Scottish National Portrait Gallery to make way for his own. Accolades aside—and this extraordinary list goes on and on— perhaps Cumming’s greatest achievement is in just being himself: In our oft-banal media landscape in which men are expected to be men, Cumming mischievously transcends the bounds of gender acceptability, modeling new options for the masses. Confounding the constrictions of sexual orthodoxy, Cumming has also been at the forefront of bisexual visibility: previously wedded to actress Hilary Lyon, Cumming has been happily married to graphic artist Grant Shaffer since 2007. Both on- and off-screen, Cumming appears courageously comfortable in his non-conformity, making it that much easier for the rest of us to bend the rules. It is with this in mind that we are beyond pleased to present the 2017 Frameline Award to Alan Cumming, in conjunction with the Closing Night screening of his latest cinematic success, the AIDS generation drama After Louie. A flamboyant rebel in all aspects of his life and career, Cumming is proof positive that greatness cannot be fenced in. — CURRAN NAULT
Join Frameline and impresario Marc Huestis as we present Alan Cumming with the 2017 Frameline Award at the June 25 Closing Night screening of After Louie at the Castro Theatre.
frameline award: alan cumming 29
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SUNDAYS 9PM NOW STREAMING > START YOUR FREE TRIAL You will not be charged for the SHOWTIME streaming service for the free trial period. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. To keep your subscription once your trial period is over, you will not have to do anything. Free trial, price and device availability may vary by participating subscription providers and are subject to change. Free trial is available to new customers only. ©2017 Showtime Networks Inc. and Showtime Digital Inc. All rights reserved. SHOWTIME and related marks are trademarks of Showtime Networks Inc., a CBS Company. “Twin Peaks”: ©Twin Peaks Productions, Inc. All rights reserved.
CLOSING NIGHT
AFTER LOUIE
DIR Vincent Gagliostro 2017 USA 100 min
“The community is dead, literally…as well as figuratively,” quips a curmudgeonly Sam (Alan Cumming) in After Louie. Still mourning the loss of his lover to AIDS two decades prior, and laden with the lingering trauma of the pandemic’s dimmest days, Sam channels his ennui into rent boys, cigarettes, and an experimental video project that seems indefinitely stuck on pause. A once promising visual artist, Sam—as personified by his chaotic apartment—is virtually bereft of beauty with only glimmers of his once empowered sense of identity. An ACT UP–style collage is hastily tacked to his wall, a self-flagellating reminder to “never forget” that exceeds the original meaning of the pink triangle hovering above the SILENCE=DEATH. Sympathetic and sometimes sweet, Sam could be any number of courageous men who lived through the early years of HIV/AIDS: scarred and still struggling with survivor’s guilt. Cemented into an oppressive past, Sam is bewildered by a younger generation of carefree gay men with their uninhibited use of social media, sexting, and seeming political indifference. But when he meets the seductive young Braeden (Zachary Booth, Keep the Lights On) at a bar late one night, their pants quickly come down and, eventually, so does Sam’s ossified guard. As the pair become increasingly intimate, an intergenerational relationship blossoms between them— one capable of reawakening Sam’s artistic soul and reviving his wilted heart. Directed by longtime activist and ACT UP member Vincent Gagliostro, the absorbing drama boasts an impressive roster of LGBTQ luminaries, including David Drake (The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me), Obie winner Justin Vivian Bond (Shortbus), Wilson Cruz (My So-Called Life, Rent), performance artist Joey Arias, and, of course, legendary 2017 Frameline Award recipient Alan Cumming, who gives one of the most vivid and soulful performances of his career. Like the characters in After Louie, these folks have long been fighting the just fight and, collectively, prove that our community may be bruised, but its brilliant spark endures. — CURRAN NAULT
Sunday, June 25, 7:00 pm · Castro FILM & PARTY
$50 MEMBERS, $60 GENERAL · afte25C FILM ONLY
$30 MEMBERS, $35 GENERAL · afte25C film & Party proudly sponsored by
PARTY After the film, head to Frameline41’s Closing Night Party at Oasis (298 11th Street at Folsom
Street) to indulge in tasty creations and smooth cocktails as we announce winners of the AT&T Audience Awards and the First Feature Award, proudly underwritten by Wells Fargo. Then enjoy a live performance by legendary SF drag impresario Heklina. event partners: girl friday, event producer / Heklina / Tito’s Handmade Vodka / Small Potatoes catering Guests must be 21 or over to enjoy beer, wine, or cocktails.
Host partner
closing night 31
days of stories that don’t always get told
Photo by Barak Shrama
Of all the many things we do to support Pride, one of our very favorites is Frameline: the San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival. It’s a wonderful way to promote understanding and acceptance of the LGBTQ community, and we look forward to it every year. Wells Fargo is proud to sponsor the festival, and honored to participate in Pride all month long.
Frameline and Wells Fargo — supporting the Bay Area’s own
wellsfargo.com
Frameline41
FIRST FEATURE AWARD
Proudly underwritten by Wells Fargo This Year’s Eligible First Features 4 Days in France/ Jours de France Jérôme Reybaud After Louie Vincent Gagliostro Against the Law Fergus O’Brien Alaska is a Drag Shaz Bennett Apricot Groves Pouria Heidary Oureh Becks Daniel Powell & Elizabeth Rohrbaugh Dating My Mother Mike Roma
While we all love seeing the latest film by our favorite well-known director, there’s nothing quite like catching debut work from an emerging voice whose first feature— whether sharply comic, emotionally gripping, visually audacious, or completely unclassifiable — brings with it the promise of a prolific career as one of our generation’s next vital storytellers. Frameline, the San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival, prides itself on introducing audiences to remarkable new talent and filmmaking artists. Previous groundbreaking winners include: In the Grayscale (dir Claudio Marcone), Something Must Break (dir Ester Martin Bergsmark), Facing Mirrors (dir Negar Azarbayjani), Undertow (dir Javier Fuentes-León), and Hedwig and the Angry Inch (dir John Cameron Mitchell). The recipient of this year’s First Feature Award will be announced at the Closing Night Party on June 25. Regardless of which director takes home the Award, all of the Festival’s debut feature filmmakers are winners simply for sharing their extraordinary visions and voices with us.
Extra Terrestrials/ Extra terrestres Carla Cavina Meléndez Freak Show Trudie Styler Maybe Tomorrow/ Baka Bukas Samantha Lee A Million Happy Nows Albert Alarr Saturday Church Damon Cardasis Sensitivity Training Melissa Finell Seventeen/Siebzehn Monja Art Torrey Pines Clyde Petersen The Wound John Trengove
FRAMELINE40 FIRST FEATURE AWARD RECIPIENT: Jonathan, directed by Piotr Lewandowski
Proudly underwritten by Wells Fargo, this $7,500 juried award is presented to the outstanding first narrative feature at Frameline41.
first feature award 33
BARRIERS & BREAKTHROUGHS: ILLUMINATING FILMMAKERS OF COLOR BEFORE & BEYOND MOONLIGHT The colossal cultural moment signified by Moonlight‘s landmark 2017 Academy Award win for Best Picture was shocking—not because the poetic and powerful film justifiably won, but because of one erroneous moment that eclipsed the
magnitude of the celebration. The significance of the highest honor in cinema was even greater when we consider how long it has taken for an independent
film centering images of men of color expressing same-sex love and desire to be accepted and lauded by the mainstream, largely white and straight, filmmaking
world. Yet the reality is that artful, powerful depictions of queer and trans folks of
color, made by queer and trans folks of color, are not something new. For decades, Frameline and our audiences have borne witness to a long legacy rooted in lifting up artists, embracing emerging storytellers, and applauding those who speak
authentic truths to power while depicting multifaceted, intersecting identities.
As part of a special initiative supported by the Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences and the GriffinHarte Foundation, Frameline41 presents
Barriers & Breakthroughs: Illuminating Filmmakers of Color Before & Beyond
Moonlight—a series of film screenings and panel discussions that celebrate and contextualize a powerful body of filmmaking from queers of color, including a new digital restoration of the Isaac Julien classic Looking for Langston
(arguably the first black queer film by a black queer filmmaker), a multitude of new works screening throughout the Festival, and two panel discussions
(opposite page) diving into the current topics galvanizing queer and trans storytellers of color and their image-making today.
Looking for Langston (p. 37)
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signature move (p. 44)
Dispatches from Cleveland (p. 55)
ONLINE & OUT THE DOOR: QTPOC EPISODICS BREAK BARRIERS Tuesday June 20, 3:30 – 5:00 pm · Roxie · PANL20R · Free
Panelists Scheduled to Participate
Frameline41 is proud to showcase, with our first-ever Episodic section, a strong lineup of uninhibited QTPOC perspectives that tap into the zeitgeist and validate a vital presence currently lacking in mainstream film and television. Spearheaded by activists and artists working both behind and in front of the camera, these narrative and documentary web series examine, with a mixture of humor and heartbreak, the complicated convergence of ethnicity, sexuality, culture, gender, and gender identity in queer communities of color. Whether taking the form of charming, whip-smart millennial ennui (Brown Girls) or devastating nonfiction accounts of police brutality (Dispatches from Cleveland), these current and cutting-edge online stories deliver. Please join us to explore why politically charged barriers and cultural mores keep queer and trans folks of color from becoming seen and understood in deeper and more rewarding ways within the larger media landscape.
Fatimah Asghar Co-creator, Writer, Brown Girls Daresha Kyi Producer, Dispatches from Cleveland Florencia Manóvil Director, Producer, Head Writer, Dyke Central MODERATOR:
Aymar Jean Christian Founder & Head of Development, OpenTV
EPISODICS IN THIS SERIES INCLUDE: 195 LEWIS, Episodes 1-5 (P. 56) / BKPI, EPISODES 1-3 (P. 56) / BROWN GIRLS (P. 54) / DISPATCHES FROM CLEVELAND (P. 55) / WOKE WOMEN MIXTAPE (P. 56)
REAL TALK ON REPRESENTATION: (RE)FRAMING THE CONVERSATION Wednesday June 21, 3:30 – 5:00 pm · Roxie · PANL21R · Free
Despite a breadth of content made by and for queer people of color, widespread representation of the diversity of stories of QTPOC communities has yet to receive matching resources and kudos on the mainstream stage, and the industry has a history of whitewashing, cis-washing, and generally erasing all but the most tokenized representations. Yet even though their work is often dismissed as “not commercially viable” by industry decision makers, filmmakers have found ways to create, produce, and distribute QTPOC images. With no shortage of talented storytellers and eager audiences hungry for more, what burdens of representation rest upon queer filmmakers of color to “get it right”? As more people of color can be found behind the camera, how visible are the full complexities and diversity of LGBTQ communities among those represented onscreen and in audiences? Do the intentions of creators and the expectations of audiences align? Drawing upon myriad storytelling perspectives—from autobiographical docs tackling intergenerational immigration (Abu) and the personal toll of institutionalized racist violence (Strong Island) to complex cultural comedic fiction (Signature Move)—these brilliant creative minds will discuss the responsibilities and opportunities inherent in crafting new and relevant works. Please join us.
Panelists Scheduled to Participate
Yance Ford Director, Strong Island Arshad Khan Director, Abu Fawzia Mirza Producer, Co-writer, Actor, Signature Move MODERATOR:
Des Buford Director of Exhibition & Programming, Frameline
PROGRAMS IN THIS SERIES INCLUDE: ABU (FATHER) (P. 63) / CHAVELA (P. 27) / EXTRA TERRESTRIALS (P. 59) / LOOKING FOR LANGSTON (P. 37) / MAYBE TOMORROW (P. 60) / REALNESS & REVELATIONS (P. 72) / SIGNATURE MOVE (P. 44) / SNAPSHOT (P. 53) / STRONG ISLAND (P. 68)
Encuentro (p. 71, 72)
Strong Island (p. 68)
195 Lewis (p. 56)
barriers & breakthroughs 35
Celebrating 25 years of video editing excellence with Adobe Premiere Pro
Proud Supporter of the Frameline41 San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival
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RETROSPECTIVES
BY HOOK OR BY CROOK
DIRS Harry Dodge & Silas Howard 2001 USA 98 min
Much has transpired since By Hook or By Crook (BHOBC) premiered at Sundance in 2001, igniting the festival scene with its sweet, scrappy tale of outsider buddies bounding about the bars and back alleys of pre-Boom San Francisco: Depictions of gender variance, like those in BHOBC, have found greater visibility on big and small screens alike. BHOBC writer-directors Silas Howard and Harry Dodge have gone on to exceptional transmedia careers—Howard in film (Sunset Stories) and TV (Transparent and Frameline41 selection More Than T) and Dodge in art (2008 Whitney Biennial) and academia (CalArts). What has remained constant since 2001, however, is BHOBC’s unique oddball vision, clever dialogue and effusive charm. Ahead of its time in its evocation of an unabashed queer universe that dares to just be, BHOBC tells the story of two trans-butches, Shy (Howard) and Valentine (Dodge), who collide by chance in the San Francisco streets. Shy is immersed in daydreams about the loving father they lost and Valentine is searching for the mother they never met. Like-hearted mischievous souls, the pair stumbles into a series of shambolic shenanigans—along with Valentine’s girlfriend, Billie (Stanya Kahn)—sidestepping sadness with wit and wackadoo. Building on outlaw legacies, BHOBC displays a true affinity for the misfits and the marginalized—a rare film not only about, but by, lovable weirdos on the fringe. —CURRAN NAULT
This film is a recipient of a Frameline Completion Fund grant.
DESERT HEARTS
LOOKING FOR LANGSTON
Get out your western wear and time-travel back to 1985, when this unabashed bigscreen lesbian romance made its landmark debut. Sure, a few star-crossed lesbian vampires and sad divorcées had been featured in mainstream movies before Desert Hearts, but when Donna Deitch adapted Jane Rule’s novel and put lesbian passion on explicit display, she made lesbian cinema history. Finally, the sisters were making movies for themselves. It’s 1959 when uptight eastern academic Vivian Bell (Helen Shaver) heads west to Reno for a divorce and meets freespirited sculptor Cay (the radiant Patricia Charbonneau) at a ranch for divorcées straight out of The Women. Despite warnings from a fellow guest about Cay’s reputation for “unnatural acts,” Vivian strikes up a friendship with the younger woman and begins to loosen up. Seduction, quarrels, reconciliation, familial homophobia— this film is the grandma of celluloid lesbian romance, and it set the pattern for a slew of subsequent films. Deitch pulled off a big-budget look for her period piece, and the leads are backed by a solid cast of supporting players. With a backdrop of gorgeous desert landscapes and Patsy Cline on the soundtrack, Desert Hearts is pure escapist pleasure.
It’s hard to imagine a more perfect year for Looking for Langston to be restored to its full elegance. Three decades ago, a young Isaac Julien dreamed of Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance. He came to New York City to do his research and then returned to the dance clubs and discos of his native London to conjure his visions. The result is a dreamy meditation on the past and the present, with angels loitering on the balconies and club kids disappearing into thin air. Smoke and mirrors? Langston uses every trick in the book to imagine a utopian moment already in danger, where race-crossing from black to white and back unites male bodies in and out of tuxedos, with and without champagne to toast their dalliances. Julien’s prophetic black-and-white film is now a classic. Yet it claims the same fierce poetry, desire, argument, and history now being widely celebrated in the films of Barry Jenkins and Raoul Peck. Julien is still ahead of his time, though: his Langston has the homosexuality missing from I Am Not Your Negro, the naked bodies excised from Moonlight. Pulsating with the urgency of the AIDS crisis and Thatcher’s brutal policies of repression, Langston may well be the most essential film revival of 2017.
DIR Donna Deitch 1985 USA 96 min
— MONICA NOLAN
Digital restoration by the UCLA Film & Television Archive and the Criterion Collection/Janus Films in conjunction with the Outfest UCLA Legacy Project and the Sundance Institute.
Sunday, June 18, 3:45 pm · Roxie $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · DESE18R
DIR Isaac Julien 1989 UK 46 min
— B. RUBY RICH preceded by:
the attendant dir isaac julien 1993 UK 9 min A middle-aged museum guard locks eyes with a sexy young visitor, igniting a series of fantastical tableaux that wittily riff on race, sexual power dynamics, art history, gold lamé briefs, and Tom of Finland.
Saturday, June 17, 6:30 pm · Victoria $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · BYHO17V
Monday, June 19, 7:00 pm · elmwood $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · DESE19E
Monday, June 19, 4:15 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · LOOK19C
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retrospectives 37
SHOWCASE
THE ARCHER
DIR Valerie Weiss 2017 USA 86 min
In this provocative and high-octane action-suspense film, archery champion Lauren Pierce finds herself trapped inside a sadistic juvenile correctional facility, ironically named Paradise Trails, after she defends her best friend (and crush) Emily from her abusive boyfriend. Remanded indefinitely to the youth prison, Lauren is immediately singled out for special attention from the misogynist and spiteful warden, Bob Patrice. Physical and psychological abuse is a daily ritual for Lauren and the countless young women alongside her. But things quickly reach a breaking point, and Lauren and tough-as-nails facility veteran Rebecca make a break for it and run for the hills, pursued closely by the men they are trying desperately to escape. Out in the wild, the tables turn, and Lauren’s knack for archery just may lead to a bit of justice for all of the prisoners at Paradise Trails, in this gripping and exhilarating take on a no-holds-barred bid for safety. Director Valerie Weiss (A Light Beneath Their Feet), inspired by the “cash-for-kids” convictions of two Pennsylvania judges in 2011, creates a masterfully gritty portrayal of a a crooked system, as well as the corrupt men of power working to make young people disappear. With a cast led by the steely-eyed Bailey Noble (True Blood) and Jeanine Mason, and complemented by the horrifyingly realistic Bill Sage (AWOL, Frameline40) and Michael Grant Terry (Bones), The Archer is sure to call to mind First Blood, Foxfire, and Thelma and Louise, while ultimately remaining a thrillingly queer story all of its own. — SOPHIA LANZA-WEIL
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Friday, June 16, 6:30 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · ARCH16C Friday, June 23, 9:30 pm · Piedmont $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · ARCH23P proudly sponsored by
SHOWCASE
BEHIND THE CURTAIN: TODRICK HALL DIR Katherine Fairfax Wright 2017 USA 100 min
Over the course of just two weeks, YouTube wunderkind and former American Idol contestant Todrick Hall aspires to shoot 16 videos for his visual album Straight Outta Oz, which he’ll then immediately take on the road in the form of an extravagant live musical. The budget is tight and the manpower limited to close confidants and fans; yet the finished project is as polished, provocative, and ambitious as anything crafted by his more mainstream musical contemporaries. But Todrick is not looking for Top-40 fame—something he achieves anyway— but rather direct contact with fans both online and in-person. Grabbing iconic Disney images and Taylor Swift music videos and reworking their contexts, Todrick gleefully subverts whitewashed pop culture, moving like a chameleon from sparkly red slippers to football helmets, from the Wicked Witch to Beyoncé. Affirmation and joyful inclusion is priority number one in every performance and this positivity transforms the lives of countless LGBTQ fans that tearfully thank him after each show for helping them deal with homophobia and bullying. Director Katherine Fairfax Wright (Call Me Kuchu, Frameline36) uses the millennial artist’s jumpy, high-wire genius and his collaborative efforts with stars like Bob the Drag Queen, Wayne Brady, and even Queen Bey herself, to inform her film’s own glittery style and energy. The result is a breathless and gorgeously photographed documentary that highlights the joy of Todrick’s music as well as the impact his powerfully inclusive message has on younger generations. — HARRY VAUGHN
Saturday, June 17, 3:45 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · BEHI17C proudly sponsored by
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SHOWCASE
THE DEATH AND LIFE OF MARSHA P. JOHNSON DIR David France 2017 USA 105 min
Who killed Marsha P. Johnson? In July 1992, Johnson’s body was found floating in the Hudson River near New York City’s Christopher Street Piers. The police deemed her death a suicide, but for those who knew her, this theory has never made sense. Johnson—a veteran of the Stonewall riots; a co-founder, along with her friend and comrade Sylvia Rivera, of Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries (S.T.A.R.) and the modern trans rights movement; a self-described “street queen”; a sex worker; and a New York celebrity— would never, according to her loved ones, have harmed herself. Twenty-five years later, Victoria Cruz of the Anti-Violence Project has amassed a pile of evidence of foul play. But this absorbing film by Academy Award–nominated filmmaker David France (How to Survive a Plague) is much more than a search for answers about Johnson’s death. With riveting archival footage and interviews with the people who knew, loved, and fought beside them, it’s also a celebration of the lives and legacy of both Johnson and Rivera. Together, they blazed a path for gender-nonconforming people and demanded that they be included in the fight for civil rights (demands that were often met with scorn by gays and lesbians in the 1970s). France follows Cruz on her quest for answers, while using archival footage of Johnson and Rivera (who died in 2002, of liver cancer) to paint vibrant portraits. At the same time, the film provides a somber reminder of the current epidemic of violence against trans women: as Cruz researches Johnson’s death, her organization is fighting for justice for Islan Nettles, a transgender woman murdered in 2013. — CHARLES PURDY This film is a recipient of a Frameline Completion Fund grant. This film contains descriptions of transphobic violence.
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Thursday, June 22, 9:30 pm · Piedmont $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · DEAT22P Saturday, June 24, 3:45 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · DEAT24C proudly sponsored by
SHOWCASE
FREAK SHOW
DIR Trudie Styler 2017 USA 91 min
“Nails that stick out get hammered down,” William Bloom warns his teenage son Billy (Alex Lawther). But Billy was born to be fabulous, and no amount of parental warnings or even outright queer bashings can change that, in Trudie Styler’s effervescent directorial debut. Sent to live with Dad while Mom (Bette Midler) is in rehab, Billy feels like a fish—or, better yet, mermaid (he does have an outfit for that)—out of water in a small Southern high school where the student body worships football, Christ, and conformity. An unexpected friendship with football star Flip (Ian Nelson) and an alliance with Blah Blah Blah (AnnaSophia Robb) ease the isolation of the self-described “transvisionary gender obliviator” somewhat, but they don’t lessen the increasingly violent bullying. Legendary club kid and Party Monster scribe James St. James’s young adult novel comes to dazzling life in this lively coming-of-age drama, a glorious and defiantly optimistic ode to all things Gaga, Mercury and Wilde. Lawther (who played the young Alan Turing in The Imitation Game) is pitch-perfect as the irrepressible Billy fighting for his right to simply be himself—specifially, to be a candidate for homecoming queen, a move that pits him against cheerleader and school queen bee Lynette (a squeaky clean, mean Abigail Breslin). Midler’s boozy, lovable wreck of a mom, and fun cameos by Laverne Cox (as anchorwoman on the spot) and John McEnroe (as a screaming athletic coach, naturally) round out a delightful cast and film, one that buoyantly balances the poignancy of Billy’s blossoming queer identity with affirming and hilarious comedy. —PAM GRADY
Saturday, June 24, 9:00 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · FREA24C proudly sponsored by
This film contains a scene depicting homophobic violence.
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SHOWCASE
GIRL UNBOUND
DIR Erin Heidenreich 2016 pakistan, canada, USA 80 min In English, Urdu, and Pashto with English subtitles
In the Pakistani tribal region of Waziristan, where females are forbidden to attend school, listen to music, or walk outside unescorted or uncovered, the idea of a female athlete is an anathema. As the living embodiment of that radical idea, Maria Toorpakai has been a target of Taliban death threats since the age of sixteen. But against all odds, she is the top-ranked female squash player in all of Pakistan. When she was young, Maria was able to excel at squash by dressing and passing as a boy—an identity she gravitated to naturally. Now that she is an adult, her gender orientation is still fluid and unclear even to her, but there’s nothing uncertain about her strength, confidence, or commitment to her chosen sport. Much of her fortitude and fearlessness can be traced directly to her courageously openminded father, an anomaly in their violently patriarchal and oppressive homeland. His unfettered belief in gender equality has empowered both Maria and her sister, Ayesha, a rising young political activist, to inspire other Pakistani women and girls to pursue their own dreams— at great risk to the lives of their entire family. From the excitement of a high-stakes international squash tournament to the dangers of driving through Taliban-controlled territory, director Erin Heidenreich captures both the peril and the perseverance of an athlete who dares to defy those who seek to contain her. — JOANNE PARSONT
WITH GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM
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Sunday, June 18, 1:30 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · GIRL18C Friday, June 23, 7:00 pm · Piedmont $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · GIRL23P proudly sponsored by
SHOWCASE
GOD’S OWN COUNTRY DIR Francis Lee 2017 UK 104 min
Francis Lee’s striking debut feature, winner of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival’s World Cinema Directing award, tells the rich story of John Saxby, a hard-drinking Yorkshire lad who keeps his emotions in check until an irrepressible (and sexy) Romanian immigrant comes to help out on the family farm. John has a few reasons for preferring the pub to home life—his dad, suffering from a second stroke, can’t do hard labor, forcing John to take on the drudgery of farm work by himself. He’s also hiding an attraction to men that only a self-destructive combination of alcohol and emotionless sex can temporarily assuage. When Gheorghe arrives, there’s initial friction, but writer-director Lee attentively demonstrates how John’s instinctive feelings of rivalry toward his Romanian counterpart shift into something gentler and more vulnerable. Lee also expertly details the challenges of animal husbandry—one unforgettable scene shows how to make a ewe take care of the runt of her litter. But this is no bucolic portrait of farm life—God’s Own Country is full of fiery tempers and jolting sexuality, set amidst the fecund hills of rural Yorkshire. In the lead roles, Josh O’Connor and Alec Secareanu beautifully convey how passion and love can transform lives. The question of whether their budding romance can overcome the harsh climate they’ve adapted to becomes the central tension within this sterling queer tour-de-force. —ROD ARMSTRONG
Saturday, June 17, 6:30 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · GODS17C proudly sponsored by
WITH GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM
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SHOWCASE
SIGNATURE MOVE DIR Jennifer Reeder 2017 USA 80 min
In wrestling, the right signature move can take years to develop. And thirty-something Zaynab Qadir—a closeted, Muslim lawyer who takes up lucha libre–style wrestling—quickly learns that she lacks the right technique and experience…on and off the mat. Working in the heart of Chicago’s Pakistani community, Zaynab wears the mask of an obedient daughter to her endearing but conservative mother, Parveen, all the while hiding that she’s a lesbian. But when the recently widowed Parveen moves in with Zaynab, it becomes apparent that Parveen’s favorite pastime, next to staying glued to Pakistani soap operas on TV and spying on their neighbors with binoculars, is trying to find Zaynab a proper husband. As the pressure of keeping her sexuality a secret starts to wear on her, Zaynab meets Alma (Sari Sanchez, Empire), a free-spirited Chicana and the daughter of a former wrestler— a woman who is more experienced in love and used to living her life out loud and unashamed. As their relationship progresses and they are confronted with their differences, these polar opposites are challenged to find cultural middle ground before realizing that there’s no one right way to live your own truth. While the love affair between Zaynab and Alma is the film’s primary focus, Zaynab’s evolving relationship with her mother is also very touching. Co-written by and starring perennial Fun in Girls Shorts favorite Fawzia Mirza as Zaynab, with veteran actress Shabana Azmi playing Parveen, Signature Move is an honest and funny look at how modern romance can arise from a path steeped in tradition. —ANGELIQUE SMITH This film is a recipient of a Frameline Completion Fund grant.
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Friday, June 23, 6:30 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · SIGN23C Saturday, June 24, 6:45 pm · Piedmont $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · SIGN24P proudly sponsored by
SHOWCASE
STUMPED
DIR Robin Berghaus 2016 USA 72 min
In 2011, Boston filmmaker Will Lautzenheiser was on the verge of teaching his first film class. An innocuous visit to the doctor changed everything. What began as irritating leg pain ended up being a life-threatening infection. Within days, all of Will’s limbs were amputated. While his tribulations don’t sound like the basis for a humorous, feel-good film, Robin Berghaus’s feature documentary is filled with surprises. This captivating portrait of patience, perseverance, and perspective explores the physical and emotional challenges that come with a sudden, life-altering event. It helps that Will is a distinctive personality whose first order of business after leaving the hospital is to perform stand-up comedy. The film’s warmly honest, all-access approach allows viewers to experience one man’s struggle to regain independence. We watch as Will’s partner, Angel, adjusts to his new role as a caretaker. The dynamics of this sweet, difficult, and complicated relationship are illuminating and thought-provoking. Berghaus expertly balances multiple levels of human drama with fascinating details about the science and medicine behind transplant surgery. Stumped is an unexpected survival story that addresses issues of identity, diversity, and the strength of the human spirit. — BRENDAN PETERSON
Tuesday, June 20, 4:00 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · STUM20C
This film is a recipient of a Frameline Completion Fund grant.
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SHOWCASE
WHITNEY. “CAN I BE ME”
DIRS Nick Broomfield & Rudi Dolezal 2017 UK, USA 100 Min
As a 16-year-old in East Orange, New Jersey, Whitney Elizabeth Houston was already on the cusp of international stardom. She told her best friend Robyn Crawford, “stick with me, and I’ll take you around the world.” And that’s just what she did. Opening her heart (and wallet) to family and friends, she became one of the most successful female recording artists in the world. But with fame came devastating setbacks, not just in the form of her well-documented struggle with drugs but also due to a deeply racist and homophobic industry that forced the singer to discard her true self and adopt an impossibly pristine public persona. With never-before-seen footage that takes us inside the most tense and intimate moments of her 1999 “My Love Is Your Love” World Tour along with interviews with some of those closest to the star, prolific documentarian Nick Broomfield (Kurt & Courtney, Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer) and renowned music video director Rudi Dolezal uncover a sprawling and revealing portrait of the superstar—from a youth inspired by gospel music to a singer plagued by addiction and fed-up with playing a role both on- and off-stage. Whitney. “Can I Be Me” reveals, with heartbreaking detail, how the music industry obscured a gifted woman’s race and sexuality in order to maximize profit. But it also finds refuge in the sheer power of her jaw-dropping vocals as well as her captivating stage presence, illustrating with riveting archival sequences why she is still regarded today as one of the most gifted singers in history. — JEFFREY HARTINGER
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Thursday, June 22, 6:30 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · WHIT22C proudly sponsored by
SHOWCASE
THE WOUND
DIR John Trengove 2017 South Africa 88 min In Xhosa with English subtitles
In an annual ceremony, the men of a small Xhosa community in South Africa encamp in the mountains of the Eastern Cape to initiate a group of teenage boys into manhood. Following a painful ritual circumcision, the young initiates spend two weeks healing and laboring under the alternately aggressive and mentoring care of their male elders. Xolani, a factory worker by day and former initiate himself, returns to the mountain each year as one of those elders. This time, he is entrusted with a teenager named Kwanda, the arrogant and disinterested son of a wealthy villager—a Johannesburg kid whom most of the other rural boys consider to be spoiled. This is an environment wholly dedicated to the traditional mores of patriarchal power and swaggering heterosexuality, where Xolani’s gentle and introverted nature is an aberration—and his attraction to men is a desperately held secret. Xolani’s clandestine love affair with a fellow caregiver adds further dramatic tension and a swirl of competing emotions to this beautifully acted story—well received at its 2017 Sundance Film Festival debut—in which an ancient and accepted culture collides with secret and sometimes dangerous passions. Director John Trengove, working with a Xhosa producer and co-writer, exposes more than one type of wound in his feature film debut (his short film Ibhokhwe also explored male circumcision), as Kwanda actively defies the fraternal code forced upon him, and Xolani struggles to reconcile the traditions of his people with his own desires and identity. Every moment of The Wound evokes the question, “What defines manhood?” — JOANNE PARSONT
Sunday, June 18, 7:00 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · WOUN18C proudly sponsored by
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US FEATURES
ALASKA IS A DRAG
BEACH RATS
Writer-director Shaz Bennett has expanded her memorable short film of the same name (Frameline37) into a rousing and crowdpleasing debut feature that is the queer lovechild of Rocky and Hedwig. Ready to emerge from his drag chrysalis, daydreamer Leo (Martin L. Washington, Jr.) lives in smalltown Alaska, working long days in the local cannery—slicing fish while fantasizing about international superstardom. When he’s not throwing shade and dodging the homophobic town bully, he cares for his tough yet adoring twin sister, Tristen (Maya Washington). The twins’ mother (Nia Peeples), a boozy former beauty queen, skipped town for Los Angeles a decade earlier, and their conflicted father spends most of his time gambling or preaching about Jesus. When the cannery boss (Jason Scott Lee), who moonlights as the local boxing coach, sees Leo’s natural talent for throwing punches, he asks Leo to train for an upcoming bout. The feisty young queen accepts and finds a mysterious training partner in a handsome new townie named Declan (Matt Dallas). Cinematic Alaskan scenery provides the perfect setting as the sparring partners conjure up romantic sparks both tense and tender, together. Featuring a culturally diverse cast full of talented newcomers, fabulously entertaining musical interludes, and a supporting turn from previous Frameline Award recipient Margaret Cho as the sardonic owner of the local gay bar, Alaska Is a Drag is a joyous and affirming knockout.
It’s a hot summer in New York and Frankie isn’t having a good time. His dad’s health is crumbling, his teenage buddies just want to get high, and a smart, beautiful girl has feelings for him—feelings he cannot reciprocate. Frankie’s sexual curiosity about men leaves him lonely, which leads to risky, anonymous encounters. This Brooklyn doesn’t look like the gentrified, liberal enclave typically portrayed. Just a few subway stops away from some of the gay-friendliest areas in the country exists a tougher community unaccustomed to recent social progress. Frankie knows what his beach-rat buds would do if they found out his sexuality, so he hides inside an increasingly dark and delinquent world of self-loathing. To everyone else, he’s a beautiful and popular straight stud. But Frankie feels trapped in a persona he hates and has no idea how to shed. Director Eliza Hittman won a prestigious U.S. Dramatic Directing Award at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival for this entrancing portrait of a vulnerable young man in trouble. Beach Rats’ warm hazy lens, as if softened by salty sea air, captures the lazy beauty of summer—but the film can unexpectedly turn sinister, in keeping with its protagonist’s unstable double-life. Moments that feel wrapped up in idyllic teenage nostalgia snap into nerve-wracking and dangerous confrontation. Beach Rats is raw, lyrical, and sexy, unusual in its commanding insight into teen angst and a clear sign of a gifted filmmaker on the rise.
DIR Shaz Bennett 2017 USA 83 min
— CHRIS KEECH
DIR Eliza Hittman 2017 USA 95 min
—HARRY VAUGHN
This film contains a depiction of homophobic violence.
Friday, June 23, 9:15 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · DRAG23C Saturday, June 24, 9:15 pm · Piedmont $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · DRAG24P
Thursday, June 22, 7:00 pm · Roxie $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · RATS22R
sponsored by
US Features 49
DATING MY MOTHER
DISCREET
THE FEELS
In an aimless postgraduation slump, aspiring screenwriter Danny lives with his mom and waits to hear back about his dream job in the city. His mom, Joan (Kathryn Erbe of Law & Order: Criminal Intent), is finally getting back to dating after being widowed. Two generations under one roof, both in the market for a new boyfriend: will it all end in disaster? Danny’s robust fantasy life sustains him through the ups and (mostly) downs of the online dating scene. At the same time, an is-he-or-isn’t-he friend from high school, Khris, may be dropping oblique hints about his sexuality. It’s enough to drive a man to drink, which he does, copiously. Meanwhile, Joan has hit it off with a man named Chester Patterson—probably not an alias—and is navigating the unfamiliar world of new love. Inventive and hilarious, this debut feature from writer-director Mike Roma captures the ennui of twentysomethings looking for direction in their lives, and he sheds light on the drawn-out and confusing dating challenges of fiftysomethings, too. Making the most of its small ensemble, the film includes an endearingly madcap turn by Kathy Najimy as Joan’s best friend, Lisa, along with a sweet and playful cameo from G.B.F. star Paul Iacono. If only figuring out what to do next was as easy as swiping right.
In this deep dive into American Gothic and the creepy underside of small-town, alt-right Texas, a young drifter named Alex (Jonny Mars) returns home to find that a mysterious figure from his past has resurfaced, setting him on a crooked course of revenge as he dredges up memories that have both haunted and shaped him. As Alex’s journey unfolds and his mental state teeters, he comes to rely, with increasingly erratic motives, on a variety of emotional supports: an online advice guru, anonymous video parlor hookups, and the company of a neighboring teenage boy. The visual elegance of the filmmaking—with its carefully framed shots of abandoned sheds and nondescript motel rooms, sizzling bacon and desolate backwater vistas—lends an unsettling calm to the undercurrents of violence that course just beneath the surface, as Alex roams the back roads in a van buffeted by a constant stream of talk radio. By turns chilling and disquieting, Discreet marks a tonal departure for Frameline audience favorite, San Francisco–based director Travis Mathews (I Want Your Love, Frameline36; Interior. Leather Bar., Frameline37), whose customary celebration of male sexuality and the body here gives way to something darker that is no less skillfully explored: the inescapable tidal wave of memory and experience as it crashes on the shore of the psyche.
Loveable brides-to-be Andi and Lu can’t wait to get away with their closest friends to a luxury home nestled in Northern California wine country for their co-bachelorette party. Quirky greetings among their assortment of pals, including Andi’s childhood best friend Josh, Lu’s awkwardly late sister Nikki, YouTube-famous singer Kárin, self-absorbed actress Vivien, and the hilariously affable chef Helen, relax into a warm and fuzzy evening fueled by cocktails and a few hits of ecstasy. The convivial vibe screeches to a halt when an inebriated Lu lets slip that she has never had an orgasm, much to Andi’s dismay. This admission sets the weekend off course into slippery waters, where long-held secrets emerge, confessions rise from hidden depths, and a gold-dusted joint or two helps to ease tension with the giddy possibility of summoning Beyoncé’s back-up dancers from unexpected bodily locales. Written and directed by Jenée LeMarque (The Pretty One), this breezy exploration of the bonds and boundaries of friendship and love stars Fresh Off the Boat’s Constance Wu in a refreshingly fun and candid role. The film grooves to a spirited indie soundtrack, including wonderful originals from cast member Kárin Tatoyan, and features relatable, lived-in performances from a close ensemble whose familiar intimacy rings recognizably true. Light-hearted, sincere, and funny, this case of the feels will leave you grinning and giggling with appreciative good cheer.
DIR Mike Roma 2017 USA 84 min
—MORDECAI STAYTON
DIR Travis Mathews 2017 USA 80 min
— PETER L. STEIN
DIR Jenée LeMarque 2017 USA 88 min
This film deals with mature themes and contains scenes depicting violence.
—LEAH LOSCHIAVO
Saturday, June 24, 4:00 pm · Victoria $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · DATI24V
Monday, June 19, 9:15 pm · Victoria $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · DISC19V
Friday, June 16, 9:15 pm · Victoria $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · FEEL16V
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Friday, June 16, 4:00 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · DATI16C
50 Frameline41
HELLO AGAIN
A MILLION HAPPY NOWS
MY FRIEND DAHMER
Adapted from prolific and influential composer Michael John LaChiusa’s successful 1994 Off-Broadway musical of the same name, Hello Again centers around ten different characters who become connected through an erotic chain of pansexual trysts that span across the ten decades that make up the 20th century. Only the fourth Off-Broadway musical to be adapted into a film, Hello Again takes its inspiration from the famous 1897 play La ronde, by Arthur Schnitzler, which has twice previously been brought to the screen: Max Ophüls’s Oscarnominated 1950 version and Roger Vadim’s 1964 version starring a young Jane Fonda. Here, the time-hopping daisy chain of musical bed-hopping begins with the always wonderful Martha Plimpton, who leads a star-studded cast that also includes Cheyenne Jackson (American Horror Story), T.R. Knight (Grey’s Anatomy), Rumer Willis (Hostage), Jenna Ushkowitz (Glee), and the most lauded performer on Broadway, six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald (Porgy and Bess). Director Tom Gustafson has teamed up again with writer Cory Krueckeberg, following their marvelous boys-high-school-set musical Were the World Mine (Frameline32), for this moving and lusty portrait of the 20th century that shows that, through both music and sex, the universal desire to connect with other people goes well beyond sexual orientation.
All the world’s a soap opera, and all the men and women merely players, even daytime diva Lainey Allen (Crystal Chappell). She has enjoyed two decades of stardom (and won a Daytime Emmy Award) and has a blissful relationship with her beautiful partner, Eva (Jessica Leccia). But now Lainey is having difficulty remembering her lines—both on set and off. Are the florid writing and torrid story arcs to blame—or is it something else? She decides to retire, and she and Eva move to a little house perched on a bluff overlooking the ocean. But without the distractions of work, it soon becomes apparent that something is not quite right. A visit to the doctor confirms it: Lainey is suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. A Million Happy Nows is the ultimate meta-melodrama, playing with notions of memory, identity, and same-sex relationships that echo shows and characters past. Fans of the long-running (but now-canceled) Guiding Light will recognize Chappell and Leccia as the groundbreaking couple affectionately known as “Otalia.” However, this film is more than a genre film. It is a sensitively portrayed, lustrously shot paean to memory: creating it and saving it, but not being a slave to it. As feisty, funny Lainey grapples with her new reality—sometimes seeming to slip into her old soap opera character, “Vivian”—and Eva tries to help her, they both come to understand the importance of the happy Now.
Marc Meyers’s dark and incisive portrait of young Jeffrey Dahmer, based on the best-selling graphic novel of the same name, teems with tension and pitch-black humor. To his high school contemporaries in the late 1970s, including his buddy Derf, Dahmer’s outbursts at school, along with his collection of animal corpses, were seen as quirks that made him an oddball celebrity. Mischievous students cheered him as he shrieked at classmates and faked seizures on the floor. Even his distraught parents (Anne Heche and Dallas Roberts) brushed aside his increasingly erratic behavior, distracted mostly by their own crumbling marriage. My Friend Dahmer seeks to understand how no one in this cozy Ohio suburb suspected that this quiet (and quietly closeted) introvert would later become not just a murderer but also one of the most notorious serial killers in history, with an infamy that rivals that of Jack the Ripper or the Zodiac Killer. With a combination of detached insight and deep-seated pathos, Meyers’s film expertly examines how a budding teenage sociopath thinks and behaves. Thanks to a deft and fully committed lead performance by newcomer Ross Lynch, we come face-to-face with Dahmer as he struggles to impress and get close to the very friends he wants to hurt the most. What begins as a thoughtful character study builds into a terrifyingly believable portrait of evil—one that hides in plain sight.
Thursday, June 22, 9:30 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · HELL22C
Friday, June 23, 9:15 pm · Roxie $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · MILL23R
Tuesday, June 20, 9:15 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · MYFR20C
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DIR Tom Gustafson 2017 USA 105 min
—SÉVERINE SOREL
DIR Albert Alarr 2016 USA 80 min
— LUCY LAIRD
DIR Marc Meyers 2017 USA 107 min
—HARRY VAUGHN
US Features 51
PRINCESS CYD
PROM KING, 2010
SATURDAY CHURCH
Sporty teenager Cyd and her intellectual aunt Miranda challenge and nurture each other during a quietly adventurous, revelatory summer break, in the latest feature from Frameline favorite writerdirector Stephen Cone (The Wise Kids, Frameline36; Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party, Frameline39). This polished, character-driven film about two women on different paths of self-discovery touches lightly on religion and spirituality, and hints at a background of family tragedy, but always keeps the focus on the smart, strong women at its core. Miranda still lives in what was her childhood home in a beautiful Chicago neighborhood, and happily, if apprehensively, offers Cyd a seasonal change of scenery from her South Carolina town. On the surface, these women are far apart in character and interests: philosophical writer Miranda feels fulfilled by the rich life of the mind, while Cyd is grounded in her youthful body and its sometimes mysterious desires. But despite guilelessly admitting she doesn’t “really read,” Cyd blossoms in Miranda’s literary community and their modern salon-style potluck/poetry readings. And in her own adventures through the neighborhood, Cyd quickly sparks with tomboy Katie, whose outer toughness and independence hide an eagerness for friendship and connection. The dreamy realism of hot summer days sets the tone, and authentic, grounded performances bring depth and form. Cone clearly approaches his work with unwavering love for his characters, sharing with the audience the privilege of seeing these women step into the sunlight.
The protagonist of this charming, sharply observed comedy isn’t struggling with the usual queer-coming-of-age issues. Charlie, a New York college student on the cusp of his twenty-first birthday, has a supportive circle of friends, caring parents, and enough selfconfidence to scrawl his phone number on a napkin and slide it to a studly brunch server. It’s his inflated expectations about romance that Charlie is having trouble coming to terms with. He yearns for the movie version of love. But he finds himself, time and again, blindsided by disappointment as he stumbles through the minefield that is urban gay dating: the cruel insensitivity of Grindr culture, the vague and confusing rules of open relationships, and the infuriating flakiness of his twentysomething contemporaries. As the idealism of this cinema-loving romantic is called into question, Prom King, 2010 charts, with wise humor and frank honesty, his halting but inexorable course toward maturity. Written and directed by first-time filmmaker Christopher Schapp (who also stars as Charlie), this charming homage to New York gay life represents a distinctively Millennial take on the classic coming-of-age tale, though Gen X-ers and Boomers will find it just as easy to relate to its wry observations. Told with a sexy, of-the-moment indie sensibility and laden with humor and authenticity, Prom King, 2010 offers a fresh— and refreshing—perspective on young gay romance, as well as new insights into the concrete jungle of easy flings and all-tooshort attention spans.
After the unexpected death of his father, Ulysses (played by promising newcomer Luka Kain), a shy, gender-nonconforming teen, faces a sudden onslaught of painful realities at home. His mom, exhausted from back-to-back shifts, enlists the help of her strict, religious Aunt Rose to oversee him and his younger brother. Already a target of locker-room bullies at school, Ulysses now must endure Rose’s wrath after she catches him trying on his mom’s nylon stockings and high heels. Fed up and out of ideas, he flees to the Village and finds on the New York City piers a feisty but inclusive gathering of trans and queer youths who shepherd him into the sanctuary that is Saturday Church, a local drop-in space—run by a kind and streetsmart volunteer (Kate Bornstein)—that also happens to throw the fiercest voguing event in town. The electric atmosphere, reminiscent of the glorious ballroom vibrancy of Kiki (Frameline40), ignites in Ulysses a powerful and much-needed jolt of self-discovery, helped along by flirtatious back-and-forths with Raymond, a handsome and sensitive churchgoer he meets. As Ulysses’s internal world awakens, so too does Saturday Church, shifting in tone and style from the muted, somber shadings of Ulysses’s home into a celebratory escapist space teeming with fabulous musical numbers, gender-bending costumes, and set designs covered in rainbow flower petals. But despite his newfound refuge, Ulysses can’t keep reality from eventually crashing the party. He must confront, with both defiance and forgiveness, the closedminded constraints of his own family while continuing to foster a beautiful, budding identity eager to shine and slay on the ballroom floor.
DIR Stephen Cone 2017 USA 93 min
—LAURA HENNEMAN
DIR Christopher Schaap 2017 USA 102 min
— MICHAEL J. LOPRESTI
DIR Damon Cardasis 2017 USA 81 min
—HARRY VAUGHN
Tuesday, June 20, 6:30 pm · Victoria $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · PRIN20V
Monday, June 19, 1:30 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · PROM19C
Friday, June 16, 9:15 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · SATU16C
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52 Frameline41
SENSITIVITY TRAINING
SNAPSHOT
TORREY PINES
Meet Serena. The scientist prefers germs over people and being right over being liked. When one of Serena’s jealous outbursts toward a successful colleague turns serious, her university provides an ultimatum: turn that attitude around or your research lab is toast. Now meet Caroline, the bubbly positivity coach whose sweetness could rival a ray of sunshine dipped in unicorn dust. Tired of her normal gig as a sexual harassment trainer teaching remorseless men why they shouldn’t pinch their coworkers’ butts, Caroline jumps at the chance to help soften Serena’s abrasive edges. It’s a good thing she’s up for the challenge, because it’s going to take a whole lot of safe space, late-night glasses of wine, and basic instruction on the importance of being nice to get to the heart of Serena’s brash personality and quick temper. When a surprise visit from her teenage half-brother Ethan leads her to confront her past, Serena finds herself on the verge of both a scientific discovery and a personal breakthrough. The ultimate female buddy comedy, Sensitivity Training is the first feature from writer-director Melissa Finell (Disaster Preparedness, Frameline39). It stars Anna Lise Phillips as Serena, Jill E. Alexander (Silicon Valley, Mad Men) as Caroline, and comedian Quinn Marcus (MTV’s Girl Code) as Serena’s Quidditch-playing grad student and lab assistant.
The saying goes that picky eaters don’t eat. Or, perhaps, that a closed mouth doesn’t get fed. But why are we so hard on those who are selective in what—or whom— they devour? Written and directed by Pink & White Productions founder and award-winning filmmaker Shine Louise Houston (Champion, Frameline33; Superfreak, Frameline31), Snapshot is an erotic suspense thriller that will satiate even the pickiest of eaters. Charlie, a reserved freelance photographer, has her gaze fixed on Danny, an older butch whose heart is set on romance and excitement. Just as things are about to click, Charlie accidentally snaps a photo of a murder, inadvertently becoming the killer’s next target. What follows is quite literally a feast for the voyeur. From languid morning makeouts to photoshoots that are silent save for the click of a camera and heavy breathing, this film is for those who, like Charlie, prefer to watch. Forever at ease behind the camera, Charlie is alarmed to find out that someone is watching her, and it could lead to her demise. This film draws inspiration from classics such as Hitchcock’s Rear Window and Antonioni’s Blow Up, and features a diverse cast and intimate portrayals of queer sex in Houston’s signature cinematic style. Snapshot is a rare treat. Make sure you come hungry.
Southern California, 1993: a Star Trek–obsessed 12-year-old girl is navigating life with both the inherent queasiness of adolescence and the instability of her schizophrenic single mother. All the while, she harbors a fierce longing to escape the ramifications of puberty, to grow into a strapping, bearded man. Out of nowhere, her mother takes her on a spontaneous road trip that ranges from the glittery ocean waves of San Diego to the eerie gravestones of Arlington National Cemetery, ending in kidnapping charges. It sounds like a whirlwind of a journey, and it most certainly is. Though nearly wordless, Torrey Pines uses its sonic palette judiciously, with unexpected details like tigers flying from the mouths of people arguing. Three years in the making, director Clyde Petersen’s mashup features stop-motion animation, ’90s pop culture references, and an original soundtrack produced by Chris Walla. The film is at once intimate and expansive, capturing Petersen’s real life coming-of-age story (as extolled in the title song he co-wrote with musician Kimya Dawson) with humor and humanity.
DIR Melissa Finell 2016 USA 87 min
—NATALIE MULFORD
DIR Shine Louise Houston 2017 USA 67 min
— TAYLOR J. HODGES PRECEDED BY:
You’ve Got Tail DIR Danny Tayara 2016 USA 5 min A mail carrier is in for a salty surprise! The pups at this house are a little friendlier than he was expecting.... This program contains sexually explicit material.
Wednesday, June 21, 9:30 pm · Elmwood $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · SENS21E Saturday, June 24, 6:30 pm · Victoria $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · SENS24V sponsored by
DIR Clyde Petersen 2016 USA 60 min
—MORDECAI STAYTON PRECEDed by:
OPEN RECESS DIR AMY XU 2016 USA 3 MIN A nostalgic animated documentary about a childhood romance between two girls. #PRIDE DIR LOUISA BERTMAN 2016 USA 4 MIN Growing up, surrounded by homophobia, an emotional animated music video. CHROMOSOME SWEETHEART DIR HANOMI YANO 2017 JAPAN 5 MIN A poetic meditation on the complexity of love between women. VENUS – FILLY THE LESBIAN FAIRY DIR SAVIO LEITE 2017 BRAZIL 6 MIN A fairytale based on a poem from a book of feminist erotic poetry. TITS. DIR LOUISA BERTMAN 2015 USA 5 MIN Simply, a gorgeous animated short about tits. TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 84 MIN
Friday, June 23, 9:15 pm · Victoria $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · SNAP23V
Friday, June 23, 7:00 pm · Roxie $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · TORR23R sponsored by
US Features 53
EPISODIC
BEARDS
BROWN GIRLS
From 1940s Hollywood to New Age Connecticut, these funny, poignant tales of couples trying desperately to fit into heteronormative constraints while denying their true desires will make you chuckle even as they tug at your heartstrings. Episode one: Repressed housewife May lives with her insufferably chill husband, Greg, in their pristine Joshua Tree bungalow. She yearns for her stuntwoman pen pal, Polly, whose letters get May hotter than the desert sun. One evening, the neighbors come to dinner, and the foursome gets thrown for a lasso when Polly makes a surprise entrance. Episode two: In this scathingly funny send-up of delusional hipsters, Noah and Anya act like the perfect New Age, compostconscious couple, until Noah becomes enamored with his Moth storytelling coach. When Anya’s brother and his partner come to dinner, Anya takes Noah to task with an uncontained spite that shatters her fragile veneer of progressive open-mindedness. Episode three: Take one hard-partying couple, add a nurse dressed as a clown, throw in some chocolate cake, and you have…a complete and utter mess of epic proportions. Episode four: Noah and Anya’s surprisingly sweet backstory is revealed through Noah’s Moth story. Or is it? Nothing is as it seems in this fraught and edgy followup to the world’s most hypocritical hipster couple, and the final victim is discovered in the last place you’d think to look. Episode five: It’s the1940s and Hollywood actors in a sham marriage have to face the music—and their own consciences. Will Vivian throw over her jazz musician lover? Will Hugh dump his cute live-in beau whose secret bedroom romps with Hugh risk exposure from leering paparazzi?
Single Girls Club friends Leila and Patricia navigate the challenges and glories of Tinder dates, family expectations, casual dating you wish wasn’t quite-so-casual, and committing to yourself above all the noise, in this kind and quietly revelatory episodic that centers on the intimate friendship of two young women of color. Leila and Patricia, along with their shade-throwing pal Victor, navigate lifeafter-college-but-before-artistic-success in Chicago, surrounded by community but ultimately each other’s own pocket of home. This seven-episode first season of Brown Girls is entertaining and heartfelt, with relevant themes of identity, culture, and purpose through a lens of twentysomethings searching for the right commitment. From expert exiting of dates with the skill of a thousand unapologetic, sex-positive, no-time-for-nonsense black feminists, to coming for your sorta-ex-bae’s date at a party, to deciding just when you’re going to fight for your own happiness, Brown Girls features layered and personal storylines. With moments of laugh-out-loud hilarity coupled with challenging conversations with chosen and blood family, the season ultimately strikes a steady note throughout episodes that are as varied as the main characters themselves. Featuring the creative forces of writer Fatimah Asghar and director Sam Bailey, with a soundtrack featuring black and brown artists like Jamila Woods and Lisah Mishrah, Brown Girls celebrates and centers black and brown creators and narratives from production to product, sure to leave audiences ready for a second season.
— VICTORIA JASCHOB
Sunday, June 18, 9:30 pm · Elmwood $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · BROW18E
Wednesday, June 21, 9:30 pm · Victoria $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · BEAR21V
Tuesday, June 20, 7:00 pm · Roxie $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · BROW20R
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DIRs Lisha Brooks & Dan Robert 2017 USA 55 min
54 Frameline41
DIR Sam Bailey 2017 USA 72 min
— SOPHIA LANZA-WEIL
DISPATCHES FROM CLEVELAND
THE F WORD
MORE THAN T
Colorful and fuzzy toys cover every available surface of the gazebo, serving as a makeshift memorial for 12-year-old Tamir Rice, another life taken by state-sanctioned violence against black Americans. The authorities could have said anything about the youth, if not for the surveillance cameras…and even with them, local prosecutor Tim McGinty still shifted blame to a child for his own death. The Rice case both begins and weaves through Dispatches from Cleveland, a moving docuseries with five short chapters that showcase how intersecting social justice movements are empowering marginalized groups, including those within the transgender community. In Cleveland, twenty-one percent of homes are vacant. The population is decreasing, and the economic disparity between races is appalling. Through interviews with local activists and the Rice family, we see community organizing and revitalization, demands for transparency and accountability within a flawed justice system, efforts to increase voter participation, and endeavors to bring together groups that have more in common than they realize. As the city mourns Tamir, they must also mourn Cemia ‘Cece’ Dove, a trans woman who was killed and then, after her death, incorrectly gendered and vilified in public discussions. It is impossible to talk about the victims of a broken system without including the marginalized of the marginalized. A testament to the resilience and untapped power of a unified community, this series shows how civil disruption and operating outside the current power structure are necessary for change.
Oakland couple Kristan and Nicole are ready to move beyond casual neighborhood baby-watching and make the leap into the world of parenthood. To expand their family, they’re venturing into the complicated system of foster-to-adopt care, and with this heartfelt and humorous documentary web series, they invite us to join them on the journey. It’s immediately apparent that Kristan and Nicole are a loving, thoughtful, and grounded couple, aware of the challenges of fostering and adoption as well as their own desires and fears. And while there’s clearly a demand for foster families (of the roughly half-million youths in the United States’ foster care system, nearly 112,000 are waiting for adoption), it’s not as simple as need plus opportunity. The bar is set very high for prospective parents, so with their trusty dog Rocky looking on apprehensively (often from beneath the couch) they embark on childproofing their apartment, meeting with social workers, and checking off the numerous other requirements of foster care eligibility. And then, they wait. That it can take months or years for a child to be placed with such a qualified couple is just one of the revelations of this thoughtprovoking, funny, and emotional series. Kristan and Nicole are open and candid with the camera throughout the rollercoaster process of approvals and potential matches, and as the project’s director, Nicole Opper (the Emmy-nominated filmmaker behind Off and Running, Frameline33, and Mezzo, Frameline40) mixes animation with interviews to craft a refreshingly grounded and moving series.
Finding one’s path in life is infinitely complex, yet many trans people are externally defined solely by that small part of their journey. Through textured vignettes, collaborators Silas Howard (Transparent, By Hook or By Crook) and Jen Richards (Her Story, Frameline40) illuminate themes of family, resilience, self-determination, and finding your calling, through the perspective of trans people of color. Defense attorney Mia Yamamoto, who was imprisoned in a Japanese American internment camp as a child, illuminates a fight for human dignity that includes—and goes beyond—her later-in-life gender transition. Reverend Louis Mitchell survived the decimation of his community during the start of AIDS, and now finds himself spiritual leader to white, straight, cisgender seniors who accept him in his entirety. Joanna Cifredo advocates for other trans women, refusing to rest until her story of survival is the norm and not the exception. Gizelle Messina teaches others how to find beauty in themselves—and at her MAC studio— finding family and self-acceptance through work that is more than skin-deep. Octavia Lewis mentors Ti’aira Chanel, her own experiences providing the basis for family and collaboration, while Charles Whitewolf finds his voice, chosen family, and inspiration through Theatre of the Oppressed NYC. The subjects of this affirming and uplifting Showtime documentary series embody the familiar themes of discovering and understanding not only oneself, but also the full life that can be created out of a struggle for survival.
DIR Catherine Gund 2017 USA 75 min
—ANGELIQUE SMITH
This film is a recipient of a Frameline Completion Fund grant.
DIR Nicole Opper 2017 USA 60 min
— LAURA HENNEMAN
DIR Silas Howard 2017 USA 54 min
— SOPHIA LANZA-WEIL
Sunday, June 18, 1:30 pm · Roxie $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · FWOR18R
Tuesday, June 20, 9:15 pm · Roxie $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · CLEV20R
Tuesday, June 20, 7:00 pm · Elmwood $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · FWOR20E
Sunday, June 18, 4:00 pm · Victoria $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · MORE18V
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Episodic 55
WOKE WOMEN MIXTAPE
BKPI, episodes 1-3 DIR Hye Yun Park 2017 USA 40 min 195 Lewis, Episodes 1-5 DIR Chanelle Aponte-Pearson 2016 USA 47 min
A deeply satisfying display of female comradery, desire, heartache, and joy is at the center of this tart and refreshingly subversive Brooklyn episodic two-for-one! Ruthless, relentless, and uncertified, BKPI is the private investigation crew of your dreams. Mo, a lesbian Korean American health aide, Dawn, an African American MTA worker, and Iram, an Arab American bodega owner, form BKPI to solve crimes for their immigrant neighbors in Brooklyn. From tracking and shaming the neighborhood flasher, to side-eyeing and shading clueless neighborhood gentrifiers, no criminal behavior is too tough for the crew to tackle. Give BKPI a call, and consider your case handled! A lesbian couple in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, is forced by lust and circumstance to face difficult truths about their polyamorous relationship, in the sexy, sharp dramedy 195 Lewis. Kris, newly arrived to the city, crashes at Yuri and Camille’s apartment, instantly causing tension between the couple. Anne, Camille’s sister and housemate, tells everyone she’s busy making music, but she’s really busy making a pass at every fine woman she sees. 195 Lewis is an intimate look at an interconnected group of lovers, family, and friends who are committed to radical, unabashed honesty. Layered storylines unfurl amidst scenes of lush parties, late-night hair braiding, and a nightmare sequence where warning smoke billows from genitals. Most importantly, this series poses a question we all want answers to: “How you gonna holla at someone with a bonnet on?” —TAYLOR J. HODGES
Saturday, June 17, 6:30 pm · Roxie $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · woke17R sponsored by
56 Frameline41
WORLD CINEMA
4 DAYS IN FRANCE
AGAINST THE LAW
APRICOT GROVES
DIR Jérôme Reybaud 2016 France 141 min In French with English subtitles
A powerful mix of biopic and documentary, Against the Law uses the story of gay rights activist Peter Wildeblood to explore the nearly forgotten world of gay men who lived in England in the 1950s, an era when homosexuality was illegal and gay men were aggressively persecuted and prosecuted. Actor Daniel Mays (The Adventures of Tintin, The Bank Job) plays Wildeblood, a shy journalist whose lover, under pressure from the police, denounces him as a homosexual. Wildeblood is caught up in what became an infamous 1954 trial that also targeted his well-known friends Lord Edward Montagu and Michael Pitt-Rivers. The resulting ordeal still seems shocking to contemporary audiences. But rather than silence Wildeblood, the experience radicalized him, and he went on to document it in a candid memoir that fueled a public discussion about homosexuality, contributing to its eventual decriminalization (in 1967) in the U.K. It’s a moving story (though some of Wildeblood’s notions about the “types” of gay men have not, thankfully, stood the test of time). The film is a product of the venerable BBC factual drama division, so the period details and performances are first-rate. But the real stars of this film are several gay men—now in their 70s, 80s, and 90s—who lived in England during that time. Interviews with these men appear throughout the drama, adding a deeply affecting personal touch to the film.
Older brother Vartan waits anxiously at the airport for his younger transmasculine brother, Aram, who is arriving from the United States where he has lived all his life. Aram has come to Armenia for just one day, to propose marriage to an Armenian girl he met in America. The handsome ArmenianIranian brothers must shoulder all the details for the traditional ritual—the suits, the flowers, the cognac, the sweets—themselves, since their father is dead. The girl’s father is unenthusiastic, even suspicious, as he grips Aram’s hand in a testing handshake, one of many moments of awkward tension at the meeting. But, haunted by a past regret, he eventually approves of Aram and his daughter’s marriage. Still, the betrothed couple whispers cryptic farewells under her father’s gaze. There are more stops and rituals for the brothers to consummate as they hit the road between Armenia and Iran, and the film skillfully layers subtle hints among their words, looks, and deeds. Whether the ending is a wonderful surprise depends on what you know and learn about these two countries, until now unlikely settings for a beautiful LGBTQ-inflected story about family, faith, brotherhood, and love. This debut feature was written and directed by Tehran-based Pouria Heidary Oureh, and reflects the endurance and complications of consummation amidst a plethora of conservative religious expectations.
JOURS DE FRANCE
Ambitious, sexy, and dryly humorous, 4 Days in France delineates a 36-year-old’s quest to see if the grass is greener away from his lover and their life together in Paris. One morning, after taking a look at his sleeping boyfriend, Paul, Pierre slips out of their flat and into a white Alfa Romeo that will take him through various hamlets and Alpine regions of France. With a hastily packed bag and his trusty iPhone, he looks for hookups on Grindr while traversing the stunning countryside. However, nothing is private in this modern age, and Paul, mystified and upset by Pierre’s disappearance, uses the dating app to track and follow him. Thus, Jérôme Reybaud’s witty debut alternates between being a languid chase film, a gorgeous road-trip movie, and a whimsical ode to sex with strangers. From young Matthieu, stuck in a small town and longing for Paris, to a philosophical traveling salesman, to a solitary female bookseller, there’s a chord of discontent among the men and women Pierre and Paul encounter, a suggestion that neither city nor country living, monogamy nor polyamory, can bring happiness. But as many people know, travel broadens the mind, and sometimes it’s better to look up at the glorious scenery passing by than down at one’s phone, because—as Pierre comes to realize—that special person we’re looking for may be just around the bend.
DIR Fergus O’Brien 2017 UK 84 min
DIR Pouria Heidary Oureh 2016 Armenia 80 min In Armenian and Persian with English subtitles
— PETER L. STEIN
— FRAKO LODEN
Thursday, June 22, 12:00 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · 4DAY22C
Saturday, June 24, 6:30 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · AGAI24C
Friday, June 16, 9:30 pm · Roxie $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · APRI16R
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—ROD ARMSTRONG
Monday, June 19, 9:15 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · 4DAY19C
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world cinema 57
THE BOOK OF GABRIELLE
CENTER OF MY WORLD
A DATE FOR MAD MARY
A graphic artist looks to an older erotic novelist for mentorship as she works on her book How to Do It—an illustrated sex manual with drawings but no instructions—and the intimate relationship that develops between them changes both her life and her perspective, in writer-director Lisa Gornick’s (Tick Tock Lullaby, Frameline31 [writerdirector]; The Owls, Hooters, Frameline34 [actor]) clever, voluble dramedy. Gabrielle (Gornick) has been familiar with Saul’s (Allan Corduner) books most of her life—he was a favorite of her parents. Despite their age difference and the fact that she is lesbian while he is straight, they click when they meet at a book signing. They have a few things in common: they are both obsessed with sex and are both secular Jews. But it is their differences that they find fascinating. Saul delights in Gabrielle’s description of her past affairs and her ongoing relationship with her younger girlfriend, Olivia (Anna Koval). Gabrielle is just as interested in exploring manhood through Saul. As their relationship unfolds, so does her book, in pen-and-ink drawings that reveal not only Gabrielle’s experiences— from childhood explorations, to young adult affairs with both men and women, to her current situation—but also her life. The question arises: Is Saul helping her find her artistic voice, or does she need to break from his patriarchy to find herself? The Book of Gabrielle answers that query with style, wit, and a measure of erotic heat.
DIR Jakob M. Erwa 2016 Germany 115 min In German with English subtitles
Mary has always been a firecracker—picking fights, mouthing off, and getting wasted at the pub with her best mate, Charlene. But after serving six months in lockup, Mary returns home to find that Charlene has moved on; she’s more interested in her upcoming wedding than in reliving old times. Wounded and lonely, Mary sets off on a series of progressively awkward (and unsuccessful) blind dates with local blokes to show Charlene she can find a date to her wedding. All seems lost until Mary meets Jess, the cute videographer (and folk singer) hired to film the wedding. After a few fits and starts, Jess and Mary get close one night, and Mary finds herself actually having feelings for someone. But when Jess suspects that Mary has something to prove and confronts her about it, their new ties begin to unravel, and Mary must choose between staying true to her old self and the chance to change. Seána Kerslake (Mary), Tara Lee (Jess), and Charleigh Bailey (Charlene) give nuanced performances in this universal story of shifting friendships and loyalties, and Tara Lee’s live musical performances are an added bonus. Written and directed by Darren Thornton, this feature set in Drogheda, Ireland, is a sweet and melancholic film about letting go of the past—in order to make room for your future.
DIR Lisa Gornick 2016 UK 80 min
—PAM GRADY
DIE MITTE DER WELT
In this audacious and sexy adaptation of a popular German novel, a self-confident teenage boy’s first dalliance with true love is challenged, and his unconventional family is nearly upended, by romantic betrayal and the unearthing of childhood secrets. After a summer trip to French-language camp, the blond, delicately handsome, and emotionally attuned Phil returns to his family’s sprawling mansion (dubbed Visible) immediately following a destructive storm. Cursorily concerned with the extent of the damage, he discovers that his free-spirited single mother, Glass, and increasingly distant twin sister, Dianne, aren’t on speaking terms. In no rush to confront them during the carefree final days of his summer holiday, Phil escapes the mounting family tension in favor of some mindless fun with his ebullient best friend, Kat. As the new school year gets underway, the smoldering, athletic Nicholas arrives, immediately catching Phil’s eye both in class and out. Their flourishing desire is mutual, and flashbacks reveal that the boys’ life paths intersect more than once. As the film oscillates between past and present, the unsettling repercussions of Glass’s unconventional parenting choices also come to light. Austrian writer-director Jakob Erwa embraces the story’s melodramatic twists and doesn’t shy away from a sex-positive and full-frontal depiction of his confidently assured lead actors, taking the bold stylistic risks necessary to woo the young and the young at heart.
DIR Darren Thornton 2016 Ireland 82 min
—NATALIE MULFORD
— CHRIS KEECH
Sunday, June 18, 6:30 pm · Victoria $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · MARY18V Thursday, June 22, 9:30 pm · Roxie $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · BOOK22R
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EXTRA TERRESTRIALS
HANDSOME DEVIL
JESUS IS DEAD
DIR Carla Cavina melÉndez 2016 Venezuela, Puerto Rico 113 min In Spanish and English with English subtitles
An unlikely yet authentic bond develops between two teenage boys at an Irish boarding school, in this charming, rugbycentric dramedy from talented Irish writerdirector John Butler. Sixteen-year-old Ned, with his spiky dyed red hair and ambiguous sexuality, is the music-geek outcast more smitten with David Bowie than with kicking balls around the pitch. Given his reluctance to attend the school and his frequent skirmishes with the resident jock bully, Ned goes to great lengths to distance himself from his athletic new roommate, the handsome Conor, who is struggling to reconcile his own conflicting interests. The film has buoyant comic flair but doesn’t shrink from tackling homophobia amid a few refreshing dramatic detours. Handsome Devil’s breezy take on the well-mined boys’-school and coming-ofage genres is grounded in the expository voiceover narration provided by Ned, played with scrappy enthusiasm by Fionn O’Shea in a winning performance reminiscent of a young Jamie Bell. O’Shea was recently nominated for a Rising Star Award at the 2017 Audi Dublin International Film Festival for his role in Handsome Devil. The two leads have a fantastic rapport, and there are affecting performances by Irish actors Andrew Scott (Sherlock, Pride), as the boys’ gay English teacher, and Michael McElhatton (Game of Thrones), as the school’s headmaster. The eclectic soundtrack features Big Star, Prefab Sprout, and Rufus Wainwright. Butler has even curated a Spotify playlist for fans of the film’s music.
DIR Victor Villanueva 2016 Philippines 90 min In Tagalog with English subtitles
EXTRA TERRESTRES
A daughter’s return home, after many years’ estrangement, to announce her engagement coincides with a catastrophe in her family’s poultry business. These two events set off a chain reaction that will either unite or destroy her fractious clan, in Puerto Rican writerdirector Carla Cavina Meléndez’s dazzling, indelible feature debut. Long at war with her authoritarian father, Arcadio (Sunshine Logroño), astrophysicist Teresa (Marisé Alvarez) puts her coming out on hold to help him save his company when new trade regulations and corrupt officials threaten its existence. In the meantime, Teresa’s mother, Genoveva (Elba Escobar); sister, Andrea (Laura Aleman); and brother, Junior (Yamil Callazo), all have secrets of their own, and her young, space-obsessed nephew, Andrés (Mauricio Alemañy), is working on a furtive project. What Teresa and her fiancée, Daniela (Prakriti Marduro), study through their high-powered telescope on the Canary Islands is the Andromeda galaxy, and Cavina Meléndez punctuates her elegant, impeccably acted domestic drama with gorgeous shots of fiery, exploding stars. The meaning of these images and the film’s title is clear: these people are aliens, to one another, certainly, but also to themselves. When Daniela arrives to reunite with Teresa at the same time Andrés puts a dangerous plan in motion, the stage is set for an explosion that will either bring the family together or jolt them into separate trajectories. —PAM GRADY
DIR John Butler 2016 Ireland 95 min
— CHRIS KEECH
Saturday, June 17, 9:15 pm · Roxie $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · EXTR17R
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PATAY NA SI HESUS
Exhausted and overworked both at home and on the job, Iyay reluctantly hits the road in her decrepit multicab to pay last respects to her estranged husband Jesus, the father of her kids: transman Jude, Bert the dancer with Down Syndrome, and failure-to-launch Jay. Judas the dog and other unexpected guests hop on board in a seemingly solemn journey that quickly implodes into a series of hysterical, madcap misadventures. Director Victor Villanueva rolls out a touching and utterly unique seriocomic take on the family road trip, paying homage to the broke-down minivan exploits of Little Miss Sunshine while adding his own mischievous, queer stylings. For Iyay, her journey into a painful past pushes her closer to the brink of hysteria. But the kids aren’t thinking of their absentee father, whose prolonged absence left them nothing but a whole host of personal problems, all of which come to a head once they are trapped inside their mother’s cramped car. Along the way, the family gains and loses an assortment of oddball passengers, each of whom leaves behind bizarre, occasionally profound new dimensions of humor and heartache that turn this slapstick road movie into a deeper meditation on family and selfacceptance. Whether it’s an unorthodox nun desperate to shed her habit and cloistered way of life, an unsuspecting serial killer, or an assortment of drunks who initially harass and then befriend a love-sick Jude, the road trip at the heart of Jesus Is Dead works lovingly as microcosm for familial discord, loyalty, and affection.
Monday, June 19, 9:15 pm · Roxie $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · JESU19R
world cinema 59
JUST CHARLIE
LOVE
MAYBE TOMORROW
Fourteen-year-old British lad Charlie Lyndsay is a star soccer player at school, with a proud dad, a loving mum, a typically self-absorbed older sister, and a longtime best friend. So all of them think it’s pretty grand when a top club is interested in signing Charlie—all except Charlie, that is. While on the surface Charlie’s ideal professional future seems all but set, Charlie doesn’t want to be the golden boy they all imagine him to be. In fact, Charlie doesn’t want to be a boy at all. As adulthood looms large, Charlie instead decides that being true to herself is far more important than just fitting in. Despite the enormous resistance, intolerance, and outright hostility she encounters all around her—including from some of her own family members and close friends—she is steadfast in her efforts to live openly as the girl she’s always known herself to be. But her quest to finally be comfortable as her authentic self reveals a hard line between her allies and her antagonists that threatens to tear their entire family apart. Young newcomer Harry Gilby is brilliantly vulnerable and endearing as the brave and determined Charlie in this feature-length adaptation of director Rebekah Fortune’s short film Something Blue, which beautifully captures the range of emotions that swirl both within and around a young life in dramatic transition.
DIR Viet Max 2015 Vietnam 105 min In Vietnamese with English subtitles
DIR Samantha Lee 2016 Philippines 84 min In Filipino and English with English subtitles
DIR Rebekah Fortune 2017 UK 100 min
—JOANNE PARSONT
This film contains a scene depicting transphobic violence.
YÊU
Lesbian romance hits mainstream Vietnamese cinema with this landmark film, a deceptively sweet love story set in Saigon. Pop music stars Chi Pu and Gil Le play erstwhile childhood classmates who reunite after a decade as they try to pull their careers and family lives together. Prim pianoplaying brainiac Nhi and brash tomboy Tu bond over their harassment by a gang of mean girls. When Tu’s brother dies in an accident, driving their father to alcohol and unemployment, the friends must separate. Ten years later, they’re drawn back together by Tu’s determined pursuit of Nhi. Nhi has been carrying on a half-hearted romance with flamboyant rich boy Hoang and struggling to write songs in a three-woman band. Tu and Nhi again bond over their family crises, and Nhi declares her love for Tu to her resentful boyfriend—not realizing that her scandalous words will be shared on social media. Now Nhi and Tu must fight for their love against a society that considers them abnormal. The first mainstream Vietnamese lesbian film was a quick hit at the box office and won several awards. This sparkling romance takes place in Saigon’s convenience stores, wine bars, and luxury shops. But true happiness is found with understanding family, in pop music competitions, and—most of all—in being able to declare one’s love without fear. — FRAKO LODEN
BAKA BUKAS
Alex and Jess are typical, go-getting twentysomethings: embarking on glam careers, pounding back too many shots at their favorite bar, and making a mess of their romantic lives. Up-and-coming actress Jess has a series of boyfriends but relies on bestie Alex to rehash it all during their late night phone calls. Alex fits in on-again, off-again girlfriend Kate between photo shoots and pitching gay television concepts. She’s comfortable being gay—except she can’t bring herself to tell Jess that she likes girls. Are the two of them just a couple of codependent friends, or is the old crush on Jess that Alex has been concealing getting in their way? When Jess accidentally learns that her buddy is a lesbian, she’s a little shocked—and a lot intrigued. Mixing comedy and commentary, first-time feature director Samantha Lee has made a sassy romantic dramedy in warm pastels with an easy-on-the-eye cast of up-and-comers, giving audiences a refreshing look at lesbian life from a Filipina perspective. Alex learns that it’s all too easy to hide her true identity, and that staying open and staying sane are ongoing processes. Fortunately, Jess and Alex have plenty of friends for reality checks, from bitchy stylist Julo, to confident David, to Mother, an old-fashioned queen who tells Jess some tough truths about show business and the choices she must make. —MONICA NOLAN
Sunday, June 18, 7:00 pm · Elmwood $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · TMRW18E Saturday, June 17, 1:15 pm · Roxie $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · JUST17R sponsored by
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NOBODY’S WATCHING
SANTA & ANDRES
SCREWED
DIR Julia Solomonoff 2017 Argentina 102 min In English and Spanish with English subtitles
DIR Carlos Lechuga 2016 Colombia, France, Cuba 105 min In Spanish with English subtitles
DIR Nils-Erik Ekblom 2017 Finland 100 min In Finnish with English subtitles
NADIE NOS MIRA
Nico (Guillermo Pfening, Last Summer of La Boyita, Frameline34) is the handsome young star of a popular soap opera in his native Argentina. At the height of a blossoming career, he suddenly and mysteriously leaves Argentina (and his mentor-producer-lover, Martin) to pursue acting in New York. But the promise of film work and a permanent visa evaporates as Nico—too blond to play Latino, too heavily accented to play anything else—finds himself working odd jobs as a temporary immigrant and becoming more desperate, socially and financially, just to stay on the lowest rung of the American economic ladder. When his beautiful friend Andrea (Elena Roger, The Good German) suggests paying him to be her son’s nanny, Nico, though fond of the boy, wonders if becoming a “manny” will be the final blow to his self-image as an artist and a man. Ultimately, he must confront the real reasons he left Argentina and take steps toward reclaiming a sense of his own worth. Directed by Julia Solomonoff (Last Summer of La Boyita, Frameline34), Nobody’s Watching, which had its World Premiere at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, features strong acting, fluid direction, and a literate screenplay that smartly observes with an outsider’s eye the subtle boundaries that define class, race, and opportunity in contemporary America. The film’s intense but ultimately uplifting vision vividly highlights the immigrant experience, gay life, loneliness, and the role that “failure” can play as a stepping stone to self-discovery.
SANTA Y ANDRÉS
PIHALLA
—TIM SIKA
Andres (Eduardo Martinez) has two things going against him: he is gay and he is a counter-revolutionary writer living in 1983 Cuba. Ostracized and exiled by the government to a ramshackle hillside hut, Andres is nonetheless secretly at work on a new subversive book. When a political conference (ironically called a Peace Forum) comes to town, country girl Santa (Lola Amores), a member of the local informant committee, is assigned to monitor him for three days to prevent his causing any trouble. What begins as an antagonistic relationship between the two softens when Santa rescues Andres following a violent assault by his gay lover. Having recently broken up with her boyfriend, Santa tests the possibility of a friendship with Andres as both of these lonely people realize they have much more in common than meets the eye. Beautifully shot in a striking, simple style reminiscent of Antonioni, Santa & Andres features a suspense scene evocative of Hitchcock, and particularly resonant in view of the recent global rise in political populism. Exceptionally strong performances from the accomplished leads have garnered several film festival accolades including Best Acting awards for both Eduardo Martinez and Lola Amores at the 2017 Miami International Film Festival. Evocative mandolin music, poignant songs, and kinetic Cuban jazz on the soundtrack add to the cumulative momentum of a heartbreaking and powerful paean to human rights, as well as a love story set against roiling political and ideological upheaval.
Saturday, June 17, 9:30 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · NOBO17C
Thursday, June 15, 10:00 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · SANT15C
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— TIM SIKA
“It’s going to be a dry summer,” prognosticates one of the characters in director Nils-Erik Ekblom’s lyrical and poetic coming-of-age tale, Screwed. This remark— tinged with irony and metaphor—soon sets the stage for a distinctly sensual, beautifully shot, and sensitively acted drama about a young gay man on the cusp of adulthood. Because of an ill-advised rave thrown at home while the adults were away, 17-yearold sexually insecure Miku (Mikko Kauppila) is sentenced to spend the summer with his bickering parents at their private cottage. There, against the tranquil backdrop of the Finnish countryside, he encounters confident Elias (Valtieri Lehtinen), with whom he strikes up an intense friendship, one that leads to physical consummation and mutual self-discovery. Though familial dysfunction and relationship turmoil are at the heart of Screwed, its protagonist’s sexuality is refreshingly matter-of-fact. Says director Ekblom, “We wanted to show an uncensored version of the daily life of a young Finn on the brink of adulthood, who also happens to be gay. I wanted to make a movie where a character being gay is unremarkable.” He has artfully achieved that goal; also notable about Screwed is its ripe, crisp dialogue, its realistic depiction of a young gay man’s sexual awakening, and the tender and erotic interactions of its two main characters. Based on the personal experience of its young writer-filmmaker, Screwed displays a sophisticated directorial feel for mood and pacing that makes us eager to hear more from an intriguing new Scandinavian voice. —TIM SIKA
world cinema 61
SEVENTEEN SIEBZEHN
DIR Monja Art 2016 Austria 104 min In German with English subtitles
School is a hothouse of emotion, especially for 17-year-olds who tackle relationships as if love were a Rubik’s cube, trying new combinations, twisting, and turning until something clicks. Everybody wants something from Paula— whether it’s sex, love, or simply attention. Good girl Charlotte keeps eyeing her across the classroom, hormonal Ronald and nerdy Tim both try to date her, frenemy Lilli alternates between insults and flirts, and Tangler the teacher wants to enter her in a French competition. Paula makes her own tentative moves towards Charlotte, only to run up against Michael, Charlotte’s dull boyfriend. Awkward attempts to connect, missed signals, fantasies, heartbreak, and even helpless rage—this film captures adolescence in all its hormonal glory. Writer-director Monja Art’s debut takes a relaxed view of these goings on, her tranquil camera and beautifully composed images showing the scope of the rural environment and capturing quiet moments as well as drama: a solitary swim, domestic chores, and a late-night discussion of Wuthering Heights. Refreshingly, Paula’s unspoken but obvious preference for girls over boys is barely remarked on. When a woman teacher is assigned to chaperone Paula and Tangler to the French competition, Paula notes that the school worries about possible impropriety between her and her male teacher, but not between her and the woman teacher—and the woman teacher laughs and agrees. As this film demonstrates, whether one is gay, straight, bi, or questioning, 17 is an age best observed from the comfort of a theater seat. —MONICA NOLAN
THOSE WHO MAKE REVOLUTION HALFWAY ONLY DIG THEIR OWN GRAVES CEUX QUI FONT LES RÉVOLUTIONS À MOITIÉ N’ONT FAIT QUE SE CREUSER UN TOMBEAU
DIRS Mathieu Denis & Simon Lavoie 2016 Canada 183 min In French with English subtitles
“People do not see yet they are miserable. We will show them.” This bold provocation, emblazoned on a slate of billboard advertisements at the onset of Those Who Make Revolution Halfway Only Dig Their Own Graves, proclaims the riotous intent of the film’s four twentysomething leads. This scene of vandalism, which follows five opening minutes of black film leader, also announces the audacious agitprop vision of directors Mathieu Denis (Corbo) and Simon Lavoie (Le Torrent). Searingly radical in both content and form—with an inventive mix of documentary and drama, experimental tableaux, and even a mock intermission—Those lives up to the incendiary grandeur of its epic title. A fictionalized rendering of the aftermath of the 2012 “Maple Spring” student protests in Quebec, Those envisions the activist exploits of a hardcore splinter cell, a quartet operating under the telling aliases Giustizia, Tumulto, Ordine Nuovo and Klas Batalo—the latter played notably by Gabrielle Tremblay, who has the distinction of being the first transwoman nominated for an acting award at the Canadian Screen Awards. Living collectively, the foursome plot their assault on an anesthetized mainstream, occasionally catapulting rhetoric into action via anthrax hoaxes, public defacement, and makeshift explosives. But as time progresses, their message appears to be lost on the masses. Winner of the Best Canadian Feature prize at TIFF, Those bristles—from leader to credits—with sociopolitical savvy and artistic ambition. It is fiery fodder for those of us still reeling from the political realities of 2017.
TOM OF FINLAND
DIR Dome Karukoski 2017 Finland 115 min In Finnish and English with English subtitles
His iconic artwork—bulging biceps on sailors, rock hard buttocks on leathermen, clearly defined packages on pretty much everybody—was dismissed early on by detractors as fetish porn, but the priapic imagery of an unassuming Finnish illustrator named Touko Laaksonen (1920–1991) ended up in the collections of New York’s MoMA and was even celebrated on a Finnish postage stamp. More important, it defined a frisky, sweaty, and joyous masculine sexuality that transformed the self-image—and fantasies—of a button-down, mid-century gay male world. In this handsome dramatic biopic, director Dome Karukoski focuses less on the famous art of the man known simply as “Tom of Finland,” and more on the littleknown story of Laaksonen’s life: his powerful wartime experience with a uniformed Russian paratrooper—a decisive influence on his erotic fantasies; his early professional life working (closeted) at an ad agency alongside his devoted but homophobic sister, also an artist, who unwittingly invites his first great love into their shared home; his brushes with the police for the crime of cruising; and, after daring to send some of his secret erotic sketches to an American publisher, his sudden rise to fame. Aging over six decades as the slyly observant title character, Pekka Strang leaves a lasting impression as a man surprised by the success of his imagery, later mortified by accusations that his art ignored the AIDS epidemic, and relishing his work’s endurance as both good art and, in his words, “dirty drawings.” — PETER L. STEIN
— CURRAN NAULT
This film contains scenes depicting sexual violence.
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DOCUMENTARIES
100 MEN
DIR Paul Oremland 2016 New Zealand 95 min
Over the course of four decades, filmmaker Paul Oremland (Like It Is, Frameline22) documented his romantic and sexual encounters with roughly one hundred men. He preserved nearly all of these detailed recollections and has now threaded them together in an epic portrait of a gay life, told with a candid mixture of pain, nostalgia, and self-awareness. Oremland counts down his stumbling initiation into gay life in New Zealand, as the closeted son of a sternly Christian family. As each rendezvous clicks along, Oremland’s journey expands beyond his hometown—into the edgy gay London scene and then taking flight to other destinations throughout the world. Each hook-up, geographical setting, and time period fits into a larger context that transcends the filmmaker’s own life experience, and the film becomes a definitive historical assessment of gay male culture—from the “gay-ghetto” cruising era, to the queer punk movement, to the AIDS epidemic, and to our present-day Grindrdependent milieu. The remarkable achievement of 100 Men isn’t just its thorough and energetic spin on the past—though gorgeously revealing archival footage certainly brings 20th century sex roaring into full view. It’s Oremland’s constant reminder that the trials and tribulations experienced by gay men before the dawn of the 21st century profoundly molded and shaped who we are today. 100 Men becomes much more than a personal documentary about sex; it’s a testament to the relevance of queer history and its ability to shine fresh light on the modern gay community’s challenges and successes.
ABU (FATHER)
DIR Arshad Khan 2017 Canada 95 min In English and Urdu with English subtitles
Arshad Khan grew up in Islamabad, Pakistan, surrounded by a large, loving family. The Khan clan was simultaneously traditional and modern, embracing Western pop culture and new technology like video cameras while strictly adhering to patriarchal norms and expectations. Arshad’s father was an engineer who gave up the security of a military career for the freedom to pursue entrepreneurial ventures. But there was no freedom or place for young Arshad to confide his attraction to other boys, or his litany of confusing, clandestine, and heartbreaking encounters. He learned a bitter lesson: “There’s nothing but shame when you fall in love in Pakistan. Nothing but shame.” After his father’s business ventures failed, the family immigrated to a nondescript suburb of Toronto in 1991. Arshad was 16, in the midst of his angsty teen years, and he gravitated to queer noncomformists— especially when he started college—for comfort and counsel. But even as he became more comfortable with his sexual identity, Arshad couldn’t broach the subject with his parents. They had traded assimilation for fundamentalism as his father immersed himself in conservative Muslim teachings. Arshad recounts his poignant journey with generosity rather than rancor, which is all the more remarkable when he talks about being molested as a child. Blending original animation, movie clips, and snippets of melodramatic pop songs with a trove of home movie footage, Arshad has crafted a moving self-portrait of acceptance. —MICHAEL FOX
— HARRY VAUGHN
Wednesday, June 21, 1:15 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · 100M21C
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Documentaries 63
ALABAMA BOUND
BONES OF CONTENTION
“Why Alabama?” friends ask. “You must be crazy.” For lesbian couples living in a deeply conservative state, where same-sex families have no legal protections against discrimination, these are not unfamiliar words. When it comes to Southern hospitality, Alabama seems to have little to offer the women featured in Carolyn Sherer’s stirring and empowering documentary. But that certainly doesn’t keep them from fighting relentlessly for their rights. After Cari is denied access to her hospitalized infant son, she and her wife Kim spend just under a decade battling for her to legally become his mother. When Kinley loses custody of her son strictly because of her sexual orientation—despite his being physically abused by his stepmother while living with his father—she and her wife Autumn never lose hope of getting him back. Meanwhile, in the Alabama State House, the affable but aggressive Patricia Todd takes on the political establishment (that is, the white, heterosexual, male, conservative Christian patriarchy) as the first openly gay state representative in Alabama—and the lone legislative voice of its LGBTQ community. While the nation has moved rapidly toward marriage equality for all, Alabama, led by fiercely religious Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, harks back to the Civil Rights era with its intolerant resistance to progress. But with her sharp focus on the strengths and successes of these steadfast Southern lesbians, Sherer highlights the little bit of rainbow in this deeply red state.
The dark history of Spain’s Franco era, including the punishing persecution of the LGBTQ community, is the subject of this absorbing and unsettling documentary. Filmmaker Andrea Weiss (Escape to Life: The Erika and Klaus Mann Story, Frameline25) crafts a thorough and thoughtful portrayal of how a fascist regime affected multiple generations. This moving documentary is centered around the poetry and actions of famed Spanish poet Federico García Lorca, a longtime symbol of the gay movement in the Franco dictatorship. His words capture the heart and soul of a country that still struggles to confront its bloody past. Weiss builds this complicated story through interviews with contemporary thought leaders and people who lived through the traumatic Franquismo era. First-person stories and shocking film footage paint the picture of a society in which gay men and gender-nonconforming people were consistently beaten and arrested. All of this horrific history leads to a modern-day discussion about the best way to raise the voices of more than 120,000 victims of the Franco regime, including García Lorca, who are buried in unmarked graves across the country. This tangible representation of a country’s suppressed identity, and its attempts to exhume its history, is at the center of this powerful and profound documentary.
DIRs Carolyn Sherer & Lara Embry 2017 USA 83 min
DIR Andrea Weiss 2017 USA 75 min In Spanish and English with English subtitles
— BRENDAN PETERSON
—JOANNE PARSONT
THE FABULOUS ALLAN CARR DIR Jeffrey Schwarz 2017 USA 90 min
With a career spanning three decades, Allan Carr was a one-of-a-kind Hollywood power player. An ambitious and innovative producer, manager, party planner, and marketer, Carr built his grandiose reputation with a calculated flair for the hustle that earned him a fortune from the 1978 megahit musical Grease and the 1983 Broadway smash La Cage aux Folles. Born Allan Solomon in 1937, Carr was seduced by Hollywood and dreamed of reaching its upper echelon. He started out investing in theater and then worked in television for Hugh Hefner and revived AnnMargret’s career. He also helped launch the careers of Olivia Newton-John and Michelle Pfeiffer. Carr’s most spectacular film debacle was the 1980 homoerotic disco camp-fest Can’t Stop the Music, directed by Nancy Walker and starring Caitlyn Jenner, Valerie Perrine, and the Village People. With his own Egyptian-themed basement disco, Carr threw the glittery parties that helped define the glorious excess of the 1970s. Swimming in money, young men, and cocaine, he was a fixture on the celebrity talk-show circuit. Carr’s ultimate prize was on the horizon, but it all came crashing down after he produced 1989’s notoriously over-the-top Academy Awards ceremony. Director Jeffrey Schwarz (2015 Frameline Award Honoree; I Am Divine, Frameline37; Tab Hunter Confidential, Frameline39) is the perfect choice to immortalize Carr’s flamboyant, fairytale life. He’s gathered warm and witty remembrances from many of Carr’s friends and colleagues, including Bruce Vilanch, Lorna Luft, Marlo Thomas, and Steve Guttenberg. — CHRIS KEECH
Saturday, June 17, 11:00 am · Victoria $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · ALAB17V
Saturday, June 17, 4:00 pm · Victoria $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · BONE17V
Sunday, June 18, 4:00 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · FABU18C
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Pull out guide
Film Schedule /frameline /framelinefest @ framelinefest #FL41 Premier
Premier Creative
Premier Hotel
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE Thursday 6.15
Friday 6.16
Castro
Castro
Roxie
Saturday 6.17
Victoria
Roxie
Victoria
11:00 am Fun in Boys Shorts
11:00 am Small Talk
11:00 am Alabama Bound
FIBS17C p.70
1:30 pm Flirting with Disaster
1:15 pm Fun in Girls Shorts
FLIR16C p.70
4:00 pm Dating My Mother
DATI16C p.50
REAR16R p.72
Q
10:00 pm Santa & Andres SANT15C p.61 W
9:15 pm Saturday Church
9:30 pm Opening Night Gala at Terra Gallery
SATU16C p.52 U
OPEN15T p.21
9:15 pm The Feels
9:30 pm Apricot Groves
W
REME16V p.67
FEEL16V p.50
6:30 pm God’s Own Country D
U
GODS17C p.43
9:30 pm Nobody’s Watching NOBO17C p.61 W
Wednesday 6.21 Castro
APRI16R p.57
S
7:00 pm Remembering the Man
Roxie
Victoria
Thursday 6.22
Elmwood
Castro
Roxie
S
SMAL17R p.67 D
1:15 pm Just Charlie
S
JUST17R p.60 W
3:45 pm Seventeen
BEHI17C p.39
7:00 pm Realness & Revelations
ARCH16C p.38
MAUP15C p.21
3:45 pm Behind the Curtain: Todrick Hall
U
6:30 pm The Archer
7:00 pm The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin
FIGS17C p.71
S
Sunday 6.18
Castro
ALAB17V p.64 D
WOKE17R p.56 E
BONE17V p.64
4:00 pm The Fabulous Allan Carr
7:00 pm The Wound
BYHO17V p.37 s
WOUN18C p.47
PUNK17V p.66
Elmwood
9:15 pm Tom of Finland TOMF18C p.62 W
FWOR18R p.55
E
3:45 pm Desert Hearts
FABU18C p.64
D
LEGO18R p.73 F
1:30 pm The F Word
9:15 pm Extra Terrestrials 9:30 pm Queercore: EXTR17R How to Punk a p.59 W Revolution
Victoria
D
GIRL18C p.42
6:30 pm By Hook or By Crook
11:00 am The Lego Movie
1:30 pm Girl Unbound
HAND17V p.59 W
6:30 pm Woke Women MixTape
11:00 am The Lavender Scare
1:30 pm Handsome Devil
4:00 pm Bones of Contention
Roxie
LVND18C p.65
SEVE17R p.62 W
Castro
D
DESE18R p.37 s
6:45 pm Woman on Fire WOMA18R p.68 D
9:15 pm Quest
QUES18R p.66 D
D
Piedmont
Friday 6.2
Castro
12:00 pm 4 Days in France 4DAY22C p.57 W
1:15 pm 100 Men
1:30 pm Up Close & Personal
100M21C p.63 D
4:00 pm Remembering the Man
UPCL23C p.72
3:30 pm Real Talk on Representation
3:30 pm Abu (Father)
REME21C p.67 D
WORL23C p.73 S
6:30 pm Becks
BECK21C p.23 C
7:00 pm Bi Candy BICA21R p.69 S
6:30 pm Strong Island
CENT21C p.58 W
9:30 pm Transit Havana
HAVA21R p.68 D
P2 Frameline41
9:30 pm Beards
6:30 pm Whitney. “Can I Be Me”
7:00 pm Realness & Revelations
STRO21V p.68 D
REAR21E p.72
9:15 pm Center of My World
S
4:00 pm Worldly Affairs
ABUF22C p.63 D
PNL221R p.35
BEAR21V p.54
E
9:30 pm Sensitivity Training
S
WHIT22C p.46
9:30 pm Hello Again
SENS21E p.53
U
HELL22C p.51 U
7:00 pm Beach Rats RATS22R p.49 U
9:30 pm The Book of Gabrielle BOOK22R p.58 W
7:00 pm Maybe Tomorrow TMRW22V p.60 W
9:15 pm Homegrown HOME22V p.71 S
7:00 pm Hot to Trot HOTT22E p.65 D
6:30 pm Signature Move
7:00 pm Chavela
SIGN23C p.44
CHAV22P p.27 C
9:30 pm 9:30 pm Extra Terrestrials The Death and EXTR22E Life of Marsha P. p.59 W Johnson DEAT22P p.40
9:15 pm Alaska Is a Drag DRAG23C p.49 U
Victoria
Monday 6.19
Elmwood
Castro
Roxie
Victoria
Tuesday 6.20
Elmwood
Castro
Roxie
Victoria
Elmwood
11:00 am Hot to Trot HOTT18V p.65 D
1:30 pm Coming Up Queer
1:30 pm Prom King, 2010
COMI18V p.69
4:00 pm More Than T
MORE18V p.55
1:30 pm Portraits of Resistance
PROM19C p.52 U
S
PORT20C p.71 S
4:15 pm Looking for Langston
E
MARY18V p.58 W
CHAV19C p.27 C
TMRW18E p.60 W
9:00 pm Homegrown
9:15 pm 4 Days in France
9:30 pm Brown Girls
HOME18V p.71 S
4DAY19C p.57 W
BROW18E p.54 E
23
Roxie
Victoria
7:00 pm Transtastic TRAN19R p.72 S
6:30 pm Screwed SCRE19V p.61 W
Piedmont
9:15 pm Jesus Is Dead JESU19R p.59 W
Castro
NODR24C p.66 D
9:15 pm Discreet DISC19V p.50 U
Roxie 11:30 am TBA 1 TBA124R
1:15 pm Mansfield 66/67 MANS24C p.65 D
3:45 pm The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson DEAT24C p.40
7:00 pm Torrey Pines
REBE23V p.67 D
TORR23R p.53 U
7:00 pm Girl Unbound GIRL23P p.42
6:30 pm Against the Law AGAI24C p.57 W
9:15 pm A Million Happy Nows MILL23R p.51
9:15 pm Snapshot U
SNAP23V p.53 U
9:30 pm The Archer ARCH23P p.38
9:00 pm Freak Show FREA24C p.41
6:30 pm I Dream in Another Language
7:00 pm Desert Hearts DESE19E p.37 s
IDRE20C p.25 C
Saturday 6.24 11:00 am No Dress Code Required
6:30 pm Rebels on Pointe
s
6:30 pm Chavela
7:00 pm Maybe Tomorrow
PNL120R p.35
STUM20C p.45
LOOK19C p.37
6:30 pm A Date for Mad Mary
3:30 pm Online & Out the Door
4:00 pm Stumped
2:30 pm Love
LOVE24R p.60 W
DEVI19E p.70
Victoria 11:00 am Flirting with Disaster FLIR24V p.70 S
1:30 pm Nobody’s Watching NOBO24V p.61 W
4:00 pm Dating My Mother 5:30 pm The Devil Is in the Details DEVI24R p.70 S
DATI24V p.50 U
8:00 pm Those Who Make Revolution Halfway Only Dig Their 9:15 pm Own Graves TBA 2
TBA224V
7:00 pm The F Word
9:15 pm Handsome Devil
9:15 pm Woman on Fire
FWOR20E p.55
E
9:15 pm Dispatches from Cleveland
MYFR20C p.51 U
S
PRIN20V p.52 U
BROW20R p.54 E
CLEV20R p.55
E
HAND20V p.59 W
WOMA20E p.68 D
Sunday 6.25
Piedmont
Castro
11:00 am Fun in Girls Shorts FIGS25C p.71 S
12:00 pm Fun in Girls Shorts
FIGS24P p.71 S
1:30 pm Fun in Boys Shorts FIBS25C p.70 S
2:15 pm The Lavender Scare
LVND24P p.65 D
4:00 pm Santa & Andres
4:30 pm A Date for Mad Mary
SANT25C p.61 W
MARY24P p.58 W
6:30 pm Sensitivity Training SENS24V p.53 U
REVO24R p.62 W
9:15 pm My Friend Dahmer
9:30 pm The Devil Is in the Details
6:30 pm Princess Cyd
7:00 pm Brown Girls
6:45 pm Signature Move
7:00 pm After Louie
SIGN24P p.44
AFTE25C p.31
Q
9:15 pm Alaska Is a Drag
9:30 pm Closing Night Party at Oasis
DRAG24P p.49 U
Q Opening/Closing C
Centerpiece
s retrospective Showcase U
US Feature
E
episodic
W
World Cinema
D
Documentary
S
Shorts program
F
Family matinee
Panel
CLOS25O p.31
frameline.org P3
Text your vote
Support LGBTQ filmmakers... text us your Festival favorites! Vote with your fingertips and support your favorite films as they compete for the Frameline41 AT&T Audience Awards. Filmmakers can receive cash prizes for Best Feature, Best Documentary, and Best Short to fuel their filmmaking dreams. It’s up to you! If you like what you see, send the film’s text voting code (listed on the Frameline41 mobile film schedule and at frameline.org/festival) to the phone number 55333. You’ll have six hours after the start of the screening to vote, and you can vote for as many films as you want! But, to keep it fair, you can only vote once for each film. For those without text-messaging capabilities, a small number of paper ballots will be available upon request in the lobby. Standard messaging rates may apply (a small price to support LGBTQ film).
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THE LAVENDER SCARE
Four international dancers go all out in the same-sex ballroom dance competition at the 2014 Gay Games. Their dedicated journeys include changing roles and partners, facing illness, affirming identity, and finding love— on and off the dance floor. Same-sex ballroom dancing is a daring, elegant twist on an inherently heterosexist form. Here men dance with men, and women dance with women. Leader and follower roles are filled by the more suitable partner, which can change from dance to dance. Beneath fabulous costumes and makeup, same-sex ballroom dancing is radical as “a vertical expression of a horizontal desire.” Costa Rican Ernesto loses a dance partner to illness and finds a new partner just months before the April Follies competition in Oakland. Russian Nikolai is more recently out and just entering the same-sex dance world after many years as a mainstream ballroom champion. They must navigate differences in their personal and cultural styles, as well as the legacy of homophobic upbringings and past drug abuse. New Zealander Kieren and American Emily enjoy a simpatico commitment and trust from partnering over the years. Their main concern is managing Emily’s type 1 diabetes, which strongly affects her mood and energy level. When Keiren is pulled away by career concerns, Emily’s lessexperienced girlfriend, Katerina, steps in. The competition is fast and furious, inspiring them all to dance their way into life’s next adventures with grit and grace. —CAROL HARADA
In 1953, newly elected President Eisenhower signed an executive order barring homosexuals and other so-called sexual perverts from working in the federal government, ushering in decades of paranoia, witch-hunts, and mass firings—an era described as the worst time in American history to be gay. Before it ended, this “lavender scare” cost thousands of federal employees their jobs and many their lives, but it also ignited the sparks of the modern gay rights movement. Based on the book by historian David K. Johnson, this powerful and illuminating documentary uses archival footage and firsthand accounts to trace the history of America’s Cold War panic over “commies and queers.” In riveting interviews with men and women who lost their jobs, as well as with federal employees charged with ferreting out suspected perverts, the filmmakers highlight the methods used to identify gays and lesbians and the grueling interrogation sessions that ruined many lives. But instead of destroying the gay and lesbian community, this ruthless campaign actually inspired a new generation of activists, including Frank Kameny, one of the most significant figures of the American gay rights movement. Although the stories of promising careers and lives ruined are infuriating, the film ultimately offers a timely reminder of the dangers of unchecked government action in the name of national security and of the resilience of the LGBTQ community in the face of an all-out assault on our civil liberties.
Sunday, June 18, 11:00 am · Victoria $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · HOTT18V
Sunday, June 18, 11:00 am · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · LVND18C
Thursday, June 22, 7:00 pm · Elmwood $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · HOTT22E
Saturday, June 24, 2:15 pm · Piedmont $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · LVND24P
Saturday, June 24, 1:15 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · MANS24C
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DIR Gail Freedman 2017 USA 88 min
DIR Josh Howard 2016 USA 88 min
— MICHAEL DUNN
MANSFIELD 66/67
DIRS P. David Ebersole & Todd Hughes 2017 USA 85 min
The effervescent, outsize life and tragic death of iconic blonde bombshell Jayne Mansfield—so much the embodiment of Tinseltown extravagance and scandal that she is pictured on the cover of Kenneth Anger’s notorious book Hollywood Babylon—are the focus of this marvelously peculiar film that’s mostly a documentary. Throw in some animation, dramatization, and interpretive dance, and we’re in new filmic territory here, darlings! Cinephiles won’t want to miss this chance to join Mansfield fans and fellow movie buffs like Peaches Christ, John Waters, and Kenneth Anger, as well as a host of experts across numerous disciplines, as they consider Mansfield’s contributions to film and to pop culture. Mansfield lived large, both in her custom-built “pink palace” on Sunset Boulevard and in the public eye— working the tabloids like no one before her ever had. After a merry romp through Mansfield’s oeuvre, Mansfield 66/67 settles on her relationship with San Francisco’s own Anton LaVey, the infamous founder of the Church of Satan. The pair shared a love of publicity (and perhaps something more), and the film explores the rumors that a curse LaVey placed on another man in Mansfield’s life was ultimately responsible for the horrific car accident that killed her. Mansfield 66/67 goes beyond the extravagant sex symbol’s candy-colored public persona and reveals the enigmatic woman who created it. San Francisco’s colorful connections to the film and to Mansfield’s life make it a fascinating must-see. —ELSA TOUCHE
Documentaries 65
NO DRESS CODE REQUIRED ETIQUETA NO RIGUROSA
DIR Cristina Herrera BÓrquez 2016 Mexico 92 min In Spanish with English subtitles
Victor and Fernando are in love and naturally want to take the next step. Unfortunately, in 2013 marriage equality is in its early stages and nonexistent where they live—in Mexicali, Baja California. They do not want to marry in more liberal Mexico City and are determined to fight for full citizenship at home. Director Cristina Herrera Bórquez offers an intimate embrace of Victor and Fernando, two humble men whose love and dedication deepen and expand as the fight for their own rights joins the greater movement for human rights for all LGBTQ Mexicans. Family collages and stories of growing up gay in a macho culture are deftly interspersed with the legal proceedings. As same-sex marriage attorney Alex says, for a gay person the fight to be treated with full respect in a homophobic society begins at birth. Both men had to find and accept themselves, with or without the help of family, in order to find each other and create a loving relationship. Together, Victor and Fernando are poised to become brave pioneers and moving spokesmen for the movement. Bórquez meticulously documents the seemingly endless journey through the bureaucratic maze meant to make the couple give up. Their dogged attorneys, Juan and Alex, patiently steer them around each legal obstacle. Devoted friends and family stand by them. The movement continues, but for one couple and all Mexicans, love wins! —CAROL HARADA
QUEERCORE: HOW TO PUNK A REVOLUTION DIR Yony Leyser 2017 USA 72 min
What happens when the community you need is not the community you have? Tell yourself it exists over and over, make fan zines that fabricate hordes of queer punk revolutionaries, create subversive movies, and distribute those movies widely—and slowly, the community you’ve fabricated might become a real and radical heartbeat that spreads internationally. This is the story that Queercore tells, from the start of a pseudomovement in the mid-1980s, intended to punk the punk scene, to the widespread rise of artists who used radical queer identity to push back equally against gay assimilation and homophobic punk culture. Interviewees discuss homophobia, gender, feminism, AIDS, assimilation, sex, and, of course, art. The extensive participant list includes Bruce LaBruce, G.B. Jones, Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, John Waters, Justin Vivian Bond, Lynn Breedlove, Silas Howard, Pansy Division, Penny Arcade, Kathleen Hanna, Kim Gordon, Deke Elash, Tom Jennings, Team Dresch, and many more. Encompassing a breadth of history and influence, Queercore ends with a glimpse towards Riot Grrl and artists like Peaches and The Gossip, who, inspired by queercore legacy, were next to take the stage. Underscoring the interviews are clips from movies, zines, concerts, and actions iconic to the movement. As steeped in the radical queer, anti-capitalist, DIY, and give-no-fucks approach as queercore itself, the movie reveals the perspectives and experiences of bands, moviemakers, writers, and other outsiders, taking audiences inside the creation of the community—and art— so desperately needed by the same queers it encompassed.
QUEST
DIR Jonathan Olshefski 2017 USA 106 min
Filmed over a decade in North Philadelphia, Quest hones 300 hours of footage into a compact, powerful documentary that left audiences cheering and in tears following its 2017 Sundance Film Festival premiere. Beginning before Barack Obama’s 2008 inauguration and closing in the midst of an increasingly divisive 2016 election, the film melds the personal and political through daily observations of a tight-knit African American family confronted by a barrage of inner-city setbacks. Quest is a remarkable feat of editing and vérité observation, but its lasting power comes from the deep well of trust established between subjects and filmmaker. With a single camera, director Jonathan Olshefski sets his sights on Christopher “Quest” Rainey; his wife, Christine’a (also known as “Ma Quest”); and their teen daughter, PJ, who, halfway through the film, comes out to her father in a refreshingly off-the-cuff manner. This blink-and-you-miss-it moment alone reveals a new generation beautifully indifferent to outdated gender and sexual norms. It’s PJ’s resilience, not just to stigmas about sexuality but also in response to a terrible accident that leaves her blind in one eye, that cements Quest as the ultimate portrait of survival in a country where black bodies risk physical harm on a daily basis. In an attempt to offset this grim reality, Rainey creates a safe haven of music in a makeshift studio in his home, where neighbors find time late at night to rap and rekindle a community-centered joy that’s so often diminished by institutionalized inequality and racism. —HARRY VAUGHN
— SOPHIA LANZA-WEIL
Saturday, June 24, 11:00 am · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · NODR24C
Saturday, June 17, 9:30 pm · Victoria $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · PUNK17V
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Sunday, June 18, 9:15 pm · Roxie $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · Ques18R
REBELS ON POINTE
REMEMBERING THE MAN
If the phrase “company man” has ever had a more satisfying ring, and I doubt it, it’s certainly never been embodied more gracefully in tutus and toe shoes. Bobbi Jo Hart’s warm and winning peek behind the scenes of New York’s world famous all-male Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo has the concentrated charm and energy to tempt even the most devoted corporate climber toward the nearest barre. Birthed more than 40 years ago in the Stonewall era, the Trocks, as they are affectionately known, today serve as cultural ambassadors of humor, understanding, inclusion and, yes, ballet—opening up the widely intimidating form to new audiences the world over through a canny overlay of gay sensibility and passionate knowledge of the art. Montreal-based documentarian Hart (I Am Not a Rock Star, 2012) follows the Trocks through their demanding touring season, capturing some exquisite onstage routines while focusing on the personal and familial lives of several of the dancers, including some company couples (a new and salubrious development according to former dancer turned artistic director Toby Dobrin). Along the way, Hart marshals admiring and insightful reflections from the likes of James Whiteside (American Ballet Theatre) and dance critics Gia Kourlas and Mary Brennan on the subversive high jinks and serious chops of this revolutionary ensemble of men in tights. Involving and elating, Rebels on Pointe ends up being a lively consideration of gender and art as well as a capacious story of family.
This beautiful, tragic love story will stir your soul and motivate your mind. Based on the 1995 memoir Holding the Man by Australian writer, actor, and activist Timothy Conigrave (a memoir that also inspired the Frameline40 drama of the same name), Remembering the Man is a profound portrayal of a passionate and complicated romance. Filmmakers Nickolas Bird and Eleanor Sharpe’s intimate documentary focuses on the fifteen-year relationship of Conigrave and John Caleo who met as Catholic high school students in 1970s Melbourne. The filmmakers take a unique approach, combining video footage, talking-head interviews and re-enactments to create a dynamic, engaging and emotionally charged experience that gets you into the hearts and minds of these astounding subjects and their heartbreaking story. Audio narration by Conigrave himself, from a 1993 interview, brings a haunting, authentic quality to the film. What starts as a sweet, fairytale of young love evolves into a real-world nightmare about the ‘80s AIDS pandemic and cruel examples of homophobia in Australia. It’s rare that a documentary can contrast deep flashes of emotional truth with enlightening insights about societal evils. By focusing on the specific details of this very personal relationship, the filmmakers uncover universal realities about love and loss that serve as an important document of a dark time in LGBTQ history and a hopeful reminder to work to make things better.
DIR Bobbi Jo Hart 2016 Canada 90 min
DIRS Nickolas Bird & Eleanor Sharpe 2015 Australia 83 min
— BRENDAN PETERSON
—ROBERT AVILA
SMALL TALK
RI CHANG DUI HUA
DIR Hui-chen Huang 2017 Taiwan 88 min In Taiwanese with English subtitles
Stories that our parents tell us can be selfserving or protective. But what if they tell us nothing? Taiwanese filmmaker Hui-chen Huang’s mother, Anu, keeps mum about their long-departed bum of a father and why she, a butch lesbian out to her friends, married him in the first place. In her intimate, Teddy Award–winning documentary, Huang finds ways to dismantle her mother’s secrecy and reveals a painful and surprising past. As her film begins, Huang knows only that, after her father’s suicide, Anu raised her and her sister by working as a “bad-ass priestess” in a group that performed mourning rituals at funerals. Anu was rarely there for the girls emotionally, leaving the children to go off gambling and socializing with her many girlfriends. Now that Huang has a daughter of her own and is living with her mother, she wants answers. In a series of uncomfortable, intense encounters, the filmmaker keeps an unflinching gaze on Anu’s refusal to open up about their past or explain the distance between them. A visit to Anu’s childhood village and siblings and interviews with Anu’s ex-girlfriends chip away at her stony wall of silence, drawing out stories of a loving, sexually generous, and popular woman. Small Talk is a film of deceptively narrow scope: while uncovering the details of their bond, Huang exposes the lives of three generations of Taiwanese women and showcases how film can act as a catalyst for confession, atonement, and change. — FRAKO LODEN
Friday, June 16, 7:00 pm · Victoria $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · REME16V Friday, June 23, 6:30 pm · Victoria $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · REBE23V
Wednesday, June 21, 4:00 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · REME21C
Saturday, June 17, 11:00 am · Roxie $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · SMAL17R
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Documentaries 67
STRONG ISLAND
DIR Yance Ford 2016 USA 107 Min
Strong Island is slang for Long Island, where filmmaker Yance Ford and his family grew up. Having fled the racism of the Jim Crow South during the 1960s, his parents hoped they would be freer from institutionalized injustice in their new neighborhood. But two weeks before the Rodney King riots, Yance’s 24-year-old-brother, William, was murdered by a white 19-year-old car mechanic. The killer, Mark Reilly, didn’t just get away with the crime; his fabrication—he claimed self-defense, though William was unarmed— allowed the grand jury to label him a victim and Yance’s brother the perpetrator of his own death. The Ford family retreated from this baffling miscarriage of justice into a prolonged period of silent grief and simmering anger—until now. Strong Island, so devastatingly clear-eyed in its formal and emotional directness, finds filmmaker Yance Ford in front of his own camera, piecing together the wreckage brought about by that fateful night in 1992. He revisits the police reports, and even attempts to get answers from the chief prosecutor of the case. The investigation gives way to stirring anecdotes regarding race and gender, through interviews with the surviving Ford family members and, most potently, through Yance himself, a transmasculine artist whom his brother knew only as a younger sister. Executiveproduced by Danny Glover and Laura Poitras (CitizenFour) and winner of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival’s Special Jury Award for Storytelling, Strong Island is a piercing work of self-reflection. —HARRY VAUGHN
TRANSIT HAVANA
DIR Daniel Abma 2016 Germany, Netherlands, Cuba 88 min In Spanish with English subtitles
Each year in Cuba, five people are selected for gender-confirmation surgery, leaving many more waiting for their opportunity. Daniel Abma’s documentary Transit Havana follows three Cubans over a year of anticipation and challenges, some related to the surgery and some related to daily life. In a distinctive environment, themes of selfacceptance and fulfillment are universal. Both celebratory and, at times, difficult, the film portrays the connected but vastly different lives of Juani, Malú, and Odette. Juani, the self-identified “first transsexual of Cuba,” was an original patient in the government-run program, but he hopes for an additional chance to improve his medical transition. Malú, a community advocate and educator for trans rights and inclusion, is known and largely accepted by her community, yet she has waited years to be selected. Odette, a former military tank operator who is now a goatherd, struggles to align her own sense of self with the vehement intolerance of her family and church—a conflict that threatens her chances for surgery. Transit Havana also touches on Mariela Castro in her role as Director of the Cuban National Center for Sex Education. Castro’s drive to integrate trans people into all aspects of Cuban society is the political force behind the surgical program, as well as a manifestation of her vision of inclusive human rights. Interspersed with shots of Havana life, this film explores the complexities of culture and desire as the three subjects wait to hear if this is their year. — SOPHIA LANZA-WEIL
WOMAN ON FIRE
DIR Julie Sokolow 2016 USA 85 min
Meet Brooke Guinan, a Long Island–born, third generation FDNY firefighter who happens to be transgender. Embracing her authentic self while being a part of “New York’s Bravest”—in the city, women make up less than one percent of the force—brings an extra set of challenges for New York City’s first trans firefighter. Among the folks that Brooke chooses as her role models? “Tough women who can kick ass and take names,” she says. The camera follows Brooke from LGBT rally to firehouse to her New Jersey home as she works to “create the woman I want to be.” Home footage highlights a conventional suburban childhood, complete with American flags and parties at the firehouse, while Brooke recounts her efforts to feel comfortable in her own skin against an all-too-familiar hybrid of bullying at school and incomprehension at home. Brooke’s parents, mixing expressions of support with unsparingly honest accounts of their initial dismay, give further insight into her life. In another narrative thread, Brooke and her boyfriend, Jim, move toward a deeper commitment as Brooke meets Jim’s parents for the first time. Woman on Fire investigates the interwoven dynamics of two families, the Guinans and the FDNY; at its heart is Brooke’s battle for self-determination and acceptance by both. As Brooke embraces her new role championing coalition building and diversity, it is clear this confident woman is not only following the family tradition, but also claiming it as her very own. —MONICA NOLAN
This film is a recipient of a Frameline Completion Fund grant.
Sunday, June 18, 6:45 pm · Roxie $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · WOMA18R Wednesday, June 21, 6:30 pm · Victoria $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · STRO21V sponsored by
68 Frameline41
Wednesday, June 21, 9:30 pm · Roxie $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · HAVA21R
Tuesday, June 20, 9:15 pm · Elmwood $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · WOMA20E sponsored by
SHORTS PROGRAMS
BI CANDY
COMING UP QUEER
The expectation- and binary-breaking shorts in this year’s batch of Bi Candy run the gamut from sultry and seductive to sweet and awkward. In Our Second First Date, a woman is magically forced to repeat the same date over and over again until she can make it go perfectly. Open Recess takes a nostalgic animated look back at a childhood romance between two girls. A married woman in her forties navigates a fine line between love and infatuation with her friend’s daughter, in Bird of Prey. In Last Night Was a Mistake, best friends, Alexa and Maya wanted stress-free trip to Vegas away from their significant others. Mix in plenty of alcohol and a visit to a wedding chapel to see that what happens in Vegas can have lasting consequences. Created as part of the 2017 Outfest Fusion One Minute Movie Competition, More Love. Less Prepackaged Bullshit. is an invocation calling in Assata Shakur, Chuck D, and Angela Davis. In Climax, a young man convinced of his heterosexuality goes home with a girl, but he discovers that the she was not what he expected. Freddie gets a Spear-itual awakening when he joins an anonymous support group for closeted Britney Spears fans, in Britney-holics Anonymous: A Spearitual Awakening.
In Frameline’s third annual Coming Up Queer shorts program, teens and youth of all ages and all places are centered in narrative and documentary stories that examine what it means to come up queer today, and how adults can either support or tear down queer youth by actions or inaction. In Superheroes, lesbian teen Jo comes to the rescue of Phil, who has been bullied once again in their German school. As the unlikely outcasts band together, will they find other kids willing to stand up and be heroes? A short conversation with a transwoman has a profound impact on young Mel in The Women’s Bathroom Project. In Imago, a 15-year-old makes the life-altering decision to never again let anyone bully them; not even their own father. In Escaping Agra we meet Naveen Bhat, a non-binary UC Davis college student held against their will in India when their gender identity is discovered. Naveen must battle their parents in court and piece their life back together in this short documentary about self-discovery and perseverance. Finally, in Creating Gender Inclusive Schools, the inclusive teaching methods of Gender Spectrum and students at the Peralta Elementary School in Oakland, California, help to demonstrate the power of open and honest conversations about gender within school settings.
TOTAL RUNNNG TIME: 75 MIN
CURATED BY ALLEGRA AND APRIL HIRSCHMAN
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 75 MIN
OUR SECOND FIRST DATE DIR EMI SCHAUFELD 2016 USA 12 MIN / OPEN RECESS DIR AMY XU 2016 USA 3 MIN / BIRD OF PREY DIR MARION HILL 2016 USA 19 MIN / LAST NIGHT WAS A MISTAKE DIR AMANDA HOLLAND 2017 USA 15 MIN / MORE LOVE. LESS PREPACKAGED BULLSHIT. DIR NEELU BHUMAN 2017 USA 1 MIN / CLIMAX DIR FULVIO BALMER REBULLIDA 2016 SWITZERLAND 15 MIN / BRITNEY-HOLICS ANONYMOUS: A SPEAR-ITUAL AWAKENING DIR JERELL ROSALES 2015 USA 10 MIN
—Alexis Whitham
Wednesday, June 21, 7:00 pm · Roxie $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · BICA21R
Sunday, June 18, 1:30 pm · Victoria free · COMI18V
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SUPERHEROES DIR VOLKER PETTERS, 2017 GERMANY 16 MIN / THE WOMEN’S BATHROOM PROJECT DIR ZACHARY CLARENCE 2016 USA 6 MIN / IMAGO DIR LIZ CARDENAS franke 2017 USA 8 MIN / ESCAPING AGRA DIR PALLAVI SOMUSETTY 2016 USA 24 MIN / CREATING GENDER INCLUSIVE SCHOOLS DIR JONATHAN SKURNIK 2016 USA 21 MIN This shorts program contains some strong language. This program is free and open to the public.
shorts Programs 69
THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS
FLIRTING WITH DISASTER
FUN IN BOYS SHORTS
These exquisite shorts from around the globe shine a light on love, relationships, and perceptions of gender, revealing stories of courage and desire. Drama and intrigue abound in these complex and beautifully constructed shorts that demonstrate just how far one will go to live their truth. First Love, based on a true story from South Korea, depicts two young girls who fall in love, and even though they are not out to the world, their relationship endures for forty years. They live a harmonious life, until one day something happens that challenges their long-term bond. In The Letter, Lupe, after many years of absence, returns to her small hometown in Mexico. She reencounters Rosalia, her best friend from childhood, and the letter she wrote when they initially said goodbye. The Devil Is in the Details is set in mid-19th-century France: Alexina, a trainee school teacher in a young girl’s convent, suffers from unbearable pains. After examination by a doctor who questions Alexina’s gender and subsequently decides that masculinity prevails, Alexina works to find their own path forward. In Etage X, set in Germany, an accidental meeting in an elevator that gets stuck at a department store leads two older women to their limits and forces them to improvise to extraordinary outcomes.
The potent combination of excitement and regret that comes with impulsive decisions in sex and love defines these seven provocative short male dramas. In the remarkably crafted The Mess He Made, a man reassesses everything as he awaits the results of a rapid HIV test. The infuriatingly mixed messages from a cute but potentially sociopathic millennial force an older man to choose between hopping into bed with him and bailing in the darkly comical Call Your Father. With feverish, mile-a-minute dialogue, The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo rips apart and then hysterically attempts to reassemble questions of gender, race, love, and monogamy. The Feels, Almost in one unbroken monologue, reveals an adorable bisexual New Yorker describing his spontaneous attempt to ask his straight friend out. Love seems to run dry in Exchange, until a forgotten article of clothing inspires a heartbroken man to confront the one that got away. In the sexy and gorgeously photographed Marz, a closeted up-and-coming rapper chooses between the man of his dreams and his own career. And in Sign, a chance encounter between two New Yorkers, one of whom happens to be deaf, transforms their lives in the most unexpected, challenging, and romantic way imaginable.
Pride burnout? General malaise? We can fix that! (Well, for an hour or so….) Our 2017 sampler of upbeat short films features half a dozen bite-size mood elevators, each with a different flavor of sweet-tart goodness to lift your spirits and warm your heart. We start in an unusual support group, where cheerful devotees addicted to a certain pop star meet, in Britney-holics Anonymous: A Spearitual Awakening. Next, cutie-pie Nathan is being ignored at the local gay club, but when he is taken under the wing of a drag fairy godmother, he finds his self-image may be Picking Up. Haygood Eats is a bickering husband-and-wife catering team (or is it husband-and-beard?), and we get to see the hilarious outtakes of their cheesy TV ad. Meanwhile, all Guy wants is an anonymous sexy hookup in Andrew’s apartment, but the morning arrival of Andrew’s grandma turns things a bit awkward, in the charming Aussie romance Cake. Imagine Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid” retold by Tom of Finland, and throw in an homage to early gay erotic films, and you get the artful Rusalka. Finally, Danny DeVito directs Curmudgeons, in which a potty-mouthed octogenarian in an assisted living facility gets a big-time surprise engineered by his daughter.
FIRST LOVE DIR Ji-Sook Kang 2016 South Korea 29 min / THE LETTER (La Carta) DIR Ángeles Cruz 2014 Mexico 17 min / THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS DIR Fabien Gorgeart 2016 France 20 min / ETAGE X DIR Francy Fabritz 2016 Germany 14 min
The Mess He Made DIR Matthew Puccini 2017 USA 11 MIN / Call Your Father DIR Jordan Firstman 2016 USA 20 MIN / The Gay AND Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo, Episode 4 DIR Brian Jordan Alvarez 2016 USA 17 MIN / The Feels, Almost DIRS Naje Lataillade & Tim Manley 2016 USA 4 MIN / Exchange DIR Dorian Carli-Jones 2017 USA 9 MIN / Marz DIR Bobby Yan 2016 USA 12 MIN / Sign DIR Andrew Keenan-Bolger 2016 USA 15 MIN
Monday, June 19, 9:30 pm · Elmwood $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · DEVI19E
Friday, June 16, 1:30 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · FLIR16C
Saturday, June 17, 11:00 am · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · FIBS17C
Saturday, June 24, 5:30 pm · Roxie $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · DEVI24R
Saturday, June 24, 11:00 am · Victoria $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · FLIR24V
Sunday, June 25, 1:30 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · FIBS25C
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TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 80 Min
—FRANCES WALLACE
70 Frameline41
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 87 MIN
— HARRY VAUGHN
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 70 MIN
— PETER L. STEIN
BRITNEY-HOLICS ANONYMOUS: A SPEAR-ITUAL AWAKENING DIR JERELL ROSALES 2015 USA 10 MIN / PICKING UP DIR NICHOLAS CHRISTO 2016 AUSTRALIA 13 MIN / HAYGOOD EATS DIR HAZART 2016 USA 5 MIN / CAKE DIR JACINTHO MUINOS 2015 AUSTRALIA 16 MIN / RUSALKA DIRs WES HURLEY & Nathan miller 2016 USA 9 MIN / CURMUDGEONS DIR DANNY DEVITO 2016 USA 17 MIN
FUN IN GIRLS SHORTS
HOMEGROWN
PORTRAITS OF RESISTANCE
Awkward family intros, flying solo at a samesex wedding, heroic rescues in online dating, millennial hot messes, and rampant blonde blindness converge in this year’s comedic collection of queer women’s shorts! A devout Irish doctor is forced to deal with a family matter whilst hiding under the bed of a stranger in More Than God. Two strangers form an unlikely bond when they don’t have a Plus One and meet at the singles table of a lesbian wedding. A melodramatic mutiny ensues within Carol Support Group, a 12-step program—for people addicted to the film Carol. The Escape Hatch reminds us that when your best friend is busy swiping you left, it might take a superhero to make it right! Besties Leila and Patricia head out for a night on the town with “single girls club forever” squad goals, which sounds super cute, until they collide with an ex and her new bae, in Brown Girls, Episode 4. An accidental meeting in an elevator at a department store leads two older women to their limits in Etage X. Inspired by real events and the style of Almodóvar, The Blondes, is a no-holdsbarred take down of class and privilege. Nothing stands in the way of Marta and Pepa—except another blonde.
Nine fabulously queer shorts with homegrown roots in the San Francisco Bay! The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence invite you to a special gathering in A Rite of Passage. The music video for L|M|T’s Born to Love You explores conflict and connection through modern dance, proving that when opposites attract, the results can be explosive. Play Guitar Hero in a vintage, queer, and sexy way in Guitar Idol. In Cruising Elsewhere, oral histories and spectral pornography resurrect memories of a once legendary Russian River gay beach. Deana McGuffin, a New Mexico bootmaker, is approached by a Canadian artist and a San Francisco tattoo artist to create a gay-themed cowboy boot, in Bootwmn. In David, in Brief, a filmmaker comes across the Renaissance’s most iconic family jewels silkscreened onto a pair of boxer briefs and puts them to good use. In Better Known As Peaches Christ, the drag icon offers an intimate glimpse into her process of transformation and her path to brazen cult hero. In Queer Ghost Hunters, Pt 1, the team is on the hunt for lesbian nun ghosts! A night drinking with her friends turns into an eye-opening Encuentro when young Claudia encounters the captivating foreigner Isabel.
These five short documentaries paint brilliant portraits of resistance and bravery in the face of insurmountable challenges. The Colour of His Hair merges drama and documentary in an impressionistic meditation on queer life outside the law, where a professional couple living in London fall victims of a blackmail scam. Warning Shot addresses the death of James H. Wakasa, who was shot by military police at an internment camp during World War II. This queer experimental film essay juxtaposes three conflicting accounts regarding the circumstances and cause of his death. Half a Life pairs the intimate narration of a young, Egyptian gay activist with highly stylized animation, bringing the streets of Cairo to life through his firsthand account. The Streets Are Ours: Two Lives Cross in Karachi is about two women: Sabeen Mahmud, who paved the way for actress/writer Fawzia Mirza (Signature Move, Frameline41) to perform her controversial one-woman show across Pakistan. Director Matt Wolf (Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell, Frameline32) returns with a stunning short about civil rights leader Bayard Rustin, titled Bayard & Me. Bayard adopted his younger lover, Walter Naegle, to obtain the legal protections of marriage. In this intimate love story, Walter remembers Bayard and a time when gay marriage was inconceivable.
TOTAL RUN TIME: 79 MIN
—DES BUFORD
MORE THAN GOD DIR KEV CAHILL 2015 IRELAND 9 MIN / PLUS ONE DIR PETER KNEGT 2017 CANADA 8 MIN / CAROL SUPPORT GROUP DIR ALLISON TATE 2017 USA 8 MIN / THE ESCAPE HATCH DIR DAVID WILLING 2016 AUSTRALIA 10 MIN / BROWN GIRLS, EPISODE 4 DIR SAM BAILEY 2017 USA 13 MIN / ETAGE X DIR FRANCY FABRITZ 2016 GERMANY 14 MIN / THE BLONDES (LAS RUBIAS) DIR CARLOTA MARTÍNEZ PEREDA 2016 SPAIN 17 MIN
Saturday, June 17, 1:15 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · FIGS17C
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 82 MIN
— KEVIN SCHAUB
A RITE OF PASSAGE DIR MARJORIE NEWMAN 2016 USA 3 MIN / BORN TO LOVE YOU DIRS ANTONE + BAMBI TURNER 2017 USA 4 MIN / GUITAR IDOL DIR KOLMEL W. LOVE 2017 USA 4 MIN / CRUISING ELSEWHERE DIR RYAN WHITE 2016 USA 13 MIN / BOOTWMN DIRs paige gratland & SAM MCWILLIAMS 2015 USA 11 MIN / DAVID, IN BRIEF DIR JEFFREY BRAVERMAN 2016 USA 16 MIN / BETTER KNOWN AS PEACHES CHRIST DIR JEFF DRAGOMANOVICH 2016 USA 4 MIN / QUEER GHOST HUNTERS PT 1 DIR STU MADDUX 2017 USA 10 MIN / ENCUENTRO DIR FLORENCIA MANóVIL 2016 USA 17 MIN Encuentro is a recipient of a Frameline Completion Fund grant.
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 79 MIN
— KEVIN SCHAUB
THE COLOUR OF HIS HAIR DIR SAM ASHBY 2017 UK 23 MIN / WARNING SHOT DIR TINA TAKEMOTO 2016 USA 10 MIN / HALF A LIFE DIR TAMARA SHOGAOLU 2016 USA 13 MIN / THE STREETS ARE OURS: TWO LIVES CROSS IN KARACHI DIR MICHELLE FIORDALISO 2016 USA 16 MIN / BAYARD & ME DIR MATT WOLF 2016 USA 17 MIN This program contains discussions of homophobic violence and state-sanctioned violence.
Saturday, June 24, 12:00 pm · Piedmont $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · FIGS24P
sunday, June 18, 9:00 pm · Victoria $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · HOME18V
Sunday, June 25, 11:00 am · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · FIGS25C
Thursday, June 22, 9:15 pm · Victoria $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · HOME22V
Tuesday, June 20, 1:30 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · PORT20C
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shorts Programs 71
REALNESS & REVELATIONS
TRANSTASTIC
UP CLOSE & PERSONAL
These stellar shorts beautifully center rich depictions of queer and trans folks of color. From roadtripping, to the quest for a boo thing, to speaking truth to power, these films bolster QTPOC folks holding it down with solidarity and real talk. A road trip forces a young woman and her two besties to examine their identities and place in the American South, in Intersection. More Love. Less Prepackaged Bullshit. is an invocation and call to action. MoC hottie Claudia is in for a spark-filled Encuentro when she meets the captivating Isabel, who challenges her perceptions of latinidad. Under the shimmering lights of New York’s Ballroom scene, Hanna is set to make her Femme Queen debut, in Walk for Me. Featuring a breakout turn from Legacy Bailey, BobbyAnna is a lyrical love story exploring connection, gender expression, and privilege. Felipe embarks on a journey upon which he will risk everything in his pursuit of happiness, so he can finally meet Claudio on The Other Side. From the filmmakers of Kumu Hina (Frameline38), Lady Eva follows a fiercely determined leiti as she sets off on a journey to become her true self in the conservative Pacific Island Kingdom of Tonga—with a little inspiration from Tina Turner along the way.
This powerful collection lifts up images of trans and gender-nonconforming folks creating social change, revels in depicting transamorous relationships, and amplifies trans talent in front of and behind the cameras. Umbrella tells the story of four individuals across the United States who are fighting for trans rights and representation amidst a rapidly challenging landscape. Jesse’s got a hot date, but it’s leak week…they just can’t seem to catch a break in The Curse. A shared love of photography brings together Emma (Pooya Mohseni) and a new romantic interest, Nate. The strength of their bond is tested After the Date. Under the shimmering lights of New York’s Ballroom scene, Hanna Kendricks is set to make her Femme Queen debut in Walk for Me. Writer-director Jake Graf (Dawn, Frameline40) returns with Dusk, a beautiful rumination on self-perception and lasting love set in 1950s England. Alex, a transgender teenager, struggles with a secret pregnancy and risks losing everything he loves in order to live courageously, in Get the Life. In the indigenous communities around the town of Juchitán de Zaragoza, in southern Oaxaca, the world is not divided simply according to the gender binary, and Muxes are celebrated.
These five short documentaries examine the lives of some amazing people, in beautiful, intimate, and inventive ways. You’ll get to know them all, Up Close & Personal. Set against the backdrop of the Trump presidency, Rhys Ernst’s visually stunning, intimate, and empowering short doc Umbrella chronicles the stories of four transgender individuals united in their passion to create change. Set in Harlem, Shape Up: Gay in the Black Barbershop sheds light on the vital role barbershops play within the black community while examining the often-complicated relationship that black gay men have with these spaces. ID#5: winemaker, musician, farmer is an intimate confession of a farmer woman who really doesn’t like sharing her story. In the town of Juchitán de Zaragoza, the local Zapotec people have made room for a third gender category, individuals who were assigned male at birth but live their lives as women in a space outside the gender binary—they are Muxes. Wes Hurley’s Little Potato (a Jury Prize winner for Best Short Doc at SXSW) is a visually fascinating autobiographical short about a gay boy growing up in the Soviet Union, his gutsy mail-order-bride mom, and their dream of escaping to America.
This program contains scenes and discussions of violence.
UMBRELLA DIR RHYS ERNST 2017 USA 15 MIN / SHAPE UP: GAY IN THE BLACK BARBERSHOP DIR DERRICK L. MIDDLETON 2015 USA 29 MIN / ID#5: WINEMAKER, MUSICIAN, FARMER DIR ONDRIASOVA EMILIA 2016 SLOVAKIA 8 MIN / MUXES DIR IVAN OLITA 2016 USA 10 MIN / LITTLE POTATO DIR WES HURLEY 2016 USA 14 MIN
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 85 min
—DES BUFORD
BobbyAnna, Encuentro, and Intersection are recipients of Frameline Completion Fund grants.
INTERSECTION DIR Angela Tucker 2017 USA 9 min / MORE LOVE. LESS PREPACKAGED BULLSHIT. DIR Neelu Bhuman 2017 USA 1 min / ENCUENTRO DIR Florencia Manóvil 2016 USA 17 min / WALK FOR ME DIR Elegance Bratton 2016 USA 12 min / BOBBYANNA DIR Jackson Kroopf 2016 USA 20 min / THE OTHER SIDE DIR Rodrigo Alvarez Flores 2016 Mexico 15 min / LADY EVA DIRS Dean Hamer & Joe Wilson 2017 Tonga, USA 11 min
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 83 MIN
— DES BUFORD
UMBRELLA DIR RHYS ERNST 2017 USA 15 MIN / THE CURSE DIR DANNY TAYARA 2017 USA 4 MIN / AFTER THE DATE DIR IRIS DEVINS 2017 USA 15 MIN / WALK FOR ME DIR ELEGANCE BRATTON 2016 USA 12 MIN / DUSK DIR JAKE GRAF 2017 UK 15 MIN / GET THE LIFE DIR OZZY VILLAZÒN 2016 USA 12 MIN / MUXES DIR IVAN OLITA 2016 USA 10 MIN
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 76 MIN
— KEVIN SCHAUB
Friday, June 16, 7:00 pm · Roxie $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · REAR16R Wednesday, June 21, 7:00 pm · Elmwood $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · REAR21E
Monday, June 19, 7:00 pm · Roxie $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · TRAN19R
Friday, June 23, 1:30 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · UPCL23C
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72 Frameline41
FAMILY MATINEE
WORLDLY AFFAIRS
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 79 MIN
The barriers we build in our hearts can be as cruel and impractical as the walls countries erect to keep “foreigners” out. But the worldly men throughout this charged and romantic shorts program refuse to build such walls when it comes to love. Whether it’s risking everything for companionship or breaking free of rigid familial expectation, these heroes fight ideologically imposed blinders head-on, unearthing a kinder, sexier truth. In the affirming One Night Only, a confident Australian calls out his date for chastising his “femme” qualities. A Mexican teen travels by foot to the border, hoping to reunite with his love, in the gripping The Other Side. Ocean Swells unfolds by the calm Norwegian seaside, but the unspoken attraction between these two friends is anything but tranquil. Will they break through the friend-zone barrier and admit their mutual love? Tough questions also consume the handsome protagonist in Pedro, whose cruising opportunities hit a snag when his mother, hungry for his attention, keeps close watch over his every move. And nothing beats the poignant plea for acceptance from the masterfully executed Pria, a powerhouse short that follows a rural Indonesian teen desperately seeking to outmaneuver his impending arranged marriage. —HARRY VAUGHN
ONE NIGHT ONLY DIR SAM LANGSHAW 2016 AUSTRALIA 11 MIN / THE OTHER SIDE (al otro lado) DIR RODRIGO ALVAREZ FLORES 2016 MEXICO 15 MIN IN SPANISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES / OCEAN SWELLS (DØNNINGER) DIR SVERRE MATIAS GLENNE 2016 NORWAY 14 MIN IN NORWEGIAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES / PEDRO DIRS ANDRÉ SANTOS & MARCO LEÃO PORTUGAL 2016 20 MIN IN PORTUGUESE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES / PRIA DIR YUDHO ADITYA INDONESIA 2016 21 MIN IN INDONESIAN AND ENGLISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
Friday, June 23, 4:00 pm · Castro $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · WORL23C
THE LEGO MOVIE
DIRS Phil Lord & Christopher Miller 2014 USA 100 min ADMISSION FREE SCREENING!
Things just got real in Lego world. In this 3D computer-animated adventure, it’s up to Emmet (Chris Pratt), an ordinary man from Bricksburg, to save the day against the evil Lord Business (Will Ferrell)—a very presidential man who plans to take over the world by force. With the use of a super weapon called the “Kragle” (aka an old tube of Krazy Glue), Lord Business attempts to freeze the world into his version of utopia. But when Emmet accidentally stumbles upon the Piece of Resistance, the one item needed to stop the villain, chaos and hilarity ensue on an epic journey that includes the Old West, aliens, and even Batman. A star-studded cast voiced by Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, Liam Neeson, Channing Tatum, and Jonah Hill, The Lego Movie was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film. It was also nominated for Best Original Song for “Everything Is Awesome,” the catchy jam sang in-part by Tegan and Sara, the Canadian gay wonder-twin pop duo and activist dreamboats. Winning the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film, among similar accolades, this 2014 gem has now expanded into a major franchise with spin-offs and sequels. Come join us for a free screening of the film that started it all. The Lego Movie builds a world that inspires—child and parent alike. — JEFFREY HARTINGER
This program is free and open to the public.
Sunday, June 18, 11:00 am · Roxie FREE · LEGO18R
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family matinee 73
TICKET INFO Regular Screening General Public $14.00 Discount: Students/Disabled/Seniors $13.00 Member $12.00 Centerpiece Films General Public $18.00 Member $15.00 Opening Night Film & Gala
HOW TO BUY TICKETS
PASSES
Advance member ticket sales start Friday, May 26. General ticket sales start Friday, June 2.
Streamline your Frameline41 experience with a Castro Pass, or upgrade your membership to receive a Gold or Platinum Card and enjoy the ultimate Festival experience. With any of these passes you won't have to wait in box office lines or keep track of individual tickets! Plus, you’ll get priority entry and enjoy the flexibility to decide each day which movies you’ll see.
Online:
Daily, 24 hours at frameline.org
Walk-up: Frameline41 Box Office, presented by Showtime®, located at Strut, 470 Castro Street, San Francisco. Pre-Festival (May 26 to June 14) Open Tuesday to Sunday 3:00 to 7:00 pm, CLOSED Mondays Festival (June 15 to 24) Open daily 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm
General Public $90.00 Member $75.00
Fax: Daily, 24 hours at 415.692.4994. Download order forms at www.frameline.org
Opening Night Film Only
Payment: Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express are accepted.
General Public $35.00 Member $30.00 Closing Night Film & Party General Public $60.00 Member $50.00
Ticket Delivery Via Mail: Tickets/passes purchased online or by fax before June 5 will automatically be mailed within three business days to the billing address listed on the ticket order. NOTE: Orders received on or after June 5 will automatically be placed at Will Call.
Will Call: Tickets held at Will Call will be available at the theater of the ticket order’s first Closing Night Film Only screening ONLY on the day of that screening. General Public $35.00 Will Call will open thirty minutes prior to the Member $30.00 first screening of the day at each venue. If you miss the first screening for which you have Will Call tickets, we’ll hold your tickets at the theater where your next screening is taking DISCOUNTS place (and so on). Only those people listed Frameline Members: on the ticket order will be allowed to pick up When ordering, you must present Will Call tickets. Please bring a valid photo ID your membership card or have so our Will Call volunteers can make sure you your I.D. available. Limited to get the proper tickets. two discount tickets per screening. Sold Out? You might still get in! Students/Disabled/Seniors (65+): When advance tickets are no longer available, When ordering, you must present a separate Rush Line will form outside the venue, a valid photo ID (proof of discount anywhere from 15 minutes to one hour prior to eligibility). Send a photocopy of the screening. As soon as the number of your ID with your Ticket Order Form unoccupied seats has been determined, typically when ordering by fax. Limited to a few minutes before showtime, those tickets one discount ticket per screening. will be sold to individuals in the Rush Line.
Connect with us! BOX WEBSITE: frameline.org OFFICE: boxoffice@frameline.org SOCIAL MEDIA:
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#FL41
ABOUT FESTIVAL PASSES
An allotment of seats is held at every screening for Frameline pass holders. Please arrive early! Passes (with the exception of a Platinum Card) do not guarantee seating, and pass holders are allowed priority entry up to 20 minutes before posted screening time or until the pass holder seat allotment has been reached. Twenty minutes after the program has commenced, no one will be admitted into the theatre. Castro Pass: $240 each, available to members only (membership must be valid through June 2017). Castro Passes are good for admission to all Frameline41 screenings at the Castro Theatre, excluding Opening and Closing Nights. Present your Castro Pass at the Members Door for admission. Castro Pass holders may be accompanied in line at the Members Door by ONE guest with a valid ticket. Quantities are limited. Gold and Platinum Cards: not sold separately. Gold Cards are presented in appreciation of Frameline Members at the Benefactor ($800+), Visionary ($1,500 -$2,499), and Visionary Star ($2,500$4,999) levels. A Gold Card entitles the bearer to priority admission (subject to house manager discretion) to all Frameline41 screenings. Platinum Cards are presented in appreciation of Frameline Members at the Visionary Director ($5,000 -$9,999) and Luminary ($10,000+) levels. A Platinum Card provides the bearer with priority admission to all Frameline41 screenings, and reserved seating for all screenings at the Castro Theatre. Gold and Platinum Cards serve as your ticket to Festival events and screenings including Opening and Closing Night Films & Galas (some exceptions apply based upon Membership level). Gold and Platinum Card holders may be accompanied by ONE guest with a valid ticket or pass—please present your card at the Member Door for admission. To learn more about the benefits of Frameline Membership, please call us at 415.703.8650 x 301, contact members@frameline.org, visit www.frameline.org/support, or visit the Frameline Box Office, presented by Showtime®, at 470 Castro Street inside Strut.
THE FINE PRINT: All orders are final. No refunds, exchanges, substitutions, or replacements. Frameline is not responsible for lost, stolen, forgotten, or damaged tickets or passes, or any item misdirected by the Post Office. If a screening is cancelled, tickets must be returned to the Frameline Box Office within 48 hours of the cancelled screening date. Service fees are non-refundable. The service fee is $1.00 per ticket or pass. Returned checks are subject to a $25.00 fee. Frameline Box Office location is generously provided by Strut.
74 Frameline41
Frameline41 Ticket Order Form
Questions? Please contact boxoffice@frameline.org. Please print legibly or processing may be delayed. Fax to Frameline at 415.692.4994.
PLEASE CHECK ALL THAT APPLY
NAME
I am a Frameline Member.
I am joining Frameline, and my membership payment is included.
BILLING ADDRESS
CREDIT CARD PAYMENT
Visa
CITY STATE
ZIP/POSTAL CODE
COUNTRY (OTHER THAN USA)
(
(
HOME PHONE
)
)
DAY PHONE — IMPORTANT
Discover
NAME (AS IT APPEARS ON CREDIT CARD)
/
ACCOUNT NO.
DATE
American Express
AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE
PROGRAM CODE
MasterCard
PROGRAM TITLE
SECURITY CODE
QUANTITY PRICE PER TICKET
DISCOUNT TYPE*
EXPIRATION DATE
SUBTOTAL
@$
=$
@$
=$
@$
=$
@$
=$
@$
=$
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=$
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SUBTOTAL = $
Join/Renew Membership
Visit www.frameline.org/support/membership for a complete list of member benefits, including advance member ticket sales beginning on May 26, 2017. Explorer◊ (24 & under). . . . . . . . . . FREE Friend Discount**.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $45 Friend. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $60 Friend Dual. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $120 Supporter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $185 Supporter Dual. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $350 Patron. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $500
Visionary $1,500 – $2,999 Visionary Star $2,500 - $4,999 Visionary Director $5,000 - $9,999 Luminary $10,000+
Benefactor.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $800 ◊ Explorer
Membership available for free to ages 24 and under. Please enclose proof of age.
** Please enclose proof of age or full-time student status. Available only to full-time students with valid ID, seniors (65+), and persons with disabilities.
Membership (see info at left)
@$
=$
Castro Pass
@ $ 240
=$
Service Fee ($1.00 per ticket/pass) = $ One-time Additional Donation
Donation = $
Please make a special gift to support the future of queer film.
GRAND TOTAL = $ * DISCOUNT TYPES
M = Member
D = Disabled
S = Senior (65+)
ST = Student
Please enclose proof of age or student status. Non-member discount limited to one (1) discount ticket per screening.
TICKET DELIVERY INFORMATION
Your tickets will automatically be mailed to the billing address listed above unless you select one of the options below. Orders received on or after June 5 will automatically be placed at Will Call. On the day of the screening, your tickets may be picked up at the theater’s Will Call desk.
I would like my tickets held at Will Call (photo ID required). I would like my tickets held at Will Call. However, I also authorize the following person to pick up my tickets at Will Call (photo ID required):
PRINT AUTHORIZED PERSON’S NAME
frameline.org 75
VENUES Castro Theatre
1
15 TH ST.
MUNI Metro: K, L, M, T (exit at Castro station)
A
RK
19 TH
M
20 TH ST.
The lot is located on 17th Street between Church and Sanchez. Parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please check the parking rates and schedule for each venue at frameline.org. Please note that Frameline is not responsible for cars left in the lot after closing; cars may be picked up the following day as soon as the lot re-opens.
Bus: 14 Mission, 22 Fillmore, 33 Ashbury/18th, 49 Van Ness/Mission
Street parking can be difficult to find throughout the Castro and Mission Districts. If you do find a space, please be aware of parking restrictions on many streets.
BART: 16th & Mission station
In the Mission District, you also might try the parking garage at 42 Hoff Street, off 16th Street between Mission and Valencia.
Festival Box Office Strut 470 Castro Street (Between Market & 18th)
Pre-Festival (May 26 to June 14) Open Tuesday to Sunday 3:00 to 7:00 pm CLOSED Mondays Festival (June 15 to 24) Open daily 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm
San Francisco
1 st 4
www.frameline.org
SOMA
4 th
11
ar ke t
5
m n lso riso o F ar H
M
Closing Night Party
5
Oasis 298 11th Street (between Howard & Folsom) www.sfoasis.com
T 1
P
CASTRO
2
3
MISSION
POTRERO HILL
101
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MI SS IO N
DO LO RE S
CH UR CH
Festival Box Office
280
SS SO UT H VA N NE
18 TH ST.
NO E
2961 16th Street (between Capp & Mission) www.victoriatheatre.org
Terra Gallery 511 Harrison Street (at 1st Street) www.terrasf.com
Victoria
Frameline is pleased to partner with Everett Middle School in providing parking as a fundraiser for this wonderful neighborhood school. All proceeds go directly to funding classroom supplies.
3
Opening Night Gala
Roxie
PARKING P
BART: 16th & Mission station
Victoria Theatre
17 TH ST.
1 Castro
3117 16th Street (between Valencia & Guerrero) www.roxie.com Bus: 14 Mission, 22 Fillmore, 33 Ashbury/18th, 49 Van Ness/Mission
Parking Lot
3
2
VA LE NC IA
T
ET
ST MUNI Metro
P
SA NC HE Z
Roxie Theater
2
16 TH ST.
GU ER RE RO
BART: transfer to MUNI Metro at the Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell, or Civic Center stations
CA ST RO
Bus/Streetcar: 24 Divisadero, 33 Ashbury/18th, 35 Eureka, 37 Corbett, F Market
RE
ET
429 Castro Street (between Market & 18th) www.castrotheatre.com
Festival Info Rialto Cinemas® Elmwood
Festival Box Office Presented by
6
2966 College Avenue (at Ashby), Berkeley www.rialtocinemas.com
Located inside Strut, 470 Castro Street (between Market & 18th) in San Francisco.
AC Transit Bus: 9 to College Ave., 51/851 to Ashby Ave. BART: Rockridge station » AC Transit 51/851 to Ashby Ave. Ashby station » AC Transit 9 to College Ave. Driving: Hwy 24 E » exit at Claremont Ave. turn left, then slight left at College Ave.
Berkeley
BUSINESS HOURS:
Ashby
7
4186 Piedmont Avenue (at Linda), Oakland www.landmarktheatres.com Driving: Interstate 580 E » exit at Broadway Auto Row/Webster St., keep left to merge onto Broadway, then turn left at Piedmont Ave. AC Transit Bus: C to Piedmont Ave., 12 to Linda Ave. BART: 12th Street station » AC Transit 12 to Linda Ave. MacArthur station » AC Transit C to Piedmont Ave. PARKING Parking is available on surrounding neighborhood streets where meters run until 6 pm Monday through Saturday.
wa
y
• • • • t
e Pi 7
Order your tickets online at frameline.org
• All seats are general admission, and multiple seat-saving is not permitted. ve dA
lan
Oak
Walk-up ticket sales Membership services Festival merchandise General Festival information
Patron Courtesies
on
dm
da
Landmark Theatres Piedmont
AVAILABLE SERVICES:
Lin
Ave
Oakland
Mac Art h
ur
o Pabl
880
Festival (June 15 to 24) Open daily 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm
ad Bro
24
San
580
80
Pre-Festival (May 26 to June 14) Open Tuesday to Sunday 3:00 to 7:00 pm CLOSED Mondays
13
6
Parking is also available in the Elmwood Parking Lot just west of College Avenue on Russell Street, one block north of the theatre. Alta Bates Summit Medical Center has a parking garage located on Colby Street between Ashby Avenue and Webster Street.
Ticket sales open to the general public beginning Friday, June 2.
College
PARKING In the Elmwood neighborhood, two-hour parking is strictly enforced until 6 pm. If you drive south on College Avenue, there is unlimited parking throughout the Rockridge neighborhood.
Tickets go on sale to Frameline Members beginning Friday, May 26. Become a member and receive immediate discounts on Festival tickets and merchandise.
• While waiting 13 in line, please be considerate of our neighbors and local businesses. We remind patrons that it’s illegal to smoke while waiting in line or near entrances to venues. • Frameline believes in everyone’s right to choose the restroom they are most comfortable using. Please disregard any exclusionary signage that may be visible at our venues.
• Please refrain from wearing perfumes and other scented products so that attendees with environmental sensitivities can comfortably enjoy the films. Thank you.
Services for People with Disabilities
Frameline is committed to accommodating audience members with disabilities, offering early seating as needed. Please make yourself known to the theater house manager for assistance.
All screening venues are wheelchair accessible. A limited number of assisted listening devices are available at select venues on a first-come, first-served basis.
All screening venues have wheelchair-accessible bathrooms. At the Roxie, please ask the house manager for the key to an accessible bathroom. American Sign Language interpretation will be provided at the Festival Awards presentation and many introductions and post-screening Q&A sessions of subtitled films throughout the Festival. Please visit www.frameline.org for details on ASL-assisted screenings.
frameline.org 77 frameline.org
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TOGETHER WE CAN Gilead proudly supports Frameline41: San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival. LET’S GET STARTED.
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What did We learn from the 1990s
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FRAMELINE BOARD & STAFF BOARD OF DIRECTORS Michael J. Colaneri President
Liz Pesch
Vice President
Eric Whitney Secretary
FRAMELINE STAFF Emeritus Randolph (Randy) Quebec Chair
Adam Berman Dan Flanagan
Chris Cowen
Linda Harrison
Xavier Barrera
Tom Magnani
Treasurer
Eugene Clifton Cha Richard Fuentes
Michael Kossman Thom Matson
Frances Wallace
Mariana Lopez
Des Buford
Michael Raible
Executive Director Director of Exhibition & Programming
digital media coordinator
TJ Busse
David Reilly
Jon Carroll
David Warczak
Taylor Hodges
Alexis Whitham
Operations & Systems Manager
Finance Manager
Director of Marketing & Strategic Partnerships
Director of Development
Jill Golden
Advisory Members
Youth In Motion Program Coordinator
Chris Damon
Machu Latorre
Christopher Trout
Reena Karia
Katy Johnson
Membership & Administrative Manager
Director of Distribution & Educational Programming
Communications Manager
Jason Russell
Christopher Wiseman
FRAMELINE41 STAFF Programming Kevin Schaub
Program & Hospitality Manager
Jose Schneider Mateo Hospitality Assistant
Peter L. Stein
Senior Programmer
Harry Vaughn Programmer
Joseph Bowman John-Edward Bello Serafica Programming Interns
Operations Steven Abbott Seat Captain
Don Chan
Travel Coordinator
Jesse Dubus
Print Traffic & Exhibition Media Manager
Festival Identity, Design, & Trailer
Screening Committee
Mucho
Amy Anner
Events Girl Friday Events JC Rafferty
Events Producer
Publications Jeffrey Hartinger
Publications Manager
Charles Purdy Copy Editor
Julie Ann Yuen Designer
Publicity Larsen Associates Publicists
Timothy Huey
Festival Operations Manager
·· Karen Larsen ·· Vince Johnson
Ali Giordani
Brian Ray
Operations Assistant
Krystal Jenie Fernandes Pirani
Volunteer Coordinator
Sean Hagler
administrative intern
Sponsorship Michael Dunn
Sponsorship & Marketing Associate
Public Relations & Outreach Coordinator
Box Office Operations Box Cubed ·· Mitchell Vaughn ·· Ben Armington
Alex Albers
Maggie Francisco
Brianna Nelson
John Basgall
Dulce Garcia
Beth Pielert
Sam Berliner
Christine Bois Lane Bourn
Margot Breier Luis Casillas Joe Carlin John Carr
Frances Chen
Vincent Calvarese Jackie Dennis Elsa Eder
George Fencl
David M. Field Russ Flanagan Sarah Flores
Dan Fourrier
Mary Guzman
Shaleece Haas Jen Hatton
Sandy Holmes Alex Hudson Sade Huron Eric Jost
Ken Katen
Kerrie Kubo
Barbie Leung David Liu
Dan Luther
Milton Magaña Sara Moore
Greg Morris
Curran Nault
Dominique O’Neil Sarah Raab
Veronique Richard Jana Rickjerson Holly Roach
Michele Sieglitz Bob Sullivan Kelly Sundin Thuy Tran
Anand Vedawala Thom Venegoni Philip Walker
Taylor Whitehouse Kolmel WithLove Alice Wu
Will J. Zang
Program Note Writers Rod Armstrong
Chris Keech
Joanne Parsont
Joe Bowman
Sophia Lanza-Weil
Charles Purdy
Rob Avila
Michael Fox Pam Grady
Carol Harada
Laura Henneman Taylor Hodges
Victoria Jaschob
122 Frameline41
Nick Friedman
Lucy Laird
Frako Loden
Michael LoPresti Leah LoSchiavo
Natalie Mulford Curran Nault
Monica Nolan
Brendan Peterson B. Ruby Rich Tim Sika
Angelique Smith
Mordecai Stayton
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Yvonne Andreas
Brian Collette
Stephen Gong
Florencia Manóvil
Andrew Peterson
Skywalker Sound
Rod Armstrong
Noah Cowan
Chris Hatfield
Melanie Miller
Kenneth Price
Ruthe Stein
Matthias Angoulvant Keith Arnold
David Averbach
Dominick Balletta
David Bartholomew Sam Berliner Joe Bowman
Ky Boyd & Michael O’Rand Breaking Glass Pictures
The Correa Family The Criterion Collection
JC Decaux San Francisco
Ryan Delgado
Jennifer DeVere Brody
Dolby Laboratories David Donahue Roger Doughty
David Castro
Rob Duncan
Center for Asian American Media
Eliote Durham
Castro Merchants
Gyllian Christiansen Treasurer José Cisneros Drea Clark
Steve Clark Hall & the Eureka Valley Promotion Assoc. Planning Committee Kevin Clarke
Cheryl Dunye Zoë Elton
Shane Engstrom The Film Collaborative Film Rise
Isabel Fondevila Brian Freeman Mark Ganter Bryan Glick
Joshua Grannell Heklina / Stefan Grygelko Danielle Henry Allegra & April Hirschman Silas Howard Marcus Hu
Marc Huestis
Patrick Hurley Janus Films
Jewish Film Institute Steven Kahl
Kate Kendell
Michael Kerner Glenn Kiser
Sophia Lanza-Weil Lexi Leban
Letty Ledbetter Wendy Lidell Kino Lorber
Michael Lumpkin M-appeal
Media Luna
Cornelius Moore Lucy MukerjeeBrown Ray Mulliner
Andrew Murphy NAMAC
Don Nasser
Steve Nasser
Brianna Nelson Kathy Nelson Nicely Done Solutions
Danny Nicoletta
Ninth Street Independent Film Center Masashi Niwano Rick Norris
Jenni Olson
Nicole Opper
Roberto Ordeñana Outfest LA
Jason Plourde
Protagonist Pictures
Christopher Racster Orly Ravid
Bryce Renninger Michael Repsch
Dan Sperry
Jim Stephens
Strand Releasing Stray Dogs The Stud
B. Ruby Rich
Swank Motion Pictures
George Ridgely
Kim Thomas
Rachel Rosen
Lucas Verga
Cheryl Rosenthal
Christopher White
Torsten Schulze
Jenn Wilson
Sam Singer
Stacey Wisnia
Jen Richards
Danny Tayara
Jeff Root
Corey Tong
Jay Rosenblatt
Philip Walker
Kirsten Schaffer
Wide Management
Sudeep Sharma
Jeffrey Winter
Samuel Goldwyn Films
Emily Woodburne
SF LGBT Community Center
Kim Yutani
SFFILM
Kathy Wolfe
Wolfe Releasing
Krista Smith
frameline.org 123
BECOME A FRAMELINE MEMBER!
Help us change lives one film at a time. 124 Frameline41
Membership
Support LGBTQ film — join us! Frameline is the nation’s only nonprofit organization solely dedicated to the funding, exhibition, distribution and promotion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) media arts. As such, we depend upon your financial support to fulfill our mission. Membership is vital to our hands-on work in creating a lasting impact today and for the future of LGBTQ people everywhere. Join today to enjoy exciting benefits, including special invitations to screenings and events throughout the year, priority access, and advance discount ticket purchasing. For more details about membership, please visit frameline.org/support or call us at (415) 703-8650 x 301.
This special group of donors has made a lasting commitment to securing Frameline’s future by including us in their estate plan. Legacy Circle is open to anyone and there are many ways to make a planned gift: ·· Name Frameline as a beneficiary in your life insurance policy or in your employee retirement plan, IRA, or tax-sheltered annuity.
·· Include Frameline as a beneficiary of any amount in a will, a living trust, a lead or charitable remainder trust, and in other life estate plans. A planned gift can also generate financial benefits for a donor during his or her lifetime.
Legacy Circle members receive:
·· Recognition in Frameline publications (unless you wish to be anonymous)
·· Invitations to special events, including an exclusive Legacy Circle gathering
·· News and announcements throughout the year If you have included Frameline in your will, living trust, or estate plan, please let us know so that we may welcome you to the Legacy Circle. For more information, please visit frameline.org/support/donate or call us at 415.703.8650 x 309
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FRAMELINE MEMBERS + DONORS
Many thanks to our wonderful members! Donors to Frameline at the Supporter level and above (as of April 1, 2017) are listed below. We sincerely regret any errors or omissions. Please contact the Development office for corrections at 415.703.8650 x 309. Gifts of $10,000-$100,000+
BUILDING FRAMELINE’S FUTURE
Individuals dedicated to building Frameline’s resources, as it expands existing programs and outreach strategies to meet the future needs of the LGBTQ community! · Anonymous · Chip Conley Foundation · James C. Hormel & Michael P. Nguyen
Luminary
Anonymous Xavier Barrera & Kirk Hahn Chip Conley The Hurst Family Fund Steve Parker The Bob Ross Foundation Jim Stephens & Abraham Brown
Visionary Director
Anonymous Catherine Brannigan Geri Bumbalough David Castro & David Rowley Eugene Clifton Cha & Niklas Lindström Michael Colaneri & Mike Copani Christopher Cowen & Mark Metasavage Bill Dickey & Matthew Huyck Bob Dockendorff Martha Ehrenfeld & Carla McKay Kevin Feldman & Tom Nash Katy Johnson & Margo Rosen James C. Hormel & Michael P. Nguyen Hervé Kieffel Michael Kossman Hào A. Lê Brent Lok & J. Wade French Anne Madden & Dana Morse Thomas Matson & Hank Stuart Patrick McCabe Liz Pesch Randolph Quebec & Cal Long Mark G. Reisbaum & Michael T. Case Jason Russell & Roy Hom John Schlesinger & Richard Starkeson Randall Solomon & Joseph Mallet Lesley Weaver & Katherine Catlos
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· The Hurst Family Fund · Steve Parker · John Schlesinger & Richard Starkeson
Robert Weston Eric Whitney & Richard Bae
Visionary Star
Anonymous Nancy Lynn Baker, PhD & Cathy Hauer Adam Berman & Alex Scotta Mario Bertucci, Jr. Moira Luz Dawson & Elizabeth Deeley Dan Flanagan & Geoff Kerr Richard Fuentes & Sean Sullivan Jill Golden Linda Harrison & Ellen Anderson John M. Lobato Machu Latorre & Eugenia Amador Jan Marks & Cindy Humphreys Carl F. Merritt, Pharm. D. & Andy Rodriguez Scott Montgomery & Marc Rand Drs. Dee Mosbacher & Nanette Gartrell Debra Palmer Jonathan Reitsma & Adam Taib Christopher E. Wiseman & Eric W. Sleigh
Visionary
Anonymous Larry Ackerman Mark Andrews & John Blazek Ana Athanasiu Family Fund Mr. John W. Bare & Mr. Ignatius Bau Clara Basile Marcella BensonQuaziena & Linda Marchesani Donald Bird & David Young Victor & Michael Bishop-Williams David P. Black Fund of Horizons Foundation Lukas Blakk Ky J. Boyd & Michael O’Rand
Michael Brown & Joseph Chang Robert Bryant & Reymundo Garcia Kenneth Bukowski & Peter Altman Tom Burke & Axel Brunger Debra Carmona & Susan Zimbelman Vivien Chan & Kris Morrow Denis Chicola & Ron Newman Jennifer R. Clark In Memory of Peter P. Connolly Dennis Crader & Anthony Hebert Dr. Denys Crain-Gully, Sr. Brad Crowell & Gary Koehler Gary Demyen & Les Partridge Curtis Dennison & Julio Garay Garcia Dennison Anne Sterling Dorman Calvin B. Doucet Michael Dunn & Zachary Haehn Tim Eicher & Jeff Eubanks Anne Marie Eileraas & Stefanie Harvey Rob Epstein Clark Freshman & Jeffrey Freeman Jeffrey Friedman Martin Fung & Michael Hughes Marsha Gale & Liz Hoadley Dipti Ghosh & Meggy Gotuaco Thomas Groden & Thong Bui Gary Grossman, PhD & Matt Dahlberg Harold Hagen & Stephen Hiller Steve Clark Hall Victoria Hall Eric Hanson & Frank Early Liza Hecht & Rachel Pray Rachel Herbert & Dana Oppenheim
Gerald Herman Crispin Hollings & Luis Casillas Patrick Hurley Suzanne Israel & Laurie Hanover David Jackson Steve Kahl Anna Karydas & Lindy Koll Cole Kinney & Dale Becherer Gerald LaBuda & Daniel Healy Mauricio Leon Lisa Ellen Lippincott Roger M. Low Michael Lumpkin & Mark Page Thomas Magnani & Christopher Orsine Glen Mathison & Zoel Fages Douglas Mylcraine & Kevin Bradford Andrew Nance & Jim Maloney Missy Nery & Mirna Rivera Robert Newbold & Tiago Pinto Ron Norris & Jason Douglass O’Hanlan-Walker LGBT Equality Fund of Horizons Foundation Dave Oppenheim & Ray Spears Marguerite Pakozdi & Amy Toder Doug Paxton & Joe Vassallo Kristin Perry & Sandra Stier Simon Pitchford & Jim Munson William Powell & Don Wilson Anna & Rob Prestezog Kenneth Price Mark Reisman, MD & Rogelio Chapa Jay Remick & Michael Amodt Debra Resnik & Kathryn Werhane Robert Riekman Diane Sabin & Jewelle Gomez Judy Schultz & Glenna Dowling Marcey Shapiro, MD & Star Woodward Sam Sirko & Lou Smith Bryn Smith & Kevin Voccia Rick Solomon & Steven Saylor Bill Tompkins & Dan Steves
William Turner Andrew Utiger & Alejandro Amaya Frances Wallace Rudd & Gerard Walter-Canaday Bill Weber & Aaron Starr Jack Weeden Stephen Wereb David Wertheimer Fiona Wilmot & Jeanette Howard William J. Woods Robert J. Wygand III & Michael Alexovich Claude Wynne Dawn Zemo & Stephanie Stehling
Benefactor
Anonymous Mitch Altman Art Anderson Timothy Arbogast Caryl Athanasiu Thomas Atkins & Mike Roman Hank Baird & Ray Harbort Laurie Baker Roy Bateman Tyson Bell & John Donahue Victor P. Bonfilio, JD, PhD David Bontempo John Bors, M.D. Andrew C. Boulter Roland Brunner & Selene Steese David Bulanda Michael Burke & Jose Mendez Gizelle Cadogan Lisa Carlin John P. Carr Hector Carrillo & Steven Epstein Jon C. Carroll Charles Cassell Tracy Chapman Edwin Charlebois Gregory Clinton & Gregory Morris Paul Cooksey Paul Culver Brad Deal, M.D. & Eduardo Ayala Castaneda Nancy DuBois James Dyvad E. Eastman Christopher Esposito John Farnham & William Glass Tim Fincham David G. Fink & F Lee Moulton
Erin Flynn & Chloe Atkins James Ford Dan Fourrier James H. French Allan Galanter & Cal Domingue John A. Geishecker Stefan Gruenwedel Dee Hampton & Cinthia Varkevisser Olof C. Hansen Teresa Hernandez Kirk Hinman & Ramon Santos Al Hoffman & David Shepherd Ernest Hopkins James C. Hormel LGBTQIA Center of San Francisco Public Library Eric Hsu & James Chambers Marc Huestis James Hughes Tom Jarman Michael Jennis & Michael Butler Connie Jeung-Mills Susan Joyce Kenneth Katen Evan Kavanagh & Andrew Harkins Erwin Kelly & Bill Franklin Daniel Killar Amy Kindrick & Ramona Doyle David King & George Palis Bill Kroeger Jennifer Kroot A. Landucci Gary Lomax & Dennis Tyler Andrew Madigan Richard L. Madison, Jr. Paul Marcelin Richard Mazzarisi Joseph McClanahan Stephen McNeil & Brian Mailman Seth Meisler & John Devine Lauretta Molitor & Susan Hunsicker Tony Negri & Kha Hoang John Newberry & Jay Gifford Michelle Ney Daniel Nicoletta & Michael Pinatelli Jr. Jon O’Neal James Oakley John C. Osborne Mary Peelen & B. Ruby Rich
Joel Perlstein Michael Phillips & Mark Street Jean Podrasky Paul Quick Maria Ramiu Alan R. Ratliff Richard Ridgeway Roger Ritland & Thomas Ossenbeck Elan Rosenquist Cheryl & Chiara Rosenthal Robert Ruetsch Wilford C. Sanderson F. Allen Sawyer Lisa Schen & Dawn Harbatkin Tom Seago James R. Shay & Steven F. Correll Michael Siever Jerry Smithson & Gary Nichols Jessica Spurling Jack Su Robert & Joan Sullivan Justin Taylor Cheryl Traverse & Terry Turrentine Eric Trefelner Rodney Turner & Ken Thongcharoen Oliver C. Vogel Bruce Westland & Greg Fritz Kelly Wilkinson & Edith Peck Philip Witkay Larry Wolfson & Dave Fong Bret Wright & Bill Elias David York & Thomas Lucas Samuel Young Andrew Zimmerman Ron Zuckerman
Patron
Randy Alfred Gerald M. Antonio & Jeffrey A. Dudley Tod N. Arnoldy Jordie Bornstein & Audrey Gilles Lawrence C. Button & Stephen E. Leach John M. Carr & Michael Lownie Ron “Moose� Casey Frank Castaldini & David Milani Su Cox & Cathy Keyes Glenn Davis & James Takagi David Dawson & Larry Penta Sonja Erickson James Franklin Kevin Gardner & Paul Morrell Brad Henderson & Lennard Torres Stephen Hitchner & John Reynolds
Jason Holstein & Ryan Keyt Nobu Ito & Mamie Chow Klint Jaramillo Devesh Khatu Marko Krosnaj & Brandon Gabriel Lori Lewis & Ilya Pratt Michael MacDonald Rob Manning Cristian Martinez & Mike Buljan Catherine McKenzie Shireen McSpadden Kevin Michael Richard Monnier & Paul Marek Martin Rios Jennifer Norris & Doris Flaherty Mindy Oppenheim & Inessa Miranski Liliana Palacios Jan Pardoe & Cathy McIntosh Michael Petty & Scott Madden Keith Pugliese & Joe Mutow Ernesto Quintanilla & Seth Skolnick Genki Ripich Thomas Roth & Scott Torgan Sharon Schrank & Jody Sanford Thomas Schultz Andrew Schwartz & John Mark Eggerton James Seeman & Michael Caccioppoli, Jr. George Shardlow Blair Skellie Ken Smith Gary J. Snow Martin C. Soto Elliott Stacy & Arianna Travaglini Annie & Victoria Steinberg-Behrman Susan Sullivan & Jennifer Matt David Takacs & Larry Carbone G Anthony Talbot & Mark Duffy David Townley Brian Turner & Jim Cox Linda S. Warrick Mark Ziegler & Douglas Roth
Supporter Dual
Fahim Abbasi & Mark Worden Alexander Aickin & Jason Tester Gary Albert & Christopher Lucera Ed Babin III & Barry Eisenberg Mark Baumli & David Costa Kelley Berg & Nancy Goler
Kenneth Camp & Enger German-Ramirez Hossein Sepas Carney & Patrick Carney Michele Cobble & Michelle Echenique Larry Crist & Rory Cox Dorothea & Jan Crosbie-Taylor Mark Dean & Mark Janse Lisa Dungan & Catherine Dew In Memory of Frank Dziobek Sophie Fanelli & Deb Godner Vincent Finkowski Keith Folger Jeffrey Fraenkel & Alan Mark Moses Freyre & Robert Murphy Eric Gelino & Rodel Borja Sharon Gillars & Mary Beth Peterson Amy Graham & Jamie Lantz Susan Greef & Maureen Prochaska Matt Grigoryan & David DeFranco Dawn Hatch & Julie DeVincenzi Maria Hernandez & Diane Gil Alicia Hernandez & Kathleen Hunt Ken Higgins & Michael Filighera Nancy Hoopes & Alison Pachynski John Hudson & Peter Weiser Katherine Hughes & Sara Rose Alex Ingersoll & Martin Tannenbaum Dennis Isner Win Jones & Joanne Scarpa Andrew Kaiser & Brandon Stanton Stuart Kent & Mark Pellegrino Jerry LaBarge & Carlos Castrillo Krishneel Lall & Asish Purushan Noel Legorburu & Marc Scruggs Suzette Lin & Maya Setchkova Dianna Mullins & Clare Dunnett Pablo Nelson & Paul Backhurst Heather Olsen & Rona Jawetz Robert L. Owen, MD & ChinShun Wu Fredric Phillips & Thomas DeLonge Michael Rabanal & Alfredo Victorio Fred Rimando & Craig Siulinski Ernest Patrick Rodriguez
Josh Schechtel & Andrew Davies Jan Setchko & Lana Hameister Scott Sidorsky & Vince Thomas Bob Siedle-Khan & Jim Cartwright Dachiele Sierra & Kevin Lee Daniel Slaughter & Stephan Blachowski Eric Smith & Mark Garrett Brad Smith & Mark Schoenberg Guy Smith Karlin Sorenson & Krista Lucchesi Peter L. Stein & Brian Freeman Dana Stevenson & Jennifer Schmich Luke Stewart & Georgy Avakov Allen Swim & Jeffrey Baker Leslie H. Townsend & Polly Boissevain Mily Trabing & Susan Thomas Tim Tune & David Pinch William & Brad Whitehead Linda & Deo Wright Mitchell Youngman Jorge Yviricu & Tom Blommers
Supporter
Anonymous Leonard Abel Douglas S. Adams Paul Allen Dan Alvear Coyote Amrich Kim Anderson Michael Arsenault Veronica Ascension SB Tarick Bedeir Gabriel Benitez Peter Berman Michael Blubaugh Sean Brient Larry Brinkin Brian Bromberger Donna Brorby John F. Brown Nathan Brown Jasmine Buczek Diane Caliva K. Lee Callahan Robert Capriccio John C. Cassady Humphrey Chan Matthew Chee Steve Ciano Michael Clune Etan Cohen Mari Collings James C. Corbett Ryan Cowell JD Cowell James W. Cranney
Charlene M. Crawford Penguin Dan Jacki Dennis Paul Devine Douglas Dexter David M. Donahue Ralph Doore Reginald Dugard Annie Eagan Lynne Eggers Manny Estrada Bill Fanning Carl Fisher Kate Fitzpatrick John Foertsch Mark Forester Maggie Francisco Andy Friend Philip Fukuda Colin Gallagher Dylan Winn Garner Margo George Danny Gilmore Robert Goldfarb Jared Goldfine Brendalynn Goodall Paige Graff Matthew Gray Marvin J. Halpern Eleanor Haney Jesse Harrison-Noonan Steven J. Hatton Joseph Hege Jose Hernandez Nancy Hinds Vincent Hom Josh Howard Brandon S. Hughes Gregory Hunter Theo Joire Joseph Kanuch Nancy Kates Jon Kilcrease Penni Kimmel Roderick Kiracofe Merton Kirby Ronald Kisling Kimberley Klevstad Rob Knutson Samuel Kohler Simon Kong Tom Lakritz Kenneth Langill Alejandro Lara Aaron Leifer Alan Lessik Douglas Ley Edward Lim Steven Liu Michael LoPresti Laura Lowe Leah Madonich Valerie Maestas Jason Martin John Maze Sandra McEnroe Christian Mejia Mark Menke Celestina Meow Meow Leslie Miessner
Alan K. Miller Joseph Miller Robert Mison Gil Mok Christopher Moore Sara Moore Brett Moyer Mark Mullin Wendy D. Nemeroff Susan Nesbitt Jeanine Nicholson Eric Ormsby Ayofemi Oseye Pamela Pastrana John M. Peloquin Katie Pfeiffer Y Pham Sharon L. Ponder Holly Reese Cathy Rice Erica Robinson Kennedy Ross Hal Rowland Roberto Ruiz Wendy Rustay Jack Ryder Gavin Rynne Kent L. Sack, MD Jim Salveson Evaristo Lito Sandoval Roy Schachter Rachel Scheibe Mark A. Senick Jean Siciliano M. T. Silvia Maureen Smith William Lonon Smith David Sovereign Thomas P. Stapp Bill Stewart Bradley Stow Joann Strang Maureen Sullivan Steve Sullivan Kelly Sundin Martin K. Taras Ralph A. Thomas Naomi Tilsen Robert S. Tinkler Sophia Toh Laura Tow Karen Trilevsky Cheri Tsai Anthony Valdez Timothy Vigue Kenneth Wallace Michael Walters Brett Wayn Trip Weil LauraLee Wells Michael Westcott Sheryll White John A. Williams Stephen B. Wilson, Jr. Howard Wong Peter Wong Siobhan Xie Jack Yang Jeffrey Yang Robert R. Zaborny
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FILM & PROGRAM INDEX #
D
L
S
100 Men 63
Dating My Mother 50
Last Night Was a Mistake 69
Saturday Church 52
4 Days in France 57 195 Lewis, Episodes 1-5 56
A
Abu (Father) 63 After Louie 31
After the Date 72
A Date for Mad Mary 58 David, In Brief 71
The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson 40 Desert Hearts 37
The Devil Is in the Details 70
The Lavender Scare 65 The Lego Movie 73 The Letter 70
Little Potato 72
Looking for Langston 37
Santa & Andres 61 Screwed 61
Sensitivity Training 53 Seventeen 62
Shape Up: Gay in the Black Barbershop 72
Love 60
Sign 70
Dusk 72
M
Small Talk 67
Apricot Groves 57
E
Marz 70
The Attendant 37
The Escape Hatch 71
B
Etage X 70, 71
Against the Law 57
Alabama Bound 64 Alaska Is a Drag 49 The Archer 38
Bayard & Me 71 Beach Rats 49 Beards 54 Becks 23
Behind the Curtain: Todrick Hall 39 Better Known As Peaches Christ 71 Bi Candy 69
Bird of Prey 69
BKPI, Episodes 1-3 56 The Blondes 71 BobbyAnna 72
Bones of Contention 64
The Book of Gabrielle 58 Bootwmn 71
Born to Love You 71
Britney-holics Anonymous: A Spear-itual Awakening 69, 70 Brown Girls 54
Brown Girls, Episode 4 71 By Hook or by Crook 37
C
Cake 70
Call Your Father 70
Carol Support Group 71 Center of My World 58 Chavela 27
Chromosome Sweetheart 53 Climax 69
The Colour of His Hair 71 Coming Up Queer 69 Creating Gender Inclusive Schools 69
Discreet 50
Lady Eva 72
Dispatches from Cleveland 55
Encuentro 71, 72
Escaping Agra 69
A Million Happy Nows 51
Stumped 45
The Mess He Made 70
F
More Than T 55
The F Word 55
The Fabulous Allan Carr 64 The Feels 50
More Than God 71 Muxes 72
My Friend Dahmer 51
Strong Island 68 Superheroes 69
T
Those Who Make Revolution Halfway Only Dig Their Own Graves 62 Tits. 53
The Feels, Almost 70
N
Tom of Finland 62
Flirting with Disaster 70
Nobody’s Watching 61
Transit Havana 68
First Love 70
No Dress Code Required 66
Freak Show 41
O
Fun in Boys Shorts 70 Fun in Girls Shorts 71
G
The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo, Episode 4 70 Get The Life 72
Girl Unbound 42
God’s Own Country 43 Guitar Idol 71
H
Half a Life 71
Handsome Devil 59 Haygood Eats 70 Hello Again 51
Homegrown 71 Hot to Trot 65
I
I Dream in Another Language 25 ID#5: winemaker, musician, farmer 72 Imago 69
Intersection 72
J
Curse 72
Just Charlie 60
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The Streets Are Ours: Two Lives Cross in Karachi 71
Extra Terrestrials 59
Exchange 70
Snapshot 53
Maybe Tomorrow 60
More Love. Less Prepackaged Bullshit. 69, 72
Cruising Elsewhere 71 Curmudgeons 70
Mansfield 66/67 65
Signature Move 44
Jesus Is Dead 59
Torrey Pines 53 Transtastic 72
Ocean Swells 73
U
Open Recess 69
The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin 21
One Night Only 73 The Other Side 72, 73
Our Second First Date 69
P
Umbrella 72
Up Close & Personal 72
V
Pedro 73
Venus - Filly the Lesbian Little Fairy 53
Plus One 71
W
Pria 73
Warning Shot 71
Princess Cyd 52
Woke Women MixTape 56
Q
The Women’s Bathroom Project 69
Picking Up 70 Portraits of Resistance 71
Walk For Me 72
#PRIDE 53
Whitney. “Can I Be Me” 46
Prom King, 2010 52
Woman on Fire 68
Queer Ghost Hunters Pt. 1 71
Worldly Affairs 73
Quest 66
Y
Queercore: How to Punk a Revolution 66
R
Realness & Revelations 72 Rebels on Pointe 67
Remembering the Man 67 A Rite of Passage 71 Rusalka 70
The Wound 47
You’ve Got Tail 53
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