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San Francisco Chronicle
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Queer filmmaking triumphs at Frameline 49 amid challenging times
'Wicket,' Lily Plotkin's portrait of legendary 1990s San Francisco breakdancer Bboy Wicket, whose defining power moves helped give hop-hop its form and also provided cover for him as a closeted gay man, won the audience award for best documentary feature at Frameline 49. The award for narrative feature was a tie between two wildly ambitious but very different films presented at the 49th San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival, according to the list of award winners released Tuesday, July 1 by Frameline, the nation's oldest and largest LGBTQ+ media arts organization. 'Castration Movie: Pt. I,' the creation of writer/director/star Louise Weard, is a 4½-hour saga about a transgender sex worker in Vancouver and her challenging life that is easily the longest film ever to play at Frameline. It was matched on audience ballots by Croatian filmmaker Ivona Jonka's 'Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day,' an epic about a group of gay partisans-turned-filmmakers navigating life in post-World War II Communist Yugoslavia. 'Frameline 49 spotlighted filmmakers who are committed to making their stories in the face of a harsh political and financial landscape,' Frameline Executive Director Allegra Madsen told the Chronicle. 'As a film festival, and a queer organization, Frameline is tasked with not only showing crucial works, but bringing filmmakers and audiences together to create community.' Overall, the world's largest and longest-running queer media festival, which ended Saturday, June 28, showed nearly 150 films from some 40 countries across 11 days, bringing about 200 filmmakers from around the world to the Bay Area. There were 50 sold-out screenings, including at some 1,000-seat venues. 'Festivals like Frameline are the vanguard of independent cinema. We're changing the face of art and culture at large, no matter the odds,' Madsen said, reflecting on the reality her organization is facing in an era of anti-LGBTQ legislation and drastic cuts to arts funding since Donald Trump became president for the second time. In response, the festival instituted a Queer2Queer fundraising campaign, which invited donors to 'adopt' screenings at $2,500 a pop. The money covered the costs of not only venue rental and other exhibition fees, but also bringing in filmmakers for in-person conversations. The initiative generated $34,000, Frameline reported. Another initiative called Pay-It-Forward asked buyers of tickets for ' Heightened Scrutiny,' a documentary about ACLU trans lawyer Chase Strangio, to purchase an extra ticket for a trans person. About 150 such tickets were purchased, helping fill one of those 50 sellout screenings at the 1,000-seat Toni Rembe Theater. 'This year has been challenging for the entire queer community, but when we show up for one another and lift up our fellow community members in solidarity, we can make lasting progress,' Matthew Ramsey, Frameline's new director of partnerships and development, said in a statement. 'Our ability to combine powerful storytelling with love and celebration is, quite simply, queer magic.' Frameline also has juried awards, presented by members of the San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle. Brazilian filmmaker Rafaela Camelo's 'The Nature of Invisible Things,' about the friendship of two girls during a magical summer, won outstanding first narrative feature. Outstanding documentary feature went to Kimberly Reed's 'I'm Your Venus,' which searches for answers in the 1988 murder of Venus Xtravaganza, a figure in the New York City ballroom scene who was a star of the classic landmark documentary 'Paris Is Burning.'
San Francisco Chronicle
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Queer love scores big as Netflix and Pride take over San Francisco's new women's sports bar
What better place to watch a reality show that turns queer dating into a sporting event than at San Francisco's newest women's sports bar? In one of the most unique events at Frameline's 49th San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival, Netflix took over Rikki's in the Castro District to the Season 2 premiere of 'The Ultimatum: Queer Love.' The sold-out event on Tuesday, June 24, drew 160 fans of the series. The dating show centers six lesbian and nonbinary couples who face an ultimatum: get married or break up. During the breakup period, they date others on the show. At Rikki's, there were free drinks and sliders, and the conversation flowed. 'We were big fans of Kyle and Bridget,' enthused Violet Daar, who was in a group of six who sat near the bar. 'Very hot!' Alex Ebrahimi, who was part of Daar's group, added that while she was happy with the show because 'It represents diverse voices,' she thought 'there could be more gender and body type diversity.' Meanwhile Kate Whitney, who sat at a table watching with three friends, observed, 'I hope that we get to see people really find themselves and find love.' Claire Markham, who sat in Whitney's group, added, 'If they're going on a reality show to solve their relationship issues, they're probably not going to end up together, but it's going to be entertaining.' The first seven of 10 episodes of the second season of 'The Ultimatum: Queer Love' began streaming on Netflix on Wednesday, June 25. The final three will drop Wednesday, July 2. To mark the occasion, Netflix flew in one of the stars of Season 1, Lexi Goldberg, to host the event. 'Hopefully, Season 2 steps it up and makes me look less messy than I did on Season 1,' Goldberg told the crowd to laughter. Afterward, Goldberg, who lives in Miami, told the Chronicle that she was surprised by the show's popularity, noting that she has been approached by fans from all walks of life. 'Something about our cast really resonated with audiences where, be it straight people, gay people and queer people in general, they were like, 'Holy sh—. The problems that they have and their relationship I relate to. And it doesn't matter whether they're lesbians or bisexual or nonbinary or whatever. It's like relationship problems are linear and they exist across whoever you're dating.' Savannah Schulze, who was in the group with Whitney and Markham, added that the setting made it especially memorable. 'There are very few queer shows in general, but even less for lesbians or for queer women,' Schulze said. 'So the fact that a women's bar is hosting this space in the Castro during Pride Month for queer women to watch and get their own visibility on a TV screen is not something that we get really ever.' Rikki's opened for business on June 11, and owners Sara Yergovich and Danielle Thoe said business has been exceeding expectations, especially during Golden State Valkyries WNBA games. But for the Frameline/Netflix event, they were more than happy to shut off sports for one night. 'There's a lot of really serious and important work that comes out through Frameline,' said Yergovich of the nonprofit that operates the festival. 'I think this is one of the more fun, whimsical kinds of things to go watch and laugh and have a good time. I think it's really important to have some fun during Pride, as well as kind of reflecting on the work that still needs to be done.' Among the attendees were Film SF Executive Director Manijeh Fata, film director Alice Wu and, of course, Frameline Executive Director Allegra Madsen, who said she has found the festival 'cathartic' after the Supreme Court's decision to uphold a Tennessee law that prohibits certain medical treatments for transgender minors, a 'gut punch,' as Madsen put it, that came down hours before the festival opened on Wednesday, June 18. '(Tonight) was a nice night to celebrate some of the positive things that are happening in San Francisco,' Madsen said. 'We have the (WNBA's) Valkyries now, we have a brand new lesbian sports bar, so let's all get together. … Having silly good times with one another, that's how you build community. Going through hard times, but also creating space for the good times.' Asked which couple on 'The Ultimatum' was her favorite, Madsen smiled. 'It's too early to tell, so if I have to do my fantasy league tonight, I'm not ready to put money anywhere, but talk to me next week and I might be able to fill you in.'
San Francisco Chronicle
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
S.F. LGBTQ film festival hopes unique fundraising twist helps beat Trump cuts
In another novel concept designed to help Frameline weather a loss of federal funding, the nation's oldest and largest LGBTQ media arts organization is turning to donor sponsored screenings. Called the Queer2Queer Campaign, it encourages supporters to 'adopt' a screening at San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival. Priced at $2,500, a sponsored screening assists Frameline cover the costs of not only venue rental and other exhibition fees, but also bringing in filmmakers for in-person Q&As for the June 18-28 event at venues in San Francisco and Oakland. More Information Frameline 49 When: June 18-28 Where: Roxie Theater, Herbst Theatre, Vogue Theatre, American Conservatory Theater's Toni Rembe Theater, Oasis, KQED, Rikki's, Proxy and Charmaine's in San Francisco; the New Parkway Theater in Oakland. Pre-festival: June 13-15, Smith Rafael Film Center, 1118 Fourth St., San Rafael. Streaming: Select films will be available to stream at home June 23-30. Films: Nearly 150 from 40 countries, including 17 world premieres. Opening night: 'Jimpa,' starring Olivia Colman and John Lithgow. 7 p.m. June 18. $35. Toni Rembe Theater, 415 Geary St., S.F. Juneteenth: 'I Was Born This Way,' documentary about the late Archbishop Carl Bean. 6 p.m. June 19. $19.50. KQED, 2601 Mariposa St., S.F. First Friday: 'Heightened Scrutiny,' documentary about American Civil Liberties Union transgender attorney Chase Strangio. 7 p.m. June 20. Toni Rembe Theater • First Friday Party. 9 p.m.-midnight. Charmaine's, 1100 Market St., S.F. $35 film only; $85 film plus party. Pride Kickoff: Rashaad Newsome and Johnny Symons' documentary 'Assembly.' 5:45 p.m. June 27. Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Ave. S.F. • Pride Kickoff Party. 9 p.m.-midnight. Oasis, 298 11th St., S.F. $28 film only; $60 film plus party. Closing night: James Sweeney's comedy 'Twinless.' 8:30 p.m. June 28. $35. Herbst Theatre. Frameline Executive Director Allegra Madsen and her team hatched the idea for the Queer2Queer Campaign after Frameline was stripped of about $50,000 in grants promised to it by the National Endowment for the Arts, part of the Trump administration's directive to defund the arts and humanities. 'It's frustrating. It's sad,' Madsen told the Chronicle hours before revealing the full schedule for Frameline 49 at a release party at Oasis on May 13. 'It's darn near impossible not to read it as an attempt at censorship. But the festival will go on, we will still make space and community for queer people. That is our mission, regardless of changing policies at the national level.' The Queer2Queer Campaign follows the previously announced pay-it forward initiative to provide free tickets to transgender and nonbinary attendees to 'Heightened Scrutiny,' Sam Feder's documentary about American Civil Liberties Union attorney Chase Strangio, the first out trans person to argue before the Supreme Court. The film is screening as part of the festival's First Friday event on June 20. 'We got ourselves through McCarthyism, the Lavender Scare. We supported each other through the AIDS crisis, and we developed the art of activism and mutual support. It seems like we're entering another paradigm where the powers that be, the larger current administration, wants to marginalize queer people again,' Madsen said. But, she added, 'Queer people have a very long history of standing up for and with one another, particularly when the societal forces don't want to do so.' Frameline 49, which features nearly 150 films from about 40 countries, opens with 'Jimpa,' Sophie Hyde's family drama starring Olivia Colman and John Lithgow, and closes with James Sweeney's 'Twinless,' a comedy about two grieving men who bond in a support group and form an unlikely friendship. Both were well received at January's Sundance Film Festival. Big nights include the Juneteenth-slotted movie 'I Was Born This Way,' Daniel Junge and Sam Pollard's documentary about the late Archbishop Carl Bean, who founded both the Minority AIDS Project and the world's first LGBTQ church for people of color; and the Pride Kickoff Party film 'Assembly,' which follows visionary artist Rashaad Newsome as he transforms a historic military facility into a Black queer utopia, blending art, artificial intelligence and performance. Madsen, who also led the programming team, is especially proud of the variety of films at this year's edition, which include the animated thrill ride 'Lesbian Space Princess,' which won a Teddy Award at the Berlin International Film Festival; the world premiere of Oriel Pe'er's 'A Deeper Love: The Story of Miss Peppermint,' a documentary about the artist, activist and 'RuPaul's Drag Race' runner-up; and the searing intersex documentary 'The Secret of Me,' which exposes deep family secrets. Then there's the film 'your great-aunt Ida' should see, Madsen said. 'Somebody asked me, 'So what should my out-of-town relatives come and see at Frameline to get a little taste?'' Madsen recalled. 'The answer this year is 'Four Mothers.'' The Irish comedy is about a young gay author whose book tour is upended when his mother has a stroke. As he cares for her, three more elderly women arrive on his doorstep. 'I really love that film,' Madsen said. 'It is the film for the sandwich generation.'
San Francisco Chronicle
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Supreme Court decision looms over 49th Frameline LGBTQ+ film festival
As Frameline's 49th film festival nears, LGBTQ+ rights are under assault from federal and state governments, and drastic cuts in funding are affecting all arts and LGBTQ+ organizations. It's a scary time, but the San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival, the world's largest and longest-running film festival of its kind, is defiant. 'We need to really lay the groundwork out there,' Frameline Executive Director Allegra Madsen told the Chronicle ahead of the festival, which runs Wednesday, June 18, through June 28. 'We need to stand up for one another inside the community and also we need to look outside the community for effective allyship, one that is actually rooted in supporting the queer community.' Madsen and her team have programmed a proactive slate of issue-oriented films for the event that sends a clear message: The queer community isn't going anywhere. No film embodies that spirit more than ' Heightened Scrutiny,' Sam Feder's ripped-from-the-headlines documentary about American Civil Liberties Union attorney Chase Strangio, the first out transgender person to argue before the Supreme Court. A recipient of Frameline's 2025 Completion Fund grant, the film is scheduled to make its California premiere in the festival's traditional 'First Friday' slot on June 20, with a screening at American Conservatory Theater's 1,000-seat Toni Rembe Theater, followed by a party at Charmaine's, the Proper Hotel's rooftop bar on Market Street. Produced by former San Francisco resident Amy Scholder, 'Heightened Scrutiny' follows Strangio during his involvement in United States v. Skrmetti, in which he is fighting to overturn Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth. Strangio argued the case before the Supreme Court on Dec. 4, and audio of the arguments (SCOTUS does not allow cameras) is used in the film, which made its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January. To add to the drama, the high court's decision is expected to be handed down during Frameline. 'We felt this urgency to get the film out while the decision was being deliberated so that the public could really understand what the stakes are and hopefully understand the kind of urgency of coalition and, regardless of the outcome, just what this will mean,' Scholder said. 'Nine human beings at the Supreme Court are deciding the fate of the civil rights of a community and the beginning of, or the continuation of, the chipping away of bodily autonomy for all Americans. Whatever the decision is, we set out to show how we got here, what contributed to this moment.' Feder, who spoke to the Chronicle along with Scholder during a video interview, first met Strangio while making his documentary ' Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen ' (2020), about Hollywood's depiction of transgender people. 'The ways in which he spoke about the connection to the rise of visibility and the rise of social and legislative violence really struck me because that was the reason I made that film,' Feder said. 'I wanted people to start preparing for the inevitable backlash.' That backlash has arrived, and with intensity. Not just from the government, but, as 'Heightened Scrutiny' alleges, the mainstream press. Strangio explains in the documentary how headlines about trans issues — both in the New York Times and in other newspapers — subtly changed over a relatively short time leading up to the case. At issue in the Supreme Court case and in media coverage is the use of hormone and puberty blockers, which have been prescribed to children since the 1980s for various conditions that have nothing to do with gender changes, such as early onset puberty. 'This is a framing issue,' Feder said. 'This is not about unfairness or a threat. If you want to make things fair based on blood tests and hormone tests, you should be doing that across the board, right? Not just for this one class of people. So this is about bigotry. So how we frame these stories creates a very specific narrative that people run with, and that's what I wish the press would do better.' Frameline felt 'Heightened Scrutiny' was so important that it introduced a pay-it-forward initiative to provide free tickets to transgender and nonbinary attendees (details at The screening, which Feder and Scholder plan to attend, will be preceded by a performance by the New Voices Bay Area TIGQ (Transgender, Intersex, Genderqueer) Choir. 'The outcome of this case is going to affect all Americans,' Feder said. 'People think this is just about a small community that they don't really care about, and they want to talk about other things. But we're seeing the beginnings of coalition building about reproductive rights and trans rights and immigrant rights. This is all about bodily autonomy, what we have the right to do, what our right is to move through space.'
San Francisco Chronicle
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Frameline 49: 7 must-see movies capturing the LGBTQ+ experience
Frameline turns 49 this year, unreeling a prismatic array of films that capture a wide variety of LGBTQ+ experience. Drama, comedy, romance, documentary, even animation, all step into the festival spotlight. The 10-day event is bookended by star turns from John Lithgow and Olivia Colman in the opening night drama 'Jimpa' on Wednesday, June 18, and by Dylan O'Brien in the closing night comedy 'Twinless' on Pink Saturday, June 28. 'Playing with Fire: A Psychosexual Emergency' When the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex fire forced artists and activists Beth Stephens and Annie Sprinkle to evacuate their Boulder Creek (Santa Cruz County) home, it inspired the couple to confront the realities of the wildfires that threaten communities while acknowledging fire's capacity to renew. Partially narrated by Albert, a glorious white peacock personified by voiceover, this vivid documentary accompanies Stephens and Sprinkle on their journey to get to the heart of fire. Visiting with artists, a formerly incarcerated firefighter, Indigenous elders and others, the filmmakers concoct a heady brew of the mystical, the magical and the scientific. Burlesque artist Lady Monster's fiery tassel dance, a flaming stunt from performance artist Cassils, and a ceremony binding Stephens and Sprinkle to a most unusual partner are among the arresting scenes in a film that blends art with a call to action. 11 a.m. Friday, June 20. Roxie Theater, 3117 16th St., S.F. 'The Librarians' In her chilling documentary depicting the crisis modern-day librarians face, filmmaker Kim A. Snyder fittingly quotes Ray Bradbury classic dystopian novel 'Fahrenheit 451' about a fascist society where books aren't just banned, they're burned. With politicians, school boards and Moms for Liberty waging a fierce campaign to limit what young people can read, United States' librarians are the heroes fighting for free expression and the right to read. Snyder follows unfolding events at libraries, school board meetings, legislative sessions, and more in this illuminating, enraging documentary. 1:30 p.m. Saturday, June 21. Vogue Theatre. Vogue Theatre, 3290 Sacramento St., S.F. 'By Design' While her mother (Betty Buckley) and friends (Samantha Mathis, Robin Tunney) barely notice Camille's sudden vegetative state, the chair's owner, pianist Olivier (Mamoudou Athie), develops his own passionate obsession with the comely piece of furniture. 3:30 p.m. Saturday, June 21. Roxie Theater, 3117 16th St., S.F. 'Lesbian Space Princess' Broken-hearted Princess Saira, future queen of Clitopolis, gets a second chance at love when Straight White Malians kidnap her bounty hunter ex-girlfriend Kiki and demand an unusual ransom only Saira can access. The introverted royal undertakes a grand interstellar adventure to rescue her love, facing down her fears, lack of confidence, and misogynist spaceship. Through her escapades along the way to the Straight White Malians' lair, can she gain enough pluck to prevail? First-time feature makers Emma Hughes Hobbs and Leela Varghese won the Teddy Award at the Berlin International Film Festival for this Australian import, a hilarious, eye-popping animated caper. 8:30 p.m. Sunday, June 22. Roxie Theater, 3117 16th St., S.F. 'She's the He' 'Superbad' meets 'Bottoms' in writer-director Siobhan McCarthy's debut feature that views gender and identity through the lens of a raunchy teen comedy. Obsessed with his dream girl Sasha, brash high school senior Alex decides the only way he can get close to her is if he can invade the girls' locker room. To achieve that goal, he and his best friend Ethan pretend to come out as trans girls, an act with profound consequences for shy, self-deprecating Ethan. Misha Osherovich as Ethan is a standout in a sparkling ensemble of trans, queer and nonbinary actors in this raucous coming-of-age film with serious intent and a huge heart. 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, June 24. Roxie Theater, 3117 16th St., S.F. 'We Are Faheem & Karun' Indian border guard Karun and Faheem, a college student living in the country's northern region of Kashmir, live deeply closeted lives. But when they meet at a border checkpoint, instant attraction flares. Reconnecting in Faheem's village, there is no denying their feelings. The actors' erotic chemistry is white-hot even as their characters' situation is fraught. Karun's family expects him to marry. Faheem is Muslim. And the situation at the border is turning into a tinderbox. Co-writer/director Onir based this sensual, sensitive drama on a real-life Indian soldier's story. 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 25. Vogue Theatre, 3290 Sacramento St., S.F. 'Drive Back Home' Alan Cumming turns on his ebullient charm to play Perley, an adman arrested for public indecency in 1970 Toronto, in this drama inspired by writer/director Michael Clowater's family history. Reluctantly coming to his estranged brother's rescue is terse plumber Weldon (Charlie Creed-Miles), who insists Perley come back with him to their small New Brunswick hometown. 5:30 p.m. Thursday, June 26. Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Ave., S.F.
