Frameline39: the San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival has announced several highlights for this year’s renowned showcase for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer cinema. Frameline, the world’s oldest and largest LGBTQ film festival, will be held June 18-28, 2015 in San Francisco, Berkeley, and Oakland; with San Francisco screenings at the historic Castro Theatre (429 Castro Street), Roxie Theater (3117 16th Street), and Victoria Theatre (2961 16th Street), in Berkeley at Rialto Cinemas Elmwood (2966 College Avenue), and new this year, in Oakland at Landmark’s Piedmont Theatre (4186 Piedmont Avenue). The Festival showcases international imports from Kenya, Venezuela, Lithuania, Thailand, France, and Bosnia-Herzegovina as well as local gems.
Frameline39: There’s No Place Like Here… the 39th San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival celebrates an exceptional experience that unites diverse communities across an ever evolving cinematic landscape for 11 days of innovative and socially relevant film. Commemorate legendary filmmakers, discover emerging talents, and join the inimitable community of festivalgoers that distinguish the world’s oldest and largest celebration of queer cinema. Frameline39 pays tribute to LGBTQ experiences through revelatory documentaries, captivating features, enchanting shorts, cinematic classics, and more.
With an expected attendance of 65,000, the 11 days of Frameline39 promises to draw film lovers, media artists, and LGBTQ communities from the Bay Area and all across the globe to discover the best in queer cinema. More than 30 countries will be represented, including Kenya, Venezuela, Lithuania, Thailand, France, and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
OPENING NIGHT FILM
I AM MICHAEL / DIR Justin Kelly / USA
Starring James Franco and Zachary Quinto, director Justin Kelly’s much-talked-about drama I AM MICHAEL tells the controversial true story of Michael Glatze, a former San Francisco-based gay rights activist who renounces homosexuality and becomes a Christian pastor.
CENTERPIECE NARRATIVE
SUMMER OF SANGAILE / DIR Alanté Kavaïté / Lithuania, France, Netherlands
Sangaile is a brooding teen trapped in a cage of adolescent fear and self-doubt when she meets vivacious, outgoing Auste at an aeronautics show. This is a sumptuously shot, subtly told story of the transformative power of first love.
CENTERPIECE DOCUMENTARY
OUT TO WIN / DIR Malcolm Ingram / USA, Canada
Featuring interviews with sports legends Martina Navratilova, David Kopay, Jason Collins, Brittney Griner, and many others, this inspiring documentary from director Malcolm Ingram (Small Town Gay Bar, Frameline30; Continental, Frameline37) takes a powerful look at the struggles and triumphs of LGBTQ athletes in pro sports and leaves everyone cheering.
CLOSING NIGHT FILM
BARE / DIR Natalia Leite / USA, Canada
Sarah is trapped in nowheresville Nevada when the worldly drifter Pepper blows into town and opens her eyes to life’s possibilities. But is Sarah being seduced by a wily user, or is she herself using Pepper to break free?
FRAMELINE AWARD
Established in 1986, the Frameline Award is given every year to a person or entity that has made a major contribution to LGBTQ representation in film, television, or the media arts. The 2015 Frameline Award will honor queer documentarian Jeffrey Schwarz for his wide-ranging contributions in documenting LGBTQ figures and queer history. Frameline will also present the Bay Area premiere of Schwarz’s latest film, TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL.
TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL / DIR Jeffrey Schwarz / USA
From the earliest years of Hollywood,we, as movie (and television) viewers have had the pleasure of seeing (and lusting after) some of the sexiest men who ever lived. But none was more sexier than Rock Hudson and Tab Hunter. Following the rapturously received I Am Divine (Frameline37) and Vito (classic documentaries, in and of themselves), director Jeffrey Schwarz vibrantly recalls the rollercoaster life and career of formerly closeted 1950s Hollywood heartthrob Tab Hunter in this lively and fascinating documentary. Furthermore, at 84 years old, he’s still sex on a stick. (see a review of the documentary from SXSW here.) It’s a must-see documentary of a less-liberal time in Hollywood and America; and a cautionary tale for today’s Hollywood stars.
ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS AT FRAMELINE39
The Festival, will also host the following highly anticipated screenings:
54: THE DIRECTOR’S CUT / DIR Mark Christopher / USA
After nearly 17 years, director Mark Christopher has re-cut his disco-driven romantic drama 54 into the glitterier, grittier, and gayer version he originally intended. Ryan Philippe stars as an opportunistic busboy ensnared in a bisexual love triangle with the coat-check girl (Salma Hayek) and the bartender (Breckin Meyer), all set against the backdrop of New York’s Studio 54 disco nightclub overseen by Steve Rubell (Mike Myers).
DO I SOUND GAY? / DIR David Thorpe / USA
Is there such a thing as a “gay voice”? Why do some people “sound gay” but not others? Why are gay voices a mainstay of pop culture—but also a trigger for anti-gay harassment? This light-hearted yet thought-provoking quest to understand “gay voice” explores these questions and more in revealing interviews with Margaret Cho, Tim Gunn, Don Lemon, Dan Savage, David Sedaris, and George Takei.
LIZ IN SEPTEMBER / DIR Fina Torres / Venezuela
A tight-knit group of lesbian friends are enjoying their annual vacation on a beautiful Caribbean beach when Eva, a straight stranger, crashes the party. On a dare, the group’s heartbreaker Liz launches a seduction, with results that surprise them both. Continue reading