Frameline 39: San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival Announces Lineup

Erik Anderson May 19, 2015

James Franco and Zachary Quinto star in Justin Kelly's I Am Michael, Frameline 39's Opening Night film. — James Franco and Zachary Quinto star in Justin Kelly’s *I Am Michael*, Frameline 39’s Opening Night film.

Frameline, the world’s oldest and largest LGBTQ film festival has announced its ambitious lineup for Frameline 39 and features the world premiere of Justin Kelly’s film I Am Michael, starring James Franco and Zachary Quinto. The festival will also see the Bay Area premiere of Tab Hunter Confidential from award-winning documentarian Jeffrey Schwarz, who will be receiving the 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.

Other highlights include the Centerpiece Narrative, the lesbian coming of age drama Summer of Sangaile and the Centerpiece Documentary Out to Win, featuring out athletes in professional sports including Martina Navratilova and Jason Collins. There’s also the director’s cut of the film 54 from director Mark Christopher which now features a more explored bisexual storyline between stars Ryan Phillipe, Breckin Meyer and Salma Hayek.

With an expected attendance of 65,000, the 11 days of Frameline39 will 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.

The festival runs from June 18-28, 2015 in San Francisco, Berkeley, and Oakland. For more information, including tickets, visit www.frameline.org/festival.
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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?

TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL / DIR Jeffrey Schwarz / USA

Following the rapturously received I Am Divine (Frameline37) and Vito (Frameline36), director Jeffrey Schwarz vibrantly recalls the rollercoaster life and career of formerly closeted 1950s Hollywood heartthrob Tab Hunter in this lively and fascinating documentary.

ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS AT FRAMELINE39
Frameline39, the San Francisco International LGBTQ Film 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.

LARRY KRAMER IN LOVE AND ANGER / DIR Jean Carlomusto / USA

A well-deserved tribute to one of the nation’s most important gay activists, this documentary is also a gripping account of the onset and terrible escalation of the AIDS crisis in the United States, an epidemic that came to define Kramer’s life and work.

NAZ & MAALIK / DIR Jay Dockendorf / USA

Two closeted Muslim teens have their Friday afternoon ruined by FBI surveillance when their secretive behavior and small-time scheming start to “look” like violent radicalism.

SEED MONEY: THE CHUCK HOLMES STORY / DIR Michael Stabile / USA

Porn and politics meet between the sheets and on the streets in this sexy, stirring account of infamous provocateur and heroic philanthropist Chuck Holmes, who parlayed his success as founder of pretty-boy empire Falcon Studios into life-saving LGBT activism.

STORIES OF OUR LIVES / DIR Jim Chuchu / Kenya

From a ten-person artist collective comes an anthology of narrative short films based on true stories about queer life in Kenya. Homophobia is institutionalized in Kenya, heightening the stakes of this brave, beautiful vignette quintet. Via intimate depictions of identity under siege, drawn from real life experiences of LGBTQI people, this black-and-white anthology breaks the silence enforced by intolerance.
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ABOUT FRAMELINE39: SAN FRANCICSO INTERNATIONAL LGBTQ FILM FESTIVAL

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 evolving cinemascape 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.

Frameline39 runs June 18-28, 2015, 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 CinemasÒ 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.

The Frameline Box Office, presented by Showtime, located inside The HRC Action Center and Store, (575 Castro Street between 18^th and 19^th Streets) opens Friday, May 22 for Frameline member ticket sales, and Friday, May 29 for the general public. Box Office hours are 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm daily. Box Office is closed Monday, May 25 for Memorial Day. Tickets are also available 24 hours daily online (www.frameline.org/festival) and via fax (415-861-1404).

Unless otherwise noted, tickets for matinee screenings, (Monday-Friday, 5:00 pm and earlier), are $10 for the general public and $8 for Frameline members, while evening and weekend shows are $12 for the general public and $10 for members. Castro Passes, good for admission to all screenings at the Castro Theatre, other than Opening Night and Closing Night, are available for $225. Weekday Matinee Passes, good for admission to all weekday matinee screenings starting at 5:00 pm or earlier at the Castro Theatre are available for $40 for the general public and $35 for members.

For more information, visit www.frameline.org/festival.

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Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.