Frameline 45 – San Francisco LGBTQ+ film festival lineup: ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’ and more
Pride Nights at Oracle Park—presented in partnership with San Francisco Pride and the San Francisco Giants—to feature the film adaptation of the hit, award-winning West End musical, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, along with Jon M. Chu’s film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning musical, In the Heights
Frameline has announced the full program for Frameline45—the world’s largest LGBTQ+ film festival—taking place Thursday, June 10 through Sunday, June 27, 2021.
Slated to be the largest and most attended festival in Frameline history, the 17-day festival will feature a hybrid of in-person and virtual offerings, including four drive-in screenings, two screenings at Oracle Park in partnership with San Francisco Pride and the San Francisco Giants, as well as over 50 virtual film screenings. In addition, in-person screenings return to Frameline with a series of special screenings at San Francisco’s historic Castro Theatre and Roxy Theater.
“We are beyond thrilled to present the world’s largest LGBTQ+ film festival,” says Frameline Executive Director James Woolley. “The past year has shown us the value and importance of connections with one another. As the world begins to reopen and revitalize, so too is Frameline45 with a unique combination of in-person and virtual events. We look forward to celebrating the power of queer storytelling and sharing in a collective experience together.”
This year’s Frameline45 virtual offerings are available to ticket holders nationwide. Tickets ($8–$12 per screening) and passes (starting at $95) are available now at frameline.org/festival. For the first time, Frameline will offer a Festival Streaming Pass, which gives which gives ticket buyers the opportunity to unlock all virtual festival content, including film screenings and other unique programming. To ensure maximum flexibility, ticket holders will be able to tune in live to each screening or stream nearly every film at any time beginning Thursday, June 17, 2021.
“The theme of this year’s festival is ‘All Kinds of Queer’ and our lineup certainly reflects that,” adds Frameline Director of Programming Allegra Madsen. “Representing 30 countries—from Argentina, Egypt, and India to Nigeria, Taiwan, and South Africa— this year’s slate of films will touch on themes ranging from the American Dream and gentrification to trans resilience and gender and race identity. Through these films, we believe we can cultivate a more compassionate and empathetic world.”
For the first-time ever, Frameline and San Francisco Pride will present Pride Movie Nights at Oracle Park. A natural extension of Frameline and SF-Pride’s decades-long, mutually advantageous relationship, this socially distanced and ticketed event (subject to state-mandated capacity limits) is further strengthened by a partnership with the San Francisco Giants and support from the City and County of San Francisco.
The complete Frameline 45 lineup is below:
MOVIE NIGHTS AT ORACLE PARK
In The Heights, directed by Jon M. Chu (United States) The creator of Hamilton and the director of Crazy Rich Asians invite you to a cinematic event, where the streets are made of music and little dreams become big… In the Heights. Lights up on Washington Heights… The scent of a cafecito caliente hangs in the air just outside of the 181st Street subway stop, where a kaleidoscope of dreams rallies this vibrant and tight-knit community. At the intersection of it all is the likeable, magnetic bodega owner Usnavi (Anthony Ramos), who hopes, imagines, and sings about a better life. In the Heights fuses Miranda’s kinetic music and lyrics with director Jon M. Chu’s lively and authentic eye for storytelling to capture a world that is very much of its place, but universal in its experience.
Friday, June 11 at 6:30 p.m. PDT
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, directed by Jonathan Butterell (U.K./USA) Inspired by true events, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is the film adaptation of the award-winning West End musical about Jamie New (Max Harwood), a teen in a blue-collar English town dreaming of becoming a fierce, proud drag queen. His BFF Pritti (Lauren Patel) and loving mum (Sarah Lancashire) shower him with support as drag legend Miss Loco Chanelle (Richard E. Grant) mentors him toward his stage debut. But it’s not all rainbows for Jamie as his unsupportive dad (Ralph Ineson) and an uninspired career advisor (Sharon Horgan) attempt to rain on his aspirations. In rousing musical numbers, Jamie and his community inspire one another to face adversity and step into the spotlight. Everybody’s Talking About Jamie will launch exclusively on Amazon Prime Video on September 17, 2021 in over 240 countries and territories.
Saturday, June 12 at 6:30 p.m. PDT
DRIVE-IN MOVIES
Frameline45 will feature four Drive-in screenings—one at Concord’s West Wind Solano Drive-In (1611 Solano Way) and three at San Francisco’s Fort Mason Flix (2 Marina Blvd.).
Fanny: The Right to Rock, directed by Bobbi Jo Hart 2021 (Canada) Deemed “one of the most important female bands in American rock” by David Bowie in Rolling Stone, Fanny kicked down the door for women musicians by being the first all-woman rock band to release an album with a major record company. As the band members reunite to record new music, we follow Fanny’s trailblazing rise and unfortunate plateau mired by sexism, racism, and homophobia.
Thursday, June 10 at 9 p.m. PDT
West Wind Solano Drive-In, Concord | Also streaming
Potato Dreams of America, directed by Wes Hurley (United States) A wonderful blend of camp, melodrama, and earnest coming-of-age fable, Wes Hurley’s semi-autobiographical new film is the charmingly wild tale of young Potato, a sensitive closeted kid in the splintering Soviet Union whose only joy is watching pirated American movies. Desperate for escape, his mother Lena becomes a mail-order bride, and the two set sail for America to live with her eccentric new husband on a strange and beautiful adventure.
Tuesday, June 15 at 9 p.m. PDT
Fort Mason Flix, San Francisco | Also streaming
Summer of 85 (ÉTÉ 85), directed by François Ozon (France) Two teenage boys find themselves fatefully linked together following a boating accident in this sun-kissed tale of summer flings, first love, and the thin line between passion and obsession. With a soundtrack featuring hits from The Cure and Bananarama, the latest from French provocateur and Frameline Award winner François Ozon takes a sexy, nostalgic trip back to the mid-1980s on the Normandy Coast. In French and English with English subtitles.
Wednesday, June 16 at 9 p.m. PDT
Fort Mason Flix, San Francisco
Ailey, directed by Jamila Wignot (United States) In this special screening to mark Juneteenth, the life and work of genius choreographer Alvin Ailey take center stage. Charting his trajectory from dance student to globally lauded creative force to his untimely death from AIDS in 1989, this expansive documentary weaves in candid testimonials from the artist’s closest collaborators with breathtaking dance footage from his most revelatory work. Showcasing one of the 20th century’s singular Black artists, Ailey celebrates the enduring legacy of his work while illuminating his against-the-odds achievements for a new generation.
Thursday, June 19 at 9 p.m. PDT
Fort Mason Flix, San Francisco
IN-PERSON SCREENINGS
Genderation, directed by Monika Treut (Germany) Twenty years after the queer classic Gendernauts (Frameline23) illuminated the shifting nature of gender through the eyes and lives of unapologetic, iconic San Franciscans, director Monika Treut returns to see where life has led her original pioneering subjects. Genderation finds Annie Sprinkle, Sandy Stone, Susan Stryker, Stafford, and Max Wolf Valerio still breaking the mold as gender visionaries, even as they grapple with a changing city and the challenges of aging in America.
Sunday, June 20 at 3 p.m. PDT
Roxie Theater, San Francisco
Baloney, directed by Joshua Guerci (United States) Come experience titillating and charming story behind San Francisco’s first and only all-male gay revue. A melding of theater, dance, and burlesque, Baloney has become a nightlife staple, interrogating the local, modern queer experience with humor and fantasy. In-depth interviews with the co-creators and their colorful, sultry cast provide engaging insight into the world of Baloney’s tantalizing and hilarious performances.
Sunday, June 20 at 6 p.m. PDT
Roxie Theater, San Francisco
Fun in Shorts (Shorts)
Coming Out, directed by Cressa Maeve Beer (United States)
Early to Rise: Episode 1, directed by Alec Cohen (United States)
From A to Q, directed by Emmalie El Fadli (UK)
How Moving, directed by Owen Thiele (United States)
Sunday Dinner, directed by Kevin Mead (United States)
The Test, directed by Jessica Smith (Australia)
Thank You for Being Here, directed by Elizabeth Archer (United States)
Virgin My Ass, directed by Adar Sigler (Israel)
The Wash (In Love), directed by Ibon Hernando (Spain)
Saturday, June 26 at 11 a.m. PDT
Castro Theatre, San Francisco
Invisible, directed by T.J. Parsell (United States) Contemporary country music is finally coming out of the closet. Some of the greatest hits sung by the likes of Willie Nelson, Reba McEntire, Johnny Cash, and more are the work of gay women writing, producing, and persevering in a traditional corporate industry that requires most to keep their authentic selves secret. Featuring interviews with Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, and Pam Tillis, Invisible reveals these talented women and their singular voices at last.
Saturday, June 26 at 3 p.m. PDT
Castro Theatre, San Francisco
Jump, Darling, directed by Phil Connell (Canada) Aspiring actor Russell tries to make it big on the Toronto drag scene, but after (literally) falling flat, he flees his rich boyfriend and holes up with his grandmother, played by the inimitable Cloris Leachman, in her final starring role. This affecting family drama, filmed in the bucolic Canadian wine country, also features real acts from the Toronto drag scene.
Saturday, June 26 at 6 p.m. PDT
Castro Theatre, San Francisco
Homegrown (Shorts)
Celebrate our Bay Area neighbors with these local documentaries.
Bayanihan & Resilience, directed by Jocelyn Tabancay Duffy (United States)
Beakman & Jok, directed by Kolmel W. Love (United States)
Blackness Is Everything, directed by Alba Roland Mejia (United States)
Dennis: The Man Who Legalized Cannabis, directed by Brandon Moore (United States)
Sensorium, directed by Elliot Mercer 2021 (United States)
Surviving Voices, directed by Jörg Fockele 2021 (United States)
Sunday, June 27 at 11 a.m. PDT
Castro Theatre, San Francisco
Firebird, directed by Peeter Rebane (UK/Estonia) Blending a Cold War thriller and a true story of a secret love, Firebird begins with the steamy passions of gay romance in an environment where expressing it is lethal. Young private Sergey (Tom Prior) begins a passionate affair with ambitious fighter pilot Roman (Oleg Zagorodnii) while stationed at an air force training base. When they are reunited years later, their reignited love risks being revealed to the Soviet military.
Sunday, June 27 at 2:30 p.m. PDT
Castro Theatre, San Francisco
No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics, directed by Vivian Kleiman (United States) From Tom of Finland to Dykes to Watch Out For, comics and zines have been firmly embedded in queer culture since before Stonewall, through the AIDS epidemic, and continuing through today’s modern obsession with superheroes. But this deeply queer art form finally gets its true moment in the limelight thanks to Peabody Award winner Vivian Kleiman’s extensive documentary that explores over 70 years of history.
Sunday, June 27 at 6:30 p.m. PDT
Castro Theatre, San Francisco
VIRTUAL SCREENINGS
Ranging from narrative features and documentaries, to episodics and shorts programs, Frameline45 will feature over 50 virtual screenings, including 16 world premieres, nine international premieres, nine North American premieres, and seven US premieres.
Highlights include:
Language Lessons, directed by Natalie Morales (United States) Spanish lessons lead to emotional revelations in this richly touching, character-driven first feature. Well-off Oakland resident Adam (Mark Duplass) is at first put out by his husband’s gift of online sessions with cheerful Costa Rican Cariño (director Natalie Morales), but a shocking event right before their second tutorial, followed by some mysterious bruises on Cariño’s face, lead to conversations that go deeper than the difference between “ser” and “estar.” In English and Spanish with English subtitles
Charlatan, directed by Agnieszka Holland (Czech Republic/Ireland/Poland/Slovakia) Based on the incredible true story of Czech herbalist and healer Jan Mikolášek, Charlatan is veteran filmmaker Agnieszka Holland’s handsomely filmed biopic of a little-known icon of 20th century Europe. With great skill and a vivid, cinematic eye, Holland weaves the personal and the professional in Mikolášek’s life, from teenage flashbacks and his passionate clandestine affair with his hunky assistant to his trials under the Communist regime in the 1950s. In Czech and German with English subtitles
Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters,”directed by Rosalynde LeBlanc & Tom Hurwitz (United States) This exhilarating and moving dance documentary celebrates the work of acclaimed choreographer Bill T. Jones, who with his partner Arnie Zane founded their iconic dance company in New York during the ravages of AIDS. As a young dance troupe mounts a new production of one of the company’s signature pieces, we witness a new generation discovering the strength of art in the face of tragedy.
Prognosis: Notes on Living, directed by Debra Chasnoff & Kate Stilley Steiner (United States) In what was perhaps her bravest act as a filmmaker, Academy Award-winning documentarian and LGBTQ+ activist Debra Chasnoff (It’s Elementary, Frameline Award) responded to her diagnosis of stage-4 breast cancer by turning the camera on herself to chronicle the journey that lay ahead of her. Clear-eyed and unsentimental, intimate and honest, the film is an unforgettable, present-tense diary of a life fiercely lived.
This world premiere free screening will stream on Saturday, June 19 beginning at 4 p.m. PDT, followed by a live conversation and Q&A with the filmmaking team. An encore screening with recorded Q&A will replay on Saturday, June 26 at 4 p.m. PDT. Reserved ticket required.
Summertime, directed by Carlos López Estrada (United States) In an increasingly gentrified LA, one question gets more and more difficult to answer: How do you find a good burger at a decent prize? A poetry-infused valentine to Los Angeles in all its queer and BIPOC glory, director Carlos López Estrada delights with this sophomore effort. Slam poetry-style recitations erupt like musical numbers, as the film uses language to create a portrait of a changing Los Angeles populated by a generation demanding to enter adulthood on their own terms.
Nelly Queen: The Life and Time of Jose Sarria, directed by Joseph R. Castel (United States) Pride parades, out politicians, the Imperial Courts: how many people know that the existence of all three have Jose Sarria to thank? This sweeping documentary follows the public personas and private losses that shaped the life of the unapologetic, influential, and often overlooked queen of San Francisco queer culture, history, and rights.
Swan Song, directed by Todd Stephens (United States) Based on an outlandish true story, a flamboyant hairdresser (screen legend Udo Kier) escapes from his nursing home to come out of retirement for one last hairdo. When Pat is offered $25,000 to style his estranged friend at her funeral, it’s an opportunity he can’t pass up, forcing him to confront the demons of his past as well as the changes of his small Ohio town. Jennifer Coolidge, Linda Evans, and Michael Urie also star.
Ma Belle, My Beauty, directed by Marion Hill (United States) The rolling vineyards and sun-washed French villages may be ancient, but the shifting dynamics of a polyamorous relationship are fresh and tingling in this contemporary romance set in the picturesque South of France. As newlywed Bertie struggles to adjust to country life, her husband encourages a visit from her American ex-girlfriend, hoping to recapture the free-spirited relationship that they all used to share. New and old intimacies and complications ensue in this luminous Sundance award winner. Proudly sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies. In English and French with English subtitles
FOCUS ON TAIWAN
Focus on Taiwan is supported by Ministry of Culture, Taiwan (R.O.C.) and Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles
As We Like It, directed by Chen Hung-i & Muni Wei (Taiwan) Boasting an all-female cast, this queer spin on one of the Bard’s classics is a striking reworking of Shakespeare’s comedy As You Like It, involving cross-dressing, kidnapping, mysterious disappearances, and family feuds. With her uncle poised to control the family business, Rosalind sets out to locate her missing father with the help of her cousin Celia. But things get complicated when Rosalind, disguised as a man, finds herself falling for the charming Orlando. In Mandarin with English subtitles
Dear Tenant, directed by Cheng Yu-Chieh (Taiwan) Winner of three awards at Taiwan’s prestigious Golden Horse Film Festival, Dear Tenant is a moving portrait of unconditional love, gay identity, and the ties that bind—centering around a trio of people who form their own chosen family within the confines of their apartment building. Blending a slowburn family drama, courtroom intrigue, and an impassioned plea for LGBTQ+ equality, writer-director Cheng Yu-Chieh finds the perfect balance between a compassionate character study in the vein of Taiwanese master Edward Yang (Yi Yi) and a good old-fashioned tearjerker in this box office hit. In Mandarin with English subtitles
Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? directed by Arvin Chen (Taiwan) Come rediscover this infectiously charming Taiwanese queer classic from director Arvin Chen, a graduate of UC Berkeley and former Bay Area resident. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? takes a breezy and playful look at modern love as it clashes against longstanding tradition. This ensemble comedy centers around family man Wei-chung, whose long-repressed gay urges are reawakened by a young flight attendant named Thomas. In Mandarin with English subtitles
TAIWAN SHORTS
Frameline is pleased to present a free program of shorts showcasing Taiwan’s next generation in film talent. Catch a brief document of Taipei Pride 2020; a coming-of-age tale about self-discovery, dating apps, and first crushes; a sweet portrait of modern millennial queer life; and a cruisy short set during martial law in 1979.
Hidden, directed by Kuo Hsuan-Chi (Taiwan)
Taiwan Pride for the World, directed by Larry Tung (Taiwan)
Undercurrent, directed by Weng Yu-Tong (Taiwan)
Unnamed, directed by Gao Hong & Chang Chun-Yu (Taiwan)
FRAMELINE TALKS
Highlights include:
Youth on Screens
Television is currently on the forefront of queer representation and identity expression, and leading the charge are images of young people. Each generation challenges what is taken for granted by the previous. Currently, through the medium of television, ideas of gender and sexuality are being expanded right in our living rooms. Moderated by IndieWire’s Jude Dry, panelists include Jordan Seamon (HBO’s “We Are Who We Are”), Daniel Barnz (Co-creator of HBO Max’s “Generation”), Javicia Leslie (CW’s “Batwoman”), and Crystal Moselle (HBO’s “Betty”).
Thursday, June 17 at 5:30 p.m. PDT
Two-Spirit: Indigenous Voices in Queer Cinema
Indigenous filmmakers and storytellers explore the complexities of gender and sexuality as seen in spiritual traditions and creation stories. This talk will center on creatives exploring the boundaries of gender expression and sexual identity in the context of Indigenous tradition, culture, and belief. Panelists will explore the importance of Two-Spirit Native representation onscreen that centers an Indigenous point of view. Featuring a chance to reconnect with Sherente, the focus of Frameline45 documentary Being Thunder. Proudly sponsored by Gilead.
Saturday, June 19 at 5:30 p.m. PDT
Sugar In My Bowl: African American Representation in Queer Cinema
The African American queer experience is abundant, varied, multi-dimensional, and also underrepresented in queer cinema, festivals, and media. This panel is a conversation aimed at taking stock of where queer African American representation is. This is also an opportunity to look forward and chart the future of African American representation in queer cinema. This conversation is the beginning of a longer process to create the groundwork to support queer Black filmmakers in telling queer Black feature-length stories. Panelists include Clay Cane, Brittani Nichols, Elegance Bratton, Kat Blaque, Maisie Richardson Sellers, and Nathan Hale Williams. Variety’s Film & Media Reporter, Angelique Jackson, will serve as moderator.
Sunday, June 20 at 5:30 p.m. PDT
Women in Rock
A talk with talent and producers from Frameline45 docs FANNY: The Right to Rock and Invisible focusing on the unbelievable talent of women in the music industry and the struggle for recognition. Fanny kicked down the door for women musicians by being the first all-woman rock band to release an album with a major record company. Invisible highlights the work of gay women behind some of country music’s greatest hits. These music powerhouses will talk about persevering in the corporate music industry that requires most to keep their authentic selves secret. Proudly sponsored by National Center for Lesbian Rights.
Friday, June 25 at 5:30 p.m. PDT
Wilson Cruz in Conversation with Raffy Ermac
Few actors have pushed LGBTQ+ representation on television as far as Wilson Cruz. From his breakthrough role as Rickie Vasquez on the 1990s teen drama My So-Called Life, Cruz was the first openly gay actor to play an openly gay role on a TV series. In the years since ‘Rickie’ and Cruz made their mark on a generation of queer youth, he has carried his talent and activism into recurring roles on 13 Reasons Why, Party of Five, and Noah’s Arc, as well as executive producing the doc series Visible: Out on Television. As ‘Dr. Hugh Culber’ on Star Trek: Discovery, things have come full circle, in a sense, for the actor playing a happily partnered gay man and father figure to a non-binary human close to 30 years after his indelible debut. In conversation with Raffy Ermac, editor-in-chief of the LGBTQ+ youth-oriented entertainment website Pride, Cruz traces his television legacy from ‘Rickie’ in 1994 to showcasing queer representation all the way into the 23rd century as ‘Dr. Culber.’
Saturday, June 26 at 5:30 p.m. PDT
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.
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