Frameline Announces Full Lineup For 48th San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival
The Festival will also feature A Conversation with Lena Waithe and presentation of the Variety Creative Conscience Award to the Emmy Award-winning and Tony-nominated writer, producer, and actor
Frameline has announced the full program for the 48th San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival (Frameline48), the oldest and longest-running LGBTQ+ film festival in the world. Curated from over 1,600 submissions and invitations, the Frameline48 slate will screen from June 19–29 in theaters across the San Francisco Bay Area, including the Roxie Theater, the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, the Herbst Theatre, the Vogue Theatre, and The New Parkway Theater in Oakland. In centering historic venues throughout the Bay Area, the 11-day celebration of film and queerness will carry on—and amplify—the spirit of the 2023 Festival’s “Neighborhood Nights.”
In lieu of a traditional opening night show, Frameline48 will commence with the previously announced first-ever Castro neighborhood celebration of Juneteenth. A free outdoor event, the Juneteenth Film and Block Party will feature an evening of music, drag performances from Reparations curated by winner of the Drag Queen of the Year Pageant, Nicki Jizz, as well as a screening of Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero. By celebrating the intersection of Blackness and queerness, Frameline48 reaffirms its commitment to bringing visibility, joy, and essential stories to the communities it centers.
“I can’t think of any better way to kick off Frameline48 than with a screening of Long Live Montero,” said Allegra Madsen, Frameline’s Executive Director. “As a queer Black artist, Lil Nas X embodies so much of what this year’s Festival is about: meeting the cultural moment and using art as a means of expression, connection, and creating lasting change. At the same time, it’s important—and even revolutionary—to continue celebrating queer joy.”
Celebrating queer creators, past and present, is also a vital component of Frameline48. Director Alessandra Lacorazza’s debut feature, In the Summers (6/20 at the Palace of Fine Arts), was awarded Frameline’s Completion Fund Grant, and went to premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival—where it won the Grand Jury Prize (U.S. Dramatic). Thirty years ago, director/writer Rose Troche and writer Guinevere Turner’s lesbian classic Go Fish (6/20 at the Palace of Fine Arts) similarly earned Frameline’s Completion Fund Grant and went on to have a history-making turn at Sundance. In a full-circle moment, In the Summers and Go Fish will both screen at Frameline48, with the latter having been restored in 4K, in part by Frameline, for its 30th anniversary.
Of the over 120 screenings at Frameline48, other highlights include the “Queer Premiere” of writer-director Anthony Schatteman’s coming-of-age feature-length debut Young Hearts (6/21 at the Palace of Fine Arts), which will be followed by Frameline48’s First Friday Gala, hosted at Terra Gallery. There’s also Desire Lines, a deep dive into transmasculine desire for cisgender gay men in this sexy, intimate doc-fiction hybrid by Jules Rosskam (Dance Dance Evolution, Frameline43). Extremely Unique Dynamic, which just played the Sonoma International Film Festival and CAAMFest, is a gleeful buddy/stoner super meta comedy about aspiring actors and childhood best friends Ryan and Danny (co-leads/writers/directors Ivan Leung and Harrison Xu) who lampoon Hollywood conventions and stereotypes with their giddy premise, but at its core, is a heartfelt take on male friendship.
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize and Directing Award in the U.S. Dramatic competition at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, In the Summers is a delicately powerful ode to fractured fatherhood and sibling solidarity follows sisters Violeta and Eva over the course of the most formative years of their lives, spending the summers in New Mexico visiting their adoring but tempestuous father, Vicente. It stars multi Grammy and Latin Grammy Award-winning Puerto Rican rapper and activist Residente and Lío Mehiel (Mutt, Frameline47). Centered on the clashing emotions and pent-up passions of a beloved high school football star, Riley is a powerful, compelling tale of a young man’s journey to discover who he is, what he wants, and where he’s going. Written and directed by Benjamin Howard and with a star-making turn by Jake Colley as the titular Riley. Named one of Variety‘s 10 Directors to Watch in 2022, actor-turned-filmmaker Megan Park follows her award-winning 2021 feature The Fallout with My Old Ass. After taking mushrooms on a camping trip, quick-witted 18-year-old Elliott (Maisy Stella) crosses paths with her 39-year-old self (Aubrey Plaza) in the wilderness. What playfully begins as an examination of how the years have treated her body (well, her ass mostly) becomes a queer youth’s exploration of the expansiveness of her Bisexuality and ends with an ominous instruction from Elliott the elder: “Don’t fall in love.”
The Festival will also feature A Conversation with Lena Waithe on June 29th at The Herbst, the Emmy Award-winning and Tony-nominated writer, producer, and actor behind hit series and films like The Chi, Twenties, and Them. Moderated by Variety Senior Artisans Editor Jazz Tangcay, the conversation with Waithe will also include the presentation of the Variety Creative Conscience Award, which honors an individual in the entertainment world who personifies the industry’s dedication to humanitarian, cultural, and charitable causes.
In a celebration of local talent, Frameline48 is delighted to screen Lady Like (6/26 at the Vogue), which features Lady Camden, the San Francisco-based British drag queen who appeared on RuPaul’s Drag Race as well as various web series, including Give It to Me Straight. When it comes to spotlighting local talent, Frameline48 will also continue the Festival’s tradition of starting off Pride Weekend in style with a Pride Kickoff Party, hosted by Oasis. In conjunction with the screening of Don Hardy’s Linda Perry: Let It Die Here (6/28 at the Herbst), legendary singer, songwriter, and producer Linda Perry will perform at Frameline48’s Pride Kickoff Party. In many ways, this is a homecoming performance for Perry, who wrote the classic 4 Non-Blondes song “What’s Up?” in San Francisco.
By showcasing a dynamic collection of LGBTQ+ films and hosting ground-breaking queer artists, Frameline48 places an emphasis on the transformative power of art. “Film festivals are often seen as being by and for tastemakers in our industry, but Frameline deepens that perception by being by and for change-makers,” Madsen said. “Queer and trans artists don’t just influence culture, they create it. Frameline48 celebrates and platforms that tireless innovation and spirit by bringing filmmakers and works from all over the world together in the Bay Area—a place that’s historically been on the pulse of propelling queer art forward.”
Individual tickets for all screenings and events in the Frameline48 lineup will be available May 22 for Frameline members and on May 24 for the general public, for $24.00 at the Palace of Fine Arts and The Herbst and $19.50 per ticket at the neighborhood venues.. For the first time, audiences can also purchase the Festival’s “Palace Pass,” for $200, which grants holders access to all public screenings at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater and the Herbst Theatre. For more information on ticketing, including schedule, visit frameline.org.
Festival Sponsors
Frameline48 is presented by returning Premier Sponsors Gilead and Bank of America, Premier Hotel Sponsor Hilton San Francisco Union Square and Parc 55 Hotel, and new Premier Transportation Sponsor Waymo. Frameline48’s “Intersections” theme was designed by San Francisco-based Premier Creative Sponsor, PACT Studio.
Here is the complete lineup for the 48th San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival (Frameline48).
Perfect Endings
Daniel Ribeiro
World Premiere | Queer Premiere
Sally!
Deborah Craig
World Premiere | Queer Premiere
Out
Dennis Alink
World Premiere | Queer Premiere
The Life of Sean DeLear
Markus Zizenbacher
World Premiere | Queer Premiere
If I Die, It’ll Be of Joy
Alexis Taillant
World Premiere | Queer Premiere
Una película barata
Osama Chami
World Premiere | Queer Premiere
Best Years
Jordan Hidalgo
World Premiere | Queer Premiere
Vollúpya
Éri Sarmet & Jocimar Dias Jr.
World Premiere | Queer Premiere
Threshold
Gregory Brecher
World Premiere | Queer Premiere
Cucumber/Knife
Gustavo Vinagre
World Premiere | Queer Premiere
Like You
Harrison Sheehan
World Premiere | Queer Premiere
Euphoric
Cam Killion
World Premiere | Queer Premiere
Trans Heaven, Pennsylvania
Hansen Bursic
World Premiere | Queer Premiere
Well, I Should Get Going
Celine Sutter
World Premiere | Queer Premiere
Stink
Matias Breuer
World Premiere | Queer Premiere
After Hours
Star Amerasu
World Premiere | Queer Premiere
Cidade; Campo
Juliana Rojas
North American Premiere | Queer Premiere
After the Snowmelt
Yi-Shan LO
North American Premiere | Queer Premiere
Life Is Not a Competition, But I’m Winning
Julia Fuhr Mann
North American Premiere
The Deep Queer Massacre
Mathieu Morel
North American Premiere
MASC4MASC
Felix Greisinger
North American Premiere
Demons at Dawn
Julián Hernández
International Premiere
Duino
Juan Pablo Di Pace & Andres Pepe Estrada
International Premiere
Stories from My Gay Grandparents: Episode 1
J Stevens
International Premiere
The Astronaut Lovers
Marco Berger
US Premiere | Queer Premiere
Teaches of Peaches
Philipp Fussenegger & Judy Landkammer
US Premiere | Queer Premiere
Rookie
Samantha Lee
US Premiere
We Forgot to Break Up
Karen Knox
US Premiere
Helen and the Bear
Alix Blair
US Premiere | Queer Premiere
Stranger
Jehnny Beth & Iris Chassaigne
US Premiere
Volver
Borja Larrondo & Diego Sánchez
US Premiere
Halfway
Kumar Chheda
US Premiere
What a Feeling
Kat Rohrer
West Coast Premiere
Crossing
Levan Akin
West Coast Premiere
High Tide
Marco Calvani
West Coast Premiere
Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story
Michael Mabbott & Lucah Rosenberg-Lee
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere
The World According to Allee Willis
Alexis Spraic
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere
The Queen of My Dreams
Fawzia Mirza
West Coast Premiere
Fragments of a Life Loved
Chloé Barreau
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere
I Don’t Understand You
Brian Crano & David Craig
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere
Split
Iris Brey
West Coast Premiere
Rent Free
Fernando Andrés
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere
Linda Perry: Let It Die Here
Don Hardy
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere
Meanwhile
Catherine Gund
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere
Lady Like
Luke Willis
West Coast Premiere
Fallen Fruit
Chris Molina
West Coast Premiere
Turtles
David Lambert
West Coast Premiere
1-800-ON-HER-OWN
Dana Flor
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere
Haze
Matthew Fifer
West Coast Premiere
Carnage for Christmas
Alice Maio Mackay
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere
One Night at Babes
Angelo Madsen Minax
West Coast Premiere
Mother
Meg Shutzer & Brandon Yadegari Moreno
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere
If I’m Here It Is By Mystery
Clari Ribeiro
West Coast Premiere
The Callers
Lindsey Dryden
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere
The Birth of Naikee
Clémentine Decremps
West Coast Premiere
Alok
Alex Hedison
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere
Chimera
Kryzz Gautier
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere
Ripe!
Tusk
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere
Paradise Europe
Leandro Goddinho & Paulo Menezes
West Coast Premiere
Bold Eagle
Whammy Alcazaren
West Coast Premiere
Spookable
Jonathan Andre Culliton
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere
¡salsa!
Antonina Kerguelén Román
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere
Burrow
Leaf Lieber
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere
The Dinner
Jesús Martínez ‘Nota’
West Coast Premiere
T-Minus
Emily Lerer
West Coast Premiere
Kasbi
Farah Jabir
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere
Stud Country
Lina Abascal & Alexandra Kern
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere
Foraging
Matthew Jacobs Morgan
West Coast Premiere
Beach Logs Kill
Haley Z. Boston
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere
Dream Burger
Sami Kali
West Coast Premiere
The Judgment
Marwan Mokbel
San Francisco Bay Area Premiere
Sebastian
Mikko Mäkelä
San Francisco Bay Area Premiere
The Summer with Carmen
Zacharias Mavroeidis
San Francisco Bay Area Premiere
Asog
Seán Devlin
San Francisco Bay Area Premiere
Chuck Chuck Baby
Janis Pugh
San Francisco Bay Area Premiere
Power Alley
Lillah Halla
San Francisco Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere
In the Summers
Alessandra Lacorazza
San Francisco Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere
Can’t Stop Change: Queer Climate Stories from the Florida Frontlines
Vanessa Raditz, Natalia Villarán-Quiñones, Yarrow Koning, Jess Martínez, & Shoog McDaniel
San Francisco Bay Area Premiere
Riley
Benjamin Howard
San Francisco Bay Area Premiere
Don’t Change Hands
Paul Vecchiali
San Francisco Bay Area Premiere
Throuple
Greyson Horst
San Francisco Bay Area Premiere
A House Is Not a Disco
Brian J. Smith
San Francisco Bay Area Premiere
The Herricanes
Olivia Kuan
San Francisco Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere
Underground Orange
Michael Taylor Jackson
San Francisco Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere
Desire Lines
Jules Rosskam
San Francisco Bay Area Premiere
Scarecrow in a Garden of Cucumbers
Robert J. Kaplan
San Francisco Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere
Lesvia
Tzeli Hadjidimitriou
San Francisco Bay Area Premiere
Doppelgängers³
Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian
San Francisco Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere
After All
Amanda Villalpando
San Francisco Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere
My Best Friend
Elina Street
San Francisco Bay Area Premiere
There Are Things to Do
Mike Syers
San Francisco Bay Area Premiere
RAT!
Neal Suresh Mulani
San Francisco Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere
The White Crows
Denis Liakhov
San Francisco Bay Area Premiere
Stan Behavior
Tyler C. Peterson
San Francisco Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere
Goodbye Tango
Jason Laurits
San Francisco Bay Area Premiere
Grace
Natalie Jasmine Harris
San Francisco Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere
Seat 31: Zoey Zephyr
Kimberly Reed
San Francisco Bay Area Premiere
You can’t get what you want but you can get me
Samira Elagoz & Z Walsh
San Francisco Bay Area Premiere
Bust
Angalis Field
San Francisco Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere
The Pansy of Pickadee
Gus George & Paddy Morahan
San Francisco Bay Area Premiere
Merchant Ivory
Stephen Soucy
National Anthem
Luke Gilford
Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story
Barnaby Thompson
Good One
India Donaldson
Queer Premiere
My Old Ass
Megan Park
Gondola
Veit Helmer
That Boy
Peter Berlin
Extremely Unique Dynamic
Harrison Xu, Ivan Leung, & Katherine Dudas
Second Nature
Drew Denny
Queer Premiere
Wouldn’t Make It Any Other Way
Hao Zhou
Loads
Curt McDowell
Queen Size
Avril Besson
The Robbers
Isa Schieche
Sweet Dreams
Honey Lee Cottrell
ILY, BYE
Taylor James
Kai Haliʻa (Sea of Memory)
Angelique Kalani Axelrode
Queer Premiere
Birthday
Shine Louise Houston
Falling Up
Eric Garcia
Queer Premiere
Kings
Eric Garcia
Queer Premiere
Transit
Jiz Lee, Vanniall
The Barman’s Daughter
Shawna Virago
Score
Aron Kantor
Queer Premiere
The Device That Turned Me Into a Cyborg Was Born the Same Year I Was
Chella Man
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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