Frameline47 to open with Sofia Coppola-produced ‘Fairyland’ plus Meg Stalter-starrer ‘Cora Bora’ and drag saga ‘God Save the Queens’
Frameline47 will open with Andrew Durham’s Fairyland and kickoff Pride at Oasis with God Save the Queens, featuring a performance by Alaska
This morning, Frameline announced the Opening Night film for the 47th iteration of the San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival (Frameline47). Fairyland, directed by Andrew Durham and produced by Sofia Coppola, will kick-off an 11-day celebration of LGBTQ+ film in venues throughout San Francisco and Oakland.
Running from June 14–24, 2023 — with a streaming encore to follow from June 24–July 2, 2023 — Frameline47 will also feature Cora Bora, starring Hacks scene-stealer Megan Stalter, as its Oakland Centerpiece film. This year, the festival is presenting a Pride Kickoff film, God Save the Queens. To send guests and filmmakers off in style, the Pride Kickoff event will feature a post-screening performance by drag star Alaska and celebratory party at the iconic Oasis drag bar.
Frameline also announced that all three films will feature afterparties including Fairyland’s Opening Night Gala at Terra Gallery; the post-screening celebration of Cora Bora at the new, yet-to-be-opened Oakland LGBTQ+ bar Fluid150; and the God Save the Queens afterparty at Oasis..
“Frameline47 is going to be a festival for the ages. Today, we are announcing just three of our 90 planned screenings to provide festival goers with a taste of all the wonderful — and wonderfully queer — films and events to come,” says James Woolley, Executive Director of Frameline. “We are delighted to open the 2023 festival with the San Francisco-set Fairyland, which illustrates the power of queer art and community. That spirit will be exemplified throughout Frameline47, in so many ways, which is why we are proud to feature not just film screenings, but filmmaker Q&As, and performances like Alaska’s.”
“Fairyland is the perfect film to open Frameline47 as it’s a film anchored in the rich, gay history of San Francisco, and connected to the heart and soul of The Castro,” says Allegra Madsen, Director of Programming at Frameline. “Adapted beautifully from Alysia Abbott’s memoir, Fairyland is a quintessentially San Francisco story of a queer father-daughter relationship during the ‘70s and ‘80s. Every year, Frameline’s Opening Night screening and party are amazing events, but this year we are honored to celebrate a hometown story, made by a hometown team. Frameline47’s Opening Night will be legendary.”
OPENING NIGHT FILM & GALA
Fairyland | Wednesday, June 14 | Castro Theatre, 6:30 PM
Helmed by Andrew Durham in his directorial debut and produced by Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation), this evocative adaptation of Alysia Abbott’s memoir captivates with its exhilarating depiction of the early days of gay liberation in a more bohemian San Francisco. Scoot McNairy (Halt and Catch Fire) is a revelation as queer poet Steve Abbott, who is trying to balance fatherhood and writing with an enthusiastic exploration of his sexuality. Fairyland is a moving film, which captures the way that optimistic, heady era gave way to the shattering reality of the HIV and AIDS epidemic. Following Fairyland, join us for our glittering Opening Night Gala at San Francisco’s Terra Gallery.
OAKLAND CENTERPIECE
Cora Bora | Saturday, June 17 | The New Parkway Theater, 6:00 PM
Directed by Hannah Pearl Utt, this hilarious follow-up to her Frameline43 Centerpiece, Before You Know It, gives Hacks scene-stealer and queer comedy maven Megan Stalter the star vehicle she so rightly deserves. After chasing her dreams of becoming a musician all the way to LA — think a millennial Phoebe Buffay — Cora experiences limited success, which prompts this chaotic, poly bisexual protagonist to make a surprise trip back to Portland. Eager to win back her girlfriend (Fresh’s Jojo T. Gibbs), Cora is met with a series of messy reunions, a search for a lost (and misgendered) pet, and a clumsy pansexual orgy. Following Cora Bora, join us for our Oakland Centerpiece party at the yet-to-be-opened Fluid510, a new LGBTQ+ bar in Oakland.
PRIDE KICK-OFF FILM + PARTY
God Save the Queens | Friday, June 22 | Castro Theatre, 7:00 PM
Buckle up for director Jordan Danger’s quick-witted queer group therapy film, which features a veritable roster of Drag Race royalty: Alaska, Laganja Estranja, Kelly Mantle, Manilla Luzon, and even Michelle Visage herself. God Save the Queens chronicles the highs and lows that befall four Los Angeles drag queens after they land in a desert retreat — not exactly by choice — to get their careers back on track after their respective PR disasters. Following God Save the Queens, join us for a drag party at Oasis, featuring a performance by star Alaska.
Tickets to all three films are on sale now. While admittance to the Opening Night Gala is reserved for Fairyland ticket holders, party-only tickets for Cora Bora and God Save the Queensare available for purchase. Additionally, festivalgoers can purchase Castro Passes, which provide access to 45 of the 47 Castro Theatre-based programs at a significant discount. Castro Passes are now available to Frameline members for $280 ($6.22 per film). The full festival line-up for Frameline47 will be announced on May 18.
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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