Frameline49 to Host the California Premiere of ‘Heightened Scrutiny’ and Pay-It-Forward Initiative
Today, Frameline, the arts nonprofit that will host the 49th San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival (Frameline49) announced the upcoming California Premiere of Heightened Scrutiny by Sam Feder (Disclosure) as well as a history-making Pay-It-Forward initiative that ensures trans and nonbinary film-goers have complimentary access to the salient documentary. Additionally, Frameline announced a partnership with California Film Institute (CAFILM), which will bring Frameline49 films to the North Bay.
This Pride Month, Frameline49 will showcase a slate of yet-to-be-announced films in venues throughout San Francisco and Oakland from June 18–28. Heightened Scrutiny, which chronicles ACLU civil rights lawyer Chase Strangio’s courtroom battles against anti-trans laws, will be honored as the festival’s First Friday film (June 20). Featuring appearances from Oscar-nominated actor and activist Elliot Page; drag queen, artist, and activist Miss Peppermint; journalist and editor Phillip Picardi; and Emmy winner and activist Laverne Cox, who also executive produced the documentary, Heightened Scrutiny also explores how uninformed media narratives impact the public’s understanding of trans rights.
“I first went to Frameline in the early 2000s and was immediately inspired to be a filmmaker. With this catalyst, I made my first feature in 2006, and since then my films have been indebted to the bold, sometimes risky, choices and craft that I witnessed at the festival,” said Feder. “Our goal is to use Heightened Scrutiny in solidarity with, and for coalition building among, all movements of oppressed peoples. Our team is so grateful for Frameline’s support at a time when LGBTQ+ rights are so viciously under attack.”
Festival-goers who purchase tickets to Heightened Scrutiny have the opportunity to participate in the Pay-It-Forward initiative. Members of the queer community and allies will be able to purchase tickets on behalf of others, ensuring that no trans or nonbinary attendees will have to pay to watch the film or be in community.
“We’re asking our audience and allies to show up and take real, tangible action,” said Allegra Madsen, Frameline’s Executive Director. “Paired with the First Friday Party, Heightened Scrutiny really captures the spirit of Frameline49 by centering on both queer resilience and joy. With resources and support for LGBTQ+ people drying up, it’s time for queer people to show up for each other and, in particular, trans folks. When I think of using the past as a roadmap for navigating the challenges ahead, it’s clear that community care, in all its forms, is the answer.”
A recent recipient of Frameline’s 2025 Completion Fund Grant, Feder’s film will play at the American Conservatory Theater’s (ACT) Toni Rembe Theater on June 20 at 7:00 PM. The screening will be followed by Frameline49’s First Friday Party at Charmaine’s, the Proper Hotel’s rooftop bar on Market Street. “This is an up-to-the-minute documentary that’s unfolding in real time. Regardless of the outcome of this case, it’s important that we have space to be in community with one another — to show that no matter what queer joy is an unstoppable force,” Madsen added.
CAFILM will host a showcase of some of the Festival’s preeminent LGBTQ+ films the weekend before Frameline49 kicks off in San Francisco. Dubbed CAFILM Pride Presents Frameline49 Picks, the series, which runs June 13–15, will allow moviegoers in the North Bay to access more queer cinema. Titles featured in the showcase include Elena Oxman’s San Francisco-based Outerlands, which stars Asia Kate Dillon (Billions); Rafaela Camelo’s coming-of-age drama The Nature of Invisible Things (A Natureza das Coisas Invisíveis); Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor’s Berlinale standout Dreamers; Darren Thornton’s award-winning dramedy Four Mothers; and the groundbreaking, recently restored In the Best Interests of the Children (1977) from directors Frances Reid, Cathy Zheutlin, and Elizabeth Stevens.
João Federici, Senior Programmer and CAFILM PRIDE curator, and Madsen handpicked the aforementioned titles from the Frameline49 lineup to screen in San Rafael. “Together, these two leading Bay Area nonprofits proudly offer a rare opportunity to experience some of the year’s most exciting LGBTQ+ cinema — on the big screen, in community, and in celebration,” Federici said.
“We’re delighted to collaborate with CAFILM on this Pride Showcase, bringing Frameline’s curated programming to Marin Country for the first time,” Madsen emphasized. “It’s inspiring to see fellow arts organizations use their platform to uplift LGBTQ+ stories, while also recognizing Frameline’s legacy in queer media.”
Previously announced, Jimpa (starring Olivia Colman and John Lithgow) will be Frameline’s opening night film. Frameline & The Colin Higgins Foundation Build the Future of LGBTQ+ Cinema 2025 Youth Filmmaker Grants went to Remi Gabriel (Barbie Boy) and Carmela Murphy and AJ Dubler (A Bird Hit My Window and Now I’m a Lesbian) with an award of $15,000 each.
TICKETING + VENUE INFO FOR THE FIRST FRIDAY FILM + PARTY
Heightened Scrutiny
DIR Sam Feder 2025 USA 89 min
A salient document of our current moment, Disclosure director Sam Feder’s Sundance standout centers on ACLU attorney Chase Strangio, the first out trans person to argue before the Supreme Court. While Strangio fights a high-stakes legal battle to overturn Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth (United States v. Skrmetti), he and other leading activists, like Laverne Cox and Elliot Page, examine how media bias influences the public’s perception of trans rights.
Pay-It-Forward + Ticketing Info
An actively unfolding case, United States v. Skrmetti’s decision will likely be announced during Frameline49. As a community, we are bearing witness. No matter the results, we need to be in a room together. Feder’s timely documentary not only provides an opportunity to gather in the same space, it also gives us a moment to show up for each other.
When you buy a ticket to the screening of Heightened Scrutiny and/or the First Friday Party, you can participate in our Pay-It-Forward initiative by purchasing tickets for others. Our goal is that no trans or nonbinary person will pay to see the film and be in community. Note: Trans or nonbinary attendees must still reserve a space to see the film by selecting the complimentary ticket option and completing the standard checkout process.
Starting today, tickets may be purchased at frameline.org.
Combo Tickets
- First Friday Film + Party — $85.00
- Queers Supporting Queers: Pay-it-Forward Film + Party — $85.00
- First Friday Film + Party (Frameline Members) — $75.00
- Complimentary Film + Party for Trans & Nonbinary Folks — $0.00
Film ONLY Tickets
- First Friday Film ONLY — $35.00
- Queers Supporting Queers: Pay-it-Forward First Friday Film ONLY — $35.00
- First Friday Film ONLY (Frameline Members) — $30.00
- Complimentary Film ONLY for Trans & Nonbinary Folks — $0.00
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), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) 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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