Frameline, the San Francisco Worldwide LGBTQ+ Movie Competition concluded its forty seventh iteration on Saturday, June 24, with a screening of Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade Historical past of Common Music, directed by Oscar-winning duo Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (The Celluloid Closet). The documentary function in regards to the titular performer’s singular spectacle was preceded by the Competition’s annual Award Ceremony, which reaffirmed the dynamic way forward for queer cinema.

This yr, the 11-day Competition ran from June 14–24, 2023, with occasions held in theaters throughout San Francisco, together with the historic Castro Theatre, situated within the coronary heart of the town’s LGBTQ+ cultural district, and the Roxie Theater, Frameline’s longest-running companion theater. Frameline47 additionally returned to Oakland this yr, that includes the Competition’s first-ever Oakland Opening Evening (Jac Cron’s Chestnut) and Centerpiece (Hannah Pearl Utt’s Cora Bora) movies, each of which screened at The New Parkway Theater. With a full slate of upwards of 90 in-person screenings and applications, Frameline47 featured important queer movies from Bay Space locals and worldwide filmmakers alike, and welcomed 55,000 moviegoers, together with streaming. This can be a 25% improve on Frameline46 in 2022.

“No matter the metric, Frameline47 was a resounding success,” says James Woolley, Government Director of Frameline. “We are proud to be California’s largest film festival, and the achievement means all the more because we are a celebration of queer cinema. Despite the changing moviegoing landscape, Frameline embodies the resilience of the larger LGBTQ+ community. We’ve not only adapted, but grown. Seeing that realized in numerous sold-out Castro Theatre showings was truly remarkable.”

The highlights of Frameline47 had been quite a few, various in each scope and content material. With its deep San Francisco roots, the Opening Evening movie — Andrew Durham’s Fairyland — started the Competition on a observe each celebratory and intimate. Bolstered by a full of life Q&A, passionate viewers, and the music of the Castro Theatre’s beloved organ, Opening Evening proved filmgoers’ need to return to in-person showings. “Moments like Opening Night illustrate our organization’s power in the queer community — the power to build empathy and mutual understanding, and to find moments of joy,” says Nguyen Pham, Frameline’s Director of Philanthropy. “Not only is Frameline an authority in this space, but we take our responsibility seriously. At this moment, sharing queer cinema is life-changing — and life-saving — work, and it’s something we undertake together.”

In myriad methods, the ability of queer cinema was definitely felt by audiences all through the Competition. The Juneteenth group screening block, Native Legends, featured an in-person look by the enduring Jewelle Gomez, the topic of Madeline Lim’s Jewelle: A Simply Imaginative and prescient, in addition to the World Premiere of Belonging: Trans Indian Story, Amir Jaffer’s documentary which facilities Kinnar trans immigrant lady Anjali Rimi. Well-known faces appeared all through this system: drag stars Alaska and Flame each carried out reside, whereas Rock Hudson and the Indigo Women appeared on display screen as the themes of Stephen Kijak’s Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed and Alexandria Bombach’s It’s Solely Life After All, respectively. Nevertheless, Frameline47 additionally spotlighted unsung heroes, from poet and activist Nikki Giovanni (Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson’s Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Challenge) to the Shine Louise Houston-hosted Debi Sundahl Double Function, which centered the titular filmmaker and famend intercourse educator.

Different unforgettable moments included a screening of Andy Vallentine’s queer ensemble movie, The Mattachine Household, which was attended by stars Nico Tortorella and Cloie Wyatt Taylor; the high-spirited late-night screening of Sébastien Marnier’s queer Hitchcockian thriller, The Origin of Evil; and the sold-out, Queer Premiere of Emma Seligman and Rachel Sennott’s Bottoms — a teen intercourse comedy starring Sennott and Ayo Edebiri that crammed the Castro Theatre with laughter for its entire 92-minute runtime. “We set out to share stories of queers thoughtfully critiquing our past, shaping our future, finding joy and sometimes behaving badly like all humans. We hoped the Festival slate would reflect this profound multiplicity — and it did,” says Allegra Madsen, Frameline’s Director of Programming. “It’s so gratifying to not only see these equally important strands of queer life and community presented together, but to know these stories resonated so deeply with our Frameline47 audience.”

Regardless that the in-person festivities have come to an finish, Frameline47 is much from over. The Competition’s Streaming Encore runs from June 24–July 2, 2023, and options roughly two-thirds of the in-person programming. Whereas a return to reside occasions has been thrilling in its personal proper, Frameline stays dedicated to accessibility and sharing queer cinema — and impartial shorts and options — with audiences outdoors of the Bay Space, too. Streaming highlights embody Jason Karman’s coming-of-age function debut Golden Scrumptious; Merle Grimme’s eager exploration of labor exploitation, colorism, and intersectionality in Clashing Variations; and Sav Rodgers’ equally incisive and intimate documentary Chasing Chasing Amy.

Filmmaker Awards

This resolve may also be seen in Frameline47’s dedication to supporting younger filmmakers; the not too long ago introduced 2023 Colin Higgins Youth Filmmaker Grants have supplied a staggering $45,000 in funding to 3 gifted filmmakers: Daisy Friedman (As You Are), Karina Dandashi (Cousins), and Emilio Subía (Ñaños). These grants are generously underwritten by the Colin Higgins Basis, which is called after the late Colin Higgins, the acclaimed screenwriter and director accountable for such traditional movies as Harold and Maude, 9 to five, and The Greatest Little Whorehouse in Texas.

Frameline can be dedicated to supporting queer and trans filmmakers at different phases of their careers. Offered in the course of the Competition, the Out within the Silence Award, which supplies $5,000 to the chosen filmmaker, honors an excellent movie mission that highlights courageous acts of visibility, particularly in locations the place such acts are uncommon and surprising. This yr, Frameline honored Babatunde Apalowo, the director of the Nigerian homosexual romance All of the Colors of the World Are Between Black and White.

Frameline47 Juried Awards

Excellent First Function Award

For over 20 years, Frameline has offered the annual juried Excellent First Function Award to a notable narrative function from an rising voice in LGBTQ+ cinema. Since 2020, Frameline is proud to companion with the San Francisco Bay Space Movie Critics Circle to jury this award. This yr’s winner is as follows:

Excellent First Function ($2,500): 20,000 Species of Bees directed by Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren

Honorable Point out for First Function: Huge Boys, directed by Corey Sherman

Extra Juried Awards

Along with our annual juried award for Excellent Documentary Function, Frameline not too long ago launched two new juried awards for brief movies: Excellent Narrative Brief and Excellent Documentary Brief. This yr’s winners are as follows:

Excellent Documentary Function ($2,500): Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Challenge directed by Michèle Stephenson & Joe Brewster

Honorable Point out for Documentary Function: Each Physique directed by Julie Cohen

Excellent Narrative Brief ($750): The Cutest and Funniest Animals within the World directed by Renato Sircilli

Excellent Documentary Brief ($750): Ob Scene directed by Paloma Orlandini Castro

Frameline47 Viewers Awards

Voted on by Frameline47 viewers members, the Viewers Award winners for 2023 are as follows:

Narrative Function ($1,500): The Origin of Evil directed by Sébastien Marnier

Documentary Function ($1,500): Who I Am Not directed by Tünde Skovrán