For its 48th program, Frameline — California’s largest film festival and the globe’s oldest LGBTQ one — eschews tradition. It’s not opening with a theatrical screening, but with a big outdoor Juneteenth bash showcasing queer Black performers.
Frameline’s Juneteenth Film and Block Party is set to rock San Francisco’s Castro District on June 19 with music, drag performances from the Oasis’ club’s Reparations show and dance party, and a screening of the incisive HBO documentary “Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero.” The good news: It’s all free.
Frameline this week announced the impressive June 19-29 slate of some 120 screenings. Executive Director Allegra Madsen and programmers unveiled the whole shebang. It’s an impressive slate with 16 world premieres (shorts and feature-length films).
General tickets go on sale May 22. Screenings are at the Roxie, the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre and the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco and the New Parkway Theater in Oakland.
Here are a few hot-ticket items you might want to grab now. Find showtimes, prices and a complete rundown HERE.
“In the Summers”: Director Alessandra Lacorazza’s understated debut received a world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and went on to win the Grand Jury Prize for best U.S. Dramatic feature. Two siblings’ relationship with their father (rapper René Pérez Joglar, in a knockout acting debut) fluctuates between being strained to being tender throughout various years when they visit him in Las Cruces, New Mexico. “In the Summers,” which received a Frameline completion grant, screens with the 4K restoration of another grant recipient, the beloved 30-year-old lesbian comedy/drama “Go Fish.”
“A Conversation with Lena Waithe”: On June 29, the queer mover and shaker known for the Showtime series “The Chi,” BET’s “Twenties” and Prime’s “Them” discusses her career and provides insight about being a queer Black woman in Hollywood during a conversation with Variety Senior Artisans Editor Jazz Tangcay. The event includes the presentation of the Variety Creative Conscience Award, given to those who reflect commitment to humanitarian, cultural and charitable causes.
“Lady Lake”: Bay Area personalities pop up in many films this year, including in this documentary on San Francisco drag queen Lady Camden. Screening June 26, Luke Willis’ film focuses on the British-born star’s appearance on the 14th season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and how Lady Camden struggled with trauma that coincided with the brush with fame. “Lady Lake” is also a recipient of a Frameline grant.
“Linda Perry: Let It Die Here”: Alameda filmmaker Don Hardy has a knack for gaining the trust and respect of the people he profiles, from Oscar-winner Sean Penn (2020’s “Citizen Penn) to the 4 Non Blondes singer/songwriter, music producer and former Bay Area resident. Hardy journeys through Perry’s life as an out and proud musical force in the film, screening June 28. (Perry’s also slated to perform at Frameline48’s Pride Kickoff Party.)
“Sally!”: Berkeley filmmaker and San Francisco State University instructor Deborah Craig’s debut documentary asks: Why doesn’t the public, even the queer community, know much about Sally Gearhart, a groundbreaking feminist and former San Francisco State University professor credited with sparking the 1970s-’80s lesbian feminist movement? The film, which also received a Frameline grant, aims to bolster the late Gearhart’s profile and legacy.
“National Anthem”: Director Luke Gilford’s buzzy drama centers on repressed 21-year-old Dylan (Charlie Plummer) lassoing a new outlook on life, sexuality and gender when he gets involved with a mostly queer community of rodeo performers in New Mexico.
“Duino”: Directors Juan Pablo Di Pace (who also stars) and Andrés Pepe Estrada’s drama finds an Argentinian filmmaker re-adjusting the current film he’s having a heck of a time finishing when the person who inspired it re-enters the picture.
“Perfect Endings”: Daniel Ribeiro’s coming-of-age romance “The Way He Looks” worked its way into many hearts when it came out in 2014. In this racy comedy, a world premiere, a filmmaker re-enters the dating scene after a 10-year relationship goes kaput.
“Life Is Not a Competition, But I’m Winning”: In director Julia Fuhr Mann’s documentary, queer athletes gather at the Olympic Stadium in Athens to pay tribute to competitors like Amanda Reiter, a trans marathon runner, and Annet Negesa, an 800-meter runner, who encountered resistance and prejudice.
With rare upbeat news about the Bay Area movie theater landscape, here’s a ray of sunlight: The Sequoia Cinema in downtown Mill Valley has reopened after a brief closure and is now managed by the California Film Institute, responsible for the star-packed Mill Valley Film Festival.
Plans are to continue to provide fans the opportunity to see theatrical releases and to take in special events. The theater, at 25 Throckmorton Ave., turns 47 this year.
In a prepared statement, Mark Fishkin, executive director and founder of California Film Institute, announced the reopening, saying, “The Sequoia holds a special place in the hearts of many, and we are excited to welcome patrons back for the movie-watching experience. While a full renovation is planned for the future, our current priority is to provide a welcoming environment for our community to enjoy fantastic films. We’re eager to reconnect with our loyal patrons and share the magic of the big screen with them.”
To celebrate, at 7 p.m. May 31 there will be a screening of 2023’s “Edge of Everything,” a drama about a 15-year-old grappling with life with her emotionally removed dad and his girlfriend after her mom dies. Directors Sophia Sabella and Pablo Feldman, who grew up in Mill Valley, and actor Sierra McCormick will appear.
In the meantime, the Sequoia is showing classics for $1 per screening on Thursday. Friday brings new releases at regular ticket prices of $8.50 to $14. For details and a schedule, visit https://www.sequoiafilm.org/.
The post Pass the Remote: Frameline announces big lineup for June 19-29, Sequoia Cinema reopens in Mill Valley appeared first on Local News Matters.