It’s been a particularly rough, dispiriting couple of weeks in this nation for members of the LGBTQ+ community and many others. There’s no need to recount the backslides here. But gathering in a show of camaraderie and unity may help lessen feelings of despair. Two upcoming film programs provide a respite and refuge from the bad news. One of these proudly queer events runs a couple of months in San Francisco; the other is this weekend in San Jose.
Ever-busy LGBTQ film historian-filmmaker Jenni Olson wraps up the successful “Masc II: Mascs plus Muchachas” series (curated with Frameline San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival and the Department of Gender and Women Studies at University of California Berkeley) at Berkeley Art Museum Pacific Film Archive and moves to the Roxie in San Francisco.
“40 Years of Queer,” co-curated by Lex Sloan and sponsored by Frameline, includes timeless treasures, particularly two classics from the late groundbreaking gay filmmaker Arthur J. Bressan Jr. and some of Olson’s own Bay Area-set documentaries/visual essays. Bressan’s steamy 1984 adult movie “Daddy Dearest” is guaranteed to fire up libidos. The newly restored film tells a frisky tale about a gay filmmaker (Daniel Holt) reflecting and fantasizing about his past while shooting his latest X-rated extravaganza. Naturally, the past and present fuse together, and what sexy fun it is to behold. Olson, who has vigorously championed, preserved and protected Bressan’s important work, will introduce the film and participate in a post-screening conversation with film critic Dennis Harvey. It screens at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 16.
Before mainstream movies dared to mention the AIDS crisis, Bressan Jr. did it with insight and compassion in his low-budget, highly influential “Buddies.” Much has been written about other “brave” high-profile features, but Bressan Jr.’s I-was-there feature started it all. It’s a groundbreaking chamber piece that cuts to the heart and the bone of the deadly epidemic and the tenor of the terrible times. In it, 25-year-old New York volunteer David Bennett (David Schachter) becomes the buddy of lonely 32-year-old AIDS patient Robert (Geoff Edholm), who needs a helping hand since everyone including his parents and lovers have left him on his own. “Buddies” obviously would never have been given a green light by any major studio in 1985, but that’s not the only reason it’s such a transcendent work. By narrowing in on two gay men —mostly their conversations and voice-over from David’s own journal entries (“I feel sappy about trying to help”) — Bressan has created a time capsule capturing the crushing reality of what queer men encountered at the devastating time. Co-presented by the Shanti Project and Frameline, the screening includes an extended introduction from Olson, who will be representing The Bressan Project and the Shanti Project. It’s at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 22.
Another landmark feature is Cheryl Dunye’s “The Watermelon Woman,” a very entertaining dramedy with relevant points about historical portrayals of Black women in cinema. This engaging 1996 drama about a Black lesbian (Dunye) navigating filmmaking and a love life is seamless, and so well-written, directed and acted, you’d swear it was made today, except perhaps for its video store element. This classic, co-presented by Frameline and the Bay Area Lesbian Archives, includes an extended introduction by Frameline Executive Director Allegra Madsen, who is a judge for the annual Teddy Award, part of the annual Berlin International Film Festival, which honors the best queer films. It screens at 1 p.m. March 1.
Many have heard of the 1969 Stonewall riots’ pivotal role in queer history. But before that “we’re not going to take it anymore” event, there was a protest and ensuing riot when a drag queen stepped into the Tenderloin’s Compton’s Cafeteria and later pitched a cup of coffee at a San Francisco cop. It has been regarded as the first queer revolt over harassment. Directors Susan Stryker and Victor Silverman’s “The Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton’s Cafeteria” takes viewers back to the 1966 event, opening a window to an important piece of Bay Area history. Co-presented by the Tenderloin Museum and Frameline, the presentation includes a discussion with Stryker and Silverman moderated by Katie Conry, executive director of the Tenderloin Museum. It screens March 19.
The final two weeks of the Roxie’s “40 Years of Queer” showcase Olson’s wistful, distinctive and wonderful work. (We’re hoping for another film soon.) First up is the double bill with “The Royal Road,” which reflects on being butch in the Bay Area, California’s tangled history and has observations on “Vertigo,” and the haunting requiem to Harvey Milk, “575 Castro St.” Both are reflective pieces that never let you go. The short “575 Castro St.” overlays audio of Milk, who recorded his thoughts at his Castro camera store, with static images of the store’s interior. Olson will introduce and discuss the films in the Frameline-presented event at 6:30 p.m. April 1.
One of my favorites in Olson’s transcendent canon, “The Joy of Life,” concludes the Roxie program. It features voiceover narration by Harry Dodge (of the queer classic “By Hook or By Crook”) and journeys into the restless Bay Area butch dyke soul. It screens with the short “Blue Diary.” Both take viewers along Bay Area streets and landmarks, but “The Joy of Life” also addresses how lives have been lost at Golden Gate Bridge and has served as a rallying call to prevent suicide. Co-presented by Frameline, the program also features Olson’s live participation. It’s at 6:30 p.m. on April 8.
For information on the Roxie programming, visit Roxie.com-coming soon.
Another celebration of queer filmmaking unspools at the two-day Silicon Valley Queer Film Festival in San Jose. The brainchild of Emeryville’s Robby Kendall, the festival combines live performances with a series of shorts, some made by San Jose State University students. All screenings will take place at the 3Below Theaters at 288 S. Second St., with many of the filmmakers appearing to discuss their work. The festival is part of Kendall’s nonprofit Fishnets and Film, which showcases films and encourages community gathering. The launch party takes place from 5 to 8 p.m. at Splash San Jose, 65 Post St., and will feature drag artists in addition to films. For a rundown on the shorts, both live action and animated, visit https://3belowtheaters.com/svqff/.
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