Frameline (San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival)

REACHING FOR THE MOON directed by Bruno Barreto

Frameline film festival’s audience selected REACHING FOR THE MOON, directed by Bruno Barreto as the Best Feature Film, and THE NEW BLACK, directed by Yoruba Richen as the Best Documentary Film of the 2013 festival. DIK, directed by Christopher Stollery was selected as the Best Short Film. Since 1984 the audience at the the world’s longest running LGBT film festival has been responsible for selecting the Best Feature Film, Best Documentary Film and Best Short Film of the Festival.

REACHING FOR THE MOON, directed by Bruno Barreto tells the story of poet Elizabeth Bishop and her life-changing relationship with the wealthy—and very butch—architect Lota de Macedo Soares. THE NEW BLACK, directed by Yoruba Richen which also received an Honorable Mention, Outstanding Documentary, gives  an inside look at efforts within African American communities and churches across the country to address—and then do something about—same-sex equality.

Frameline37 AT&T Audience Awards

Best Feature Film
REACHING FOR THE MOON, directed by Bruno Barreto

Best Documentary Film
THE NEW BLACK, directed by Yoruba Richen

Best Short Film
DIK, directed by Christopher Stollery

Frameline37 Juried Awards

Frameline37 Wells Fargo First Feature Award
OUT IN THE DARK, directed by Michael Mayer

Honorable Mention, First Feature
CONCUSSION, directed by Stacie Passon

Outstanding Documentary
VALENTINE ROAD, directed by Marta Cunningham

Honorable Mention, Outstanding Documentary
THE NEW BLACK, directed by Yoruba Richen

Honorable Mention, Outstanding Documentary
BIG JOY: THE ADVENTURES OF JAMES BROUGHTON, directed by Eric Slade, Stephen Silha & Dawn Logsdson

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Frameline37: the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival will take place this year from June 20 – 30, 2013. Frameline37 will open with director Stacie Passon’s CONCUSSION, described as “a sexy and daring breakthrough drama about a wealthy lesbian housewife whose straight-laced lifestyle takes a drastic and rebellious turn following a head injury.” Frameline37 will present this year’s Frameline Award to Jamie Babbit, along with the Bay Area premiere of Babbit’s latest film, BREAKING THE GIRLS, and a special retrospective screening of her 1999 cult classic romantic comedy, BUT I’M A CHEERLEADER. The Centerpiece Documentary film will be VALENTINE ROAD, a compelling exposé of the 2008 California hate crime that resulted in the school shooting death of 15-year-old Lawrence King. The Centerpiece Narrative film will be a Polish film titled IN THE NAME OF, a visually striking examination of repression and taboo, and winner of the prestigious Teddy Award at Berlinale 2013. The Closing Night film for Frameline37 will be director Darren Stein’s G.B.F., a timely feel-good comedy about a recently outed gay teen navigating tokenization and high school social structures. G.B.F. stars Michael J. Willett and includes hilarious, memorable appearances from Megan Mullally, and Natasha Lyonne. The Festival will also present a selection of five films finished with assistance from the Frameline Completion Fund. The recipients of the Frameline Completion Fund that will be premiering at Frameline37 are: BIG JOY: THE ADVENTURES OF JAMES BROUGHTON, VALENCIA, THE HAPPY SAD, THE BATTLE OF AMFAR, and THE INFAMOUS T. Frameline37 will also feature a variety of special screenings and programs. This year’s Festival will shine a spotlight on Asian Queer Cinema, highlighting works from emerging and established filmmakers from countries such as China, Nepal, Cambodia, Thailand, Taiwan, and South Korea. Other highly anticipated screenings at Frameline37 include Travis Mathews and James Franco’s INTERIOR. LEATHER BAR., a film within a film that re-imagines the lost 40 minutes of CRUISING while exploring the politics of portraying gay sex in cinema; Christie Herring’s documentary THE CAMPAIGN, chronicling California’s Proposition 8 during the 2008 election and the historical battle for marriage equality; and Jeffrey Schwarz’s I AM DIVINE, a documentary about Divine, the legendary drag performer and star of numerous John Waters films. Music takes center stage in Neil Drumming’s BIG WORDS as three members of a New York hip-hop group from the ’90s unwittingly reunite on the eve of President Obama’s election in 2008. Queer alternative-music icon Antony Hegarty (of and Antony and the Johnsons) is joined by 13 beguiling transsexual and gender variant women on stage and behind the scenes in TURNING, a revealing documentary directed by pioneering video artist Charles Atlas.

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[caption id="attachment_1516" align="alignnone" width="550"]Frameline35 Outstanding Documentary Feature – Wish Me Away [/caption]

The San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival wrapped up on Sunday, June 26, 2011 and announced the Frameline35 Awards. Frameline35 Outstanding Documentary Feature was presented to Wish Me Away from directors Bobbie Birleffi & Beverly Kopf; the touching film follows the coming-out story of country singer Chely Wright, the first country music star to ever come out as openly gay.  Other awards include Frameline35 Outstanding First Feature awarded to the French film The Evening Dress (La Robe Du Soir) from director Myriam Aziza about twelve-year-old Juliette and her attraction to her French teacher, Madame Solenska.

Frameline Award

Margaret Cho

Juried Awards

Frameline35 Outstanding Documentary Feature
Wish Me Away directors Bobbie Birleffi & Beverly Kopf

Honorable Mention for Documentary Feature
Hit So Hard director P. David Ebersole

Frameline35 Outstanding First Feature
The Evening Dress director Myriam Aziza

Honorable Mention for First Feature
Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same director Madeleine Olnek

Audience Awards

Frameline35 AT&T Audience Award, Best Documentary
Gen Silent director Stu Maddux

Frameline35 AT&T Audience Award, Best Feature
Tomboy director Céline Sciamma

Frameline35 AT&T Audience Award, Best Short
BaldGuy (Skalla Mann) director Maria Block

Volunteer of the Year Award

Volunteer of the Year: Bob Sullivan, who has been volunteering with Frameline for 18 years and this year screened over 50 programs to make his selection! Thanks to the Small Change Foundation.

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