Bay Area BusinessWoman
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June, 2006
30th LGBT Film Fest Boasts Local and International Talent
—By Mara Math
There may be no giant birthday cake as Frameline celebrates the 30th Anniversary of its San Francisco Lesbian and Gay Film Festival this year, but there will be plenty of party favors for viewers to take away: the aesthetic satisfaction of experiencing a well-made film, the laughter from queerly inventive comedy, the potentially life-changing reverberations from new queer theory, or simply the pleasure and validation of seeing ourselves and our community represented on the big screen.
While this year's Festival, June 15-25th, boasts 265 films from 33 countries, the most provocative piece of work this year may prove to be a homegrown one: FtF: Female to Femme, a documentary by San Franciscans Kami Chisholm and Elizabeth Stark, premieres at this Festival. ("Femme" refers to a dyke who exhibits identifiably, stereo-typically, or even exaggeratedly feminine behavior, though, as the film illustrates in lively fashion, the term encompasses a broad and varied spectrum of aesthetics, appearances, behaviors — and interpretations.)
"We use the language of gender transition to look the implications of radical femininity," says Stark, co-founder of San Francisco's first Femme Conference in 1997. While the use of that language began mostly in jest, it eventually also provided some useful insights. The author of the acclaimed novel Shy Girl, Stark says she turned to film for this project in part because femme is very visual, and because "I could have done an anthology, but then the only people represented would be those who feel comfortable expressing themselves in writing." Some of those appear as well, of course, including writer Jewelle Gomez, actor Guinivere Turner, and Leslie Mah of rock group Tribe8.
Chisholm, a filmmaker who identifies as butch, explains, "I've been struck by how many docs there are about butches, and the absence of films about femmes. I wanted to investigate the question, what kinds of assumptions are being made if femmes aren't included in radical gender thought?"
The most controversial offering among the feature films, according to Frameline programmer Jennifer Morris, may be Loving Annabelle. Directed by Catherine Brooks, Loving Annabelle tells the tale of a 17-year-old schoolgirl who seduces her female Catholic teacher.
Exciting Festival LineUp
Radical comic Margaret Cho stars in her first narrative feature, Bam Bam and Celeste, for which she wrote the loosely autobiographical script about the friendship between two outcasts, a young woman and a young drag queen who have been friends since high school. Lorene Machado, who has directed several of Cho's comedy concert films, helms this one as well.
"It's not a message film," Machado assures, "it's a screwball road-trip comedy. It's Margaret's world, it's very edgy." Despite Cho's popularity, marketing the film has been difficult, she says, Film industry execs tell Machado, "I laughed all the way through—but it's kind of too gay." To which Machado responds, "Maybe the world is too straight!"
Andrea Myerson, director of Laughing Matters . . . More, echoes that sentiment. "Our world is so heterosexual, the entertainment that we see is so heterosexual — I like to provide homosexual entertainment!" Comedy fans will recognize former Bay Area comics Sabrina Matthews and Elvira Kurt in Laughing Matters . . . More, which also showcases Vicki Shaw and Rene Hicks. (Those who have seen Vallejo native Hicks riffing on male/female relationships should be delighted to see that she conclusively comes out in the film, addressing both on and offstage her decision to throw open the closet door.)
More is not just a sequel, Myerson explains, referring to her first film, Laughing Matters, which focused on four pioneers of lesbian comedy. "In More, the comics interact with each other, they all perform together, discuss personal and political topics, and share more of who they are." Narrowing the selection down to only four comics was difficult this time, Myerson says. "I went for "funny" first, and then I wanted to show different types of humor, different kinds of backgrounds, different personalities. There were some highly talented comics whom I just couldn't include."
Myerson plans two more films in her series, one presenting five gay male comics, and the final one highlighting several younger lesbian and gay male comics.
Musical Themes
Music having emerged as one of this year's themes, Frameline 2006 has numerous documentaries on offer. Certain to be one of the most popular is For the Love of Dolly, an hour-long documentary focusing five fans who are really, really devoted to country music icon Dolly Parton. The Kinsey Sicks: I Wanna Be a Republican brings back the witty and beloved "dragapella" group; Why We Sing! depicts LGBT choral groups around the world; and The Believers, features the world's first all-transgender gospel choir.
Two Showcase documentaries are also centered on music. In the first, Follow My Voice: With the Music of Hedwig, "queer and questioning" young people draw strength from the music of the musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, performed by artists including Sleater-Kinney, Cyndi Lauper, and Frank Black. The second Showcase, Pick Up The Mic, delves into "homo hip-hop," featuring a dozen male and five female hip hop artists, DJs, MCs and producers, including Tina G, Deadlee and jenRO.
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