Frameline announced the full lineup for the 49th San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival (Frameline49), the largest and longest-running queer film festival in the world. Taking place June 18–28, Frameline49’s 11 days of programming feature nearly 150 films from 40 countries and bring many notable premieres to the Bay Area, including 17 World Premieres, 2 International Premieres, 12 North American Premieres, and 11 US Premieres, and numerous West Coast, California, and Bay Area Premieres.

Previously, Frameline shared its Opening Night film, Sophie Hyde’s Jimpa, a multi-generational drama starring Olivia Colman, as well as its First Friday film, Sam Feder’s 2025 Frameline Completion Fund film Heightened Scrutiny, a salient documentary that centers on ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio as he argues at the Supreme Court for trans rights. As of today, Frameline has revealed the films for the Festival’s other two big nights, Pride Kickoff and Closing Night. Frameline49 will launch into Pride Weekend with a screening of internationally acclaimed artist Rashaad Newsome and filmmaker Johnny Symons’ Assembly, which combines performance art, music, dance, and film into a powerful illustration of the complexity and resilience of the Black experience. On the final day of the Festival, James Sweeney’s Twinless, a Sundance standout, will serve as the Closing Night film.

“Usually we kick these things off by talking about how ‘thrilled’ we are, and while we areexcited for our filmmakers and eager to share their incredible work with you all, those familiar expressions of enthusiasm feel insufficient right now,” said Allegra Madsen, Frameline’s Executive Director. “I want to emphasize how deeply I value the extraordinary work of our filmmakers this year — their vision and courage are truly remarkable. All of us are weathering challenges that threaten our identities, our histories, and our everyday lives. Like many of you, I’m exhausted and angry. With Frameline49, I want us to examine our past of LGBTQ+ activism and art and I want to honor the powerful stories of this moment, to remind us all that Frameline is both a celebration and a statement. We’ll still engage in difficult conversations and recognize the realities reflected in our films, but we’ll also create spaces where we can untense our shoulders and laugh together, without having to defend our existence.”

In a continuation of Frameline48’s Juneteenth celebration, the Festival will present a special screening at KQED of Daniel Junge and Sam Pollard’s I Was Born This Way, a documentary centered on icon and activist Archbishop Carl Bean, who sang the titular gay anthem and founded both the Minority AIDS Project and the world’s first LGBTQ+ church for people of color. Bolstered by beautiful rotoscope animation, the doc features appearances by Billy Porter, Lady Gaga, Dionne Warwick, and Questlove.

Other highlights include the World Premiere of Oriel Pe’er’s A Deeper Love: The Story of Miss Peppermint, an intimate documentary about trailblazing artist and activist Peppermint; a free advance screening of Netflix’s The Ultimatum: Queer Love season 2 at the newly opened Rikki’s sports bar; a free outdoor screening at PROXY of Yashaddai Owens’ Jimmy, an impressionistic imagining of James Baldwin’s (Benny O. Arthur) time in Paris; and a screening at Oasis of Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror, a documentary about the queer touchstone directed by Linus O’Brien, the son of Rocky Horror writer Richard O’Brien.

Festival films will be screened at venues like the Roxie Theater, the American Conservatory Theater’s (A.C.T.) Toni Rembe Theater, CinemaSF’s Vogue Theatre, the Herbst Theatre, Oasis, Rikki’s, KQED, PROXY, and The New Parkway Theater. While the majority of the Festival will take place in San Francisco and Oakland, Frameline’s first-ever partnership with CAFILM Pride will bring a selection of Festival films to San Rafael (June 13–15). 

“More than ever before, the Festival program was curated with community in mind,” Madsen added. “Not only do we want to center stories by and for the LGBTQ+ community, but we want to create experiences and spaces that foster crucial conversations, illustrate our collective supportiveness, and allow for resilience to the hard times to coexist with having a really good time together.”

In April, Frameline revealed its Pay-It-Forward initiative, calling upon the queer community and allies to show up for trans and nonbinary film-goers by covering the cost of their tickets to the First Friday screening of Heightened Scrutiny. Building on that momentum, the organization is launching its Queer2Queer Campaign, encouraging supporters to reaffirm their commitment to making LGBTQ+ films accessible by “adopting” a screening. By helping to cover the cost of a Festival screening, these supporters will help Frameline49 bring filmmakers and their works to the Bay Area in the face of grant cuts by The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and shifting corporate priorities.

Frameline’s new Director of Partnerships & Development, Matthew Ramsey, added that, “The NEA’s decision is a setback, but it will not diminish our resolve. Now is the time for our community to rally together through our Queer2Queer Campaign. Your support will directly enable us to bring vital queer stories to the screen, ensuring our filmmakers can realize their visions. Let’s show the world the unwavering strength and solidarity of the queer community!”

In that spirit of community, Frameline will continue its long legacy of throwing some of June’s best parties. Following the screening of Heightened Scrutiny on Friday, June 20, Frameline will host its First Friday Party at Charmaine’s, the Proper Hotel’s rooftop bar, where attendees can enjoy complimentary food and drink as well as a night of great music and conversation. On Friday, June 27, the screening of Assembly will be followed by Frameline’s iconic Pride Kickoff Party at Oasis, featuring drag performances by Reparations, an all-Black drag group curated by local star Nicki Jizz.

Frameline’s annual Out in the Silence Award, which is generously underwritten by Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson, honors an outstanding film that highlights brave acts of LGBTQ+ visibility. This year’s recipient is Grace Hughes-Hallet’s The Secret of Me, which centers on Jim Ambrose, who, after learning he was born intersex, helps uncover the truth about a bogus, bigoted medical study that harmed thousands of children. In addition to playing Heightened Scrutiny, Frameline49 will showcase the other features that were awarded 2025 Frameline Completion Fund grants: Niñxs by Kani Lapuerta for its North American premiere and Only Good Things (Apenas Coisas Boas) by Daniel Nolasco for its US Premiere. 

Other Festival awards, which will be presented on the final day of the festival, include Frameline’s four juried awards — Outstanding First Feature Award; Outstanding Documentary Feature; Outstanding Narrative Short; and Outstanding Documentary Short — as well as the Audience Awards for Narrative Feature and Documentary Feature.

Alongside all of the new entries into the queer cinema canon, several retro films will also screen at the Festival, including the new 4K restoration of James Bidgood’s seminal underground classic Pink Narcissus; Mike Thomas’ newly-restored, San Francisco-shot landmark of early queer cinema, The Meatrack; Frances Reid, Cathy Zheutlin, and Elizabeth Stevens’ groundbreaking doc In the Best Interests of the Children; and Valencia to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Michelle Tea’s iconic SF-set book on which the film is based. Beloved film series, including Erotic Evenings and the horror-focused Frameline Fangs, will also return.

Frameline49 will also feature its first-ever showcase dedicated to past and present Colin Higgins Youth Filmmaker grantees. Now in its third year, the program, made possible by the Colin Higgins Foundation, provides young LGBTQ+ filmmakers with the much-needed financial support to continue their work and kick off their careers. The showcase, Outside Voices: New Leaders in Queer Cinema Supported by Colin Higgins Foundation, will screen at the Roxie Theater on June 25. In addition to spotlighting 2025’s films, A Bird Hit My Window and Now I’m a Lesbian by Carmela Murphy and AJ Dubler and Barbie Boy by Remi Gabriel, Outside Voices will feature the first two films made with the support of the Colin Higgins Youth Filmmaker Grant: Daisy Friedman’s Unholy and Karina Dandashi’s Baba I’m Fine. 

As in years past, short films are each part of one of nine programs curated around certain themes or genres. Frameline49’s shorts programs include: Alien Extravaganza; It’s a Family Affair; Truth Be Told: Documentary Shorts; First Impressions, Lasting Connections: Date Night Shorts; Queer Quickies: Erotic Shorts; Fun in Shorts; Saturday Morning Cartoons; Homegrown; and Scared Shortless. Additionally, all four shorts projects that were awarded 2025 Frameline Completion Fund grants will screen as part of the shorts programs. These titles include: Budget Paradise by LaTajh Simmons-Weaver; Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites (ចៅសំណព្វចិត្ត) by Chheangkea; Rainbow Girls by Nana Duffuor; and The Roaming Center for Magnetic Alternativesby Brydie O’Connor.

The weekend before Frameline49 officially opens, CAFILM will help bring some Festival films to the North Bay in an exciting first-time partnership. CAFILM Pride Presents Frameline49 Picks, which runs June 13–15, will feature Elena Oxman’s San Francisco-based Outerlands, which stars Asia Kate Dillon (Billions); Rafaela Camelo’s coming-of-age drama The Nature of Invisible Things (A Natureza das Coisas Invisíveis); Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor’s Berlinale standout Dreamers; Darren Thornton’s award-winning dramedy Four Mothers; and the groundbreaking, recently restored In the Best Interests of the Children (1977) from directors Frances Reid, Cathy Zheutlin, and Elizabeth Stevens. This San Rafael-based showcase, as well as the Festival’s added screenings in Oakland, are part of The Bay & Beyond: Frameline49 in San Rafael, Oakland & SF, Presented by Bank of America. All five CAFILM Pride films will also play in the main Festival lineup.

---

TICKETING, VENUE + ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION

TICKETING + ON-SALE DATES

Individual tickets for all screenings and events in the Frameline49 lineup will be available to all Frameline Members starting Thursday, May 15 at frameline.org. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, May 16 at frameline.org.

For more information on ticket pricing and membership benefits, please visit frameline.org.

BOX OFFICE LOCATIONS + HOURS

PRE-FESTIVAL

Welcome Castro

• Wednesday, May 14 and Thursday, May 15 from 3–7 PM
• Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17 from 1–7 PM

518 Valencia (Frameline49 Lounge)

• Monday, June 16 and Tuesday, June 17 from 1–7 PM

DURING THE FESTIVAL

Box office locations open one hour prior to the start time of each screening at the film’s venue. Please direct ticketing questions to:

• Phone: (415) 275-0522 Monday–Friday, 10am–5pm PT 
• Email: boxoffice@frameline.org

MEMBERSHIP — PLATINUM + GOLD CARDS

The best way to support Frameline49 and catch all of the year’s must-see films is by purchasing a Frameline Membership. Those who purchase at the Benefactor level or above will be entitled to a Gold or Platinum Card. At neighborhood venues — Roxie Theater, Vogue Theatre, KQED, The New Parkway, and the screening at Oasis — Gold/Platinum Cardholders must register online to reserve a seat at these small-capacity theaters. 

All screenings at the Festival’s Prestige Venues — the Herbst Theatre and the A.C.T.’s Toni Rembe Theatre — as well as the First Friday and Pride Kickoff parties will NOTrequire Gold/Platinum Cardholders to register for complimentary ticket(s). 

MEMBERSHIP — MORE INFORMATION

Other membership tiers come with their own perks, including vouchers for Festival tickets, discounts, and more. For additional information, including membership levels, pricing, and benefits, please contact Esme Agilar, Membership & Development Manager, at eagilar@frameline.org or visit frameline.org/support/membership. 

PAY-IT-FORWARD INITIATIVE FOR FIRST FRIDAY FILM + PARTY

When you buy a ticket to the screening of Heightened Scrutiny and/or the First Friday Party, you can participate in our Pay-It-Forward initiative by purchasing tickets for others. Our hope is that no trans or nonbinary person will pay to see the film and be in community. Trans and nonbinary attendees must still reserve a space to see the film by selecting the complimentary ticket option and completing the standard checkout process.

TICKETS FOR CAFILM PRIDE PRESENTS FRAMELINE49 PICKS

Please visit rafaelfilm.cafilm.org/pride-2025/ for CAFILM Pride’s ticketing and venue information.

VENUE + ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION

Frameline49 is exclusively in theaters and event spaces in San Francisco and Oakland, including the Roxie Theater, 518 Valencia (Festival Lounge), A.C.T.’s Toni Rembe Theatre, the Herbst Theatre, CinemaSF’s Vogue Theatre, The New Parkway Theatre, Oasis, Rikki’s, PROXY, KQED HQ, and Charmaine’s (Proper Hotel).

All venues are ADA accessible. For more information about accessibility at specific venues or programs, please visit frameline.org/accessibility.

STREAMING

Select films will be available to stream at home from June 23–30. Please visit frameline.orgfor more information about pricing and which films will be available on streaming.

---

FRAMELINE49 FESTIVAL PROGRAM

BIG NIGHTS
Jimpa — Opening Night Film
DIR Sophie Hyde

I Was Born This Way — Juneteenth Film
DIR Daniel Junge & Sam Pollard
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere

Heightened Scrutiny — First Friday Film, followed by the First Friday Party at Charmaine’s
DIR Sam Feder
SF Bay Area Premiere

Assembly — Pride Kickoff Film
DIR Rashaad Newsome & Johnny Symons
West Coast Premiere

Twinless — Closing Night Film
DIR James Sweeney
SF Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere
 

FEATURES
#300Letters (#300cartas)
DIR Lucas Santa Ana
West Coast Premiere

Baby
DIR Marcelo Caetano
SF Bay Area Premiere

Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day (Lijepa večer, lijep dan)
DIR Ivona Juka
International Premiere | Queer Premiere

Between Goodbyes
DIR Jota Mun
SF Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere

A Body to Live In
DIR Angelo Madsen
West Coast Premiere

By Design
DIR Amanda Kramer
SF Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere

Castration Movie: Part I
DIR Louise Weard
SF Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere

Come See Me in the Good Light
DIR Ryan White
Queer Premiere

Coming Attractions: An Orgy of Gay Erotic Movie Trailers — Erotic Evenings
DIR Elizabeth Purchell
Preceded by GANGBANG.

A Deeper Love: The Story of Miss Peppermint
DIR Oriel Pe’er
World Premiere | Queer Premiere

Diciannove
DIR Giovanni Tortorici
SF Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere

Dreamers
DIR Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor
North American Premiere

Dreams in Nightmares
DIR Shatara Michelle Ford
West Coast Premiere

Drive Back Home
DIR Michael Clowater
SF Bay Area Premiere

Drone
DIR Simon Bouisson
West Coast Premiere

Four Mothers
DIR Darren Thornton
SF Bay Area Premiere

Fucktoys
DIR Annapurna Sriram
Queer Premiere

GEN_
DIR Gianluca Matarrese
West Coast Premiere

I’m Your Venus
DIR Kimberly Reed
SF Bay Area Premiere

If You Are Afraid Put Your Heart Into Your Mouth and Smile (Wenn du Angst hast nimmst du dein Herz in den Mund und lächelst)
DIR Marie Luise Lehner
North American Premiere

In the Best Interests of the Children (1977) — Retrospective
DIR Frances Reid, Cathy Zheutlin, & Elizabeth Stevens
Preceded by Lesbian Custody.

It’s Dorothy!
DIR Jeffrey McHale
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere

Jean Cocteau
DIR Lisa Immordino Vreeland
SF Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere

Keep Coming Back (Siempre vuelven)
DIR Sergio de León
US Premiere | Queer Premiere

Lakeview
DIR Tara Thorne
US Premiere

Lesbian Space Princess
DIR Emma Hough Hobbs & Leela Varghese
US Premiere

The Librarians
DIR Kim A. Snyder
SF Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere

Lucky, Apartment (럭키, 아파트)
DIR Kangyu Garam
North American Premiere

The Meatrack (1970) — Erotic Evenings // 2K Restoration
DIR Mike Thomas
World Premiere | Queer Premiere

A Mother Apart
DIR Laurie Townshend
SF Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere

The Nature of Invisible Things (A Natureza das Coisas Invisíveis)
DIR Rafaela Camelo

Night in West Texas
DIR Deborah S. Esquenazi
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere

A Night Like This
DIR Liam Calvert
West Coast Premiere

Night Stage (Ato Noturno)
DIR Filipe Matzembacher & Marcio Reolon
North American Premiere

Niñxs
DIR Kani Lapuerta
North American Premiere | Queer Premiere

Only Good Things (Apenas Coisas Boas)
DIR Daniel Nolasco
US Premiere | Queer Premiere

Outerlands
DIR Elena Oxman

Perro perro
DIR Marco Berger
World Premiere | Queer Premiere

Pink Narcissus (1971)— Erotic Evenings // 4K Restoration
DIR James Bidgood
SF Bay Area Premiere

Plainclothes
DIR Carmen Emmi
SF Bay Area Premiere

Playing with Fire: An Ecosexual Emergency
DIR Annie Sprinkle & Beth Stephens
World Premiere | Queer Premiere

Pooja, Sir
DIR Deepak Rauniyar
SF Bay Area Premiere

Queerpanorama
DIR Jun Li
West Coast Premiere
Preceded by Carpobrotus.

Really Happy Someday
DIR J Stevens
US Premiere
Preceded by Tessitura.

River of Grass
DIR Sasha Wortzel
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere

Room Temperature — Frameline Fangs
DIR Dennis Cooper & Zac Farley
SF Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere

Row of Life
DIR Soraya Simi
SF Bay Area Premiere

Sally
DIR Cristina Costantini

Sandbag Dam (Zečji nasip)
DIR Čejen Černić Čanak
West Coast Premiere

Sauna
DIR Mathias Broe
West Coast Premiere

The Secret of Me
DIR Grace Hughes-Hallett
2025 Out in the Silence Award Winner

The Serpent’s Skin — Frameline Fangs
DIR Alice Maio Mackay
World Premiere | Queer Premiere
Preceded by The Age of Flowering Plants (La era de las plantas con flor).

She’s the He
DIR Siobhan McCarthy
SF Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere

Silent Sparks (愛作歹)
DIR Ping Chu
Queer Premiere
Preceded by Like What Would Sorrow Look (愁何狀).

Skinny Love (Einskonar Ást)
DIR Sigurður Anton
North American Premiere

Some Nights I Feel Like Walking
DIR Petersen Vargas
West Coast Premiere

Thesis on a Domestication (Tesis sobre una domesticación)
DIR Javier Van de Couter
Queer Premiere

To Live, To Die, To Live Again (Vivre mourir renaître)
DIR Gaël Morel

Touch Me — Frameline Fangs
DIR Addison Heimann
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere

Trans Memoria
DIR Victoria Verseau
West Coast Premiere

Valencia (2013) — Retrospective
DIR Various

We Are Faheem & Karun
DIR Onir
North American Premiere

We Are Pat
DIR Rowan Haber
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere

Went Up the Hill — Frameline Fangs
DIR Samuel Van Grinsven
SF Bay Area Premiere

WICKET
DIR Lily Plotkin
World Premiere | Queer Premiere

SPECIAL SCREENINGS
Jimmy at PROXY
DIR Yashaddai Owens
SF Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere
Note: This is a FREE outdoor screening.

MĀHŪ: A Trans-Pacific Love Letter at KQED
DIR Lisette Marie Flanary
SF Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere
Followed by a performance led by hula master Patrick Makuakāne.

Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror at Oasis
DIR Linus O’Brien
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere

The Ultimatum: Queer Love Season 2 Premiere Watch Party at Rikki’s
Netflix
SF Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere
Note: This is a FREE watch party.

SHORTS BLOCKS + SHOWCASES
Alien Extravaganza
Arctic Diva
DIR Federico Barni

Between Mars and Earth (Entre Marte y la Tierra)
DIR Diego Marzuil

Br00dm0ther’s e-Fable
DIR Zijing Zhao

The Burden
DIR Tish Arana

But wait… there’s more!
DIR Kialy Tihngang

The Last Story on Earth
DIR Aaron Immediato

PRIMALDIAL MAGMA_ZYGMUTROPHOOZE
DIR mirrored fatality

REDMAN
DIR Edith Morris

Space Plug
DIR Marcus Anthony Thomas
 

First Impressions, Lasting Connections: Date Night Shorts
Divine Intervention
DIR Ravenna Tran

Hold Me Close
DIR Aurora Brachman & LaTajh Simmons-Weaver

I’m the Most Racist Person I Know
DIR Leela Varghese 

An Odd Turn (Un movimiento extraño)
DIR Francisco Lezama
 

Fun in Shorts
Gender Reveal
DIR Mo Matton

Homolita
DIR Jude Dry

Poreless 
DIR Harris Doran

Girlfriend Girlfriend
DIR Sara Werner

Sister!
DIR John Onieal

Space Daddy
DIR Stephen Carruthers

Sweet Talkin’ Guy
DIR Spencer Wardwell & Dylan Wardwell

Teth
DIR Peter Darney
 

Homegrown Shorts
AutoErotica: We Buy Gay Stuff
DIR Jeremy von Stilb

Budget Paradise
DIR LaTajh Simmons-Weaver

En memoria
DIR Roberto Fatal

Liminality 
DIR Tess Bliven

Rainbow Girls
DIR Nana Duffuor

Thanks, Babs!
DIR Jen Rainin & Rivkah Beth Medow
 

It’s a Family Affair
Correct Me If I’m Wrong (如你所愿)
DIR Hao Zhou

Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites (ចៅសំណព្វចិត្ត)
DIR Chheangkea

Tara
DIR Ashutosh S. Shankar

Who Raised You?
DIR Dani Guzman

You Don’t Have to Like Me
DIR Safiyah Chiniere
 

Saturday Morning Cartoons
27
DIR Flóra Anna Buda

Carrotica
DIR Daniel Sterlin-Altman

Chimera (Quimera)
DIR Gael Jara & Martín André 

The Eating of an Orange
DIR May Kindred-Boothby

Hey Dad (嗨爸)
DIR Wei-fan Wang

Homunculus