Struggling as a young aspiring writer in London, Max forges a new identity for himself in the form of a ravenous sex worker: Sebastian. Opening himself up to a previously unexplored world, Max suddenly finds himself unburdened by expectations and invigorated by possibility. When he begins writing thinly-veiled stories about his double life, Max finds himself with the book deal he’d been dreaming of. But as his newfound experiences spur a creative output, Max must decide where he ends and Sebastian begins.
With his confident sophomore feature, Finnish British writer/director Mikko Mäkelä (A Moment in the Reeds, Frameline42) isn’t afraid to explore the complicated nuances of sex work and the transformative power it can wield. As Mäkelä traces Max’s journey of self-identity (which is powerfully brought to life onscreen by actor Ruaridh Mollica), he opts not for sensationalism but tenderness. The result is a thoughtful, compelling investigation of the importance of queer identities and how they shape us.
There is a scene in Rent Free that can only be described as the It’s Always 2 Dumb Bitches Telling Each Other “Exactlyyyyy” meme come to life. In it, besties Ben (Jacob Roberts) and Jordan (David Treviño) come up with a scheme to live “rent free” for a year after completely blowing up their lives. What could possibly go wrong?!
Filled with hilarious performances, Rent Free is the second feature and third appearance at Frameline in so many years from Fernando Andrés and the team behind Three Headed Beast (Frameline46) and Knowing Me, Knowing You (Frameline47). The naturalistic, intimate tone allows an unfiltered look at Gen-Z trying to find financial and emotional stability in modern-day Austin, TX. When Ben says, “we don’t have shit going on, we don’t have shit to lose, so it’s like the universe is just telling us to roll with it,” it’s incredibly resonant to the current moment. Rent Free combines a social experiment and a buddy comedy, with delightful results.
Centered on the clashing emotions and pent-up passions of a beloved high school football star, Riley is a powerful, compelling tale of a young man’s journey to discover who he is, what he wants, and where he’s going. Written and directed by Benjamin Howard, the film tells the story of a popular and talented young athlete who struggles with the all-encompassing anxiety of coming out. His overbearing dad and hyped-up teammates have a clear plan for Riley, but secret dreams and desires gnaw at his insides.
Filmmaker Howard infuses this honest high school story with intense moments of sexual desire and the awkward realities of adolescent relationships. Jake Holley delivers an intricate, powerful performance as Riley, a character who strives to be loved by everyone, but struggles to love himself. Also starring Colin McCalla (The Dick Appointment, Frameline44), Riley is a deep dive into the complex emotions of budding masculinity and the challenge of connecting with teenage peers. Its unique take on identity, love, and sexual desire resonates long after the closing credits.
They were also life partners and privately lived openly as a gay couple but kept that fact away from the public, and somehow the media. Even so, they were responsible for the groundbreaking queer love story Maurice back in 1987. Based on the novel by E M Forster written in 1914 who also closeted, insisted wasn’t published until after he died in 1971. It was a happy love story…. a rarity for a gay film ….. and they even managed to include male nudity unknown in the cinema at the time.
Merchant Ivory also converted a second E M Forster novel A ROOM WITH A VIEW in 1985 and this was their first film that broke out of the Art House into the mainstream.
With a veritable who’s who of actors …..including six Oscar winners …. we get to learn what made them such a dynamic duo who produced these outstanding cinematic gems and how their partnership affected their work and other relationships. Their impact on the cinema ….. particularly period dramas, can never be under-appreciated, They were geniuses and they so deserve this very affectionate profile.
It’s the early 2000s, so dust off your VHS camcorder and your punk audio cassettes and come along for the ride with The New Normals, a young queer Canadian indie band, as they escape their small town for the excitement and promise of Toronto. The lead singer, Evan, is a trans guy with a gift for songwriting and a desire to live life to the fullest. He writes the songs with his girlfriend Isis who plays the keyboard. They’ve got a cis guy drummer in love with a cis girl bassist. And then there is Lou, the introverted lead guitarist.
Based on the 2017 short film of the same name that played at Frameline42, this indie punk trans new wave feature refreshingly throws a trans guy into the spotlight without feeling the need to focus on his trans-ness. We Forgot to Break Up instead asks the crucial question: Can The New Normals survive a love triangle and overnight success?
George Platt Lynes began his career photographing celebrities from the 1930s-50s. It’s those portraits along with his extravagant fashion work that he’s best remembered for today. However, George’s heart, his passion, and his greatest talent lay elsewhere, in his work with the male nude. This work, sensuous and radically explicit for its time, has only recently begun being fully discovered and appreciated for the revolution that it represents – a man capturing his fantasies as a gift, a window to a future his camera saw coming before anyone else. HIDDEN MASTER features a stunning collection of photography uncovering the life of Lynes less known: his gifted eye for the male form, his long term friendships with Gertrude Stein and Alfred Kinsey, and his lasting influence as one of the first openly gay American artists.
FEATURE FILMS The Disappearance of Shere Hite (US, documentary feature, dir. Nicole Newnham) Shere Hite’s 1976 bestselling book, The Hite Report, liberated the female orgasm by revealing the most private experiences of thousands of anonymous survey respondents. Her findings rocked the American establishment and presaged current conversations about gender, sexuality, and bodily autonomy. So how did Shere Hite disappear?
Fancy Dance (US, narrative feature, dir. Erica Tremblay) Following her sister’s disappearance, a Native American hustler (Lily Gladstone, The Unknown Country, MVFF 2022) kidnaps her niece from the child’s white grandparents and sets out for the state powwow in hopes of keeping what is left of their family intact. Ages 15+ – Bay Area Premiere
Housekeeping for Beginners (North Macedonia / Sweden / Kosovo / Poland / Serbia / Croatia, narrative feature, dir. Golan Stolevsky) From acclaimed filmmaker Goran Stolevski comes a story exploring the universal truths of family, both the ones we’re born into and the ones we find for ourselves. Dita never wanted to be a mother, but circumstances force her to raise her girlfriend’s two daughters, tiny troublemaker Mia and rebellious teen Vanesa. A battle of wills ensues as the three continue to butt heads and become an unlikely family that must fight to stay together. In Macedonian with English subtitles – US Premiere
Maestro (US, narrative feature, dir. Bradley Cooper) Maestro is a towering and fearless love story chronicling the lifelong relationship between Leonard Bernstein (Bradley Cooper) and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein (Carey Mulligan). A love letter to life and art, Maestro at its core is an emotionally epic portrayal of family and love.
Monster (Japan, narrative feature, dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda) Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda (Shoplifters, MVFF 2019) returns in this Rashomon-like tale of a troubling school incident that proves much less clear-cut than initially believed. When her young son Minato starts to behave strangely, his mother feels that there is something wrong. Discovering that a teacher is responsible, she storms into the school demanding to know what’s going on. But as the story unfolds through the eyes of mother, teacher and child, the truth gradually emerges. In Japanese with English subtitles – West Coast Premiere
National Anthem (US, narrative feature, dir. Luke Gilford) Dylan (Charlie Plummer), a 21-year- old construction worker in New Mexico, joins a community of queer rodeo performers in search of their own version of the American dream. While working on a communal ranch in the breathtaking and poetic expanse of the American Southwest, they contend with the undeniable powers of nature, family, and love. – West Coast Premiere
Nyad (US, narrative feature, dirs. Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi) From acclaimed documentarians Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (The Rescue, MVFF 2021), Nyad tells the remarkable true story of athlete Diana Nyad (Annette Bening) who, at the age of 60 and with the help of her best friend and coach (Jodie Foster), commits to achieving her life- long dream: a 110-mile open ocean swim from Cuba to Florida.
The Persian Version (US, narrative feature, dir. Maryam Keshavarz) Coming from two countries at odds with each other, Iranian-American Leila (Layla Mohammadi) strives to find balance and embrace her opposing cultures, while boldly challenging the labels society is so quick to project upon her. When her family reunites in New York City for her father’s heart transplant, Leila navigates her relationships from arm’s length in an effort to keep her “real” life separate from her family life. However, when her secret is unceremoniously revealed, so are the distinct parallels between her life and that of her mother, Shireen (Niousha Noor). Winner of the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award and Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. – West Coast Premiere
Robot Dreams (Spain/France, animated feature, dir. Pablo Berger) Based on the popular graphic novel by North American writer Sara Varon, Robot Dreams is the first animation film by the award-winning director Pablo Berger (Blancanieves). A story about friendship, its importance, and its fragility. DOG lives in Manhattan and he’s tired of being alone. One day he decides to build himself a robot, a companion. Their friendship blossoms, until they become inseparable, to the rhythm of 80’s NYC. One summer night, DOG, with great sadness, is forced to abandon ROBOT at the beach. Will they ever meet again? Ages 10+ – California Premiere
Rustin (US, narrative feature, dir. George C. Wolfe) Bayard Rustin (Colman Domingo) was the architect of 1963’s March on Washington. He challenged authority and never apologized for who he was, but was forgotten despite making history. Rustin spotlights the man who, alongside Martin Luther King Jr., dared to imagine a different world and inspired a movement. – West Coast Premiere
Saltburn (US, narrative feature, dir. Emerald Fennell) Academy Award winning filmmaker Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) brings us a beautifully wicked tale of privilege and desire. Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family’s sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten.
SHORT FILMS
binary. (Milan Mackenzie Wood & Maddie Barbiee, US 2023, 14 min) In this intimate look into the life of a young transgender person inspired by androgynous rockstars, a teen struggles to understand who they really are while facing conflict with those around them.
Farther (Een Saam) (Josh Hundermark, South Africa 2022, 15 mins) A father faces some difficult truths when he revisits the past with his daughter. In Afrikaans with English subtitles
Mist (Niebla) (Leonardo Romero Zarza, Colombia 2020, 10 min) When Nicolas and his family move from the city to a new house next to a forest, his perception of his new environment starts to change thanks to mysterious encounters with native animals. In Spanish with English subtitles
No More Longing (Connor Lee O’Keefe, US 2022, 16 mins) Seven years after moving from Brazil to California to pursue his love of music and four years after starting testosterone, Jaime Jobim searches for his new voice. In English & Portuguese with English subtitles
Once Was (Lilian Bowden, US 2023, 11 min) A reunion with a former romantic partner spurs a moment of reflection.
An Ordinary Day (Ju-yeon Gim, South Korea 2023, 19 min) Two female friends — one blind, the other in a wheelchair — find that this day they decided to spend together is anything but ordinary. In Korean with English subtitles
In “Every Body,” an activist named Alicia Roth Weigel sits on her couch, swiping through profiles on a dating app and explaining to the camera — and a public who’ve likely never had the opportunity or occasion to think about such things — how challenging it is to find a match. Weigel was born with both male and female biological traits, which a doctor immediately sought to correct via surgery (Weigel describes the loss of her testes as “castration”) so the child would conform to society’s idea of female. But Weigel is not female; she/they are intersex, and her/their story is one America needs to hear.
Why? Well, for starters, in the past six months, an estimated 560 anti-trans bills have been introduced in 49 states. Trans and intersex are not the same thing, representing two entirely different letters in the catch-all LGBTQIA+ label. Still, acknowledging the existence of intersex individuals — “whatever that is,” a noxious Fox host sneers in one clip — gives the public an entry point for a much-needed conversation about the great many people who don’t fit neatly into the conventional boxes of “male” and “female” (as they might appear on a DMV application or restroom placard).
Statistically speaking, 1.7% of babies are estimated to be intersex. Astonishingly enough, definitive data does not exist, as many doctors attempt to force infants into one category or the other, often through surgery. Does the conversation make some people uncomfortable? Clearly, but as Weigel tells an insensitive conservative pundit, “I’m sorry I don’t have a box of tissues for you.”
To the extent that a frank discussion of all things intersex is long overdue, “Every Body” offers the most accessible and constructive example I’ve seen to date (with Africa-set festival breakout “Who I Am Not” serving as a useful additional-viewing recommendation). After a playful opening montage of over-the-top gender reveal festivities — which just goes to show how invested parents are in their kids’ traditional male/female identities — director Julie Cohen eases into a sit-down interview with three intersex activists.
There’s nothing fancy or particularly sophisticated about her filmmaking. Indie-rock covers of classic songs keep the convo from sounding too stuffy or academic, while talking heads and archival footage (including dated talk of “hermaphrodites”) do the job of contextualizing the subject. The dynamic Cohen creates is a far cry from the Roman arena represented by 20th-century daytime talk shows, wherein aggressive audiences shame guests courageous enough to let themselves be thrown to the lions. By contrast, Cohen fosters an environment where the trio can share and compare their experiences, addressing topics rarely spoken of in public.
There’s blond, Austin, Texas-based Weigel, who went before the state legislature (where they claim to have been hit on by several lawmakers unaware of their true gender identity) to explain why passing laws around bathroom usage is discriminatory and impractical. Weigel is joined by openly intersex actor River Gallo and Intersex Justice Project co-founder Sean Saifa Wall, who were also operated on as children. Today, all three subjects are committed to ending the kind of unnecessary surgeries they experienced. Wall shares notes that accompanied his birth certificate, which recommended operating on his genitalia “to protect the parents’ emotional well-being.” No mention was made of the emotional or psychological effects the procedure might have on the child, who later confronted the surgeon on television.
Bringing illuminating context to their crusade, Cohen (a former “Dateline NBC” producer) introduces a 1999 segment about David Reimer, whose penis was badly damaged during a botched circumcision, and who was subsequently experimented on by Dr. John Money, a sexologist at Johns Hopkins University, who was so committed to his theory that the child could be socialized into believing he was a girl that he suppressed clear evidence to the contrary. Money’s biased and inaccurate findings (as reflected in vintage clips) continue to have an outsize influence on how the medical community treats intersex children.
As it happens, many of the arguments against intersex surgery made in the film align with talking points against infant circumcision — another taboo subject underexamined by the American public. The closing segment of the film leans heavily on Weigel, Gallo and Wall’s advocacy for body autonomy, the message being: Let children decide for themselves when they’re old enough to make up their minds. The politics become more complicated when it comes to transgender issues, where biology doesn’t play so clear a part. Cohen’s movie shows solidarity with the trans community, but stops short of opening that can of worms. Intersex identity is subject enough for one film, and this one covers an astonishing amount of ground in 92 minutes’ time. In the end, it’s for the best that “Every Body” doesn’t set out to be everything to everybody.
Narrated by LGBTQ+ historian Lillian Faderman and illuminated through interviews with trailblazers like Jewelle Gomez (The Gilda Stories), Dorothy Allison (Bastard Out of Carolina), and Sarah Waters (Fingersmith), In Her Words: 20th Century Lesbian Fiction charts a literary journey from post-war lesbian pulp to modern bestsellers. Highlighting the successful and controversial, directors Lisa Marie Evans and Marianne K. Martin skillfully delve into stories that defined eras of lesbian writers, and the changing socio-political landscapes that encouraged an evolution of the genre. In Her Words: 20th Century Lesbian Fiction pays loving tribute to this evolution of lesbian and queer fiction, told through a lens of broader American history.
Starting in 1928, readers fell into The Well of Loneliness— a groundbreaking lesbian novel, albeit a tragic one. By the late 1990s, lesbian fiction had climbed out of the well and into a diverse world of stories and storytellers who were publishing increasingly multifaceted stories (some of them even happy ones). This film will inspire lit lovers of any age to return to old favorites, while igniting curiosity for a new literary tryst or two.
In Her Words: 20th Century Lesbian will be shown at Frameline47 June 22, 6 PM at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco and will stream online June 24 — July 2, 2023. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to: www.framline.org.
Gary Carnivele interviews co-directors Lisa Marie Evans and Marianne K. Martin and producer Cheryl Pletcher.
Gary: Tell us about why this subject matter is so important to you and why you were compelled to create this wonderful documentary.
Marianne: The idea for a documentary began when I was asked to give a keynote speech at the National Music and Women in the Arts Festival. It could be on anything that I wanted – my career, my next book, publishing lesbian fiction. I began thinking about what books had had the most impact on me over the years and discussed them with friend and fellow author,
Sandra Moran. Together we put together a presentation that highlighted classic lesbian fiction and their impact on society from 1920 to 2000. The overwhelmingly positive response to our presentation and the sudden death of Nancy Garden, the author of a groundbreaking novel we had highlighted, Annie On My Mind, compelled us to get as many of the authors as possible on
film.
Cheryl: My wife, Sandra Moran, was working with Marianne K. Martin on a project to get groundbreaking 20th Century lesbian fiction authors on film. Sandra and Marianne wanted to
interview these authors in order to document this important history. Less than a year after this project was initiated by Sandra and Marianne, we found out Sandra had stage 4, incurable
cancer. Less than a month after we learned she had cancer, Sandra was gone. What compelled me to help make this documentary a reality was Sandra’s legacy. It was important to see this
dream of Sandra’s become a reality.
Gary: By taking on an entire century, you would need to cover a lot of literary territory. Why was it important for you to delve into 100 years?
Marianne: For so many readers and writers of lesbian fiction, The Well of Loneliness, written in 1928 by Radclyffe Hall, was the first lesbian book they read. Lesbian-themed books published between the 1920’s and 2000 present a fascinating study of society’s view of lesbians and the
effect it had on their lives and on society. The limited number of books available during those
years made groundbreaking books clear and obvious landmarks. The following are just a few of
those landmarks:
The black lesbian voice of Jewelle Gomez in The Gilda Stories
Beyond the Pale, written by Jewish lesbian Elana Dykewoman
The explicit sexual content of Katherine Forrest’s Curious Wine
And, the first happy ending of Patricia Highsmith’s The Price of Salt
Gary: I can imagine the research phase of writing the screenplay was intense. How were you able to so masterfully remind us of and, in some cases, introduce us to so many authors
in 99 minutes?
Lisa Marie: This making of this film was a deep journey into the world of lesbian fiction and LGBTQ+ history, much of which was unfamiliar to me prior to beginning this project. The
research was massive. Editing down to 99 minutes meant we left out a lot of amazing material. We want to make sure that history is shared as well.
Marianne: I think one of the things that helped us cover so many authors in a relatively short span of time is that we just let them talk. It’s difficult for an interviewer to know exactly what
questions will get the author to reveal the most unique aspects of their personal journey. Much of what we learned came from Lisa Marie doing a beautiful job of making the author feel
comfortable, asking a few leading questions, and then allowing them the freedom to tell their stories. And they gave us a treasure-trove of information. Probably the most difficult part was
choosing what was most important to include in the documentary – what was unique about the author’s journey, where did their strength come from, what did their book tell us about our
society at the time? And how did their book, their voice, affect our culture?
Gary: Tell us about some of the writers interviewed in the film and what surprised you most about them and their work?
Lisa Marie: Ann Bannon, the Queen of Lesbian Pulp, was so generous with her interview. I did enjoy hearing her talk about Marijane Meaker. Interviewing Jewelle Gomez, who will be in attendance at our screening, was like watching a theatrical performance. Beautiful and authentic, it was as if she sang her words.We interviewed Rita Mae Brown in a barn on her ranch in Virginia with stuffed wolves in the
background. That’s just awesome.
Gary: I’m almost sorry for asking, but who are the writers who didn’t make the final cut?
LM: There are many more stories to be documented. A world with more films about lesbian
authors is a better world indeed.
Gary: Who are the deceased writers you really wish you could have gotten before the camera?
LM: I’m sure Marijane Meaker would have had some fantastic stories. Leslie Feinberg has always been an inspiration to me.
Marianne: Two deceased authors who I would have loved to have captured on file were Virginia Wolfe and Patricia Highsmith. Each of a different time in history, each socially and
emotionally complicated. I would love to know what they needed from life, what tortured them, and what writing such important work meant to them.
Cheryl: Patricia Highsmith has always intrigued me. I’d love to know the story behind Price of Salt. What motivated her to pen it? Nancy Garden’s Annie on my Mind was such a key game
changer. And Nancy’s passing was an impetus for developing this documentary.
Gary: How much pressure did you feel as filmmakers to explore such an important aspect of queer history?
Lisa Marie: We carried Sandra Moran with us throughout this project. We, and many in the community who adored her, wanted to see this project succeed. Success for us meant creating
a film that documented key historical authors of lesbian fiction and authentically told their stories in relation to the societal events around them. To do that, we sought input from the
authors interviewed in this film and important voices in the community. Lillian Faderman’s wealth of knowledge and feedback was crucial. We understand that there are many stories we weren’t able to tell in this film. Fortunately, there’s more films to be made. And they need to be made. Especially as books continue to be banned.
Gary: If memory serves me right, it took several years for lesbian fiction to get mainstreamed by the big publishers after gay fiction started really taking off in the late 1970’s. Was that the case or was lesbian fiction always there but forced underground?
Marianne: As the film shows, lesbian fiction has always existed – scarce, marginalized, and often banned. Few authors had the opportunity to be published by mainstream publishers, and
even those risked banning and censorship. Most writers used pen names (sometimes usinginitials or a male name) to better their odds of publication and elicit respect not given to women
writers. Many authors, without the distributorship of a publishing house produced and marketed their books themselves, even hand-selling on the street or in private parties. And to
make production and distribution even more difficult, The Comstock Act of 1873 (still largelyintact today) made it illegal to send “obscene, lewd or lascivious”, “immoral”, or “indecent”
publications through the mail. That not only made distribution difficult, but made even
possession a misdemeanor.
Gary: I love that In Her Words discusses the importance of small women-owned publishing houses and women’s bookstores to helping lesbian works to readers. Tell us about some
of the most important publishers then and now.
Marianne: There were a number of small lesbian presses during those early years, including Firebrand, Cleis, Rising Tide, Spinsters Ink, and New Victoria. But, the largest and longest
operating exclusively lesbian publisher was Naiad Press. It was without a doubt the most important and effective of the presses for a number of reasons. Barbara Grier’s mission for
Naiad was to make it possible to put a lesbian book in the hands of every lesbian who wanted one. After society seemed to offer a relaxation of the Comstock Act, Naiad developed a mailing
list that provided a monthly newsletter and order form, and enabled them to mail books to women who either couldn’t or wouldn’t buy them from a bookstore. And probably equally as
important was Naiad’s commitment that their books deviate from the restrictions of the past and every book have a happy ending.
Gary: Tell us about the impact of some of the early novels you include in your documentary and how the writers managed to not be censored?
Marianne: Many of the novels that we’ve included in the documentary were at some point banned or challenged. Their impact was in spite of that censorship. Lesléa Newman’s, Heather
Has Two Mommies, is a good example. It was banned, burned, glued, spit on, and destroyed. But it proved to be a groundbreaking children’s book that is still relevant thirty years later.
Patricia Highsmith, writing as Claire Morgan, probably avoided having The Price of Salt (1952) banned because her publisher marketed it as a suspense thriller. And despite it being
published during the wave of pulp fiction and in the same year that the American Psychiatric Association classified homosexuality as a mental illness, this book has been touted as lesbian
fiction’s first happy ending.
Gary: You honor the racy pulp dime-store novels as an important aspect of lesbian fiction. Did you feel it was important to discuss novels not necessarily marketed to lesbians or
even women, and were subjected to the ‘male gaze’ of editors and even the targeted male readers?
Marianne: During the wave of lesbian pulp fiction in the 1950’s, publishers adhered strictly to the restrictions that allowed lesbian-themed books to be produced and distributed. The main
character must have one of only three options at the end of the book – death, madness, or living in denial alone or with a man. But the pulp fiction era did offer two things that hadn’t
been available before; cheap paper from pulp that produced 35 cent books that were affordable enough to leave on the seat of a bus for someone else, and sales numbers that sky-
rocketed. Odd Girl Out, the first in Ann Bannon’s Beebo Brinker Chronicles was the second best-selling paperback of 1957. In order to reach a few, you have to sell to many.
Gary: What are you hoping audiences take away from In Her Words?
Lisa Marie: Empowerment. LGBTQ+ lives play a vital role in history and we have many storiesto celebrate.
Marianne: I hope that In Her Words leaves the audience with a clear sense of our literaryhistory, the struggles we’ve faced, the progress we’ve made, and an appreciation of the
personal courage that it took to chronicle it.
Cheryl: An understanding of the bravery of many of these women. Many risked it all to share their stories in order to give hope to their readers. Motivation to actively make a difference. Change happens when people are willing to stand up and speak out for what matters.
Gary: How thrilled are you to be part of Frameline47?
Lisa Marie: Absolutely thrilled. I’m excited for the many connections and resources ahead. We’re all thrilled to be screening in San Francisco where a great deal of our history was lived.
Gary: What are some of the other festivals you’ve shown your film and what has impressed you most about folks’ comments and queries?
Cheryl: I have been amazed by the number of recognition awards we have received from festivals. At the most recent festival showing we received not only the Best Documentary award but also the Audience Choice award! Incredible. I am so grateful that the film has been getting this kind of recognition.
Gary: What are you working on now?
Lisa Marie: We want to ensure this film lives up to its fullest potential and continue to spread the good word of lesbian literature.
From visionary art director Sam Shahid, Hidden Master – The Legacy of George Platt Lynes features a stunning collection of photography from the 1930s-50s, uncovering the life of Lynes less known: his gifted eye for the male form, his long-term friendships with Gertrude Stein and Alfred Kinsey, and his lasting influence as one of the first openly gay American artists. This work, sensuous and radically explicit for its time, has only recently begun being fully discovered and appreciated for the revolution that it represents — a man capturing his fantasies as a gift, a window to a future his camera saw coming before anyone else.
Hidden Master – The Legacy of George Platt Lynes will be shown at Frameline47 June 24, 3:30 PM at the Castro Theatre and will stream online June 24, 12:01 AM — July 2, 11:59 PM
