Mercury News
SF Bay Area filmmakers make a big mark at Frameline 2019
By RANDY MYERS, CORRESPONDENT
June 19, 2019
The Bay Area is well-represented in the upcoming Frameline43 LGBTQ+ film festival, running June 20-30. Here are some of the feature-length films with Bay Area connections.
“We Are the Radical Monarchs”: Director Linda Goldstein Knowlton takes look inside of an innovative social justice program founded by Anavyette Martinez and Marilyn Hollinquest for girls of color in Oakland. Screens: 7 p.m. June 24, Shattuck Cinemas, Berkeley.
“Thanks to Hank”: The life and achievements of influential Bay Area LGBTQ activist Hank Wilson are the focus of San Francisco filmmaker Bob Ostertag’s documentary. Screens: 4:15 p.m. June 27, the Castro, San Francisco.ADVERTISING
“Through the Windows”: The Twin Peaks bar has been a staple of San Francisco’s Castro district and this documentary from San Francisco residents Bret Parker and Petey Barma reminds us how this historic landmark was and still is one of the more visible gathering places in San Francisco. Screens: 1:30 p.m. June 24, the Castro.
“Transfinite”: Animation and live-action come together for seven fantasy/sci-fi tales shot in Oakland and other Bay Area locales by East Bay filmmaker Neelu Bhuman. Screens: 6:45 p.m. June 25 at Victoria Theatre, San Francisco; 9:15 p.m. June 27 at the Piedmont Theatre, Oakland.
“State of Pride”: How has Pride changed over the years? The Academy-Award winning team of Bay Area filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman explore how Pride gatherings in the Bay Area and other areas have evolved over the years. Screens: 1 p.m. June 28, the Castro.
“Camp Chaos”: Santa Clara native and go-go dancer/social media sensation Matthew Camp graphically and explicitly re-enacts some of his sexual exploits in this episodic series. Screens: 9:15 p.m. June 28, Victoria Theatre.
“Marc Huestis: Impresario of Castro Street”: Frameline co-founder Marc Huestis launches his long-awaited memoir Impresario of Castro Street at this exciting multimedia event. His book covers 45 years of San Francisco gay history, beginning in 1974 working with the fabled theatre group Angels of Light, and onto his volatile relationship with Harvey Milk, the early Frameline days, and his creation of first-generation AIDS docs in the ’80s and ’90s (including his Teddy Award-winning Sex Is…). It also chronicles over two decades worth of legendary Castro extravaganzas feting such stars as Debbie Reynolds, Ann Miller, Karen Black, Patty Duke, and John Waters.
This event includes clips of the heady days of the ‘70s, moving AIDS memorials/celebrations featuring local icons Chuck Solomon and Doris Fish, and snippets from Huestis’ unforgettable Castro Theatre evenings. This rare footage will be fused with in-person readings from Huestis’ juicy memoir by a star-studded cast which includes Carol Lynley, Bruce Vilanch, Danny Nicoletta, Helen Shumaker, and a host of others. Not to be missed!
Screens: 6:45 p.m. June 23; Victoria Theatre.
“Gay Chorus: Deep South”: Frameline’s closing-night film chronicles a tour through the South by the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus and the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir. Screens: 7 p.m. June 30, the Castro.
“Unsettled: Seeking Refuge in America”: The challenges and triumphs of four refugees coming to San Francisco are powerfully related in Bay Area filmmaker Tom Shepard’s illuminating documentary. Screens: 1 p.m. June 23, the Castro.
You can also catch San Francisco’s Joshua Grannell — aka Peaches Christ — appearing in two feature films — “You Don’t Nomi,” about the notorious big-budget bomb “Showgirls” — and “Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street,” detailing actor Mark Patton’s experiences making the first sequel in the Freddy Krueger saga and how it affected him afterward. “You Don’t Nomi” screens 9:15 p.m. June 27 at the Castro. “Scream Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street” screens 4:15 p.m. June 29 at the Castro.
