Frameline, the San Francisco-based queer media arts foundation, just handed out $30,0000.
The lucky recipients: queer filmmakers, all of whom will receive the money as completion funds for their soon-to-be-released projects.
“We are thrilled with this year’s outstanding slate of grantees, all of which will make their Bay Area premieres at Frameline,” in June, James Woolley, Frameline’s new Executive Director, said in a statement. “To celebrate 30 years of the Completion Fund, we increased the fund from $25,000 to $30,000 to continue Frameline’s dedication to connecting filmmakers and audiences in San Francisco and across the globe.”
So which films might you see coming to a theater near you some day?
Have a look and see…
AHEAD OF THE CURVE
Directed by Jen Rainin
The new doc spotlights a little-known queer hero: Franco Stevens, the original publisher of lesbian magazine Curve. Former co-workers, celebrities and critics uncover the life of Stevens, and how the inception of Curve foreshadowed the latter-day LGBTQ movement.
DISCLOSURE: TRANS LIVES ON SCREEN
Directed by Sam Feder
We caught Sam Feder’s latest doc–a collection of transgender images in film and television–at the Sundance festival this January. Featuring a whos-who of transgender showbusiness, the film features extensive interviews with Laverne Cox, Angelica Ross, Jen Richards, Candis Cayne, Lily Wachowski, MJ Rodriguez, Brian Michael Smith and more, each recounting their exposure to trans people in the media, and the complicated history of trans representation.
MY MOM AND MY LITTLE SECRET
Directed by Runze Yu
LGBTQ people still face heavy social stigma in modern-day China. Runze Yu turns his lens on a closeted gay man trying to live in Chinese society: himself. Yu tries to navigate the staunch cultural traditions of his family, while still living an authentic life.
ELLIE & ABBIE (& ELLIE’S DEAD AUNT)
Directed by Monica Zanetti
This Aussie rom-com follows the misadventures of Ellie, a 12-year-old honors student trying to come out as a lesbian. Lucky for her, she has a fairy godmother: her dead aunt Tara, a fellow lesbian from the 1980s. Can her ghostly magic help Ellie win the girl of her dreams?
LA LEYENDA NEGRA
Directed by Patricia Vidal Delgado
La Leynda Negra tells the story of Aletia living in the city of Compton, a diverse neighborhood of Los Angeles. As she begins to gain popularity at school, immigration officials target her for deportation.
BUCK
Directed by Elegance Bratton & Jovan James
Bratton’s latest short film focuses on Lynn, a gay African-American man confronting depression and a boyfriend who fetishizes his race. Buck confronts the latent racism within.
WERE YOU GAY IN HIGH SCHOOL?
Directed by Niki Ang
Two adult queer women recall their years in high school dating men and crushing on other ladies. Told through animation and live-action, Were You Gay in High School tells two coming-of-age stories: one of teenagers and their budding sexualities, and another of adults confronting the past.
