DAY TWO

AUGUST 26

8 PROGRAMS

25 SCREENINGS

12:30 PM – 6:00 PM

FOREIGN AFFAIR

CO-PRESENTED WITH PARIVAR BAYAREA

PROGRAM 2
12:30 PM - 60 MIN.

TRANSFORMATION

DIRECTED BY

SAEED MAYAHY

MIRIAM CARLSEN

Following the USA withdrawal from Afghanistan, a young couple from Kabul find their way to the dark and dodgy Afghan neighborhood, Zeytinburnu,in Istanbul. Malika - a transgender woman who together with Mohamed, the love of her life, fled their families honor killing plan and Taliban's fatal punishments with the hope of living a better life in Turkey. Their situation is further complicated when they decide to take in another queer immigrant. Together the three of them face poverty, fear of deportation, daily harassment, sexual violence and gender identity crisis. But their support for each other keeps them fighting for their dreams, whatever it takes.

RUNTIME: 50 MINUTES

PURPLE HAZE

   EXPERIMENTAL FILMS & MUSIC VIDEOS

PROGRAM 3
12:30 PM - 80 MIN.

ONCE I PASSED

DIRECTED BY

MARTIN GERIGK

Walt Whitman is one of the most important poets in American literature. His main work, Leaves of Grass, was written over a period of forty years, and describes human nature, society, and the natural world, both physically and philosophically. "Once I passed" is dedicated, on the one hand, to the obviously autobiographical context with all its personal drama, and on the other hand to the content of the poem itself, the profoundly quiet, yet powerful story of two lovers.

RUNTIME: 10 MINUTES

SEE ME

DIRECTED BY

LEE CAMPBELL

SEE ME was made during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in London in July 2020. This film includes sections of a walk that I made through Soho, London. As I walk, I listen on headphones to the compilation music tapes that I made when I first came to this area as a teenager in the 1990s. I reflect upon the difference between me in 1994 and me in 2020 and how my relationship to this area of London has changed, may no longer have the same appeal as it did in 1994 or a different kind of appeal in 2020.

RUNTIME: 12 MINUTES

DICK

DIRECTED BY

KEVIN McLELLAN

DICK is a homoerotic short that mashes-up public domain sources (three 1940's educational films starring Dick York, a 1940's anti-gay propaganda film, music from different decades, and a quote from David Wojnarowicz) to survey representations of gayness from different lenses.

RUNTIME: 7 MINUTES

LAST CALL

DIRECTED BY

DREW DE PINTO

A magical realist 16mm short focusing on the caretakers of three historic queer bars in San Francisco as they close their establishments, temporarily and permanently, amidst the 2020 pandemic lockdown.

RUNTIME: 4 MINUTES

NO ONE KNOWS I’M A DOG

DIRECTED BY

NATE KING

This film explores digital taboos, kink subculture, and ideas of privacy in an age of twitter porn and onlyfans. Referencing the 1993 New Yorker cartoon by Peter Steiner, King performs and composites an online identity of puppy play, a popular underground kink expression in LGBTQ+ spaces. King questions if we are able to share ourselves online while still retaining a sense of privacy. Despite being out as a gay and queer man over a decade and having explored pup play and other kink for years, King highlights a his own self-consciousness toward others finding out about his sex life. The piece is a way to unabashedly claim that space and reckon with his own self judgments.

RUNTIME: 4 MINUTES

IF YOU WANT ME TO

DIRECTED BY

If You Want Me To is a fun, upbeat journey shot around the quintessential Bay Area. The creativity and rhythm of women overcoming ageism in a youth culture!

LIQUID GIRLFRIEND

JANET VAN HAM

RUNTIME: 4 MINUTES

CELESTIAL BODIES

DIRECTED BY

RYAN SUITS

Two astronauts struggle to resist the intoxicating temptations of an alien spaceship.

RUNTIME: 4 MINUTES

AMOR - THE TUNE OF LOVE

DIRECTED BY

JIJO KURIAKOSE

Amor - the tune of love, is a Malayalam music video which carries the emotional elements of gay romance, the enticing feel of belongingness and missing. The music video is a dedication to everyone who believes in the power and love and campaign for human rights of the LGBTIQ community.

RUNTIME: 5 MINUTES

LA PEQUENA MUERTE

DIRECTED BY

PEDRO LAVIN

In this visual poem set in contemporary Mexico, two lovers share an afternoon of passion as an ancient deity from their dreams performs an orgiastic dance that mirrors their ecstasy.

RUNTIME: 7 MINUTES

RIDING HIGH

DIRECTED BY

CARMEN ESCOBAR ROBINSON

CHERIE HUGHES & BONNY SCOTT

Riding High, by Central Desert based queer performance duo Madam & the Mafia, is a music video celebrating Pride, kink play and sex positivity. An all queer, local production uplifting trans and non-binary hotness, Riding High features the improvised performative play of over thirty people dressed in ass-less chaps, rodeo fetish costumes and spandex.

RUNTIME: 5 MINUTES

BOX OF CHOCOLATES

25 MIN & UNDER SHORT FILMS

PROGRAM 4
2:00 PM - 110 MIN.

WE ALL DIE ALONE

DIRECTED BY

JONATHAN HAMMOND

The hubris of an inept conflict negotiator leads two warring gangs into an 8-way standoff. The consequences are both comical and tragic in this whip-smart short.

RUNTIME: 14 MINUTES

CANDICE

DIRECTED BY

TYLER MARTIN

CHELSEA CHILDS

After the loss of his family, a reclusive young man is left with an RV, a collection of taxidermied animals, and the deep desire to find connection and purpose.

RUNTIME: 15 MINUTES

WORST DATE, BEST DATE

DIRECTED BY

CAMERON THROWER

Amy and Charlie are set up on a blind date by their grandmothers. From the beginning, the date seems to be going horribly wrong, with both Amy and Charlie trying to find ways to get out of the situation. However, as they continue to talk, they discover that they share something in common.

RUNTIME: 17 MINUTES

LENA’S DANCE

DIRECTED BY

BILLY CLIFT

Based on the heartfelt true story of two people, generations apart, 16 year old Michael, a gay high school student and 98 year old Lena, who lives at the nursing home where Michael works part time, (just outside of Boston, MA) who serendipitously end up transforming each others lives forever after an unexpected encounter at the nursing home one late evening.

RUNTIME: 20 MINUTES

REMEMBER IT’S CHRISTMAS

DIRECTED BY

SAM KITE

Between a lifelong career of playing Santa at private parties, and working a second job as a caretaker for a forgetful sundowner, a working class actor decides to hang up his red suit and make this his final holiday season. On his last day before retirement, a sweet non-binary kid reminds him the spirit of the holiday.

RUNTIME: 22 MINUTES

FEATURE

PROGRAM 5
2:00 PM - 100 MIN.

BABY STEPS

DIRECTED BY

STEWART WADE

A year after the death of their beloved Lily, new couple Beau and Caden must decide if they are ready to become parents.

RUNTIME: 95 MINUTES

DIVAS IN DOLLMATION

BARBIE ANIMATED SHORTS

PROGRAM 6
4:15 PM - 45 MIN.

DIVAS IN DOLLMATION

DIRECTED BY

WARREN WRIGHT

Cher and Madonna headline the same program. Warrencito’s Diva Dollmatioon showcases some of our favorite female icons but in doll size format. Barbie is back in the spotlight and this program reminds us that she never really left.

RUNTIME: 30 MINUTES

GIRL POWER

LESBIAN SHORT FILMS

PROGRAM 7
4:00 PM - 95 MIN.

DINO HART

DIRECTED BY

LIZZIE MAYES

As a Don’t Say Gay bill passes, 12-year-old Dino confronts a surprising truth about their long-lost father.

RUNTIME: 13 MINUTES

ALL FOR YACHT

DIRECTED BY

Cass is meeting Sophie for the first time. She can't remember if they matched on Bumble Friends or Bumble Dating.

RUBY DRAKE

RUNTIME: 12 MINUTES

LOVERBOY

DIRECTED BY

VANESA STOYNOVA

A separated couple meet at their former home to finalize their divorce when a storm traps them together overnight, leading them to relive the night they met.

RUNTIME: 29 MINUTES

JUST FRIENDS

DIRECTED BY

ELLE MARTINEZ-OLSON

One year after their mutual split, former partners Carly and Jade, reconnect over their love of techno music. Jade invites Carly to their favorite nightclub together. Unable to resist her curiosity, Carly agrees. It’s just one night, what could go wrong?

RUNTIME: 7 MINUTES

THE GOOD ADVICE CUPCAKE

DIRECTED BY

LORYN BRANTZ

The Good Advice Cupcake is the internet’s favorite aggressive cupcake. Canonically bisexual, Cuppy presents four of her best queer-related scenarios where she and her friends express their acceptance for each other and the damnation of those standing in their way.

RUNTIME: 3 MINUTES

SURVIVING VOICES

CO-PRESENTED WITH THE NATIONAL AIDS MEMORIAL

PROGRAM 8
6:00 PM - 90 MIN.

SURVIVING VOICES:

DIRECTED BY

JÖRG FOCKELE

Surviving Voices is a multi-year documentary project about the impact of the AIDS epidemic on various communities in the US. This installment covers the untold story of the AIDS Memorial Quilt and the people who commemorated their loved ones in quilt panels.  

Following the screening there will be a 50 min panel discussion moderated by Sara Laura Schwartz. Panelists include Sheilah Mabry & John Manzon-Santos, Gert McMullin, Race Bannon and Cynthia Garcia.

RUNTIME: OPENING REMARKS 15 MIN. | FILM 25 MIN. | PANEL DISCUSSION 50 MIN.

FEATURE

PROGRAM 9
6:00 PM - 100 MIN.

HEALED

DIRECTED BY

MEGHAN WEINSTEIN

Former pop icon Jazz Powers (Abeydeera) and her pregnant wife Olivia (Goss) attend a private meditation retreat at the invitation of mindfulness expert Georgia Chambers (Turner). 

A string of unorthodox therapy sessions and unusual events involving Georgia’s neighbor (Barrett) evoke memories of Jazz's father (Lowe) and leave Jazz questioning Georgia’s practice. 

Additional probing reveals that the women are unknowing participants in an experiment that could change the course of their lives forever.

RUNTIME: 95 MINUTES