We’re guessing that Amir Jaffer and his associates have a big set of balls as they are about to launch the first-ever SF QUEER FILM FESTIVAL this week. Not only is this post- Lockdown period a tough time for any new venture, but the city is also home to Frameline one of the oldest and best LGBTQ film fests in the World. However, at Queerguru we wholeheartedly support the notion that the more opportunities that queer filmmakers have to reach the audiences their work deserves, the better
Jaffer, an award-winning filmmaker, and producer has stated that the Queer Film Fest will be a showcase for innovative and ground-breaking movies by Queer filmmakers. To that end, their very first program will include narrative, documentary, experimental, and animated films.
The festival is determined to set its own pace and style starting with one of its venues. They have chosen the Delancey Street Screening Room which isn’t a typical movie theatre but a state-of-the-art screening room where filmmakers go to check out their dailies and where film critics go to preview new movies.
The program is full of new names (and a sprinkling of recognizable ones) and also most importantly festival has an abundance of diverse and interesting short films. There are doc shorts that range in topics from prejudice against male cheerleaders to campy/vampy tongue-in-cheek shows.
The Opening Night on July 22nd will be at the historic Roxie Cinema in the Mission. The program will include The Spark: a story told through the perspective of three iconic neighborhoods: the Castro in San Francisco, Le Marais in Paris, and Greenwich Village in New York. Each of these neighborhoods tells of a specific moment: the repression in the 60s and 70s, the appearance of AIDS in the 80s, the phenomenon of fashion with the appearance of gay marketing and drag-queens in the 90s, the struggle for marriage equality and normalization from the 2000s.
On the second day, check out John Eames “March For Dignity” about the attempts of the LGBTQ community in Tbilisi, Georgia setting about organizing their first Pride. It’s a subject that is dear to our hearts and one that has just been in the news when ultranationalist thugs killed a cameraman covering the latest attempt to hold Tibilis Pride
If we were to pick just one of the many shorts being shown, it would have to be The Children of The Cockettes. In just three years (1969-1972) The Cockettes in Haight Ashbury, SF made such a major impact on the queer movement by dressing outrageously and then putting their lifestyle on the stage.
July 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 Opening Night @roxie_theater Remaining Program Delancey Screening Room Get Tickets Starting at $10
P.S. Here is the Festival Trailer :
