When people think of San Francisco, horror, science fiction, and people of African descent don’t immediately leap to mind. But lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders truly fit the shallow, stereotyped model. So it’s appropriate that as the Black Film Festival and Another Hole in the Head draw to a close, Frameline32: San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival gets started. The festival runs June 19 through the 29 at San Francisco and Berkeley theaters.
Like all good film festivals, it’s international in name and in scope, with works from 36 countries, including (for the first time) Egypt. The Egyptian entry, All My Life, follows the romantic life and tribulations of a young gay man in modern Cairo, where oppression is never that far away. All My Life runs an epic 150 minutes. Other countries represented include Argentina, Canada, Japan, and Turkey.
This year, the Festival gives its Frameline Award to one of its own: Michael Lumpkin, who’se been running the festival since the 1980s and is leaving his post this year. (He also co-produced the documentary The Celluloid Closet). As part of the outgoing tribute, the Festival will screen seven films that have played there in the past, including Law of Desire and Bound.
Other films of note include the Canadian family comedy Breakfast with Scot, and the opening night Victorian period piece Affinity.
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