Hunky Jesus

😁 Hunky Jesus, dir. Jennifer M. Kroot, 2026, USA, 85 min.
Friday, June 26, 2026, 6:00 PM, Castro Theatre
🌊 West Coast premiere

Hunky Jesus

Frameline blurb: Bless us, Sisters, for we are in need of joy — and perhaps a loincloth or two! Thank hunky Jesus, this documentary blends the activism, radical resistance, and hilarity of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence from their beginnings to the present day. Weaving between Hunky Jesus 2023, interviews with some of the most storied Sisters and friends (including Sisters Roma and Vish Knew, and Saint Honey Mahogany), and archival footage from the earliest days of the Sisters’ emergence into prominence and extravagance, director Jennifer M. Kroot (To Be Takei, Frameline38; 👏 The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin, Frameline41) has created a rollicking and heartfelt ode to our Sisters.

With all the glitz, heart, dish, and community connection you’d expect, Hunky Jesus gives rise again and again to the laughter, artistry, compassion, and fire that fuels the Sisters’ impact on the community beyond any single day in Dolores Park, and honors the decades of service and resistance that helps resurrect our faith in each other, as only the Sisters can do. And may the church say, “Amen!”

Following the screening, we’ll gather with the Sisters at The Chapel at 777 Valencia St. in The Mission — a venue fit for Hunky Jesus — for our annual Pride Kickoff Party! Grab a drink, enjoy performances and music, and help us usher in San Francisco’s Pride Weekend.

My take: The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Easter in Dolores Park is a San Francisco institution, (conveniently located in easy walking distance). I wasn’t yet in San Francisco for the early days, so there was already a good bit of history before I joined the bandwagon. The Hunky Jesus contest (and its pair, the Foxy Mary contest) are a colorful celebration of the irreverent humor that marks the Sisters’ mission of “spreading joy and expiating stigmatic guilt.” There are certainly many who take offense at what they regard as sacrilege and mockery of Christianity, but if you don’t like it, you don’t have to come!

Unless you’re a Sister yourself (and maybe even then!), you’ll learn something about the history of the Sisters and their Founders Day celebration, including Hunky Jesus and Foxy Mary. It’s worth watching, with some hunky, foxy, clever, athletic, and funny people to entertain you. Highly recommended.

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