Shorts: The World Tarot

“The World Tarot” shorts program

These short films screened before separate feature-length films in the theatrical presentation of the festival, but were collected into this program for the streaming encore

Femme Rage, dir. Sarah Taborga & Aïma Paule, 2023, USA, 3 min. 💖

Fish Boy (魚仔), dir. Christopher Yip (葉穎輝), 2023, Canada, 11 min., in English and Cantonese with English subtitles 👏

I Can See the Sun but I Can’t Feel It Yet, dir. Joseph Wilson, 2023, UK, 18 min. 💖 • 🌎 North American première

Le roi qui contemplait la mer (A King, Gazing at the Sea), dir. Jean-Sébastien Chauvin, 2022, France, 24 min., in Greek, English, and French 😐

Knowing Me, Knowing You, dir. Fernando Andrés, Jacob Roberts, & Tyler Rugh, 2023, USA, 15 min. 👎

Some Day All This Will Be Yours, dir. Cricket Arrison, 2023, USA, 11 min. 💩 • 🌐 World première

Sob influência (Under the Influence), dir. Ricardo Branco, 2022, Portugal, 20 min., in Portuguese with subtitles 💩 • 🌎 North American première

QWOCMAP and Frameline Streaming

The QWOCMAP Queer Women of Color International Film Festival is streaming online, now through June 30, FREE, available worldwide. There is one feature-length narrative film, Ginger & Honey Milk (虹色の朝が来るまで, Nijiiro no Asa ga Kuru made), directed by Mika Imai, a deaf and non-binary Japanese filmmaker, about a complicated love quadrilateral. (The feature-length documentary Unseen (official website) is unfortu­nate­ly not available via streaming.) The closing program, “Mycelial Care,” is a pair of documentaries about indigenous Americans: Historias de Cultura: Oaxaca en Santa Cruz (Comida), dir. Megan Martinez Goltz, and Powerlands, dir. Ivey Camille Manybeads Tso (official website). In addition, there are three programs of short films, all of which were quite good and some of which were truly excellent.

The Frameline47 San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival is streaming online, now through July 2, either by a streaming pass or by individual tickets, available on the Frameline website. I have written up the ones I saw in the theater, and will add to the list as I stream more titles.

Local Legends: Belonging, Jewelle

“Local Legends” (2 short documentaries)

Monday, June 19, 3:30 pm, Castro + streaming encore

Belonging: Trans Indian Story, dir. Amir Jaffer, 2023, USA, 40 min. 💖 🌐 World première

Belonging

Anjali Rimi, an Indian (south Asian) immigrant who is a Kinnar (one of several terms that in English get lumped together under the umbrella term “trans”). She started an organization called Parivar Bay Area — “parivar” (परिवार) meaning “family.” Not long after the organization was formed, the pandemic hit, with far more devastating consequences for trans people in India, especially in more remote areas. Anjali and Parivar took on the task of providing material support to help those people make it through lockdown and beyond, all while continuing to advocate for trans people, especially trans immigrants, here in the United States. It’s a well made documentary about a powerful advocate for a community that doesn’t receive the attention they deserve. Definitely a MUST SEE.

• IMDb page • Official website (n/a) • Parivar Bay Area • trailer (n/a) •

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Jewelle: A Just Vision, dir. Madeleine Lim, 2022, USA, 64 min. 💖

Jewelle

Jewelle Gomez has long been a force to be reckoned with. We had a preview of the film at the Frameline launch party, and I told a friend, “Calling Jewelle a living legend is really a bit of an understatement.” A prolific author who, among many other things, pioneered the genre of Black lesbian vampire stories, Jewelle has also been a fierce activist for decades. This fabulous documentary tells Jewelle’s story from her childhood to the present, honoring a pillar of our community while she’s still here to enjoy the acclaim — though not exactly rest on her laurels just yet. Absolutely a MUST SEE. 

• IMDb page • Official website • trailer •

QWOCMAP/QWOCFF 2019

Every year, the weekend before the Frameline LGBTQ+ Film Festival starts, San Francisco audiences are treated to some top-notch films, mostly locally made short films, by, for, and about queer women of color, thanks to the Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project and its 15th annual QWOCFF, June 14 – 16, 2019, at the Brava Theater, 2789 24th St @ York St, San Francisco, CA 94110, Muni #48, #9, #27, or #33, BART 24th St plus Muni or 15-minute walk. Admission is free, but you can register online to save time in the line at the door.

These films are made with love and passion, usually on a less-than-a-shoestring budget, but the quality will knock your socks off. These are well-made films providing a voice and an audience to some of the more marginalized parts of our community, so I hope I’ll see you there!

• Queer Women of Color Film Festival trailer (vimeo) •

QWOCFF 2018 Closing Night: Indigenous Futures

QWOCFF 2018 Closing Night: Indigenous Futures

The evening began with a Native American drum ceremony by the folks at BAAITS, Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits, followed by 7 short films.

QWOCFF 2018 Centerpiece: Breaths Intertwined

QWOCFF 2018 Centerpiece: Breaths Intertwined

Saturday, June 9, 2018

QWOCFF 2018: opening night, Fierce & Feral

The Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (QWOCMAP) held its 14th annual film festival June 8, 9, and 10. Here are capsule reviews of the films. Note: as part of its commitment to inclusivity, QWOCMAP open captions all films in the festival.

Opening Night, Friday, June 8, 2018: Fierce & Feral

QWOCFF 2017

I spent a good chunk of this weekend at the Queer Women of Color Film Festival, produced by QWOCMAP SF (QWOC Media Arts Project). Here are my impressions:

• Opening night shorts program, “Beloved Community”
• Centerpiece documentary, The Revival: Women and the Word
• Closing night shorts program, “Tenacious for Love”

I included some grainy photos of the shorts filmmakers (best I could do with a smartphone for a camera). Even though I identify as neither a woman nor a person of color, it’s still empowering to see people putting their own stories, in their own words, in their own images, out into the world. Kudos to Executive Director Madeleine Lim, Managing Directory Kebo Drew, Festival Coordinator Raquel López, the board and other volunteers, and most of all the filmmakers, for putting together a great festival.

• QWOCMAP website • Twitter: @QWOCMAPSF •

QWOCFF: Tenacious for Love

“Tenacious for Love” (shorts program) 👏
Queer Women of Color Film Festival
Sunday, June 11, 6:00 p.m., Brava Theater

Raquel López, Robin Cloud, Jai Lei Yee		Jay Roque, Raquel Stratton, Jay Gash		Monique Dismuke, Lorena Arriola
Erinn Carter, Monica James, Sabine Talaugon			Monica Ortiz, Denise W. Henderson, Tina Takemoto

QWOCFF: The Revival: Women and the Word

The Revival: Women and the Word by Sekiya Dorsett, 2016 USA, 78 min. 💖
Queer Women of Color Film Festival 2017 Centerpiece Screening
Saturday, June 10, 4:00pm, Brava Theater

The Revival: Women and the Word

QWOCFF: Beloved Community

“Beloved Community” (shorts program)👏
Queer Women of Color Film Festival
Friday, June 9, 7:30pm, Brava! Theatre

Frameline isn’t the only LGBTQ film festival in town this month! QWOCMAP, the Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project, is holding its 13th annual festival this weekend at the Brava Theater. Opening night was a collection of 12 short films across a range of subjects and styles. These films are very much worth seeing if you get the opportunity. (Note: all of the films were presented with full subtitles.)