GO VEGAN. WHY NOT?

Frameline 32: Movies With My Community

Frameline's 32nd Gay and Lesbian Film Festival runs June 19 - 29. 

See these and other photos in the Photo Album to your left

Opening Night - Thursday, June 19th

Affinity. An English costume drama. From the novel of Sarah Waters (Tipping the Velvet). Adapted for the screen by Andrew Davies (fresh from adapting Jane Austen for the BBC). Mysterious and dark.

Gala afterparty at the ultra-hip nightclub 1015 Folsom. Three floors and fun fun fun. Great food (including The Front Porch) and DeLessio for desserts - as goddess is my witness I WILL veganize that Brazilian French Toast!

Friday, June 20th
The World Unseen: Nothing Can Stop You From Falling in Love. Another UK film with a storyline that draws you in directed by the (female) Indian director Shamim Sarif. An absorbing tale bout the complicated relationships developed within a community of Indians, blacks and whites in late-1940 apartheid South Africa. This film features an awesome performance by Lisa Ray - in my opinion the most gorgeous actress living.

After The World Unseen, we strolled over to La Med on Noe.  A Vegan-positive place.  I got the combination vegetarian salad.  It's a huge salad composed of dressed greens, lentil and potato salads, babaganoush, hummus, tabouli, tahini, natch.  I took half of it home for lunch Saturday.

Saturday, June 21st

Ten short films, collectively called Fun In Girls Shorts. My very favorite was Donkey Girl- photo at left. Dutch director Ties Schenu. 14 minutes. In Dutch and Arabic. Moving tender beautiful. Also No Bikini. Canadian. 9 minutes. When she was seven, Robin spent her summer vacation at a swimming camp passing as a boy, thanks to the removal of her bikini top. She experienced such freedom. Soooooooooo cute!

Feature film: Tru Loved.  A feel-good movie. No, a feel-GREAT movie! Funny, touching, surprising twists, fun turns, true character development and fun to see again faces like Nichelle Nichols (The original Star Trek's communications officer Lieutenant Nyota Uhura), talented and beautiful activist Jasmine Guy, (Whitley Gilbert Wayne on the TV series A Different World, funny guy Alec Mapa and that crazy Jane Lynch (she shows up everywhere)!

After Tru Loved we strolled up to Anchor Oyster for supper. This is not a place for a Vegan. It's charming, the service wonderful and accomodating and the food lovely for omnivores, it's not a place for a satisfying vegan meal. Don't bother.  But I did get a great shot sitting on the nice bench out in front of Anchor with a background of Castro Street looking towards Market behind me.

Sunday, June 22
A feature film Don't Go. All I can say about this one is that if you have a chance to see it, DON'T go. The worst. Ever.  However, it was preceded by three funny shorts, all filmed in Manhattan.  Woman in Burka, Dive, and Happy Birthday.

After Don't Go, Harrison and I entered the When I Knew video booth - it looked just like one of those booths you find in malls where you can get snapshots of yourself - to make a two minute record of our own when I knew I was gay stories.

Then we popped over to the restaurant Nirvana on Castro to attend the Reel Women's get-together. It was perfect to chat and de-brief each other on what we saw, loved and hated.  After Nirvana we decided on Japanese and chose Osaka Sushi right across the street from the theater for a bite. Wow, great for us Vegans! Here's what I had: seaweed salad, miso soup and vegetable tempura roll. I'm going back again this week for sure.

Returned to the Theater to see the feature film When I Knew.  At the end of the screening, they played an edited compilation of several of the many people who had been filmed that very day in the 'When I Knew' booth.  Harrison and I were there up on the screen!!!!!!!!!!  Fun fun fun.

Friday, June 27th

Can it have been a whole week of days we haven't been back to see a movie?  Guess so.  Took a nap in order not to miss this one at the Victoria.  Most especially because it was sponsored by The Harrison Team!  And what a movie it is.  Hate the title Chris & Don: A Love Story, love the movie.  It's about the 34 year marriage of celebrated novelist and screenwriter Christopher Isherwood and artist Don Bachardy.  You'll laugh, I didn't cry but you may, and you'll definitely be inspired.  Have I mentioned the post-movie Q&As?  Love em.  The embellish sooooooooo much about a film.  Don Bachardy answered our questions and blew our minds with his presence, honesty and eloquence.

Sunday, June 29th

Closing day at the Castro.  We saw two films.  First, Derek, a documentary about the artist/filmmaker Derek Jarman.  The movie's host was the actress Tilda Swinton.  Don't go see this one.  As documentaries go, it's not good.  Just one woman's opinion.

Before the feature film, Harrison got up on the stage to deliver the Festival's closing remarks to 1,500 moviegoers.  I've never seen her in better form.  Smart, relaxed, sexy and authentic.  Everyone we ran into at the 1015 Folsom after party stopped us to tell her so.  Here's a very fuzzy picture of a teeny Harrison on the Castro stage.  I just had to include it here.

The film following that was the feature, titled Breakfast with Scot.  This is another (along with Tru Loved) feel great movie.  Two dishy macho guys in a married relationship who become unplanned dads to a darling little swishy red-headed 11-year old.  Big fun.  We (meaning I) and the entire audience loved it.

I am so very looking forward to next year's Queer Women of Color and Frameline film festivals.

See you next year!

Queer Women of Color Film Festival

Well this past weekend was HUGE. It began Thursday evening, June 12th, with a reception held in our home for Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (QWOCMAP) celebrating London-based film director Pratibha Parmar. Here's last year's write-up for the screening of her wildly popular movie, Nina's Heavenly Delights at last year's International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. What a fun and fabulous reception it was. Complete with a signature cocktail. Our house was filled with gorgeous, successful, smart, and talented Lesbiratti (yes, I just made that up). Below are a pictures of our house just before the event (a personal favorite shot of mine) and Pratibha.

The opening night of the 4th Annual Queer Women of Color Film Festival, held at the Brava Theater on Friday the 13th, played to a standing-room-only house. The film festival's focus this year was Queer Asian Pacific Islander Women's films. Waiting in line for the opening of the theater doors with several hundred gorgeous smart successful lesbians, excitement was palpable. The eight film shorts featured BROUGHT THE HOUSE DOWN! My favorites? Well, since you asked, they’d have to be Yo Soy / I Am by director Nancy Angel and Seeing Golda by Michelle Alcedo. Here I am waiting in line and the scene inside the theater:

Food-wise, I've gotta be honest. Food inside the theater was free (as are all the films: radical Lesbian economic justice in action) but the only thing for a hungry Vegan lesbian were Luna bars. And you can only eat so many of those. Next year I will host a table of tasty stick-to-your-ribs Vegan treats for all. And cupcakes of course. So make a point to be there next year!!!!!!!

After the show, at about 10:30pm, Harrison and I scouted the immediate neighborhood for a fast and tasty tamale. No dice. We ended up @ Little Thai on Polk because it was on the way home. Because we were so hungry, it was okay, not great. AND they were out of their brown rice, which is one of their big hooks for me. How can brown rice be creamy and comforting I ask you? They know how. But I was outta luck Friday night.

The following day, the 14th, we went to the afternoon showing, a retrospective of three of Pratibha Parmar's short films, featuring an onstage interview with the incomperable award-winning journalist / writer / activist Helen Zia. So fascinating to view the progression of Pratibha's work and then hear her talk about her intent and process.

After that event we walked 1/2 a block to Roosevelt Tamale Parlor for our dinner. Perfectly lovely people but..........

The Harrison Team were proud sponsors of closing night, Sunday the 15th. Harrison went up on stage to give her thanks to the truly awe inspiring couple responsible for Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project and the festival, Madeleine Lim (QWOCMAP Executive Director) and her wife, Kebo Drew (Festival Manager).

The evening opened with a performace by the all-women percussion band Las Bomberas De La Bahia. They were so righteous and vivacious and some band members danced for us too.

Goddess we were hungry after that show! The evening of short films for the evening had been titled Delectably Yours and many of them revolved around food. So we crossed the street to Casa Sanchez where I had a black bean pupusa. Pretty good for $3.50. Includes all the chips and salsa you can eat. = )

For a lot more photos of our fine adventures this weekend please see the QWOCMAP photo album to your left.