From February 16-April 8 the Roxie Theater will celebrate queer cinema with a carefully curated selection of films that run the gamut of LGBT cinema. The festival was co-curated by Jenni Olson, a filmmaker of note, and Lex Sloan, executive director of the Roxie. Films being shown include "Buddies" (1985), the first scripted drama to deal with the AIDS crisis.
"Buddies" is an Arthur J. Bressan film. He was a filmmaker who glided effortlessly between the world of gay adult features and R-rated fare. His films, including his adult work, always had a certain depth, with strong storylines and fully fleshed out characters. "Buddies" tells the story of a gay man who becomes a volunteer buddy to a man dying of AIDS. A deep friendship grows between them.
"It's particularly remarkable because since it was made in 1985, in those early years of the epidemic, there are ways that it almost hits you like a documentary," Olson said in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter. "Like it just feels so real and especially emotionally real. It puts you in a position where you are so strongly identified with the characters. The way he shot it using only two actors is incredible."
Also being shown is a newly restored print of Bressan's adult feature "Daddy Dearest."
"His adult films, including "Daddy Dearest" and "Juice," are so much more than porn films," said Olson. "He always has really strong scripts with a deep sense of character development, and he's cinematically ambitious in all of his work. His films are also so romantic, even the porn."
Bressan's "Juice" will have a special screening on February 24 at the 4 Star Theater in the Richmond District, the only film in the festival not showing at the Roxie.
The festival will continue with "Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton's Cafeteria," a 2005 documentary by Susan Stryker and Victor Silverman. This film preserves the history of the Compton's Cafeteria Riots, which preceded the Stonewall Riots by three years.
Compton's was a coffee shop in the Tenderloin where trans women of the 1960s would go for coffee, where they would be routinely harassed by the police. One night in 1966 they decided they had had enough and stood up and fought back. The film includes interviews with several survivors of the riots, most of whom who have since passed on.
"It's both comforting and galvanizing to get to see such a vivid and inspiring portrait of those who came before us," said Olson. "And how they fought and triumphed over such hate in so many ways. Especially in this moment when the current administration and right-wing politicians have seized on this political strategy of nationwide fear mongering about trans people. It's the oldest play in the book, spewing dehumanizing hate and lies as a way to retract the basic civil rights of a historically marginalized group of people, while distracting from doing anything about actual issues that impact people's lives."
"The Watermelon Woman" may be the most groundbreaking film in the annals of Black lesbian cinema. Director Cheryl Dunye stars as Cheryl, a video store clerk and aspiring filmmaker whose interest in forgotten Black actresses leads her to investigate a 1930s performer known as The Watermelon Woman. This resonates in Cheryl's own life as she navigates a new relationship with a white girlfriend. This was the first time a Black lesbian story was told by a Black lesbian filmmaker.
"It is charming and funny and engaged with important aspects of Black history and is really one of my longtime favorite lesbian films," said Olson.
Four of Olson's own films will round out the festival. First will be a double feature screening of Olson's "The Royal Road" (2015) and "575 Castro St." (2008). Then there will be another Olson double bill, "The Joy of Life" (2005) and "Blue Diary" (1998). Olson will be on hand to introduce both programs and to engage in post screening conversations.
"The way I usually describe my films is 'butch dyke pining over unavailable women and lengthy digressive observations on arcane historical topics,'" Olson said. "My films are mostly voiceover essay films, shot on 16mm film. They consist almost entirely of shots of the streets of San Francisco, with a smattering of LA and points south. I've gotten to show my films all over the world, including most of them premiering at Sundance. But I love Bay Area audiences, and they always have a special appreciation of my work."
'40 Years of Queer,' February 16-April 8, Roxie Theater, 3117 16 St. $6.62-$16.62. www.roxie.com
'Juice,' February 24, 7pm, with post-screening discussion by Jenni Olson, 4 Star Theater, 2200 Clement St, $12.50-$15, 18+ www.4-star-movies.com
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