Frameline Executive Director James Woolley announced the postponement of the Frameline44 San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival.
Originally set to take place June 18-28, 2020, the film festival is now scheduled to take place in Fall 2020. In addition, Frameline will be expanding film offerings throughout the year and is working on innovative opportunities to still celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month in June.
“During this challenging and uncertain time, organizations have to make tough decisions about whether or not to proceed with planned events,” said San Francisco Mayor London N. Breed. “While it isn’t an easy decision to postpone, I’m glad that Frameline is committed to finding ways to continue supporting filmmakers and artists who offer diverse points of view and share their stories of overcoming obstacles.”
“Since its inception in 1977, Frameline has welcomed audiences to celebrate the power of queer cinema alongside Pride celebrations in the month of June. While Pride month remains the spiritual home of the festival, we look forward to bringing the community together at a later date, to connect with the most vibrant and diverse LGBTQ+ storytellers in film,” said Woolley. “The safety of our beloved audience, staff, filmmakers and community partners must come first.”
Frameline2020 Fund Frameline has also launched the Frameline2020 Fund, with a goal of raising $250,000. With the unprecedented emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, Frameline is faced with a rapid reduction in cash flow. From the beginning of March, usually one of the highest earning months of the year, income has been interrupted and delayed. With the postponement of the Festival to Fall, Frameline will not likely see a return of stable income for months. Considerable measures to cut expenses have been taken during this time, but individual donor support is needed in order for Frameline to provide valuable programs and services as well as continue paying staff. Your donation to the Frameline2020 Fund is vital to our efforts in continuing to support filmmakers and produce our highly anticipated 2020 Festival. Please consider giving a tax-fee donatation below!
Reading Cinemas celebrates an iconic director, the one and only Martin Scorsese, in a month-long retrospective featuring four of his timeless, and quotable, films: Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas and Casino. Shows start at 7 p.m. every Wednesday, beginning March 4, with all tickets $8.50.
Tickets are available at the box office, or guests may conveniently purchase tickets in advance online, or through the Reading Cinemas US app. For more information please visit ReadingCinemasUs.com, or follow us on Facebook @RohnertPark16, or on Twitter and Instagram @ReadingCinemas.
SCORSESE SERIES SCHEDULEReading Cinemas Rohnert ParkEvery Wednesday in March
TAXI DRIVER (1976)MARCH 4 @ 7PMSuffering from insomnia, disturbed loner Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) takes a job as a New York City cabbie, haunting the streets nightly, growing increasingly detached from reality as he dreams of cleaning up the filthy city. When Travis meets pretty campaign worker Betsy (Cybill Shepherd), he becomes obsessed with the idea of saving the world, first plotting to assassinate a presidential candidate, then directing his attentions toward rescuing 12-year-old prostitute Iris (Jodie Foster). (113min, R)
RAGING BULL (1980)MARCH 11 @ 7PMArguably Martin Scorsese’s and Robert De Niro’s finest film about the life of boxer Jake LaMotta, whose violence and temper that led him to the top in the ring destroyed his life outside of it. De Niro took home his second Oscar for Best Actor. (129min, R)
GOODFELLAS (1990)MARCH 18 @ 7PMMartin Scorsese explores the life of organized crime with his gritty, kinetic adaptation of Nicolas Pileggi’s best-selling book Wiseguy, the true-life account of mobster and FBI informant Henry Hill. Directed and co-written by Martin Scorsese, it was chosen as 1990’s Best Picture by the New York, Los Angeles, and National Societies of Film Critics and named to the American Film Institute’s Top 100 American Films List. Electrifying performances abound, from a standout cast that includes Robert DeNiro, Ray Liotta, Lorraine Bracco Paul Sorvino and Joe Pesci, who earned a best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his performance. (148min, R)
CASINO (1995)MARCH 25 @ 7PMRobert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, and Golden Globe winner Sharon Stone star in director Martin Scorsese’s riveting look at how blind ambition, white-hot passion, and 24-karat greed toppled an empire. Las Vegas 1973 is the setting for this fact-based story about the Mob’s multimillion-dollar casino operation – where fortunes and lives were made and lost with a roll of the dice. (178min, R)
The Jewish Community Center (JCC) presents the 5th Annual Sonoma County Israeli Film Festival, March 3-31, at Rialto Cinemas Sebastopol. The festival seeks to nurture an appreciation of Israeli culture in Sonoma County, exploring the human stories and important issues facing Israeli society, and the larger world.
The 2020 films focus on issues of gender identity, love at old age, the pull between secular and orthodox, and the Palestinian and Israeli conflict, and include comedies, dramas, international award winners, and a Bay Area premiere. Israel has a robust and prolific film industry, many films of which never grace our screens – the JCC is proud to present these gems to our Sonoma County communities.
All films are on Tuesdays and screen twice on the day, at 1 pm and 7 pm.
FLAWLESS (Coming of Age) – BAY AREA PREMIERE – Tuesday, March 3, 1 pm & 7 pm Eden has a deeply held secret. An outcast at her new high school, she discovers that her only two friends have been lured into a plot to sell their organs to pay for cosmetic surgery and prom dresses. Believing she has found the answer to her prayers, she joins them on an international adventure. The film’s star, Stav Strashko, was the first transgender woman nominated for the Best Actress Israeli (Ophir) Academy Award.
There will be a special post-show talk following the 7 pm screening.
TEL AVIV ON FIRE (Comedy) – Tuesday, March 17, 1 pm & 7 pm
Young Palestinian Salam is an assistant on the soap opera “Tel Aviv on Fire.” When he is suddenly stopped on his daily commute to work at an Israeli military checkpoint, he pretends to be the screenwriter to get through. But the tough officer Assi – whose wife loves the show – has a few storyline ideas of his own. Salam is trapped in a hilarious and impossible situation in this delicious film that walks the fine comedic line of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Winner of Best Film at the Venice Film Festival and Best Screenplay at the Israeli (Ophir) Academy Awards.
THE OTHER STORY (Drama) – Tuesday, March 24, 1 pm & 7 pm
Anat flees the chaos of her secular upbringing for the discipline and comfort of Hassidic life. Engaged to marry her now-religious, formerly wild-and-crazy pop star boyfriend, her family is determined to stop the marriage and lure her away from orthodoxy. Directed by the legendary Avi Nesher, the film weaves captivating stories about the complex diversity of Israeli Jewish life.
LOVE IN SUSPENDERS (Romantic Comedy) – Tuesday, March 31, 1 pm & 7 pm
When feisty, absent-minded widow Tami hits gruff widower Beno with her car, the last thing on her mind is romance. Warned by her attorney son, Tami tries to ensure Beno will not sue her by inviting him to her luxury apartment in a retirement community. A heartwarming comedy about overcoming loss and celebrates the right to love and be loved at any age.
Important Dates: February 1: season tickets on sale; February 8: individual tickets on sale. Tickets at JCCSOCO.ORG. For more information, contact Irène Hodes, Film Festival Director.
1301 Farmers Lane, C103Santa RosaCA 95405 The JCC is a 501 (c) (3), not-for-profit corporation. Tax ID# 68-0381321.
Movies are multi-faceted to begin with; with queer auteurs, casts and crews, it gets even more complicated. Look in the Blade’s Jan. 3 edition for a full “year in review” roundup in film and many other categories, where I’ll recap more thoroughly the year’s LGBT cinematic highlights. This, however, is my official 2019 “top 10” list.
The number one movie of the year was undoubtedly the magnificent “Pain and Glory (Dolor y Gloria)” by queer auteur Pedro Almodóvar. In this deeply moving story based loosely on the filmmaker’s own life, long-time Almodóvar collaborator Antonio Banderas plays gay filmmaker Salvador Mallo whose physical and psychological ailments have kept him away from the camera. Banderas won the Best Actor prize at Cannes; Almodóvar veterans Penelope Cruz and Julieta Serrano turn and a great supporting cast turn in richly nuanced performances.
The rest of the Top 10 include (in alphabetical order):
“Downton Abbey.” Creator Julian Fellowes seamlessly moved his elegant television serial to the big screen without missing a beat. The sumptuous high-class soap opera included fun new characters (Imelda Staunton as the formidable Maud Bagshaw), delicious quips from the Dowager Countess (Maggie Smith) and a visit to a gay pub by butler Thomas Barrow (Robert James-Collier). A special mention goes to “The Chaperone,” a side project by Fellowes, “Downton” director Michael Engler and “Downton”star Elizabeth McGovern which offers a delightfully subversive look at Midwest American life in the 1920s.
“End of the Century.” With bold and exciting artistic choices, first-time director Lucio Castro creates a steamy mystery about two men who meet on the streets of Barcelona.
“Frankie.” In a transcendently luminescent performance, the brilliant Isabelle Huppert plays a dying French actress who has gathered her large complicated family together for one last holiday. Working with co-screenwriter Mauricio Zacharias, gay filmmaker Ira Sachs skillfully guides the large international cast through complex physical and emotional terrains building to a powerful final tableau. Marisa Tomei is great as Frankie’s best friend Ilene.
“Little Women.” Writer/director Greta Gerwig offers a fresh, dazzling and thoroughly contemporary take on the beloved classic by Louise May Alcott. Gerwig’s powerful queer adaptation focuses on the rivalry between Jo March (Saoirse Ronan) and her sister Amy (Florence Pugh). Gerwig writes with a confident flair and directs with a steady hand; the supporting performances are all wonderful.
“Marriage Story.” Writer/director Noah Baumbach’s incisive and insightful examination of a dissolving marriage features searing performances by Adam Drive and Scarlet Johansson (who also get to perform two numbers from “Company,” Stephen Sondheim’s musical about marriage).
“Portrait of a Lady on Fire.” This sumptuous French period drama tells the story of a young female artist who falls in love with her subject. The richly sensuous and thoughtful exploration of art and romance won the Queer Palm at Cannes where lesbian filmmaker Céline Sciamma also won the screenwriting award.
“Rocketman.” Using the pop superstar and gay icon’s own music, director Dexter Fletcher leads audiences on a fantastic journey through Elton John’s early life, including his childhood, his rise to international stardom, his coming out, his addictions and his decision to enter rehab. Taron Egerton is fantastic as Elton and the costumes by Julian Day are, of course, fabulous.
“Us.” Jordan Peele’s 2017 debut feature “Get Out” was a penetrating analysis of racism in America. His second feature is a devastating critique of the American Dream with indelible performances by Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke and Elisabeth Moss.
“Where’s My Roy Cohn?” In this excellent documentary, long-form journalist turned documentary filmmaker Matt Tyrnauer profiles Roy Cohn, the closeted gay lawyer who was the mastermind the Lavender Scare of the 1950s and who served as a mentor to Donald Trump.
Honorable Mentions go to “1917,” Sam Mendes’ technically dazzling and emotionally devastating World War I tale; “And Then We Danced,” a deeply political story about the romantic relationship and artistic rivalry between two male dancers; “Ask Dr. Ruth” a thoughtful and clever documentary about the Holocaust survivor and pioneering sex therapist who became a fierce LGBT ally; “Booksmart,” Olivia Wilde’s funny and sensitive story about two high school best friends, one lesbian and one straight; and, “By the Grace of God” a clear-eyed and piercing denunciation of clerical abuse in the French Catholic Church by queer auteur François Ozon.
The list of honorable mentions continues with “Harriet” featuring a riveting by Cynthia Erivo as freedom fighter Harriet Tubman; “Knives Out,” the clever all-star whodunit helmed by Rian Johnson; “Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho’s visually stunning and searing satire on class warfare in South Korea; “The Two Popes” with splendid scenery and memorable performances by Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins as Pope Frances and emeritus Pope Benedict; and “Waves” a visceral exploration of an affluent African American family in crisis by Trey Edward Shults.
The (Not So) Guilty Pleasure of the Year was the thoroughly enjoyable “Charlie’s Angels.” Camp goddess and queer icon Elizabeth Banks (who served as producer, director, writer and star) provided a stylish, suspenseful and clever reboot of the ’70s TV series. The movie had a delightfully queer and feminist sensibility (with Kristen Stewart as a pansexual Angel) with strong central female performances, a great supporting cast and delicious cameos by Laverne Cox, Danica Patrick, Ronda Rousey and Jaclyn Smith, one of the original Angels.
Finally, a word on the passing of a cinematic era. With the release of “Star Wars” (now called “Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope”) in 1977, creator George Lucas changed the way movies are filmed, scored, marketed and merchandised. Since then, the Skywalker sage has gone through some significant ups and downs, but it has remained an inescapable cultural milestone. With the release of “Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker,” the big-screen cinematic franchise will come to an end, even though the theme park attractions will go on forever.
Saint Joseph’s Arts Society and Ken Fulk, the design impresario behind the revitalization and reimagination of the historic former church, now exhibition space and arts club, announces a CELEBRATION OF TRANS FILMMAKERS at its upcoming Provincetown Film Society’s COMING OUT 2020 Party in SAN FRANCISCO to fund a new mentorship and scholarship program for emerging Trans Actors.
At the event, we will recognize the work of POSE executive producer, writer and director Silas Howard and showcase the work of up-and-coming talents Zach Barack from Spiderman: Far From Home and The Transparent Musical Finale and Zoey Luna of 15: A Quinceañera Story, The T Word, the television series Pose, and the upcoming reboot of The Craft where she plays Lourdes a trans teen. Russell Boast, President of the Casting Society of America, will also present the Persistence of Vision Award to Ann Thomas, Principal and Founder of Transgender Talent, LLC, the only talent management company dedicated to casting trans talent.
The two celebrations will be held on Thursday, January 9 and Friday January 10 in San Francisco, both at Saint Joseph’s Arts Society Club 1401 Howard Street.
Friday, January 10: COMMUNITY FORUM 10 – 5 pm; public is invited to attend a community forum titled CHANGING THE CULTURAL NARRATIVE: TRANS STORIES IN U.S. ENTERTAINMENT MEDIA Free with advance registration at http://www.provincetownfilmsociety.org
Thanks to high profile shows such as Ryan Murphy’s Emmy-winning series POSE, opportunities for trans actors have deepened. Yet, the economic, educational, and social disadvantages caused by discrimination that transgender and nonbinary people experience throughout their lives, makes it especially challenging for emerging trans actors to access the basic tools needed to secure auditions, let alone jobs.
To tackle some of the disparities in the industry, a portion of the proceeds from the event will support a year-round scholarship and mentorship program for emerging trans actors, including a financial stipend, hands-on professional training, industry meetings and exclusive access to PFS’s year-round programs, held in Provincetown, MA, America’s oldest arts colony and a mecca for LGBTQ diversity and inclusion.
Provincetown Film Society CEO, Christine Walker said, “It is no coincidence that we are launching a game-changing program for transgender artists in a city that represents a beacon of hope and light for the LBGTQ community around the world. While we are geographically positioned quite literally at opposite ends of this vast country, we share a common belief in supporting equality and creativity in all of its forms.”
Honoree Ann Thomas said, “It’s been nearly five years since I started Transgender Talent. Back then, the biggest complaint I heard was about a desperate need for new transgender faces. If trans people had easy access to fulfill their dreams of becoming a trained actor, we’d have no shortage today. But with the systematic repression we’ve faced, the growth has been extremely slow. Only those with some measure of family support have been able to succeed. With the kickoff of the transgender scholarship and mentorship program, we can begin to see young trans people have hope for the future!”
In addition to Silas Howard, Zach Barack, Zoey Luna, and Ann Thomas, other panelists include: Russel Boast, President of the Casting Society of America and the head of its Inclusion and Diversity programs; San-Francisco-based Producers Marc Smolowitz of 13th Gen Company and Stefano Gonzalez, Transfinite producer; and many others.
Providing opportunities for artists to experience Provincetown, as so many of the great artists of the last century from Robert Motherwell to John Waters have been able to do, is a passion shared by the Provincetown Film Society and Ken Fulk, whose team of designers have restored many of the town’s historic structures and are working to preserve America’s artistic heritage. His most recent project is the Mary Heaton Vorse House which will be made available for artists residencies from a variety of disciplines.
Ken Fulk said, “Despite of its diminutive size and remote location, Provincetown has played an outsized role in cinema history for more than a century. The Provincetown Film Society has continued this tradition by creating and supporting inspirational films and filmmakers for the past two decades. We at Saint Joseph’s Arts Society are thrilled to welcome them to San Francisco for ‘Coming Out 2020.’ We invite all our supporters and friends to join us for the spectacular party to benefit trans filmmakers as well as the ground-breaking symposium we’re hosting that will offer professional development to trans actors, filmmakers, producers and writers. I am honored to share this incredible organization from my beloved Provincetown with our Saint Joseph’s community.”
The event is also co-presented by SFFILM — along with the Bay Area’s The Representation Project, partners with PFS on its fourth annual Women’s Media Summit for Gender Equity in U.S. Entertainment Media.
At press time, event sponsors include: PRESENTER: Stephanie Dillon & Fleur de Junk
SUPPORTER: DKR Films, East End Books MEDIA: Larsen Associates Film PR & Corey Tong
Community Co-Presenters: The Representation Project SFFILM
For Calendar Editors: COMING OUT PARTY 2020: A CELEBRATION OF TRANS FILM MAKERS Thursday, January 9 7 pm – 11 pm Saint Joseph’s Arts Society, 1401 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 Tickets are $250 and available at http://www.provincetownfilmsociety.org
COMMUNITY FORUM: CHANGING THE CULTURAL NARRATIVE: TRANS STORIES IN U.S. ENTERTAINMENT MEDIA Friday, January 10 10 am – 5 pm Saint Joseph’s Arts Society, 1401 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 FREE with registration at http://www.provincetownfilmsociety.org
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About Ken Fulk: Ken Fulk is a designer and creative director of Ken Fulk, Inc, and renowned for his layered interiors and over-the-top parties. With a team of 50 “magic makers” to help bring his ideas to life, Fulk leads a team of architects, designers, branding and event specialists in both San Francisco and New York.
The Virginia-born designer has spent the last 20 years developing a business from turning his clients’ dreams into reality. Fulk has become the curator of lifestyles, not only designing homes, restaurants and hotels but also choreographing unforgettable weddings, parties and family getaways.
In recent years, Ken Fulk has expanded his impact around the globe. In addition to current residential work from Mexico to Miami and Provence to Provincetown, Ken Fulk is making his mark in New York with a new concept for rental residences on West 38th Street in New York, slated to open this spring. Designed like a boutique hotel with a lobby restaurant and rooftop lounge, the 224-unit building will offer residents a taste of Fulk’s extraordinary experiences, from interior design and party planning to weekly floral market and guest performances.
About Saint Joseph’s Arts Society: The St. Joseph’s Art Society is a new membership club created to inspire dialogue on the arts, fashion, food, craftsmanship, design and tech. Based out of a National Historic Landmark in San Francisco, the 1913 Saint Joseph's Church has been revitalized as a haven, a forum and a source of inspiration for artists, patrons and the public.
About Provincetown Film Society: The Provincetown Film Society (PFS) is an advocate for diverse representation in film, providing year-round programming and platforms that allow voices of all kinds to be heard via film. Locally, PFS’ work positively impacts the cultural and economic vitality of Provincetown. Nationally, its work helps shape industry discussions around parity in film. Through PFS’ work, we have an ability to better understand and appreciate human struggles and triumphs, showcasing our similarities and differences in today’s diverse culture.
Now in its 22nd year, PFS began as a yearly film festival serving 12,000+ attendees with its signature Filmmaker On the Edge(®) presentations with such luminaries as Darren Aronofsky, Patricia Clarkson, Sofia Coppola, Ang Lee, Jane Lynch, Chloë Sevigny, Tilda Swinton, Quentin Tarantino, John Waters, Debra Winger and others. In 2015, under the leadership of CEO Christine Walker, PFS has expanded to a year-round institute serving emerging and established filmmakers and co-founding the first women’s media summit in the country to address equity in U.S. Entertainment media. This year, PFS will announce a new partnership with The Representation Project to expand the program to San Francisco and Los Angeles.
About The Representation Project: Using film and media as catalysts for cultural transformation, The Representation Project inspires individuals and communities to challenge limiting gender stereotypes and shift norms. Jennifer Siebel Newsom founded The Representation Project, a 501(c)(3), in 2011 in response to the overwhelming public demand for ongoing education and social action in support of her first film, Miss Representation. Since then, The Representation Project released Newsom’s second film, The Mask You Live In, and third film, The Great American Lie. The organization has become well known for creating popular social media activism campaigns such as #NotBuyingIt, #AskHerMore, and #RepresentHer.
The ground-breaking documentary about trans bodybuilders enjoyed its worldwide on VOD, Thursday, November 7th, 2019 via Journeyman Pictures, the multiple-award-winning “Man Made” follows the extraordinary lives of four transgender men as they prepare to compete at TransFitCon, the only all trans-bodybuilding competition in the world – held in Atlanta, GA. What precedes this triumphant moment are a set of personal and diverse journeys taken on the path to self-identity and empowerment. According to the film’s press release, “’Man Made’” intertwines the nuances of manhood; the drive for social justice; and the competitive desire to forge our own paths and be our personal best.”
The film takes us into the heart of transgender male (FTM) culture, revealing unexpected truths about gender, masculinity, humanity and love. It’s a character-driven, intimate, and riveting verité-style competition film, but also a unique social justice narrative. It speaks to the ways in which we all choose to define and reshape ourselves, both figuratively and literally.
“Man Made” was directed with an intimate and authentic vision by trans-filmmaker T Cooper, who is also an acclaimed novelist, television writer, journalist and LGBT activist.
Cooper says, “I believe that this film is more vital than ever. Even though I am not a bodybuilder, I know what it means to envision and then actually take steps to build the body – and life – that you want. So, in some ways, this is my story. But it is also the story of anybody who has done what it takes to become the person s/he is meant to be.”
Executive producer Téa Leoni says, “’Man Made’ is striking, and simply feels like nothing I’ve seen in storytelling around transgender lives, either documentary or narrative. Simply put: you see this film, and it changes you.”
The documentary world premiered in 2018 at over 75 festivals around the world, winning critical and audience acclaim. Out Magazine called the film “an assured crowd-pleaser, made with great love and insight.” The New Yorker said, “Man Made upends the traditional documentary gaze… [and] resists the urge to turn the bodybuilders’ stories into narratives of simple, complete self-actualization; instead, it offers a testament to individual moments of joy-transformative in themselves.”
Festival awards include Best Documentary Jury Award, Atlanta Film Festival; Best Documentary Audience Award, Outfest Los Angeles and NewFest NYC; and Best Documentary Jury Award at the Melbourne Queer Film Festival.
You can read the Los Angeles Blade review of “Man Made” here.
Thursday, November 21 7:00–9:00 p.m.The GLBT Historical Society Museum4127 18th St., San Francisco$5 | Free for members
With its plate-glass windows looking out on the corner of Castro and Market Streets, the landmark San Francisco gay bar Twin Peaks Tavern is not only one of the Castro’s most beloved establishments, but also a living testament to the revolutionary idea that LGBTQ people should be seen and celebrated rather than hidden in the darkness of alleys and behind blacked-out windows.
Filmmakers Petey Barna and Bret Parker will present their new documentary, “Through the Windows” about the history of Twin Peaks Tavern, featuring deeply personal interviews that illuminate the history of the bar and the lesbian owners who transformed it from a straight working-class tavern into a gay landmark in 1972. The film recounts the ways this establishment has provided a feeling of home, family and emotional nourishment for its patrons every day of its 47-year history.Tickets are available online here.
The singer and Tony nominated Broadway actor Sam Harris wrote a memoir, which he parlayed into a one man stage show picking up Ovation Awards in LA, and now its a full blooded film.
Most people know of Harris from when he won TV’s first ever talent show Star Search back in 1987 but Ham A Musical Memoir starts way before then when he was growing up as gay boy in Oklahoma’s bible belt. His story is full of ups and downs,, with more of the latter as anybody who also had to hide their sexuality for a very long time will know all to well.
The film starts of a little hesitantly but as soon as the charismatic Harris warms up he is beaming telling tales of his first break into show business. At junior school he was cast as one of the polynesian children in South Pacific and next as african/american child in a play about Helen Keller where he was desperate to play the lead,
Acting these all out Harris, a rather adept song and dance man, is a delight until the mood gets dark and he relates how as an 11 year old boy he swallowed more than a handful of seconal because he couldn’t equate being gay in the world that he lived in. It was an extremely touching scene that will ring so true particularly with so many other gay men and women.
He moves on quickly on to his decision to leave home at 16 and follow his dream of being a performer and his accounts of all the low dives he had to play …….once with not a single soul in the audience…. are hilarious . He claims he has no humility, but his self-effacing honesty is the reason why his stories have such an authenticity to them and that draws us in more.
Winning every week on Star Search changed his life ….. and gave him Somewhere Over The Rainbow as his theme song …. but that wasn’t his highlight. After kissing a few frogs along the way, some 27 years ago he met Danny, now his husband, and when they adopted Copper their son, Harris had achieved his life’s ambition.
Harris’s is an entertaining and compelling story that finally has a happy ever-after ending and by setting it all to song, he makes it that more enjoyable. Filmed live at the Pasadena Playhouse,with a generous performance from his musical arranger and accompanist Todd Schroeder and some neat choreography by Lee Martino he has all the help to make him look and sound good, and he takes full advantage of it.
This movie will delight his loyal fans but it really needs to get in front of other audiences too as it well definite appeal to a whole slew of people who may not have seen Harris since his early days of fame . The boy grew up good.
The Spahr Center and Mill Valley Film Festival are screening And Then We Danced, a beautiful film about coming out, on National Coming Out Day, Friday, October 11. This special event begins at 2:45 pm at the Sequoia Theater in downtown Mill Valley and will be followed by a reception across the street at the gorgeous Outdoor Art Club.
Please join us for this important celebration of Coming Out, and encouragement to others to do the same! Bring a family member, friend or colleague to whom you’ve come out, and rejoice in the freedom and support you have received for Coming Out. Bring your story in writing to add to The Spahr Center’s archive, or plan to make a short video at the capturing your story at the reception!
AND THEN WE DANCED Friday, October 11 at 2:45 pm – Sequoia TheaterView TrailerIn Tbilisi, Georgia, teenage Merab lives in a crowded apartment where the electricity gets turned off as regularly as his phone runs out of data, forcing him to panhandle. After a lifetime of rigorous training alongside his dance/romantic partner Mary, Merab has hitched his hopes for an escape from his circumstances to a coveted slot in the Georgian National Dance Ensemble. But the tradition-bound regional ensemble leader thinks Merab is too “soft” to master the challenging, athletic choreography. The arrival of another male dancer, Irakli, upends Merab’s dedication to the company and his relationship with Mary, with galvanizing results. Levan Akin’s gorgeous film is a feast for the senses and an emotional tug on the heart. With his exuberant physicality, star Levan Gelbakhiani, who won the Best Actor award at the Sarajevo Film Festival, shapes Akin’s story into a joyous journey of liberation, a coming-out and-of-age tale. A vibrant, musical celebration of the dance of life.
Tickets are: $16.50 for Adults$15.00 for Seniors$8.00 for students and educatorsBuy Tickets
