26th San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival

June 13-30, 2002

[SAN FRANCISCO, CA] ? The San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival presents its most international program of queer media ever in its 26th edition, June 13-30, 2002, screening over 290 works from 33 countries at San Francisco?s Castro Theatre (429 Castro Street), Herbst Theatre (401 Van Ness) and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (700 Howard).

FTM Film Offerings

To be queer is not a black-and-white matter. Although most transgender folks have embraced a queer identity, these films explore how that identity is as fluid as gender norms.

SIR: JUST A NORMAL GUY* dir Melanie La Rosa 2001 USA 57 min video In Sir: Just a Normal Guy, director Melanie La Rosa documents Jay Snider?s FTM journey. The film follows Jay during the 15 months of his transition. Jennifer becomes Jay, starts taking T, decides to do top surgery, and examines his own relationship to his family, his friends, and the queer community. The film includes interviews with Jay?s ex-husband, his best friend and his lesbian-identified partner, who courageously questions how her relationship with Jay threatens her own proud lesbian identity. *Eligible for the Stu & Dave?s Excellent Documentary Award

JUST CALL ME KADE dir Sam Zolten 2001 USA . 26 min. . color Kade Farlow Collins is a sixteen year old FTM (female to male transgendered person) residing in Tucson, Arizona. Kade's parents maintain a supportive and nurturing relationship to Kade regarding the many challenges facing their teenage child. However, it hasn't always been easy. As Kade's body began to transform during puberty, Kade became nearly suicidal. Realizing that the issue was more complex than Kade being a tomboy or a lesbian, the family searched for information. Through a local support group and the internet, Kade's mother found books and other resources pertaining to transgenderism. Kade and his family agreed to have their lives documented in order to bring awareness to the subject. Just Call me Kade begins during Halloween weekend, 1999. Kade (then "Kate") was fourteen years old and beginning the initial stages of transition. Kate and family share their concerns, and all embark upon the path toward Kate's new identity as "Kade." Just Call Me Kade concludes during St. Patrick's Day weekend, 2001 and Kade, having legally changed his name, is well into testosterone therapy. Friends and family candidly express their feelings about the transition, the changes in Kade and the impact on everyone involved.

JUNK BOX WARRIOR dir Preeti AK Mistry 2002 USA 5 min video Preeti AK Mistry?s Junk Box Warrior stars trans slam poet Marcus Van, who forges his identity with burning words that mark us all. Distributed by Frameline Distribution

Total Running Time: 88 min June 22 at 6:30 p.m. CFA Theater $8.50 SIRJU22 Co-presented by FTM International

MTF Film Offerings

ALL ABOUT MY FATHER (Alt Om Min Far) dir Even Benestad 2001 Norway 77 min 35mm in Norwegian with English subtitles Esben Benestad is a doctor in a small Norwegian town. He is a surgeon, has authored two books on sex education, writes a column in a men?s magazine and is a liberal politician. However, Esben Benestad has another identity in Norway: he is Esther Pirelli, sex therapist and occasional actress. Benestad identifies as ?bi-gendered??living as both male and female?and goes by the name Esben Esther. All About My Father, an intimate documentary by son Even, takes us inside the Benestad household and explores the impact the father?s identity has had on the family. Viewers journey with father, son, sister, mom and stepmom as they tackle the painful differences and tensions that have existed between them for years. This award-winning film conveys Esben Esther?s story with warmth, humor and irony. The director creates a fascinating personal portrait of his enigmatic father while bravely exploring their own relationship. The elder Benestad sees the film as a chance to speak out on behalf of those who are on the margins of society because they are different?but it?s clear from the film?s poignant father-son exchanges that there?s a lot more to this story. While Dad?s gender identity forms the basis of the film, we ultimately see that the family?s inner conflicts and triumphs are like those of so many other families: profoundly affecting and transformative. ?Darlene Weide Eligible for the Stu & Dave?s Excellent Documentary Award This program is sponsored by Mother Jones. June 16 at 1:00 p.m. Castro Theatre $6 ALLAB16 June 17 at 1:00 p.m. Castro Theatre $6 ALLAB17

MYTH OF FATHER* dir Paul Hill 2001 USA 60 min video Leaving the closet can make for an unprecedented moment of honesty and truth. When filmmaker Paul Hill?s father, Bruce, reveals that he is now Jodie, a transsexual woman, it provides an unexpected opportunity for the two to become closer than ever. Sadly, the rest of the family isn?t as quick to welcome her. Jodie?s brother, a close but skeptical confidant, finds the change hard to accept, as do her half-brother and stepmom. They remember Bruce, the average guy, the one who was into cars and girls, played bass in rock bands, enlisted in the army and got married. But in his forties, after the death of his harsh and humorless father, Bruce was inspired to find himself?and who he found was Jodie. Through in-depth conversations and reminiscences, Paul tries to reconstruct what he knows about his father, who has always been a shadowy figure, and piece together a concept he can?t fully understand. The making of the documentary itself becomes a therapeutic tool for both Paul and Jodie. And the painful moments of on-camera revelation and familial confrontation ultimately lead to a new bond between father and son?even if Dad is now a woman. *Eligible for the Stu & Dave?s Excellent Documentary Award

BOB/VALERIE dir Joel Janecek 2001 USA 30 min video In Bob/Valerie, we meet Valerie, whose coworkers at the factory are having a tough time because they still think of this transitioning woman as Bob. But don?t sweat it: blue-collar folks are a surprisingly accepting bunch. And, besides, this fun documentary has a happy ending in the ?burbs of Delaware.

Co-presented by Tranny Fest - Transgender and Trasgenre Cinema June 15 at 12:30pm p.m. Herbst Theatre $6 MYTHF15

Advance tickets are available at the Festival Ticket Outlet located in The SF LGBT Community Center at 1800 Market Street in San Francisco. The Festival Ticket Outlet opens to the general public on Friday May 31. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.frameline.org, phone (), fax () or mail (SFILGFF, PO Box 2229, Danville, CA 94526).

For more information on the Festival and how to purchase tickets call the 24-hour hotline at and/or visit the Festival online at http://www.frameline.org/festival.

The San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival is the oldest and largest event of its kind in the world. The San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival is presented by Frameline, a non-profit lesbian and gay media organization, dedicated to the support, development and promotion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer visibility through media arts.