June is Pride Month, a celebration of LGBTQIA+ people and culture – a time to reflect on the great strides we’ve made as a community and to take inventory of the challenges we continue to face. As varied and vibrant as the community is, so are their stories put to film. CAFILM is proud to present its first-ever Pride series, showcasing the best LGBQTIA+ films that made history, not only because they were awarded or internationally recognized, but because of their importance in elevating new perspectives and voices.
Our goal is to promote LGBTQIA+ understanding, provide a safe space for queer individuals and allies, and foster an inclusive community for all.
CAFILM Pride programmed by MVFF World Cinema Programmer João Federici
THANK YOU TO OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS: CITY OF SAN RAFAEL | SIDE BY SIDE YOUTH | THE SPAHR CENTER
FRIDAY, JUNE 9
SCREENING + CONVERSATION + MEET & GREET
SPECIAL GUESTS: DIRECTOR BILL WEBER & MEMBERS OF THE COCKETTES
Directors: Bill Weber, David Weissman (US 2002) 102 min.
FRIDAY, JUNE 9 • 7:00
$13.25 General | $9.75 Seniors & Youth | $7.75 CAFILM members
SATURDAY, JUNE 10
Set in a predominately Mexican immigrant neighborhood in Los Angeles, MOSQUITA Y MARI tells the story of two 15-year-old Chicanas growing up in H.P. —Huntington Park. When Yolanda (Mosquita) meets her new neighbor, Mari, all they see in each other are their differences. As a sheltered, only child to her older immigrant parents, Yolanda’s sole concern is securing her college-bound future. Street-wise, Mari hustles to help her undocumented family stay above water. Mari and Yolanda forge a friendship that soon proves more complex and sensual than anticipated. Pushed to the edge, Yolanda and Mari are faced with taking hold of their own lives.
In English and Spanish with English subtitles | Director: Aurora Guerrero (US 2012) 85 min
SATURDAY, JUNE 10 • 7:00
$13.25 General | $9.75 Seniors & Youth | $7.75 CAFILM members
SUNDAY, JUNE 11
FREE QUEER SHORTS FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
This special program for the whole family showcases stories of love, acceptance, and resilience. A queer family shorts program can challenge stereotypes and help break down barriers to acceptance. Ultimately, this program can be essential in fostering a more inclusive society where all families are celebrated and valued. Recommended for ages 9+
CLICK IMAGES TO VIEW TRAILERS
MAMA HAS A MOUSTACHE
A short, quirky, fully animated documentary about gender and family, as seen through children’s eyes. Entirely driven by audio interviews of kids ages 5-10, the film uses these sound bytes combined with clip-art and mixed media to explore how children are able to experience a world outside of the traditional gender binary.
Director: Sally Rubin (US 2021) 10 min
THE GIRL BEHIND THE MIRROR
Trapped in her own room, a transgender girl finds a new reality behind the mirror where she is free to be who she is or wants to be.
In Portuguese with English subtitles | Director: luri Moreno (Brazil 2021) 12 min
BERTIE, THE BRILLIANT
A young boy takes on chores and small jobs around his neighborhood to raise money for a ticket to a magic show, but when his grandma loses her job, he is faced with a difficult decision.
In English and Spanish with English subtitles | Director: Gabriela Garcia Medina (US 2022) 24 min
PETE
Pete is a short film about gender identity, Little League Baseball, the people who inspire change by trying to be themselves, and the superheroes who allow that change to happen.
Director: Bret Parker (US 2022) 7 min
SUNDAY, JUNE 11 • 11:00 AM
THIS PROGRAM IS FREE, but tickets are required.
SCREENING + CONVERSATION
SPECIAL GUEST: DIRECTOR KATHERINE FAIRFAX WRIGHT
In Uganda, a new bill threatens to make homosexuality punishable by death. David Kato – Uganda’s first openly gay man – along with retired Anglican Bishop Christopher Senyonjo and his fellow activists work against the clock to defeat the legislation while combatting vicious persecution in their daily lives. But no one, not even the filmmakers can be prepared for the brutal murder that shakes the movement to its core and sends shock waves around the world.
Directors: Katherine Fairfax Wright, Malika Zouhali-Worrall (US/Uganda 2012) 87 min.
SUNDAY, JUNE 11 • 1:30
$9.75 Matinee | $9.75 Seniors & Youth | $7.75 CAFILM members
BAY AREA QUEER SHORTS PROGRAM
SCREENING + CONVERSATION WITH FILMMAKERS
This program champions important and diverse voices of local filmmakers expressing a vibrant intersectionality of experience, from coming-of-age stories to elder queer lives. These awarded shorts showcase and amplify unique perspectives on crucial issues.
CLICK IMAGES TO VIEW TRAILERS
THE GIRL THAT GOT AWAY
After four decades playing tough guy roles, a Mexican-American actor in San Francisco must choose whether to continue presenting as male or come out as female and risk losing job security and family acceptance. San Francisco Independent Film Festival 2023 winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary Short
Directors: Ephi Stempler, Lauren Veen (US 2019) 14 min
SEMIOTICS OF SAB
This experimental film essay explores the poetics of identity through an oblique portrait of gay Japanese American actor Sab Shimono, whose work on stage and screen spans more than five decades. The grammatology of his career attests to conflicting lexicons of race, representation, and selfhood.
Director: TT Takemoto (US 2016) 5 min
FROM X TO Z
A cranky Gen X butch is forced to spend time with a disaffected Zennial who seems to represent everything that bugs her about “kids today.”
Director: Florencia Manóvil (US 2021) 11 min
HOLDING MOSES
A Broadway performer becomes a mother, braiding rhythm, grief and time with joy on her path to connect with her profoundly disabled son. Academy Award 2023 shortlisted for Best Documentary Short.
Directors: Rivkah Beth Medow, Jen Rainin (US 2022) 17 min
SHARKS & MINNOWS
Ben is a free spirited, yet closeted teen, who loves to dance and sing. When he meets up to rehearse with the rhythmically-challenged Shayne for their school’s show choir, their dance evolves into a little two-step into Shayne’s pool. Things further escalate as Shayne’s girlfriend Shannon pops a visit as Ben discovers Shayne has more on his mind than jazz hands. California Independent Film Festival Winner for Best Short.
Director: Matthew Ruitta (US 2019) 11 min
QUEENS OF THE SOUTH
“Being openly, visibly queer is resistance in itself.” This year, at least 17 states have introduced bills banning drag performances. For Brut, filmmaker Dallin Mello visits Tennessee, the first state to sign the ban into law, and visits the drag queens at the center of the resistance.
Director: Dallin Mello (US 2023) 8 min
SEX, POLITICS & STICKY RICE
Protests, potlucks, and threeways are just the “tip of the rice bowl” for five Asian American lesbians recounting their adventures in sex, love, and queer activism. They were among the first generation of out Asian Pacific Islander queer activists in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Director: TT Takemoto (US 2014) 8 min
SUNDAY, JUNE 11 • 4:30
$13.25 General | $9.75 Seniors & Youth | $7.75 CAFILM members