The iconic San Francisco-based LGBTQ+ festival Frameline is ready to celebrate a half-century… almost. IndieWire can unveil the highly-anticipated lineup for the 49th annual Frameline festival, which is the largest and longest-running queer film festival in the world.
The 2025 festival will open with Sophie Hyde’s “Jimpa” starring Olivia Colman, and close with James Sweeney’s “Twinless.” The festival will take place June 18 to 28, and feature nearly 150 films from 40 countries. Highlights include a special screening at KQED of Daniel Junge and Sam Pollard’s “I Was Born This Way” documentary about activist Archbishop Carl Bean, who sang the titular gay anthem and founded both the Minority AIDS Project and the world’s first LGBTQ+ church for people of color. Lady Gaga, Questlove, Dionne Warwick, and Billy Porter appear in the film. “Heightened Scrutiny,” which was part of the Frameline Completion Fund, will also screen; the documentary feature centers on ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio who argued at the Supreme Court to support trans rights. Former IndieWire staffer Jude Dry will also debut their short film “Homolita” at the festival.
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“Usually we kick these things off by talking about how ‘thrilled’ we are, and while we are excited for our filmmakers and eager to share their incredible work with you all, those familiar expressions of enthusiasm feel insufficient right now,” Allegra Madsen, Frameline’s Executive Director, said. “I want to emphasize how deeply I value the extraordinary work of our filmmakers this year — their vision and courage are truly remarkable. All of us are weathering challenges that threaten our identities, our histories, and our everyday lives. Like many of you, I’m exhausted and angry. With Frameline49, I want us to examine our past of LGBTQ+ activism and art and I want to honor the powerful stories of this moment, to remind us all that Frameline is both a celebration and a statement. We’ll still engage in difficult conversations and recognize the realities reflected in our films, but we’ll also create spaces where we can untense our shoulders and laugh together, without having to defend our existence.”
Festival films will be screened at iconic Bay venues such as the Roxie Theater, the American Conservatory Theater’s Toni Rembe Theater, CinemaSF’s Vogue Theatre, the Herbst Theatre, Oasis, Rikki’s, KQED, PROXY, and The New Parkway Theater.
Frameline previously announced its Pay-It-Forward initiative to fund trans and nonbinary film-goers attending screenings. The Pay-It-Forward community will cover the cost of tickets to the First Friday screening of “Heightened Scrutiny.”
Frameline is also launching the Queer2Queer Campaign which will encourage supporters to reaffirm their commitment to making LGBTQ+ films accessible by “adopting” a screening. By helping to cover the cost of a Festival screening, these supporters will help Frameline49 bring filmmakers and their works to the Bay Area in the face of grant cuts by The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and shifting corporate priorities.
“More than ever before, the Festival program was curated with community in mind,” Madsen said. “Not only do we want to center stories by and for the LGBTQ+ community, but we want to create experiences and spaces that foster crucial conversations, illustrate our collective supportiveness, and allow for resilience to the hard times to coexist with having a really good time together.”
Frameline’s new Director of Partnerships & Development, Matthew Ramsey, added that, “The NEA’s decision is a setback, but it will not diminish our resolve. Now is the time for our community to rally together through our Queer2Queer Campaign. Your support will directly enable us to bring vital queer stories to the screen, ensuring our filmmakers can realize their visions. Let’s show the world the unwavering strength and solidarity of the queer community!”
While the majority of the Festival will take place in San Francisco and Oakland, Frameline’s first-ever partnership with CAFILM Pride will bring a selection of Festival films to San Rafael from June 13 to 15.
Check out the full lineup below.
BIG NIGHTS
Jimpa — Opening Night Film DIR Sophie Hyde
I Was Born This Way — Juneteenth Film DIR Daniel Junge & Sam Pollard
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere
Heightened Scrutiny — First Friday Film, followed by the First Friday Party at Charmaine’s DIR Sam Feder
SF Bay Area Premiere
Assembly — Pride Kickoff Film
DIR Rashaad Newsome & Johnny Symons West Coast Premiere
Twinless — Closing Night Film DIR James Sweeney
SF Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere
FEATURES
#300Letters (#300cartas) DIR Lucas Santa Ana West Coast Premiere
Baby DIR Marcelo Caetano SF Bay Area Premiere
Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day (Lijepa večer, lijep dan) DIR Ivona Juka
International Premiere | Queer Premiere
Between Goodbyes DIR Jota Mun
SF Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere
A Body to Live In DIR Angelo Madsen West Coast Premiere
By Design DIR Amanda Kramer
SF Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere
Castration Movie: Part I DIR Louise Weard
SF Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere
Come See Me in the Good Light DIR Ryan White Queer Premiere
Coming Attractions: An Orgy of Gay Erotic Movie Trailers — Erotic Evenings DIR Elizabeth Purchell
Preceded by GANGBANG.
A Deeper Love: The Story of Miss Peppermint DIR Oriel Pe’er World Premiere | Queer Premiere
Diciannove DIR Giovanni Tortorici
SF Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere
Dreamers DIR Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor North American Premiere
Dreams in Nightmares DIR Shatara Michelle Ford West Coast Premiere
Drive Back Home DIR Michael Clowater SF Bay Area Premiere
Drone DIR Simon Bouisson West Coast Premiere
Four Mothers DIR Darren Thornton SF Bay Area Premiere
Fucktoys DIR Annapurna Sriram Queer Premiere
GEN_ DIR Gianluca Matarrese West Coast Premiere
I’m Your Venus DIR Kimberly Reed SF Bay Area Premiere
If You Are Afraid Put Your Heart Into Your Mouth and Smile (Wenn du Angst hast nimmst du dein Herz in den Mund und lächelst)
DIR Marie Luise Lehner North American Premiere
In the Best Interests of the Children (1977) — Retrospective DIR Frances Reid, Cathy Zheutlin, & Elizabeth Stevens Preceded by Lesbian Custody.
It’s Dorothy! DIR Jeffrey McHale
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere
Jean Cocteau DIR Lisa Immordino Vreeland
SF Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere
Keep Coming Back (Siempre vuelven) DIR Sergio de León
US Premiere | Queer Premiere
Lakeview DIR Tara Thorne US Premiere
Lesbian Space Princess DIR Emma Hough Hobbs & Leela Varghese US Premiere
The Librarians DIR Kim A. Snyder
SF Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere
Lucky, Apartment (럭키, 아파트) DIR Kangyu Garam
North American Premiere
The Meatrack (1970) — Erotic Evenings // 2K Restoration DIR Mike Thomas
World Premiere | Queer Premiere
A Mother Apart DIR Laurie Townshend
SF Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere
The Nature of Invisible Things (A Natureza das Coisas Invisíveis) DIR Rafaela Camelo
Night in West Texas DIR Deborah S. Esquenazi
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere
A Night Like This DIR Liam Calvert West Coast Premiere
Night Stage (Ato Noturno) DIR Filipe Matzembacher & Marcio Reolon North American Premiere
Niñxs DIR Kani Lapuerta
North American Premiere | Queer Premiere
Only Good Things (Apenas Coisas Boas) DIR Daniel Nolasco
US Premiere | Queer Premiere
Outerlands DIR Elena Oxman
Perro perro DIR Marco Berger
World Premiere | Queer Premiere
Pink Narcissus (1971)— Erotic Evenings // 4K Restoration DIR James Bidgood
SF Bay Area Premiere
Plainclothes DIR Carmen Emmi SF Bay Area Premiere
Playing with Fire: An Ecosexual Emergency DIR Annie Sprinkle & Beth Stephens World Premiere | Queer Premiere
Pooja, Sir DIR Deepak Rauniyar SF Bay Area Premiere
Queerpanorama DIR Jun Li
West Coast Premiere Preceded by Carpobrotus.
Really Happy Someday DIR J Stevens
US Premiere Preceded by Tessitura.
River of Grass DIR Sasha Wortzel
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere
Room Temperature — Frameline Fangs DIR Dennis Cooper & Zac Farley
SF Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere
Row of Life DIR Soraya Simi
SF Bay Area Premiere
Sally DIR Cristina Costantini
Sandbag Dam (Zečji nasip) DIR Čejen Černić Čanak West Coast Premiere
Sauna DIR Mathias Broe West Coast Premiere
The Secret of Me DIR Grace Hughes-Hallett 2025 Out in the Silence Award Winner
The Serpent’s Skin — Frameline Fangs
DIR Alice Maio Mackay World Premiere | Queer Premiere Preceded by The Age of Flowering Plants (La era de las plantas con flor).
She’s the He DIR Siobhan McCarthy
SF Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere
Silent Sparks (愛作歹) DIR Ping Chu
Queer Premiere
Preceded by Like What Would Sorrow Look (愁何狀).
Skinny Love (Einskonar Ást) DIR Sigurður Anton
North American Premiere
Some Nights I Feel Like Walking DIR Petersen Vargas West Coast Premiere
Thesis on a Domestication (Tesis sobre una domesticación) DIR Javier Van de Couter
Queer Premiere
To Live, To Die, To Live Again (Vivre mourir renaître) DIR Gaël Morel
Touch Me — Frameline Fangs DIR Addison Heimann
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere
Trans Memoria DIR Victoria Verseau West Coast Premiere
Valencia (2013) — Retrospective DIR Various
We Are Faheem & Karun DIR Onir
North American Premiere
We Are Pat DIR Rowan Haber
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere
Went Up the Hill — Frameline Fangs DIR Samuel Van Grinsven SF Bay Area Premiere
WICKET DIR Lily Plotkin
World Premiere | Queer Premiere
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
Jimmy at PROXY
DIR Yashaddai Owens
SF Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere Note: This is a FREE outdoor screening.
MĀHŪ: A Trans-Pacific Love Letter at KQED
DIR Lisette Marie Flanary
SF Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere
Followed by a performance led by hula master Patrick Makuakāne.
Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror at Oasis DIR Linus O’Brien
West Coast Premiere | Queer Premiere
The Ultimatum: Queer Love Season 2 Premiere Watch Party at Rikki’s Netflix
SF Bay Area Premiere | Queer Premiere
Note: This is a FREE watch party.
SHORTS BLOCKS + SHOWCASES
Alien Extravaganza
Arctic Diva DIR Federico Barni
Between Mars and Earth (Entre Marte y la Tierra) DIR Diego Marzuil
Br00dm0ther’s e-Fable DIR Zijing Zhao
The Burden DIR Tish Arana
But wait… there’s more! DIR Kialy Tihngang
The Last Story on Earth DIR Aaron Immediato
PRIMALDIAL MAGMA_ZYGMUTROPHOOZE DIR mirrored fatality
REDMAN DIR Edith Morris
Space Plug DIR Marcus Anthony Thomas
First Impressions, Lasting Connections: Date Night Shorts
Divine Intervention DIR Ravenna Tran
Hold Me Close DIR Aurora Brachman & LaTajh Simmons-Weaver
I’m the Most Racist Person I Know DIR Leela Varghese
An Odd Turn (Un movimiento extraño) DIR Francisco Lezama
Fun in Shorts
Gender Reveal DIR Mo Matton
Homolita DIR Jude Dry
Poreless DIR Harris Doran
Girlfriend Girlfriend DIR Sara Werner
Sister! DIR John Onieal
Space Daddy DIR Stephen Carruthers
Sweet Talkin’ Guy DIR Spencer Wardwell & Dylan Wardwell
Teth DIR Peter Darney
Homegrown Shorts
AutoErotica: We Buy Gay Stuff DIR Jeremy von Stilb
Budget Paradise DIR LaTajh Simmons-Weaver
En memoria DIR Roberto Fatal
Liminality DIR Tess Bliven
Rainbow Girls DIR Nana Duffuor
Thanks, Babs! DIR Jen Rainin & Rivkah Beth Medow
It’s a Family Affair
Correct Me If I’m Wrong (如你所愿) DIR Hao Zhou
Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites (ចៅសំណព្វចិត)្ត DIR Chheangkea
Tara DIR Ashutosh S. Shankar
Who Raised You? DIR Dani Guzman
You Don’t Have to Like Me DIR Safiyah Chiniere
Saturday Morning Cartoons
27 DIR Flóra Anna Buda
Carrotica DIR Daniel Sterlin-Altman
Chimera (Quimera) DIR Gael Jara & Martín André
The Eating of an Orange DIR May Kindred-Boothby
Hey Dad (嗨爸) DIR Wei-fan Wang
Homunculus DIR Bonheur Suprême
Tiger Lily Mountain Pass DIR Nate King
Two Black Boys in Paradise DIR Baz Sells
What It Takes (Pour exister) DIR Fabien Corre & Kelsi Phụng
Scared Shortless — Frameline Fangs
Clean Slate DIR Emily May Jampel
Dope Fiend DIR Rosanagh Griffiths
Goodbye Party DIR Sophia Lou & Nathan Pearson
The Holly King DIR Tim O’Leary
Munchies DIR Brittany Alexia Young
Take Care DIR Brittany Ashley
Talk Shit DIR Will Thede & Ben Weiss
Truth Be Told: Documentary Shorts
Dr. XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology DIR El Jaunts
Everywhere I Look DIR November Nolan
Lloyd Wong, Unfinished DIR Lesley Loksi Chan
Shelly’s Leg DIR Wes Hurley
The Roaming Center for Magnetic Alternatives DIR Brydie O’Connor
Queer Quickies: Erotic Shorts — Erotic Evenings
The angel DIR Dorian Wood
Fist DIR Romy Alizée
The Handyman (O Faz-Tudo) DIR Fábio Leal
Mouse Klub Konfidential DIR James Robert Baker
A Night in the Life DIR Jonzo
Orgy Every Other Day DIR Samuel Döring
Romy & Laure… And the Mystery of the Enchanted Plug (Romy et Laure… et le mystère du plug enchanté) DIR Romy Alizée & Laure Giappiconi
The Wash DIR Mike Feswick
Outside Voices: New Leaders in Queer Cinema Supported by Colin Higgins Foundation
Baba I’m Fine DIR Karina Dandashi
Barbie Boy DIR Remi Gabriel
A Bird Hit My Window and Now I’m a Lesbian DIR AJ Dubler & Carmela Murphy
Unholy DIR Daisy Friedman
