2006 FRAMELINE COMPLETION FUND AWARDS GRANTS TO SIX FILMS

SAN FRANCISCO, CA—Frameline is proud to announce the recipients of the FRAMELINE FILM & VIDEO COMPLETION FUND. The completion fund was established over sixteen years ago to assist lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender media artists with the final stages of production.  To date, more than 77 films have been completed with assistance from the fund, including Rodney Evans’ Brother to Brother, Janet Baus and Dan Hunt’s Cruel and Unusual, David Weissman and Bill Weber’s The Cockettes, Isold Uggadottir’s Family Reunion and Benita Haschold, Brooke Sebold & Todd Sills Red Without Blue.

This year, the fund received over 80 submissions and awarded $40,000 in completion funds to six projects.  After a preliminary screening, an independent jury selected the following final six recipients:

DISSOLUTION OF BODIES dir. Kevin Choi 
In this short film two strangers attempt to defy the fleeting nature of desire during one intense night of intellectual and physical passion.

F. SCOTT FITZGERALD SLEPT HERE dir. Jules Rosskam 
This short film explores the intimacies between men and the friendships they forge. It is an explicit portrayal of the ways in which individuals manage their identities in a post-modern world.

FREEHELD dir. Cynthia Wade 
A powerful documentary that explores the struggle by Lieutenant Laurel Hester, dying of cancer, to leave her pension to her life partner, provoking an enormous battle in New Jersey.

IN THE NAME OF ALLAH dir. Parvez Sharma
The first feature documentary to explore the complex intersections between Islam and homosexuality, In the Name of Allah spotlights the hidden lives of LGBT Muslims.

MAGGOTS AND MEN dir. Oakie Treadwell 
An experimental historical narrative, re-tells the story of the 1921 uprising of the Russian Kronstadt sailors with a subtext of gender anarchy.

PARIAH dir. Dee Rees 
A coming of age drama about a lesbian teen that unsuccessfully juggles multiple identities to avoid rejection from her family.

“Although queer-themed films occasionally enjoy crossover success, most do not get distribution or even screenings at mainstream film festivals,” explains Jennifer Morris.  “This fund aims to tap into the motivation and energy that fuels a queer artist to make their vision a reality and help them with the crucial last steps that could make the difference between being seen by a larger audience and not being seen at all.”

The Frameline Film & Video Completion Fund was established to provide support to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender filmmakers whose work is consistent with the goals of Frameline.  Submissions are accepted for documentary, educational, narrative, animation, and experimental projects about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their communities. The Fund also seeks to bring new work to under-served audiences; with this in mind, submissions by women and people of color are especially encouraged.

# # #

Frameline’s mission is to support, develop, and promote lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer visibility through media arts.