LAST CALL at MAUD S Time: 10:00 AM

LAST CALL at MAUD’S Time: 10:00 AM

Director: Paris Poirier American, 1993, 77 Minutes Running Time Documentary

Maud’s was a down-to-earth watering hole in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district that opened in April 1966. As the Counter Culture matured, Maud’s came to enjoy an international reputation as the meeting place for lesbians and their friends. The film delves into the longest lasting lesbian bar at the time, as it bids farewell to those who have known it through the years.

The last drink was served in September 1989. That significant moment in San Francisco’s extensive bar culture is used to explore various facets of lesbian history from World War II through the 1990s. As we make the rounds at Maud’s goodbye party, we’re taken on a journey into the past, as people remember the personal paths leading them here for this special last call. Their voices and an array of visuals (including rare photos, home movies, and historical archives) take us on a tour of the American lesbian experience unlike any other on film.

The main voices include Maud’s owner, Rikki Striecher, who recounts her introduction to women’s bars during their World War II heyday. Her candid stories and vintage photos of this secret world reveal a long-hidden side of lesbian culture. Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, founders of the Daughters of Bilitis (the world’s first international lesbian organization), describe how a climate of fear permeated the1950s and early 1960s. They bring us back to a pre-Stonewall reality when gay bar raids were a frequent pastime of police across the country. San Francisco police commissioner, Gwen Craig, brings us up to date as she talks about gay bars and discrimination in the 1970s and 1980s.

Maud’s popular bartenders say they saw it all – passionate affairs, undercover detectives, emotional arguments and drunken brawls. They also tell us they’ve seen shifts within the lesbian community toward public visibility and healthy sobriety. Teacher and activist Sally Gearhart treats us to her fascinating account of San Francisco’s volatile radical feminist movement. Writer Judy Grahn explains the links between the early bar scene and the evolution of today’s queer culture. Author JoAnn Loulan shares her provocative insights on sexuality and gender. And a variety of customers remember the past, ponder the present, and predict the future for themselves and their community.

Award Samplings: Outstanding Documentary of 1993, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Screened at over 200 venues across the US, Canada, and around the world

A SINGLE MAN Time: Noon Director: Tom Ford USA, 2010 Running Time: 99min

Set in Los Angeles in 1962, this is the story of a British college professor, superbly played by Colin Firth, who is struggling with his life after the sudden death of his young partner. His adjustment is made unbearable by his late partner’s family refusing to acknowledge the depth of the relationship between the two men. He receives some solace from the support of his neighbor, played by Julianne Moore, but the story focuses primarily on his coping with loss, isolation, and loneliness. The subtlety of Firth’s facial expression of emotion is truly remarkable and probably contributed to his receiving many awards. Award Samplings: Best Actor, 2009, Venice Film Festival Best Leading Actor, 2010, British Academy Film and Television Arts Outstanding Performance, 2010, Santa Barbara International Film Festival

IN THE GRAYSCALE Time: 2:10 PM (En La Gamma De Los Grises) Contains Sexual Content

Director: Claudio Marcone Chile, 2015, 98 Minutes Running Time Spanish with English subtitles

This sensitive, well-acted romantic drama puts a delicate and mature twist on the classic coming- out story. Filmed in Santiago, Chile, it follows an emotionally ill-at-ease, married architect’s journey of sexual discovery, which switches into high gear after he meets an intriguing gay man.

When we first encounter successful 35-year-old Bruno, he has just made the difficult decision to separate from his loving wife in order to sort through his feelings. His concerned family calls it a selfish choice, and the couple’s young son is understandably confused and hurt by his doting dad’s decision to leave, but their familial bond appears strong. After Bruno is approached to design a new architectural landmark, he is introduced to Fernando, a local tour guide with unique access to the soul of Santiago’s gorgeous cityscape, both ancient and modern. This professional hookup quickly turns to flirtation and much more, complicated by the undeniable chemistry— intellectual and physical—between the leads. It is further complicated by Bruno’s ambivalence about his own sexuality, as opposed to Fernando’s contention that being gay is black or white— one simply is or one isn’t.

The grayscale of the film’s title exists between the old world and the new, certainty and doubt, straight and gay. Is Bruno gay or bisexual? Is he confused or incapable of commitment? The answers turn out to be not so black-and-white. Moreover, looked at in a larger context, the film subtly shows how attitudes in Latin America are changing regarding homosexuality.

Award Sampling: Grand Jury Prize, 2015, Entire Cast, Miami International Film Festival Best Film Feature 2015, San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival

SUMMERTIME Time: 4:10 PM La belle saison Contains Sexual Content

Director: Catherine Corsini French, 2015, 105 Minutes Running Time French, with English subtitles

Delphine and Carole meet in Paris in the early ‘70s, a time of post-’68 agitation. Catherine Corsini’s “Summertime” is a film about the struggle for sexual freedom and women’s rights, and also about the power of region, class and custom in the lives of its characters. Carole, a professor of Spanish literature and a political activist, is part of a feminist group organizing for equal pay, abortion rights and access to contraception. Delphine is younger and less worldly, and has come to Paris from a countryside farm. Though she is intrigued by the group’s militant energy, she is mostly drawn to Carole. They fall in love and experience a giddy burst of liberation and romantic bliss that is complicated when Delphine is called back home to the farm by a family emergency.

How free are Carole and Delphine? Is one freer than the other? The answers are not as simple as they might seem at first. Carole might be older and more sophisticated, but Delphine has a clearer sense of her own sexuality, and in Paris, she seduces Carole away from her mopey, boyfriend. But when the scene shifts to Delphine’s family farm in Northern France, the dynamic between the two lovers shifts as well. Delphine is both in her element – she moves with more confidence and ease amid the tractors and livestock than on crowded city streets – and at risk of exposure. Delphine’s mother, Monique, is quite traditional and expects her daughter to marry her childhood friend.

Meanwhile, Carole sometimes looks at Monique with pity, seeing her as the uncomplaining victim of patriarchal oppression. While “Summertime” doesn’t entirely contradict this view, treating male domination as an unfortunate fact of rural life, it doesn’t use Delphine’s family to score easy ideological points. Delphine loves Carole, but she also loves her parents. More than that, her connection to the land is a powerful source of her identity. As the summer advances, the contours of a terrible, inevitable choice become clear, and a cold blast of reality intrudes on the warmth and sunshine of a beautiful romance.

Award Samplings: Piazza Grande (artistic quality and potential for theatrical release), 2015, Switzerland International Film Festival Best Music, 2016, Lumiere, Paris, France Second Place, 2016, Milan International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival

BORN THIS WAY Time: 6:30 PM

Directors: Shaun Kadlec and Deb Tullmann USA, 2013, Documentary, 55 Minutes Running Time French and English with English subtitles

The film’s first shot establishes the shame-enshrouded closet to which gay people are relegated in Cameroon. In silhouette cast by the light of a solitary candle, two women discuss how, if even seen hugging in public, they could go to jail. In a country where they arrest people for making love, discretion is the most important skill one can master. Such is the life of the gay men and lesbians of Cameroon, an African nation where homosexuality is punishable by up to five years in prison.

But filmmakers Shaun Kadlec and Deb Tullmann have found their way into the underground gay and lesbian community here. Though gays and lesbians experience constant threats and harassment, some are starting to come out publicly. There is sweet, petite Gertrude, who proudly maintains her Christian faith even as it denounces her sexuality. There is fashion-forward Cédric who is being threatened by his neighbors but is still not ready to come out to his family.

A few of the scenes are filmed at Alternatives Cameroun, an organization that advocates for gay rights and provides HIV treatment and prevention. Here, a vibrant, close-knit community has formed, and gay Cameroonians can find support, friendship, and a safe haven from the hostile society that surrounds them. However, because of the risky nature of making a film like this, many of the employees and patients of Alternatives wanted to remain anonymous, which is why we only see their blurred faces. Supporting their fight is Alice Nkom, a lawyer actively fighting for gay rights, who fiercely defends those being persecuted by the system. While the film offers glimpses of hope and change for the future, LGBT people in Cameroon still have a perilous road ahead. The film has been screened in over 60 film festivals throughout the world. Award Samplings: Golden Butterfly, 2013, Amnesty International Best Documentary film, 2013, Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, Madrid, Spain, Best Documentary, 2013, Outfest, Los Angeles, CA

THE WAY HE LOOKS Time: 8:30 PM (HOJE EU QUERO VOLTAR SOZINHO)

Director: Daniel Ribeiro Brazil, 2014, 96 Minutes Running Time Portuguese with English subtitles

Daniel Ribeiro has fashioned a magnificent film about teenage love and friendship that is warm and funny, and its young stars deliver soulful, entirely natural and convincing performances. Leo and Giovana are best pals, who spend time sunning themselves by the pool and wondering about their futures. As a blind kid who craves his independence, Leo is feeling stifled by his well- meaning parents and hopes to study abroad. Giovana just wants a date—preferably with the recently arrived Gabriel, with his good taste in music and aloof charm.

A school project pairs the two boys, and Gabriel is effortlessly welcomed into Leo’s friendship with Giovana. The dynamics change, however, when sexuality enters the picture. As Gabriel and Leo spend an increasing amount of time together, Giovana feels like she’s losing both her best friend and her potential new boyfriend. As the tale continues, Leo begins to develop a romantic attachment to Gabriel. Without giving too much away, viewers will likely be pleased at how the film ends.

Ribeiro is beautifully attuned to the temperaments of his characters and charts their mood swings perfectly. He is similarly expert in portraying the ebb and flow of youthful friendships, and the way romantic attraction can sneak in and overwhelm the unprepared. As critic Michael O’Sullivan has written about the film, “It is told with such tenderness, such intelligence, and such aching honesty that it takes on the weight of something far more significant than puppy love. Like its subject, first kisses and best friends, it’s hard to forget.”

Award Sampling: Best Film, Audience Award, 2014,Guadalajara International Film Festival, Mexico Best Film Audience Award, 2014, San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival Best Film Jury Award, 2014, Peace and Love Festival, Sweden Jack Law Award, 2014, Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival