The San Francisco Transgender Film Festival (SFTFF) will celebrate its 25th Anniversary this November 10–20, with a special expanded festival. Founded in 1997, SFTFF is the world’s longest running film festival of its kind, and highlights innovative, experimental, and outside-the-box films.
SFTFF 2022 will be a hybrid festival, both in person and online from November 10–20, with a rich offering of seven new short film programs, featuring a range of genres from documentaries and politics to animation, dance, music, romance, coming-of-age tales, and thrillers. All tickets start at $0+ sliding scale (donations are welcome)! All films will be closed captioned for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing audiences.
Artistic Director Shawna Virago says, “This is our Silver Anniversary and I think that’s a big deal. When we started in 1997 by my friends Christopher Less and Alex Austin, who knew we’d still be here 25 years later. Also, when I became Artistic Director in 2003, I didn’t know if we’d last more than a couple years because funding was a real challenge then.”
Since 1997, SFTFF has been a haven for Trans and Gender Non-Conforming filmmakers to assert their wisdom and artistic brilliance. It has allowed Trans and Gender Non-Conforming communities to safely gather and watch films that challenge transphobic representation and in film. Founded with radical queer values, the annual festival remains intentionally anti-assimilationist and centers works that challenge transphobia, racism, sexism, ableism, anti-migrant hate, and homophobia.
SFTFF’s Managing Director Eric Garcia says, “We’re proud of our festival and what’s remained constant from 1997: we continue embracing underrepresented voices, showcasing truly brave filmmaking, and films with lots of innovation.”
Special Note: Program 1 (November 10) & Program 2 (November 11) will be held at the Roxie Theater (San Francisco). Both Programs are ASL interpreted and closed-captioned. Programs 3–7 are online only; and all 7 festival programs will be presented on-demand online beginning November 12. Films, as mentioned, will be closed captioned for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing audiences. (Note: Program 5 is for audiences 18+.)
SFTFF – 2022 Festival Highlights
Some of the 2022 SFTFF film offerings include (in alphabetical order):
The Beauty President – Directed by Whitney Skauge
In 1992, at the height of the AIDS pandemic, activist Terence Alan Smith made a historic bid for president of the United States as his drag queen persona Joan Jett Blakk. Today, Smith reflects back on his seminal civil rights campaign and its place in American history.
Gone Postal – Directed by Megan Mead
A catastrophizing postal worker obsessed with murder podcasts discovers a potential serial killer while on their daily route.
M(other)hood – Directed by Bea Goddard
This film, from the U.K., shows an unfiltered but fragmentary perspective of a trans nonbinary, transmasculine parent, using the children’s art, cinematography, and words to gain privileged access to their domestic sphere.
Prayers for Sweet Waters – Directed by Elijah Ndoumbe
This film provides a submergence into the vivid realities of three Transgender sex workers living in Cape Town, South Africa, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ro & Shirelle – Directed by Adelina Anthony
On their way from NorCal to SoCal, trans best friends Ro & Shirelle search for safe places to rest, fill up gas, and relieve themselves, but sometimes going to the bathroom in peace is the hardest feat to accomplish. Starring D’Lo.
The Seeker -Directed by Héctor Jaime, Omar Ramirez
In this experimental film, The Seeker arrives on Earth and remembers who they are.
The 25th Anniversary San Francisco Transgender Film Festival (SFTFF)
November 10–20
Tix: $0–$50, sliding scale/donation-based
Info/Tix: https://sftff.org/
Published on November 3, 2022
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