Frameline40 Screens 'Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio 4'

Celebrating its 40th anniversary from June 16-26, the LGBT film fest Frameline40 expands its Centerpiece offerings with a selection from each of the U.S. Features, Documentary, and World Cinema sections, including a presentation of the lesbian-themed documentary, "Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio 4."

With a new rebrand and 11 days of groundbreaking films across San Francisco, Berkeley, and Oakland, the festival reflects the diversity of queer stories from across the globe. Commemorate legendary filmmakers, discover emerging talents, and join the distinguished community of festivalgoers at the world's premier LGBTQ film festival and the largest celebration of queer cinema.

Centerpiece U.S. Feature - "AWOL"
Star-crossed love clashes with reality in Frameline40's Centerpiece U.S. Feature, "AWOL." Directed by Deb Shoval, "AWOL" tells the story of tomboy Joey (Lola Kirke, "Mozart in the Jungle" and "Mistress America") and married mom Rayna (Breeda Wool, "Unreal"), who fall for each other amidst the backdrop of working-class rural Pennsylvania. The pair can't quit each other, but struggle to imagine a life together as Joey's deployment to Afghanistan approaches.
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Centerpiece Documentary - "Southwest Of Salem: The Story Of The San Antonio Four"
The Bay Area premiere of Deborah Esquenazi's "Southwest Of Salem: The Story Of The San Antonio Four" opens eyes as Frameline40's Centerpiece Documentary. Esquenazi's film captures the lives of four Latina lesbian women who were accused and wrongfully convicted of a heinous sexual assault in the "Satanic ritual abuse panic" of the 1990s. After serving over a decade in prison, the women won't stop fighting to prove their innocence in this heart-wrenching examination of the criminal justice system.

Centerpiece World Cinema - "Being 17"
Renowned for his classic on gay adolescence "Wild Reeds," French auteur Andr� T�chin� returns to the subject with "Being 17," set in the gorgeous French Pyrenees. This alluring new masterwork follows Thomas, the adopted son of rural mountain farmers, who encounters both hostility and unspoken desire when he is forced to share a home with the more urbane Damien.
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"Kiki" and "Looking"
Opening Night Film "Kiki," and Closing Night Film, "Looking." "Kiki," created by filmmakers Sara Jorden� and Twiggy Pucci Gar�on, explores the vibrant and political subculture of New York's present-day ballroom scene where LGBTQ youth of color create family and express identity. Andrew Haigh's "Looking," the romantic closing chapter of HBO's San Francisco-based series, follows the beloved cast through heartfelt encounters, doing the "hard stuff" to make relationships work, and finding the right guy. Both Opening Night and Closing Night will top off each screening with a party, bringing mediamakers, festivalgoers, and everyone in between together for unforgettable celebrations.
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Frameline's mission is to change the world through the power of queer cinema. As a media arts non-profit, Frameline's programs connect filmmakers and audiences in the Bay Area and around the world. Frameline's integrated programs provide critical funding for emerging LGBTQ filmmakers, reach hundreds of thousands with a collection of more than 250 films distributed nationally, inspire thousands of students through Youth In Motion, which sends free films and curricula to schools across the nation, and creates an international stage for the world's best queer film through The San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival and additional year-round screenings and cinematic events.