QWoCFF 2007
3rd Annual Queer Women of Color Film Festival
Presented by Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (QWOCMAP)
Film Screenings and Panel Discussions
(June 8 – 10)
BRAVA Theater
Buy Tickets HERE (Brown Paper Tickets)
The Full Schedule of Films is listed below.
Friday, June 8
7pm: LOVING IN THE WAR YEARS
Followed by Q&A Panel with Filmmakers
Our cameras are our swords! These evocative shorts by queer women of color weave together issues of immigration, cultural identity, motherhood, courage and healing to show that loving each other is a political act. Curated by Roiya Zara Said and Mónica Enríquez.
Running Time: 104 minutes
FREE
Info: www.qwocmap.org
Contact: [email protected]
FILM DESCRIPTIONS
MANIFESTING OUR DESTINY (Claudia Gomez-Arteaga, 2006)
High-school students fight a system that criminalizes them for being undocumented.
BORDERLESS (Min Sook Lee, 2006)
Love crosses borders when an undocumented mother works to take care of children in Canada in order to send love to her own daughter in the Caribbean.
BIENVENIDA (Yaya Raiz, 2007)
This short intimately portrays the experiences of queer Latinas entering U.S. borders.
GRRRLY GIRL (Lori Rillera, 2002)
Hauntingly beautiful visuals tell the story of one survivor.
SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN (Charlotte Young Bowens, 2007)
This raw short captures the chance laundromat encounter between a woman and the son she was forced to abandon years ago.
A LETTER TO YOU (Kawana Bullock, 2004)
An Afro-Latina’s sense of self is explored in this touching video correspondence to her father.
ACHEIVEMENTS OF EXILE (Sara Zia Ebrahimi, 2005)
An Iranian woman pours her reflections around family and identity into a visual journal.
ESCRITO (Monica Enriquez, 2007)
A lyrical film about the contradictions of being a queer immigrant in the U.S.
LADY OF MOTION (Claudia A. Mercado, 2002)
Xicanas take an insightful road trip, along with tattooing lessons of trust and healing.
Saturday, June 9
3pm: FEATURED PANEL – Representations of Queer Black Women in the Media
Join us for our Featured Panel with critically acclaimed guest panelists (TBD):
Effie Brown – Stranger Inside, Real Women Have Curves
Cheryl Dunye – Watermelon Woman, Stranger Inside
Shari Frilot – Sundance Film Festival Programmer
Tina Mabry – Brooklyn’s Bridge to Jordan
Moderated by Jewelle Gomez and T. Kebo Drew.
Featured Panel: $15
Info: www.qwocmap.org
Contact: [email protected]
Saturday, June 9
4:30pm: COCKTAIL FUNDRAISER with Guest Panelists
Cocktail Fundraiser: $35
Info: www.qwocmap.org
Contact: [email protected]
Saturday, June 9
7pm: REELS OF RESISTANCE – Queer Black Women’s Films
Followed by Q&A Panel with Filmmakers
Running Time: 80 minutes
FREE
Info: www.qwocmap.org
Contact: [email protected]
FILM DESCRIPTION & FILMMAKER BIOGRAPHY
“Erzulie’s Tears” directed by Mary Ann Brooks
ERZULIE’S TEARS (Mary Ann Brooks, 2007)
A woman dances and struggles her way through an emotional journey of lost loves, internal and external wars while summoning the spirit of Erzulie (Haitian Voudoun Goddess of Love) to set her free in this haunting and lyrical film. Mary Ann Brooks is a San Francisco-based dancer and performance artist fascinated with angles of light.
“Child of God” directed by Kisha Montgomery
CHILD OF GOD (Kisha Montgomery, 2006)
A woman heals from her history of abuse by connecting with her divine nature and her ancestry in present time. Kisha Montgomery. Warrior. Empath. Service. Spirit. Word.
NEED TO TALK (Jackie Loville, 2006)
Betrayed by her girlfriend, Vanessa considers suicide. Jackie Loville is a San Francisco native and lover of films.
ACTS OF LOVE (Crystal John, 2007)
Seen through the eyes of Black women, this film explores the dualities between the material world and spiritual well-being using meditation practices. Crystal John practices meditation to bring her closer to love, understanding and awareness of self.
60 YEARS OF THE SAME (Jolie Harris, 2007)
This film examines the legacy of racism in Higher Education through the stories of early Black educators and the voices of current students who drive home the lesson that resilience is a key strategy for resistance. Jolie Harris is a first-time filmmaker, artist and social justice consultant committed to transforming oppressive frameworks and living the revolution.
PRACTICE MAKES… (Brenda Williams, 2006)
A young dancer and a violist demonstrate their art through practice and discuss what drives them in their art. Brenda Williams is a first-time filmmaker by night and communicates through art via filmmaking.
WALLOW (Sarah Beth Harris, 2006)
Sometimes serious, sometimes silly, a confused new filmmaker struggles to find a story amongst her many ideas. Sarah Beth Harris has lived half of her 40 yrs in Iowa and half in Minnesota, works with children and teaches herself filmmaking.
THE SAINT (Erin Wood, 2007)
Hattie, a Mammy in a white household, isn’t who you think she is. Erin Wood, a filmmaker and screenwriter, was recently selected as a 2007 Fellow in the Guy Hanks & Marvin Miller Screenwriting Program in Los Angeles.
FLOWER FOKES (Belinda Sullivan, 2007)
A hilarious animated short where gender bending is topical and typical within a circle of queer flowers. A freelance vocal artist, actor and storyteller, Belinda ‘beli’ Sullivan also works as sound engineer and commercial announcer/producer in radio.
“Slang It Like You Own It” directed by Letesa Bruce
SLANG IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT (Letesa Bruce, 2007)
A light-hearted comedy about a young woman from the suburbs under pressure to translate ‘slang’. Letesa Bruce is a San Francisco native passionate about writing songs, laughing and now making films.
Sunday, June 10
3pm: COMPASSIONATE OUTBURSTS – Documentary Showcase
Followed by Q&A Panel with Filmmakers
From the military’s influence on fashion to the nostalgic Midwestern cornfields to the impact of the death penalty, these provocative and inspiring films are a rallying call for social change! All works created through Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (QWOCMAP), founded by Executive Director & award-winning filmmaker Madeleine Lim.
Running Time: 100 minutes
FREE
Info: www.qwocmap.org
Contact: [email protected]
FILM DESCRIPTION & FILMMAKER BIOGRAPHY
BOON KHUN (Virada Chatikul, 2006)
Three students of traditional Thai dance reflect on the challenges of belonging, identity and expectation. Virada Chatikul is a San Francisco native and coordinates YouthCares, an after-school youth development program for immigrant youth and senior citizens.
“Local Grown Corn” directed by Mei Chen
LOCAL GROWN CORN (Mel Chen, 2007)
A difficult yet beloved childhood for a Chinese kid in Midwestern cornfields becomes a cipher of time and space, lingering in the body until the present. Mel Chen obsesses about language, migration and queers by day; basks in landscapes, music and love by night; and searches for the key to put it all together.
ONE MORE DAY (Cecilla Madrigal, 2006)
Heart-filled and heart wrenching, a low-income heart transplant patient is willing to try anything to stay alive. Cecilla Madrigal is a queer Latina fighter, always with a smile no matter what comes her way.
PRAY TING AI FLY (Vanessa Huang, 2007)
This experimental short is a meditation on migration, memory and survival; a love poem for family, earth, wind, and water; a prayer call for flight and transformation. Vanessa Huang is a first-generation Chinese-American activist, writer, and cultural worker who lives in Oakland.
PUBLIC OUTBURSTS (Alyssa Contreras, 2006)
A routine urban commute explores what provokes and defines insanity. Alyssa Contreras is a recent graduate of Mills College and enjoys exploring concepts of race, gender and U.S. Imperialism.
FASHION RESISTANCE TO MILITARISM (Kimberly Alvarenga, 2006)
A fresh and provocative look at the military’s influence on fashion and popular culture. Kimberly Alvarenga was raised in the San Francisco and directs the Economic Justice and Human Rights Program at the Women of Color Resource Center in Oakland.
AGAINST OUR BETTER NATURE (Kenya Briggs, 2006)
Through a series of interviews, this insightful documentary explores the impact of the death penalty on individuals and on society. Kenya Briggs studied opera singing at USC, acting at San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater and was a professional television reporter.
“That’s Why I Hate Females” directed by Vassilisa Johri
THAT’S WHY I HATE FEMALES (Vassilisa Johri, 2007)
This provocative film confronts the myth of women’s liberation, how women learn to hate each other and themselves from neo-sexism, and the road back through intimacy, love, and healing. Vassilisa Johri is a social justice worker, artist, and first-time filmmaker who is committed to fighting oppression by connecting beyond our dictated separations, healing the wounds of ongoing trauma, and remembering that love is the real revolution.
Sunday, June 10
7pm: INFINITE BEAUTY: STORIES OF LOVE
Followed by Q&A Panel with Filmmakers
From the luminous romance between two queer Asian women to an adorable grandmother doing burlesque to the dynamic portraits of queer families, these films promise to move you with their infinite beauty! All works created through Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (QWOCMAP), founded by Executive Director & award-winning filmmaker Madeleine Lim.
Running Time: 92 minutes
FREE
Info: www.qwocmap.org
Contact: [email protected]
FILM DESCRIPTION & FILMMAKER BIOGRAPHY
“To Trangress: A Meditation” directed by Maya Santos
TO TRANSGRESS (Maya Santos, 2006)
This lyrical and beautiful experimental documentary explores the moment a woman leaves everything she knows to become everything uncertain. Maya Santos, queer, Filipina, poet, architect, multi-media artist, documentarian, and radio programmer, born and raised in Seattle, now residing in Oakland.
NO IMAGE
“Infinite Breath” directed by Christine Liang
INFINITE BREATH (Christine Liang, 2006)
The luminous romance between two Chinese American lesbians transcends the boundaries of time, place and reality. Christine Liang works, plays and imagines in San Francisco and hopes to realize her vision through many more films.
ELEVEN (Arwyn Moore, 2006)
A filmmaker pays a tender and loving tribute to her life-partner of eleven years. Arwyn Moore is a writer and teacher who lives in San Francisco with her partner Mary and their dog Frito.
PASALIG / FAITH (Maiana Minahal, 2007)
As her relationship deteriorates, Grace begins to receive mysterious messages from a spiritual ancestor. Maiana Minahal was Program Director of Poetry for the People and a lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley.
LETTING GO OF AN ATTACHMENT (Joy Lam, 2006)
An intense and bittersweet breakup after a six-year relationship. Joy Lam is an east coast native working in the financial industry
“Who is He” directed by Liliana Hueso
WHO IS HE? (Liliana Hueso, 2006)
This mixed-genre film portrays the experiences of women who were previously married in heterosexual relationships but have now found fulfillment with a female partner. Liliana Hueso was a TV producer and camerawoman with Telemundo KSTS Channel 48 in San Jose for 4 years.
LETTER OF INTENT (Cherisma Feril, 2007)
A young woman working in a law firm fantasizes about a romantic interlude with the beautiful attorney she works with. Cherisma Feril is a SAG actor in the pursuit of telling stories through film.
ADIOS BABA (Adriana Gordon, 2006)
An ironic tale of liberty and revenge. Adriana Gordon is a Chicana voice-over artist, stage performer, and generally good-hearted misanthrope.
“Father’s Day” directed by Marianne Jensen
FATHER’S DAY (Marianne Jensen, 2006)
Inspired by true events, this short looks at a young girl who gets an unexpected letter in the mail and her world starts to change. Marianne Jensen has worked on several films as assistant director, director of photography, and post production roles in editing, sound, and motion graphics.
IT TAKES A VILLAGE… (Kiki Zerrudo, 2007)
This compelling documentary examines the challenges of a queer single mum raising a male child. Kiki Zerrudo is a single mother who works for a global consulting firm.
LAS MAÑANITAS (Celestina Pearl, 2007)
A loving tribute to the filmmaker’s grandmother, their shared adventures and love of life, and the magical, alchemical integration of these experiences. Celestina Pearl is a fierce Chicana queer femme performance and visual artist, poet, bruja, nurse and now the creator of a short film about the joy in her relationship with her Nana.