Sanchez, Ricardo

1995

Popularity has a satirical take on 50's health films.

Wentzy, James

1995

A forceful and moving documentary that courageously documents a bold new movement within AIDS activism that rejects the notion that one should die of AIDS quietly and peacefully.

Bishop, Mari

1995

Movement, poetry and song combine to reflect the fluidity and art of spinning rope.

Rubio, Ryan X.

1995

A nostalgic Super-8 memory piece on sexual innocence, family, friendship, and the impact of the movies.

Ozon, Francois

1995

French director François Ozon, whose latest features CRIMINAL LOVERS and WATER DROPS ON BURNING ROCKS premiere in this year's Festival, was previously known for his daring and inventive shorts. In Ozon's 1995 LA PETITE MORT, a young gay photographer is tormented by a photo of himself as a baby. After the death of his father a box of family photos reveals a startling truth. A SUMMER DRESS (SFILGFF 1997) is the story of Frederick and his holiday encounter with a stranger on the beach, which further complicates his already ambivalent teenage sexuality. Also set in a holiday locale, SEE THE SEA tells the dark and provocative story of Sasha, a young mother awaiting the return of her husband. Her solitude is broken by the appearance of Tatiana, a brooding backpacker who asks to camp outside her cottage. Sasha grows increasingly fascinated with her mysterious visitor whose demeanor gradually becomes more ominous as she insinuates herself into Sasha’s home.

Robinson, Jeff

1995

A young man’s hopeless search for the love of his life through the personals.

Milena, Miguel

1995

Paula falls in love with her neighbor, but one day she discovers that he has a "boyfriend." When she hears them laughing at her, she starts preparing her revenge. A bright and snappy film from Spain, Paula seeks revenge after discovering her neighbor has a boyfriend.

Udelson, Lisa

1995

A hilarious comedy that puts an unexpected twist on a typical suburban bridal shower. A lesbian couple who are trying to have a baby attend this traditional heterosexual ritual, and leave with a very special party favor.Winner of the 1995 San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival Audience Award for Best Short Film.

DeFume, Bavo

1995

A locker room is the setting for a seventeen year old's homoerotic meditation on stardom in Particularly Now, In Spring.

Young, John G.

1995

Set in a sleepy upstate New York town, where a cup of coffee is still thirty-five cents and cross burning is a mundane weekend pastime, Parallel Sons follows the chance meeting of Seth (Gabriel Mick), an aspiring young white artist, and Knowledge (Lawrence Mason), an African-American correctional-facility escapee. Despite the brutal circumstances of their introduction—the wounded Knowledge attempts to rob the diner where Seth works nights—their lives become irreversibly entangled when Seth hides Knowledge in the woods, safe from the racist sheriff, and nurses him back to health. But Seth’s act of kindness goes beyond compassion, for Seth’s personal world is fueled by the romanticized notion of what it is to be young and black from the inner city. His art is heavily influenced by graffiti. He can lip synch to rap without missing a beat. He wears gangsta clothes and his hair in dreads, albeit blond. Knowledge becomes more than a patient as they both tentatively discover a far deeper commonality drawing them closer together. When a sudden accident drives them further away from the law, they embark on a desperate journey in search of freedom. Strung taut with dramatic and sexual tension, Parallel Sons proves first-time feature director John G. Young a skilled master of cinematic storytelling. Speaking to anyone who has longed to escape from where they came but fears where they might go, Parallel Sons is more about kindness, compassion, and the need to be loved than it is about the differences that make one man white and the other black.  Winner of the 1995 San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival Audience Award for Best Feature.