Frameline is thrilled to partner with guest bloggers from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire during this year's festival! We've invited students from the LGBTQA Studies: San Francisco Travel Seminar at UWEC to share their experiences of Frameline and their thoughts on San Francisco's queer community. As they attend Frameline and experience San Francisco, they will be creating LGBTQ-themed documentaries, as well as vetting films for their second Eau Queer Film Festival in the fall. For more information about the contributors, click here.
Our relationship with Frameline has been truly transformative. I was able to travel to San Francisco last year as a student and a documentarian, and I have had the wonderful privilege of seeing our relationship with Frameline grow stronger this year as I returned as a mentor. Words cannot express how proud and excited I am to be a part of this development.
The week before our travels we studied the history of the LGBTQ community, and what the Castro means to so many different people. Sitting in a classroom and learning these things were nothing compared to actually experiencing the community firsthand, and being in the safe haven that we had learned so much about. Many of the students have expressed their newfound love for San Francisco, and several of them have decided they could see themselves to living there. One of the students lovingly described the Castro as a “castle of queerness”, and it truly is. This community is a cultural fortress, and a safe haven, and for us, Frameline is at the heart of it.
As a mentor, I have had the unique opportunity to watch these students grow, and to help them learn. I got to witness their growth as individuals, as well as a group. Some of my favorite memories from the past week have been walking from the Castro Theater to our house and having discussions about the films we had seen that day. The other students really pushed me to think about what I had seen, and how it related to my life, but more importantly the lives of those who are oppressed and the lives of those who are seeking community, especially in Eau Claire. Seeing the students so intrigued, challenged, and simply excited about queer film left a lasting impression on me. I am so proud of the work that they have done thus far, and I know they will continue to impress me even more with the work they have left to do making their own documentaries.
When we found out that K. C. Price was going to introduce us to the LGBTQ community before the centerpiece film Three, the entire group was so nervous, but extremely excited. To stand up in front of hundreds of people in the Castro Theater was enough, but the applause was so overwhelming and humbling. It only lasted about 20 seconds, but it felt like an eternity! To be complete strangers in a city, and still feel so welcome and at home was one of the most unique experiences I have had in my 21 years.
Going as a class to see our professors' short film that had been accepted into Frameline’s Generations program was another event that I will never forget. Last year, our professors documented the experience as we became immersed into the Castro’s culture. Although it made me blush to see my own face on screen, seeing my professors' work shown was awe-inspiring, and really made me consider submitting my own short film about marriage equality to Frameline next year.
We set out to experience Frameline in order to use their film festival as a model to shape our own Queer film festival. Working so closely with Frameline has been such an empowering experience, and we are all inspired to do great things with our own films, and with our community. This strong partnership with Frameline is one that will help the Eau Claire community become a more inclusive and LGBT-friendly environment. To have a world-renowned film festival stand behind us and support our shared cause has exceeded any expectations we had. To receive such a warm welcome was more than any of us could have hoped for. The Frameline culture is something we will strive to replicate in order to bring awareness and continued fight for equality in the Midwest. I cannot thank Frameline enough for this amazing opportunity, and as a class we look forward to learning more from you in the future. -Brenna Ehster