Check out this Member Spotlight Questionnaire with Kim Makoi.
Who are you and where are you from?
My name is Kim Makoi, and I was born in Washington, DC and grew up in Virginia.
How long have you been a Frameline member?
Since 2000
What do you look forward to in the Festival and what makes you keep coming back?
I love getting to see so many fantastic films "hot off the press" - many of which, unfortunately, can be difficult or impossible to see again! I also love the Q&As and getting the chance to see and meet the filmmakers and others involved in the films in a casual setting and throughout Pride Week around town. It makes Pride Week even more meaningful when you are at a cafe or a march and see a face that otherwise would have been just another stranger, but knowing something about that person's very powerful story and being able to speak to them and acknowledge them and thank them for bringing their story to the world! The 11 days of Frameline are my annual "staycation" and I plan to keep it that way until one of us croaks! (Hopefully that would be me, because I want Frameline to go on forever!)
What's the most fun / craziest / exciting / life-changing moment that ever happened to you during the Festival?
The most life-changing moment that happened to me during the Festival was in 2005, when I saw Jules Rosskam's documentary entitled Transparent. I was barely coming out of a horrific period of postpartum depression (which felt more like PTSD) and it wasn't until I was sitting there watching that film that I realized that it was, in fact, OK to be a mom *and* a man. I believe that film helped to save my life. I transitioned 2 years later, and now I feel awesome, and was happy to help support Jules' upcoming project, Thick Relations, out of gratitude for the impact of his previous film on my life!
What's your favorite film that played at the Festival?
This is an impossible question to answer...
If, for one day, you could meet / be / date one character from queer film history, who would it be and why?
Well, if it's only for one day... then I would like to date Starrbooty... because WHAT A DAY THAT WOULD BE..!
In one sentence, what does Frameline mean to you?
Frameline is a celebration, global community gathering and powerful witness to the brightest and darkest aspects of the queer human condition. <---it's way for fun than that sentence makes it out to be... sorry about that...
When you're not enjoying queer film, what else do you do? (You can talk about your job, family, hobbies, other work in the community, etc.)
When I'm not enjoying queer film, I'm usually happily working (as a chiropractor), enjoying non-queer film or the opera, reading, writing letters (yes, to old-fashioned pen-pals!) or hanging out with my kid (now age 9) and hoping that someday he will enjoy film festivals as much as I do!