Established in 1986, the Frameline Award is given to a person or entity that has made a major contribution to LGBTQ+ representation in film, television, or the media arts. Past honorees range from film historian and author Vito Russo to Hong Kong director Stanley Kwan to avant-garde lesbian filmmaker Barbara Hammer to drag artiste extraordinaire Divine to actor-activist George Takei to long-time leader of the Festival and the organization Michael Lumpkin.

To learn more about the honors given out at the annual San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival, please visit our dedicated Festival Awards page.

The Frameline Queer Lens Award is given to a queer filmmaker who brings their singular vision and perspective to the screen and, in doing so, makes an indelible impact on the art form. We are honored to present the inaugural iteration of this award, the Frameline Queer Lens Award for Filmmaking, to director, screenwriter, and producer Todd Haynes at Carol Day 2025 on Sunday, December 21, 2025.

Rodney Evans

Debra Chasnoff

Alan Cumming

Robert Hawk

Jeffrey Schwarz

George Takei

Jamie Babbit

B. Ruby Rich

Margaret Cho

Wolfe Video

George & Mike Kuchar

Michael Lumpkin

Andrea Sperling

Francois Ozon

Gregg Araki

Rose Troche

Fenton Bailey & Randy Barbato

Isaac Julien

The Festival’s Founders

Barbara Hammer

Stanley Kwan

Dolly Hall

Channel Four Television

Peter Adair

Marcus Hu

Christine Vachon

Pratibha Parmar

Marlon Riggs

Elfi Mikesh

Robert Epstein

Cinevista/Promovision

Divine

Alexandra von Grote

Vito Russo