Join Frameline and acclaimed filmmaker Cheryl Dunye as we present Robert Hawk with the 2016 Frameline Award.

Curator. Consultant. Mentor. Producer. Independent film guru. Bob Hawk is all of these and so much more. For nearly 40 years, he has been the secret agent of indie film, the man behind the screen — beloved and respected by everyone in the industry but virtually unknown to audiences. The rebellious gay son of a Methodist minister, Hawk was the godfather of the San Francisco independent film community during his tenure at the Film Arts Foundation in the ’80s, and a champion of numerous Frameline alums, including Ira Sachs (Keep the Lights On, Frameline36), previous 2000 Frameline Award honoree Barbara Hammer (Welcome to This House, Frameline39), Kimberly Reed (Prodigal Sons, Frameline33), and Rob Epstein (1990 Frameline Award honoree), whose groundbreaking 1977 documentary Word Is Out was a huge influence on Hawk both professionally and personally.

He went on to offer his advice and support — and his infamously impeccable notes — on Epstein’s next trailblazing film, The Times of Harvey Milk (Frameline9), as it made its way to an Oscar win — the first for a gay film. Hawk not only encouraged but discovered young film talent, transforming Kevin Smith (Clerks) and Edward Burns (The Brothers McMullen) from unknowns to indie darlings. As the cameras follow him celebrating his 75th birthday and remembering an eventful life, all of these (and many more) friends, admirers, and protégés share their love and respect for the impresario who took them under his great Hawk wing and made an indelible mark on the independent film world.