SF Chonicle Features Grantee Partner Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project

The San Francisco Chonicle featured longtime Astraea grantee partner, Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (QWOCMAP) as they ramped up for their fifth Queer Women of Color Film Festival, held June 12-14 in San Francisco’s Brava Theater. QWOCMAP promotes the creation, exhibition and distribution of new films and videos that address the vital social justice issues concerning women of color and their communities, authentically reflect their life stories, and build community through art and activism. Most of the films of the weekend were produced though their free training program for queer women of color.

Watch film selections from the Festival.

Films Seek to Heal Wounds By Crossing Borders

Justin Berton for the San Francisco Chonicle

Sunday, June 7, 2009–Five years ago, the first Queer Women of Color Film Festival took place in the Rainbow Room at the San Francisco LGBT Community Center. With a handful of screenings and a few hundred in attendance, the one-night affair could have been described as quaint.

Now, the growing festival – spread out over three days and representing filmmakers from all over the world – has taken the step from annual artistic showcase to one with larger, social-justice-based aspirations. This year, to go along with the festival’s theme of immigration, a “Community Convening” will be held on Saturday afternoon, designed to bring together what the festival’s founder, Madeleine Lim, calls the gay community’s “multiple borders.”

The idea is that representatives from organizations such as Black Alliance for Just Immigration and the Chicana/Latina Foundation will attend and build stronger ties with Lim and other representatives from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community; in the wake of divisive policies, such as the campaign against same-sex marriage, Lim said, it’s important that the gay community develop a cohesive coalition.

“Our hope is to impact these issues on a national level,” Lim said of the convening. “We’re trying to bring these disparate communities together to talk to each other and ask, ‘What’s next?’ and ‘How do we move forward?’ ”

Many of the festival’s filmmakers explore the theme of healing old wounds caused by crossing borders – be it on land or within relationships.

In “Mi Casa es Mi Casa,” director Marta Martinez describes the effect of gentrification within her Mission District neighborhood. In “A Letter Home,” director Shahrzad M. Davis visits Iran and writes letters to her Iranian mother. In “Look Again,” directed by Jennifer Lin, a lesbian couple try to build a relationship despite being chased by immigration agents and attempt to stay together by forging immigration documents.

Lim, who fled her native Singapore at age 23, is no stranger to the feelings of an outsider in a distant land.

Lim left the country in 1987 during a time of social unrest; government agents began arresting citizens they deemed Marxists.

“It was artists, priests, lawyers, teachers – all were dissidents,” Lim recalled. “The people being arrested kept getting closer to me. It was then that I decided I had to leave before I couldn’t leave anymore.”

Shorty after arriving in San Francisco, she began taking night classes at San Francisco City College and eventually graduated from San Francisco State University’s film program.

In 1997, Lim released “Sambal Belacan in San Francisco,” a documentary about three Asian lesbians and their difficulties establishing new lives and identities in America. That year, Lim’s film was accepted at the Singapore International Film Festival, but was removed by government censors just before it screened.

Lim was never given an official reason why the film was censored and ultimately banned in her homeland.

“Some people thought it was a badge of honor to have your film banned,” she said. “But I felt really upset. … I had a sense it wasn’t just the sexuality, but the race issues discussed.”

On the same day Lim talked about the banning of “Sambal” (which will screen at the festival), the California Supreme Court had upheld Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage, and San Francisco residents were protesting outside City Hall. The day’s events appeared as prime content for a filmmaker, perhaps one who would submit to future festivals, holding that blend of art and social justice.

“That’s one of the reasons I like art,” Lim said. “Art is very proactive. Like with the decision that happened this morning: We do need to rally. We do need to speak out. We do need to be in the streets. But with art, you can come at it from a proactive place. You can envision (in a film) how you want your perfect wedding to be. These are the films that come out of Hollywood every day, but just from a slightly different perspective.”

Queer Women of Color Film Festival: Fri.-next Sun. Brava Theater, 2789 24th St., San Francisco. Screenings are free, with seating on a first-come, first-served basis. Opening-night party, fundraising party and closing-night party: $5-$20 each. For screening and party schedule, go to www.qwoc maporg or e-mail festival@qwocmap.org.

This article appeared on page R – 24 of the San Francisco Chronicle

Straightlaced NY Benefit Premiere

Don’t miss the New York premier of the film that has everyone talking.  Directed by Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Debra Chasnoff, Straightlaced paints a breathtakingly candid portrait of how gender roles, sexuality and homophobia are shaping the lives of American teenagers today. With stunning candor, and often unexpected humor, a richly diverse cross section of teens open up about the ways that gender performance norms and anti-gay attitudes and behaviors box in everyone.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

6:00 – 9:00 PM

Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College [map]
695 Park Avenue
New York, NY

6:00 PM: Sponsor Party
7:00 PM: Screening
8:30 PM: General Audience Reception

Purchase tickets

How you dress, how much you eat, whether you can cry or hug a friend, which classes you take, which sports you play, the pressures to have sex and the incorrect assumptions you make about classmates are just some of the complex issues brought to light in Straightlaced. While the worst case scenarios in the film lead to suicide and violence, Straightlaced is leaving audiences uplifted and inspired. As one audience member shouted at the end of a recent screening, “I love this film! I love this film! I want everyone to see it!”

Sponsors:
Astraea Foundation
Ms. Foundation
Third Wave Foundation
NY Women’s Fund

Bay Area Spring Fling

Astraea is returning to San Francisco! Catch up with us as we celebrate our Bay Area Spring Fling. With the help of our invaluable friends and supporters, Astraea will bring together a memorable afternoon full of fun, politics and extraordinary showcases from our Grantee Partners.

FEATURING:
Leslie Larson, author of Slipstream
A grantee partner from the Astraea Lesbian Writers Fund, Leslie Larson will be reading excerpts from her new novel, Breaking Out of Bedlam, to be published in 2010.

What To Do After The Break-up … With The S#x T@ys by filmmaker Lili Tom
This sneak preview screening from the 2009 Queer Women of Color Film Festival is brought to you by Astraea grantee Partner, Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (QWOCMAP)

Along with wine, appetizers and good company…

what could be more fun?

 

LOCATION:
The San Francisco LGBT Center
1800 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
[map]

DATE & TIME:
Sunday, May 17
2:00 – 5:00 PM

Host Committee:
Eleanor Palacios and Rebecca Rolfe, co-chairs
Alice Hom, Kim Klein, Christine Lipat , Stephanie Roth

Ruby Sponsors: Leonie Walker & Kate O’Hanlan
Pearl Sponsors: Elizabeth Bremner & Karen Crow
Sapphire Sponsors: Alea Woodlee & Mahea Campbell
Jade Sponsors: Daniel Bao, Alvin Baum, Cristy Chung, Alice Dueker, Chris Lymbertos, Laurie Silverman & Betty Mayo
Community Sponsors:

 

Please consider supporting our Spring Fling by becoming a Sponsoring Partner. Not only does your sponsorship help ensure the vitality of Astraea’s mission, all Sponsorship Partners will receive the following as well:

  • Acknowledgement letter for tax purposes
  • Your name on Astraea’s website for the event
  • Acknowledgement at the event

We hope you’ll share in our success and lend your support today.

If you’re interested in learning more about this event, please e-mail or call: 212-529-8021.


Event Ticket

Price: $50.00

Number of items


Women’s Night at Asia Society’s Leo Bar

On May 15th, join Astraea, OP.LYNX and Q-Wave for cocktails, chatting and mingling in a museum! Meet and rub elbows with fun people, enjoy the free exhibition tours, then relax and chat the night away whilst sipping an intriguing and whimsical lychee martini! A record turnout of over 500 women joined us at the last mixer (in spite of a February-like chill in November 2008)!


Yang Fudong, Seven Intellectuals in a Bamboo Forest / Part III, 35mm film

DATE & TIME:
Friday, May 15, 2009
6:00 – 9:00 PM

LOCATION:
Leo Bar at Asia Society
725 Park Avenue
(at 70th Street)
New York, NY

Drink Specials on martinis, bellinis and more from 6:00 to 7:00 PM.
Leo Bar is a cash bar with no cover charge.

Exhibition Tours scheduled for 7:15 PM and 7:45 PM.

Currently on view:

Asian Journeys: Collecting Art in Post-war America

Yang Fudong: Seven Intellectuals in a Bamboo Forest

Partnering Organizations:
Astraea Foundation
OP.LYNX
Q-Wave

Deadline for Program Internship fast approaching!

DEADLINE TODAY! Astraea seeks interns with our Program Team. Internships are available in our US Program and our International Program. Interns will gain a familiarity with progressive grantmaking and the communities and organizations that Astraea funds.

Interns will gain experience in a variety of aspects of grantmaking, including: researching & reporting on conditions experienced by LGBT communities in the US & internationally; summarizing proposal highlights for review and writeups for grants program publications; coordinating community briefings by visiting activists; applicant outreach for arts awards to individual artist & writers; archiving past grant.

Click here for more information

Houston, TX House Party

Come one, come all!  Join host Tracy Gary and Astraea Executive Director, Katherine Acey for a sunset cocktail house party to celebrate the vision of the Astraea Foundation.

The Astraea Foundation is the world’s only foundation solely dedicated to funding lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex organizations in both the United States and internationally.  For more than 30 years, we have ignited donors to fuel the hard work of grantees.  Last year, Astraea connected 2.2 million dollars with 219 organizations and individuals in 47 countries.

Make the connection.  Join with us on May 5.

Tuesday, May 5
6:30 – 8:30 PM

At the home of Tracy Gary
Houston, TX (RSVP for Address)

Space is limited.  It’s not too late to RSVP!

Please RSVP

Dallas, TX House Party

Kick off your work week on a high note!  Join hosts Pam Gerber and Suzanne Slonim and Astraea Executive Director, Katherine Acey for a sunset cocktail house party to celebrate the vision of the Astraea Foundation.

The Astraea Foundation is the world’s only foundation solely dedicated to funding lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex organizations in both the United States and internationally.  For more than 30 years, we have ignited donors to fuel the hard work of grantees.  Last year, Astraea connected 2.2 million dollars with 219 organizations and individuals in 47 countries.

Make the connection.  Join with us on May 4.

Monday, May 4
6:30 – 8:30 PM

At the Oak Lawn home of Pam and Suzanne
Dallas, TX (RSVP for Address)

Space is limited. It’s not too late to RSVP!

Please click here to RSVP

 

LGBTQI Human Rights in Slovakia and Czech Republic

Join Astraea and the Slovak-Czech Women’s Fund for an intimate evening discussion on LGBTQI Human Rights in Slovakia and Czech Republic. Astraea will also present about the work of our grantee partners in Eastern Europe.

The Slovak-Czech Women’s Fund was established at the beginning of 2004 as the sole grantmaking organization dedicated to advancing women’s rights both the Czech and Slovak Republics.  The main objective of the SCWF is to improve the status of women in the Slovak and Czech societies and to contribute to increased visibility and power of the women’s movements in both countries. SCWF supports actions and initiatives that promote equal opportunities for women and men, combat all forms of violence against women, protect women’s human rights, prevent human trafficking, empower Roma women, and eliminate gender stereotypes. SCWF also supports initiatives that tackle issues that most other donors shy away from, such as lesbian rights and the reproductive rights of women.
Since its inception, SCWF has awarded 154 grants in the total amount of $560,000 USD.

Monday, April 27, 2009
6:30 – 9:00 PM

Astraea Foundation
116 East 16th Street, 7th Floor [map]
New York, NY

Light food and beverage will be provided.

Suggested donation of $20.  No one will be turned away due to lack of funds.

Limited seating for this event.  Click here to RSVP.

Masculinity/Femininity (Part II)

Join us for Masculinity/Femininity (Part II), a Have Art: Will Travel! FOR PEACE AND EQUALITY event featuring: Linda Stein, Feminist Activist Sculptor and Astraea Visual Arts Committee member in dialogue with Michael Kimmel, Author of Guyland.

Includes reception and sculptural performance

Monday, April 20, 2009
6:30 – 8:30pm

The Art Club
100 Reade Street [map]
Tribeca in Manhattan
(between West Broadway and Church Street)

Limited seating. To RSVP, please e-mail: info@LindaStein.com

Sponsors:

  • Astraea Foundation
  • Changing Men for Changing Times
  • Flomenhaft Gallery
  • National Council for Research on Women
  • On The Issues Magazine
  • Third Wave Foundation
  • Women of Color Policy Network
  • Women’s Enews

Stonewall & Beyond: Honoring 40 Years Of Radical Queer Organizing

Join Astraea in marking the 40th anniversary of the legendary Stonewall Rebellion, a spark that helped launch four decades of queer radical movements — sex radicalism, lesbian feminism, and transgender liberation; anti-war, HIV/AIDS, economic and racial justice struggles; and more.

Some LGBT activists would draw a straight line from the uprising against police violence then to the campaign for marriage equality now — but we know there has been a diverse abundance of agendas and visions for queer and trans politics every step of the way.

In conjunction with Left Turn magazine’s new issue focused on queer radicalism, this event will present an informative and inspiring evening of stories from movements past, strategies for the present moment, and our dreams for the future.

Featuring: Katherine Acey, Executive Director, Astraea Foundation and Astraea grantee partners and colleagues.

Monday, April 20 2009
6:30pm – 9:00pm

The LGBT Center
208 West 13th Street
New York, NY [map]

Sponsors:
Audre Lorde Project
Brecht Forum
FIERCE
Left Turn
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center
Queers for Economic Justice
Sylvia Rivera Law Project