Frameline49
JUN 18 & 20, 2025
TONI REMBE THEATER
Frameline49
JUN 18 & 20, 2025
THE WORLD IS WATCHING — in theaters throughout San Francisco and Oakland. Running June 18–28, Frameline49 is showcasing 11 days of world-renowned queer films, singular performances, and must-attend parties. When you show up for queer and trans stories on screen, you’re showing up for the LGBTQ+ community’s past, present, and future.
Toni Rembe Theater will be premiering two films for the festival:
Jimpa
June 18 at 7 p.m.
DIRECTED BY SOPHIE HYDE | 2025 | AUSTRALIA/NETHERLANDS/FINLAND | 123 MINS
John Lithgow and Oscar winner Olivia Colman star in Sophie Hyde's funny and heartfelt tale of a queer family reunion, as three generations of an Australian family reconvene in Amsterdam. In a bold and unforgettable performance, Lithgow plays the titular Jimpa, an HIV-positive academic at the end of his tenure in the Netherlands, whose filmmaker daughter (Colman) comes to visit with her non-binary teenage child (Aud Mason-Hyde), just as they’re coming into their sexuality and contemplating a move to Europe.
Affirming and open-minded, Jimpa carefully balances the chaos and conflict of a family that proves "chosen" is the new "conventional" — as language, gender, pronouns, resilience, and polyamory all make for lively intergenerational banter and debate. Director and co-writer Hyde (Fucking Adelaide, Frameline43) based Jimpa on her own familial experiences growing up with a gay activist father and transgender child. But unlike their fictional counterparts, the real-life grandfather and grandchild weren't lucky enough to spend the kind of quality time they're afforded in this beautifully-acted, emotionally-resonant Sundance standout opening Frameline's 49th annual Festival.
Heightened Scrutiny
June 20 at 7 p.m.
DIRECTED BY SAM FEDER | 2025 | USA | 85 MINS
A salient document of our current moment, Disclosure director Sam Feder’s Sundance standout acts as the “centerpiece” of Frameline49. The film centers on ACLU attorney Chase Strangio, the first out trans person to argue before the Supreme Court. While Strangio fights a high-stakes legal battle to overturn Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth (United States v. Skrmetti), he and other leading activists, like Laverne Cox and Elliot Page, examine how media bias influences the public’s perception of trans rights.
An actively unfolding case, United States v. Skrmetti’s decision will likely be announced during Frameline49. As a community, we are bearing witness. No matter the results, we need to be in a room together. Feder’s timely documentary not only provides an opportunity to gather in the same space, it also gives us a moment to show up for each other. When you buy a ticket to the screening of Heightened Scrutiny and/or the First Friday Party, you can participate in our Pay-It-Forward initiative by purchasing tickets for others. Our promise is that no trans or nonbinary attendee will pay to see the film and be in community.