HERE TV has announced its partnership with Frameline Distribution, the world’s only non-profit LGBTQ+ film distributor, to relaunch the Frameline Voices program, a curated program of diverse and impactful short films representing experiences unique to LGBTQ+ people and communities. Five of the seven short films (Flex, Blackness Is Everything, Four Fruitbites, The Rogers, and My Aunties) are available now on all HERE TV platforms. Two additional titles, Noor and Layla, and Luv U Cuz will premiere on HERE TV in January 2022.
“We are honored to partner with Frameline Distribution for the launch of the 2021 Frameline Voices program,” says Christopher Donaldson, VP of Content at Here Media. “Together, we can accomplish our shared commitment to amplifying and supporting queer voices and to further representation by showcasing a rainbow-wide range of stories about LGBTQ+ people that illustrate the power of diversity and inclusion.”
HERE TV has also partnered with Frameline Distribution to acquire three projects from acclaimed director Mark Christopher for a retrospective of his award-winning short films, in addition to a special Director’s Voice, which features interviews with Mark and is only available on HERE TV. Christopher is a screenwriter and director most known for directing “54” (1998), starring Ryan Phillippe, Mike Myers, Salma Hayek, and Neve Campbell. Christopher also directed three short films, all of which are streaming on HERE TV: The Dead Boys Club (1992), an influential short of the New Queer Cinema wave as cited by B. Ruby Rich in her Sight & Sound article that defined the genre; Alkali, Iowa (1995), winner of the Teddy at the 1996 Berlin International Film Festival, and Heartland (2007), which screened at numerous festivals including Frameline and Outfest.
“We're delighted to continue our collaboration with Here Media to bring the special fun of a Frameline festival to all screens everywhere, with our Frameline Voices program,” says Lindsey Hodgson, Frameline’s Director of Distribution & Educational Programming. “Our new cohort of Voices filmmakers are the fiercest and freshest of LGBTQ+ storytellers, bringing us stories with unique points of view and all kinds of hilarity, heart, and soul. While also acknowledging the ongoing and generous support of the NEA Grants for the Arts, without whom this program would not be possible.'
