SAG-AFTRA National LGBTQ Committee and SF-NC Local Participate in Longest-Running Queer Film Festival

For the first time, the National LGBTQ Committee and the San Francisco-Northern California Local participated together in what is called the “the longest-running, largest and most widely recognized queer film exhibition event in the world,” the San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival, better known as Frameline.

Committee co-founder and Co-Chair Jason Stuart heralded support of the festival while attending the SAG-AFTRA-sponsored screening of Second Nature on June 23 and at the Industry Day the following day at Dolby Laboratories in downtown San Francisco. Stuart was among the panelists for Understanding SAG-AFTRA: How to Work with Union Talent, which also included Film S.F. Executive Director Manijeh Fata and SF-NC Local Assistant Executive Director Dee Dee Escobedo. Filmmaker Tom E. Brown moderated. 

Held at the Chan National Queer Arts Center, there was an intimate discussion with filmmakers about the accessibility to productions of all budget levels for SAG-AFTRA members, with Brown and Stuart sharing stories from their extensive careers about the ability to create films with exceptional talent thanks to the SAG-AFTRA Low Budget agreements. Frameline’s newly seated executive director, Allegra Madsen, and Director of Marketing and Strategic Partnerships David Warczak expressed their desire to cultivate a long-term relationship with both the local and national offices of SAG-AFTRA, especially as Frameline approaches its 50th anniversary.

Top photo: SF-NC Local Business Rep Shinhong Byun, SF-NC Local Executive Director Sean F. Taylor, SF-NC Assistant Executive Director Dee Dee Escobedo, Film SF Executive Director Manijeh Fata, filmmaker Tom E. Brown, and SAG-AFTRA member and National LGBTQ Committee Co-Chair Jason Stuart at Understanding SAG-AFTRA: How to Work with Union Talent, held at the Chan National Queer Arts Center on June 24, 2024.