Directed by Madeleine Lim (USA, 2023, 64 min.).

Jewelle Gomez is a powerful and extraordinarily talented writer, activist, and community builder. Author of the vanguard 1991 novel The Gilda Stories, Gomez has been at the forefront of countless culture and movement spaces since the 1960s.

Through humorous and thoughtful interviews with Gomez, her friends, and collaborators (including Dorothy Allison, Cheryl Clarke, and Ajuan Mance), this documentary by Madeleine Lim (Sambal Belacan in San Francisco, Frameline21) radiates with the warmth and sharp intelligence of a prolific Black and Native femme lesbian feminist who’s an enduring force across LGBTQ+ organizations and communities.

Preceded by:
The ABCs of Book Banning
Directed by Sheila Nevins; codirected by Naz Habtezghi and Trish Adlesic (USA, 2023, 26 mins.).

In recent years more than 2,500 books have been removed from school districts around the United States, labeled as banned, restricted, or challenged and made unavailable to millions of students. By no accident, the targeted books contain themes the American Right loves to scapegoat—LGBTQ+ issues, Black history, and Women’s empowerment—limiting the power future generations have in developing their own thoughts and opinions. By weaving together a lyrical montage of young readers and authors, The ABCs of Book Banning reveals the voices of those impacted most—students—and inspires hope for the future through the profound insights of inquisitive youthful minds.

Followed by a Q&A with the director.