LGBTQ+ Christmas Feature to Screen at SF Queer Film Festival
โA Wonderful Life,โ an LGBTQ+ Christmas movie from award-winning writer/director Jeff London, is set to make its theatrical premiere at the SF Queer Film Festival on Saturday, August 24, 2024, at 6:30PM at Landmarkโs Opera Plaza Cinema, 601 Van Ness Ave. One of the featureโs stars, Mel England will attend the screening and opening night.
Starring Ben Stobber, David McMahon, Elaine Ballace, and England, the feature follows Bailey (McMahon), who cares for his ailing mother (Ballace) while still mourning the loss of his dog. Compounding that, Bailey is losing his job in a couple of months when his boss tells him he’s getting permanently laid off after Christmas and his troubled brother Jack (England) is coming home. Heโs also nervous about seeing his childhood best friend, Greyson (Stobber), whom he hasnโt seen in over 30 years. The reunion gives him new hope and love and shows him what a wonderful life he truly has. Co-stars include Justin Terry-Smith, Barbara Reininger and Scott Emory Parker.
Londonโs movies frequently tell stories about the lives of small-town LGBTQ+ people, largely overlooked in studio films. His last feature was โBest Day Ever,โ starring Mel England, Tom Saporito and Peter Stickles, won Best Drama at San Antonio Q Fest, Best LGBT Film at Indie Fest USA, and was released by Radioactive Cactus Entertainment on Amazon Prime and Wolfe Video.
SF Queer Film Festival, now in its 4th year, was founded by Amir Jaffer, an award-winning filmmaker, and Elizabeth Grillo of Afilla Productions. With Director of Programming Kevin Thomas, the festival aims to provide more opportunities for LGBTQIA+ filmmakers to showcase their work, especially in the Bay Area market.
England is an award-winning indie film star and HIV activist, starring in films โLittle Big Topโ on Netflix, and the multiple-award winning โRon and Laura Take Back Americaโ on Amazon Prime. In 2009, England became one of the first Hollywood actors to come out as openly Poz, in his 2009 Off-Broadway solo show โSwimming with the Polar Bears.โ Using his story as a long-term survivor of AIDS/HIV as a parable of how to survive the existential threat of climate change, the play toured worldwide to the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen, Los Angeles, and DCโs National Mall. The following year, Mel was featured on the cover of The Advocateโs Plus Magazine. This year heโs set to star Off-Broadway in the play โElectricity,โ produced by Tony Award-winning Sue Vaccaro, after touring the country, winning Best Actor in a Tour from Lavender Magazine and Best Actor at the DTL Awards. England also stars in the upcoming โHere We Are,โ directed by the Emmy-nominated Billy Clift.
Produced under Londonโs Radioactive Cactus, executive producers are David-Matthew Barnes, John Brumfield, and Paul Burchett.
Contact Jay Hopkins for screening tickets (contact info below). For more info on the festival click SFQFF and for more information about the movie, click A Wonderful Life or follow it on Facebook
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Jay Hopkins
MUAHS Awards Unveils New Award Category For Theatrical Productions
Theย Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guildย (MUAHS) IATSE Local 706 will debut the highly anticipated new award category, Broadway International,ย to their awards ceremony on Saturday, February 15, 2025, at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel, presented by Giovanni Eco Chic Beauty. The new category will expand the recognition of outstanding Make-Up and Hair Styling Artists to encompass all live theater productions, including Broadway International live productions. With the addition of Broadway International, the ceremony will now shine a spotlight on beloved theatrical productions from around the world, recognizing the hard work and creativity of Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists in this genre. The MUAHS Guild Awards also honor Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists in motion pictures, television, commercials, and music videos in 23 categories. โWe are so pleased to announce the addition of the Broadway and International Live Theater Production category. The MUAHS Guild Awards are now all-inclusive and participation is worldwide for film, television, and theater. We are very proud to be one of the very few awards shows that recognize the extraordinary work of Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists in theater productions,โ saidย Julie Socash,ย President, MUAHS, IATSE Local 706. โI couldnโt be more excited to learn of the addition of the Broadway and International Live Theater Production category to the Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards. I look forward to these amazingly talented artisans from the theatrical world receiving recognition for their hard work, expertise, and dedication to their crafts,โ saidย Angela L. Johnson, President, Make-Up and Hair Stylists, IATSE Local 798. The qualifications for Outstanding Make-Up... Read More