Black Lesbian, Double Documentary

You are invited to join BAVC Media, the Lesbian Herstory Archives, and Folsom Street, with BAVC Media board member and filmmaker Debra Wilson in a bi-coastal hybrid presentation of two of Debra’s films – The Butch Mystique and Jumpin’ The Broom – followed by a live talkback after the screening. Meet the filmmaker and some very special guests from the films!

This page is for the in-person event at the Ninth Street Independent FIlm Center in San Francisco. You can RSVP to screen the films and join the talkback virtually here.

When: Thursday, June 4

Time: 4 pm-7 pm pst / 7 pm-10 pm est

**LOCATION UPDATE**

Where: Folsom Street Community Center in SOMA - 1286 Folsom Street, San Francisco

OR ZOOM

Tickets are $10-20 sliding scale but no one will be turned away for lack of funds

Register early; space is limited!

ABOUT BUTCH MYSTIQUE (2003):

Nine African American butch lesbians talk about various aspects of the butch lifestyle and their own personal lives. Check out clips from the documentary here.

ABOUT JUMPIN' THE BROOM (2006):

"The documentary focuses on committed same-sex relationships among Black lesbian and gay couples, who build families and lives in the face of opposition to “gay marriage” in the Black community. The term “jumpin’ the broom” is a custom from the days of slavery. During this period, black couples weren’t allowed to legally marry and jumping over a broom was a symbolic gesture to celebrate their love and commitment to each other. Debra’s film suggests that modern day same-sex couples are placed in the same situation of creating their own rituals and ceremonies to legitimize their loving relationships." - Michelle Sewell, Black Girl Hollywood Report

About Debra A. Wilson:

Debra A. Wilson (she/her) is an award-winning director and producer. Her directorial debut, Butch Mystique, and her second film, Jumpin' the Broom, aired on Showtime. As a creative producer, she produced the award-winning feature Mississippi Damned and several narrative shorts, including “The Lake Merritt Monster,” filmed in Oakland. As a location manager for over 10 years, she worked on films such as Milk, Blindspotting, Contagion, and Ryan Coogler's breakout film “Fruitvale Station,” for which Debra won the California on Location Award for Best Location Team. Debra also worked with Ryan Murphy on the series “Pose.”

Debra is currently a producer for the two feature documentaries Coach Emily, The Day the Curtains Came Down, and consulting producer for An Everyday Riot, and in Development on the feature documentary Phillip Bloch: Always Fashionable as director. Debra is an SFFilm FilmHouse Residency Alum, BAVC National MediaMaker Fellow, and Sundance Producers Lab Alum. She earned her B.A. in T.V./Film from California State University, Northridge.

About Lesbian Herstory Archives:

The Lesbian Herstory Archives exists to gather, preserve and provide access to records of Lesbian lives and activities. Doing this also serves to uncover and document our herstory previously denied to us by patriarchal historians in the interests of the culture that they served. The existence of the Archives will thus enable current and future generations to analyze and reevaluate the Lesbian experience.

About BAVC Media:

BAVC Media (Bay Area Video Coalition) inspires social change by empowering media makers to develop and share diverse stories through art, education and technology. BAVC Media has been a trusted community educator, collaborator, incubator, community builder and resource for the media arts world since 1976.

About Folsom Street:

Folsom Street cultivates a safe, open, and inclusive environment for the kink, leather, and alternative sexuality communities while centering equity for BIPOC and LGBTQA2I+ people. They are rooted historically in the fight against gentrification and displacement in San Francisco, on unceded Ohlone land, and worldwide. They unite, strengthen, and affirm the community through support, resources, education, advocacy, visibility, and celebration. They are dedicated to sexual liberation and the human right to pleasure as a crucial part of the liberation movement.

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