San Francisco, CA - The San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival, the world's largest and oldest, will screen from June 16-26, 2005. Each year the Festival recognizes two artists whose outstanding accomplishments and contributions to LBGT cinema will earn them either the Levi's First Feature Award ($10,000) or the Michael J. Berg Documentary Award ($10,000). Both juried awards are the largest cash prizes of any LGBT film festival!

The prestigious awards, including the popular Frameline Audience Awards for Best Feature Film, Best Documentary, and Best Short Film will be announced on June 26, 2005 at the Closing Night Party at the Old Federal Reserve Building.

Frameline 29 offers Frameline 29 38 eligible candidates for the Michael J. Berg Documentary Award for excellence in documentary filmmaking and 18 qualifying filmmakers for the Levi's First Feature Award for first narrative features premiering at Frameline 29..The unparalleled cash value serves as testament to Frameline's champion support of LGBT filmmakers. Each award is made possible by the generous donations of Bill Dickey (filmmaker Michael J. Berg's surviving partner) and Levi Strauss & Co.

Festival28's juried award recipients included Allan Brocka for EATING OUT (Levi's® First Feature Award), and Jim DeSeve received the Documentary Award for TYING THE KNOT.

The Frameline Award

On May 19, 2005, Frameline proudly bestowed filmmaker extraordinaire Gregg Araki with the distinguished 2005 Frameline Award, followed by a select invitation-only screening of his latest film MYSTERIOUS SKIN.

Araki's trajectory traces back to Frameline12 when he made is directorial debut in 1987 with THREE BEWILDERED PEOPLE IN THE NIGHT. His second film, THE LONG WEEKEND (O' DESPAIR) won the Best Independent Film award from the Los Angeles Film Critics. He produced, directed, wrote, photographed, and edited the film. In 1991, THE LIVING END screened in competition at the Sundance Film Festival and was the Closing Night film at Frameline16.

Araki then moved on to his "teen apocalypse trilogy" comprising TOTALLY F***ED UP, THE DOOM GENERATION, and NOWHERE, a collective endeavor resulting in Araki being credited with helping to launch the "New Queer Cinema." He is one of the most courageous, unconventional, and intriguing voices in independent cinema.

Maverick lesbian director Rose Troche received the 2004 Frameline Award for her outstanding cinematic contributions, including BEDROOMS AND HALLWAYS, THE SAFETY OF OBJECTS, and GO FISH.

Prior recipients of the annual Frameline Award include the directing/producing duo Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, Barbara Hammer, Marlon Riggs, Stanley Kwan, Christine Vachon, Marcus Hu, and Peter Adair.

Awards are announced at the Frameline29 Closing Night Party, Sunday, June 26 (at the majestic Old Federal Reserve Building) following the film debut of director Duncan Tucker's laugh-out-loud TRANSAMERICA, which stars "Desperate Housewives" Felicity Huffman.

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Frameline29-the 29th San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival-is the oldest and largest event of its kind in the world, and will screen June 16-26, 2005. Frameline29 screens in San Francisco at the Castro Theatre (429 Castro St.), the Roxie Cinema (3117 16th St.), the Victoria Theatre (2961 16th St.) and in Oakland at the Parkway Theater (1834 Park Blvd). Festival passes are currently on sale to Frame-line members. Tickets go on sale to Frameline members on Friday, May 27, 2005. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, June 3, 2005. For more infor-mation, please call 925.866.9559 or visit www.Frameline.org.

Frameline29 is presented by Frameline, a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the diverse lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community and furthering its visibility by supporting and promoting a broad array of cultural representations and artistic expression in film, video, and other media art.