The Sold Out World Premiere of Lewd & Lascivious at FRAMLINE Film Festival Turbo-Charges Launch of Kickstarter Completion Campaign!

The same week the Supreme Court made its benchmark ruling on DOMA and same sex marriage, Lewd & Lascivious , an exceptional new documentary, opened to rave reviews and a sold out premiere at the prestigious LGBT Film Festival, FRAMLINE in San Francisco. Included in the audience at the world premiere were some of the remaining cast whose stories are captured in the documentary. Many of these heroes became iconic LGBT activists, including lesbian power couple Phyllis Lyon and Dell Martin.

Long before the rainbow flag, gay pride parades and even before “Stonewall” (the event that many people look to as the start of the gay liberation movement) there was an underhanded incident in 1965 San Francisco that very few people know about. This critical event spotlighted in the film was actually what helped turned the tide on police brutality and gay bashing in the City By The Bay.

It was news of the lawsuit brought against the SFPD by unlikely straight ministers that quietly drew multitudes of LGBT people to San Francisco and ultimately helped create the gay mecca that the city is today.

“The story of the lawsuit as a result of the illegal raid exposed in the film, went out over the wire services and syndicated press ran it in many of the major cities across the United States,” said Director Dr. Jallen Rix.

The article erroneously stated that some 75,000 homosexuals lived in San Francisco. A grossly exaggerated number at the time, but when thousands of oppressed and closeted gays all across the USA and beyond heard that number, many decided that is where they too wanted to live.

The production team is seeking major distribution of the documentary so they can bring this timely piece about the LGBT struggle for equality, to the broadest audience possible. Additionally, they are partnering with educational facilities like the Tolerance Education Center in Rancho Mirage, California where they are offering free screenings in an effort to educate people about this and other historic events that make a difference in LGBT equality.

The movie and the message are resonating deeply with both the LGBT and the straight communities. “Obviously, the timing could not be more perfect for the release of our film,” said executive producer, Chris Sinton. “The audience is realizing that we have come a long way on many levels, but unfortunately, it is clear we all still have work to do.”

“Our friends and families have supported us in substantial ways up to this point,” said Director Rix. “We are confident with the exposure of Kickstarter and the ability it gives us to reach multitudes of people who understand how important our history is and what part this story played in the freedoms we enjoy today, we will raise the remainder of the funds we need by our deadline on July 23rd.”

Lewd & Lascivious has received many invitations from other film festivals around the globe since its world premiere just two weeks ago. The plan is to be in as many festivals as possible and to share this story with as many people as we can. “Hopefully soon, we will be picked up by one of the giants like HBO, LOGOS, or BRAVO,” added Director, Dr. Rix. Time will tell.

To learn more: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1634160899/lewd-and-lascivious-0

Footage of world premiere: http://vimeo.com/69765188

SOURCE  Mark Hollenstein