Ciné-Gouines 5

Ciné-Gouine is a series of screenings of queer films made in the San Francisco Bay Area between 1981 and 2015. Norah Benarrosh Orsoni launched this series in early 2026 and, every month, she shares films with French audiences drawn from her research into lesbian and queer history in San Francisco. On 27 September, Ciné-Gouines returns with two films about friendship – a butch version and a fem version – made entirely as DIY projects with the invaluable support of San Francisco’s lesbian, gouine and trans community – and a discussion ✨with the directors in person✨
 𝓑𝔂 𝓗𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓞𝓻 𝓑𝔂 𝓒𝓻𝓸𝓸𝓴 (Silas Howard & Harry Dodge, 2001, French subtitles), is a groundbreaking film: the first butch and trans buddy movie in which the characters’ gender identities are never explicitly stated; it tells the story of Shy, devastated by the death of his father, who decides to embark on a career as a big-city robber, and Valentine, an exuberant and clever young butch person, who is searching for her biological mother. Brilliantly written, performed and directed by Harry Dodge and Silas Howard, *By Hook or By Crook* is a breathtaking anti-authoritarian tale that highlights the vulnerability of queer people in a repressive America, and the redemptive power of friendship. 𝓢𝓱𝓾𝓽 𝓤𝓹 𝓦𝓗𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓑𝓸𝔂 (Vũ T. Thu Hà, 2002, French with original subtitles) – A young white man takes his umpteenth Filipino girlfriend to an Asian restaurant. Set against a backdrop of racist fantasies, the film blends revenge, desire, lust and humour. Directed by an all-female, queer Asian-American cast, with a soundtrack by the punk rock band The Dragon Ladies. 𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑱𝑬𝑪𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺 𝑺𝑼𝑰𝑽𝑰𝑬𝑺 𝑫’𝑼𝑵𝑬 𝑹𝑬𝑵𝑪𝑶𝑵𝑻𝑹𝑬 𝑬𝑿𝑪𝑬𝑷𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑵𝑬𝑳𝑳𝑬 with filmmakers Silas Howard, Vũ T. Thu Hà and Leslie Shih Shu Mah, musician, tattoo artist and actress in SUWB.