SAN FRANCISCO—Pink and White Productions will present its latest release, Snapshot—a full-length feature written and directed by Shine Louise Houston—at the Frameline41 San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival.
The cast and crew will present the erotic suspense thriller at the city’s historic Victoria Theater on Friday, June 23, at 9:15 p.m. Following the screening, fans around the world will be able to watch Snapshot online at the company’s curated hub for independent adult films, PinkLabel.tv.
Snapshot pays homage to Houston’s early film influences, referencing Hitchcock’s Rear Window and Antonioni’s Blow Up. Shot on location in San Francisco and drawing from Houston’s own life experience, the feature offers a unique coming of age story wrapped in a murder mystery. Snapshot is led by a cast of queer people of color, featuring break-out performances by lead actors Beretta James and Chocolate Chip, with enthralling performances from supporting actors Verta, Nerine Mechanique, Lyric Seal, and Ned Would as “The Man.” Noteworthy cameos include sex culture icons Dr. Carol Queen and Good Vibrations’ Jack Strano, of SIR Productions fame.
A cast and crew of more than 50 are anticipated to attend the Frameline41 screening, a climactic moment following previous screenings following the Berlin PornFilmFestival, British Film Institute’s Flare LGBT Film Festival, Cinekink NYC (awarded Best Feature Narrative Film), Hacker Porn Festival in Rome, in a special presentation at San Francsico State University, and the Toronto International Porn Festival (Formerly known as the Feminist Porn Awards) where it won Movie of the Year.
Future highlights include a spot on the BBC’s Queer Britain in an interview with the director, and screenings at #DuckieFamily in London, Stoya’s curated Wonderlust event in Helsinki, the San Francisco Queer Women of Color Film Festival, a double-feature at Oakland’s Feelmore Adult Art Gallery, and a special presentation at CatalystCon, among others.
Pink and White may play a big role in community-funded porn. Snapshot is the company’s first independently produced film, made possible by more than 390 backers on IndieGoGo with support from women of color community leaders Cheryl Dunye, Madeline Lim, Dr. Mireille Miller-Young, Nenna Joiner, and Tobi Hill-Meyer. Company sponsors included Good Vibrations, and locations at Wicked Grounds and the Center for Sex & Culture.
The crowdfunding campaign garnered interviews and spotlights in publications like Cosmopolitan Magazine, PBS MediaShift, AFROPUNK, Autostraddle, and Huffington Post. Most importantly for Houston, crowdfunding enabled her to secure the budget to produce her film independently with control over casting and distribution.
“One reason I think crowdfunding is going to be good for us is we get to keep company values and creative control,” said Houston.
After Snapshot is released, she'll return to crowdfunding her next major project.
Follow online #SnapshottheFilm. Tickets go on sale to the general public June 2.
Learn more about Snapshot at SnapshottheFilm.com. For information about Frameline41, visit Frameline.org.
