ABOUT THE FILM

LONG SYNOPSIS

AHEAD OF THE CURVE is the story of one of the most influential women in lesbian history you’ve never heard of and the impact her work continues to have today. Growing up, Franco Stevens never saw any representation of queer women—she didn’t even know it was possible for a woman to be gay. When she realized she was a lesbian, it changed the course of her life.

In 1990, Franco created a safe place for lesbians in the form of Curve magazine. Her approach to threats and erasure in the ”90s was to lift all kinds of lesbians up and make them beautifully visible. The magazine helped build a foundation for many intersectional movements being led by today’s activists in the face of accelerating threats to the LGBTQ community. Decades later, as her legacy faces extinction and she reassesses her life after a disabling injury, she sets out to understand visibility work being led by an intersection of queer women today. Featuring Andrea Pino-Silva, Kim Katrin, Denice Frohman, Amber Hikes, Jewelle Gomez, Melissa Etheridge, and Lea DeLaria, and a score composed by the legendary Meshell Ndegeocello, AHEAD OF THE CURVE celebrates the legacy of a movement while considering the agenda of its future.

Director Jen Rainin

Co-Director Rivkah Beth Medow

Producer Rivkah Beth Medow

Executive Producer Lindsey Dryden

Co-Producer Jen Rainin

Supervising Producer Michael Kinomoto

Consulting Producer Lauren McBride

Editor Jessica Congdon

Cinematographers Svetlana Cvetko, Clare Major, Mariam Dwedar

Music Meshell Ndegeocello

Cast Andrea Pino-Silva, Kim Katrin, Denice Frohman, Amber Hikes, Jewelle Gomez, Melissa Etheridge, Lea DeLaria

FESTIVALS
2020: Frameline44, Outfest

AWARDS
Audience Award—Best Documentary (aGLIFF)

AVAILABLE TERRITORIES
The World

EXHIBITION FORMATS
DCP, Blu-Ray, Digital Download