“A Wonderful Life,” an LGBTQ+ Christmas movie from award-winning writer/director Jeff London, is set to make its theatrical premiere at the SF Queer Film Festival on Saturday, August 24, 2024, at 6:30PM at Landmark’s Opera Plaza Cinema, 601 Van Ness Ave. One of the feature’s stars, Mel England will attend the screening and opening night.
Starring Ben Stobber, David McMahon, Elaine Ballace, and England, the feature follows Bailey (McMahon), who cares for his ailing mother (Ballace) while still mourning the loss of his dog. Compounding that, Bailey is losing his job in a couple of months when his boss tells him he’s getting permanently laid off after Christmas and his troubled brother Jack (England) is coming home. He’s also nervous about seeing his childhood best friend, Greyson (Stobber), whom he hasn’t seen in over 30 years. The reunion gives him new hope and love and shows him what a wonderful life he truly has. Co-stars include Justin Terry-Smith, Barbara Reininger and Scott Emory Parker.
London’s movies frequently tell stories about the lives of small-town LGBTQ+ people, largely overlooked in studio films. His last feature was “Best Day Ever,” starring Mel England, Tom Saporito and Peter Stickles, won Best Drama at San Antonio Q Fest, Best LGBT Film at Indie Fest USA, and was released by Radioactive Cactus Entertainment on Amazon Prime and Wolfe Video.
SF Queer Film Festival, now in its 4th year, was founded by Amir Jaffer, an award-winning filmmaker, and Elizabeth Grillo of Afilla Productions. With Director of Programming Kevin Thomas, the festival aims to provide more opportunities for LGBTQIA+ filmmakers to showcase their work, especially in the Bay Area market.
England is an award-winning indie film star and HIV activist, starring in films “Little Big Top” on Netflix, and the multiple-award winning “Ron and Laura Take Back America” on Amazon Prime. In 2009, England became one of the first Hollywood actors to come out as openly Poz, in his 2009 Off-Broadway solo show “Swimming with the Polar Bears.” Using his story as a long-term survivor of AIDS/HIV as a parable of how to survive the existential threat of climate change, the play toured worldwide to the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen, Los Angeles, and DC’s National Mall. The following year, Mel was featured on the cover of The Advocate’s Plus Magazine. This year he’s set to star Off-Broadway in the play “Electricity,” produced by Tony Award-winning Sue Vaccaro, after touring the country, winning Best Actor in a Tour from Lavender Magazine and Best Actor at the DTL Awards. England also stars in the upcoming “Here We Are,” directed by the Emmy-nominated Billy Clift.
Produced under London’s Radioactive Cactus, executive producers are David-Matthew Barnes, John Brumfield, and Paul Burchett.
Contact Jay Hopkins for screening tickets (contact info below). For more info on the festival click SFQFF and for more information about the movie, click A Wonderful Life or follow it on Facebook
