Arts & Entertainment
Cannes Queer Palm winner set for wide release in US
“Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” the highly lauded winner of the Queer Palm prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, is getting a wider release than originally planned.
The lush period romance was edged out of the competition to become France’s entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2019 Oscar, but the movie’s US distributor, NEON, remains confident enough in filmmaker Céline Sciamma’s lesbian love story to book it for the kind of wide release that few non-English-language films receive.
The Cannes contender is set for limited one-week theatrical run next month in Los Angeles and New York, standard operating procedure for most “arthouse” movies before they make the jump to streaming and home video formats. That release will still begin on December 6, as originally planned, but NEON has announced it will now also roll out “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” in wide release – that means everywhere – on Valentine’s Day 2020, the perfect date to entice cinemaphiles with a taste for romance on a holiday devoted to love.
NEON’s official synopsis for the film reads: “In 18th century France, a young painter, Marianne (Noémie Merlant), is commissioned to do the wedding portrait of Héloïse (Adèle Haenel) without her knowing. Therefore, Marianne must observe her model by day to paint her portrait at night. Day by day, the two women become closer as they share Héloïse’s last moments of freedom before the impending wedding.”
In addition to winning the Queer Palm at Cannes, the movie, which is Sciamma’s fourth feature, was also awarded the festival’s Best Screenplay award. It has been exceptionally well-reviewed, and holds an impressive 98% critics’ approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
In announcing their new release plan for the widely-anticipated queer romance, NEON also dropped a new teaser trailer.
You can also watch the original, longer US trailer below.
2025 D.C. Trans Pride was held at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library on Saturday, May 17. The day was filled with panel discussions, art, social events, speakers, a resource fair and the Engendered Spirit Awards. Awardees included Lyra McMillan, Pip Baitinger, Steph Niaupari and Hayden Gise. The keynote address was delivered by athlete and advocate Schuyler Bailar.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
a&e features
Looking back at 50 years of Pride in D.C
Washington Blade’s unique archives chronicle highs, lows of our movement
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of LGBTQ Pride in Washington, D.C., the Washington Blade team combed our archives and put together a glossy magazine showcasing five decades of celebrations in the city. Below is a sampling of images from the magazine but be sure to find a print copy starting this week.
The magazine is being distributed now and is complimentary. You can find copies at LGBTQ bars and restaurants across the city. Or visit the Blade booth at the Pride festival on June 7 and 8 where we will distribute copies.
Thank you to our advertisers and sponsors, whose support has enabled us to distribute the magazine free of charge. And thanks to our dedicated team at the Blade, especially Photo Editor Michael Key, who spent many hours searching the archives for the best images, many of which are unique to the Blade and cannot be found elsewhere. And thanks to our dynamic production team of Meaghan Juba, who designed the magazine, and Phil Rockstroh who managed the process. Stephen Rutgers and Brian Pitts handled sales and marketing and staff writers Lou Chibbaro Jr., Christopher Kane, Michael K. Lavers, Joe Reberkenny along with freelancer and former Blade staffer Joey DiGuglielmo wrote the essays.
The magazine represents more than 50 years of hard work by countless reporters, editors, advertising sales reps, photographers, and other media professionals who have brought you the Washington Blade since 1969.
We hope you enjoy the magazine and keep it as a reminder of all the many ups and downs our local LGBTQ community has experienced over the past 50 years.
I hope you will consider supporting our vital mission by becoming a Blade member today. At a time when reliable, accurate LGBTQ news is more essential than ever, your contribution helps make it possible. With a monthly gift starting at just $7, you’ll ensure that the Blade remains a trusted, free resource for the community — now and for years to come. Click here to help fund LGBTQ journalism.
The fourth annual Equality Prince William Pride was held at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, Va. on Saturday, May 17.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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