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.
Photos
PHOTOS: Shenandoah Valley Pride
LGBTQ celebration held at Turner Pavilion in Harrisonburg, Va.
The 2026 Shenandoah Valley Pride Festival was held at Turner Pavilion in Harrisonburg, Va. on Sunday, Sept. 20.
(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)
















Whitman-Walker Health held the 40th annual Walk and 5K to End HIV at Anacostia Park on Saturday, Sept. 19.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)



















Photos
PHOTOS: Wanda Alston Foundation Fall Reception
LGBTQ youth services organization honors Robert White, Japer Bowles, Washington Capitals
The Wanda Alston Foundation held its Fall Reception at the Penthouse Rooftop at The Wharf on Friday, Sept. 18. Honorees included D.C. Councilmember Robert White, Director of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs Japer Bowles, and the Washington Capitals. Rayceen Pendarvis served as the emcee and entertainment was provided by the Thomas Circle Singers.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)





















