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Jenni Olson with Lesbian Cinema Club
The following description was submitted by the event organizer.
Join Lesbian Cinema Club for a night of Jenni Olson films, featuring The Joy of Life (2005) and Blue Diary (1998). A special zine and merch will be on sale in advance of the screening.
ON SCREEN: The Joy of Life (2005) + Blue Diary (1998)
2005, 1998. Directed by Jenni Olson. Not Rated.
The Joy of Life (1hr 5min, 2005): Multi-talented performance artist Harriet “Harry” Dodge (By Hook or By Crook, Cecil B. Demented) brings to life this innovative story of a butch dyke in San Francisco searching for love and self-discovery. Against a backdrop of stunning landscape cinematography, this bold, lyrical voiceover film evolves from a lesbian lust story to an inventive documentary, delving into explicit descriptions of lesbian sexuality and offering up a quick look at Frank Capra’s 1941 film Meet John Doe before embarking on the fascinating and previously untold history of the Golden Gate Bridge as a suicide landmark. A true San Francisco experience, The Joy of Life also includes poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti intoning his ode to the City by the Bay, “The Changing Light,” and features music from legendary poet-painter (and probable Golden Gate suicide) Weldon Kees.
Blue Diary (7min, 1998): Through voiceover and static San Francisco landscapes, Jenni Olson’s classic 1998 experimental narrative short tells the melancholy story of a dyke pining over a one-night stand with a straight girl.
ON STAGE: Lesbian Cinema Club
Lesbian Cinema Club is a Portland-based screening series and gathering that started in the summer of 2025 as a top-surgery fundraiser for the lead organizer and programmer, Noname. The series started in a backyard with a few friends, with a simple goal: to watch and learn about Lesbian artists and filmmakers while fundraising for gender-affirming care. The series quickly became a large community gathering for local queer and lesbian film-lovers.