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Admission is free. No advance reservations. Your seat will be assigned to you when you pick up your ticket at the box office. Seats are assigned on a first come, first served basis. The box office opens one hour before the event.
Lesbian Custody
U.S., 2025
This essential short reflects on the making of In the Best Interests of the Children, featuring filmmaker Frances Reid and Julie Stevens, the daughter of filmmaker Elizabeth Stevens. It explores Julie’s separation from her mother — who was, at the time, Reid’s partner — after coming out as lesbian and facing a custody battle. Blending archival footage with hindsight’s poignancy, it offers a layered historical perspective on queer family struggles and the fight for parental rights.—Public Programmer Beandrea July
DCP, color, 18 min. Directors: S. Topiary Landberg, M. Francis Skonieczny.
In the Best Interests of the Children
U.S., 1977
Nearly a decade before data confirmed that children of lesbian mothers thrive, this groundbreaking documentary showcased this vital truth. Shot largely in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, the film explores the diverse experiences of eight families facing custody battles, legal scrutiny and widespread societal bias. Through tender interviews and intimate footage with the parents and, most poignantly, their children, this documentary offers a heartrending portrayal of parental love, challenging stereotypes and normalizing an exceedingly valid family model.
DCP, color, 53 min. Directors: Frances Reid, Elizabeth Stevens, Cathy Zheutlin.
Restoration funding provided by National Film Preservation Foundation, Women’s Film Preservation Fund of New York Women in Film & Television, and The Leon Levy Foundation. Digitally restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive from the 16mm original A/B reversals and 16mm magnetic track. Laboratory services by Colorlab, Audio Mechanics. Special thanks to S. Topiary Landberg, Frances Reid.
Special thanks to our community partner: Queer Film Los Angeles.
Watch a trailer:
