CHICAGO -- Multi-award winning actress Sharon Gless ( Burn Notice, Queer As Folk, Cagney & Lacey ) will be in Chicago for two events Saturday, June 26, Pride Weekend. She will be honored by international LGBT law enforcement members, and attend a special Chicago DVD release party for Hannah Free.
Hannah Free, an award-winning feature film starring Gless, was produced in Chicago. The story of an independent spirit and the woman she calls home, Hannah Free has played in more than 60 cities around the world and will be released by Wolfe Video in North America.
The DVD party will be Saturday, June 26, noon-2 p.m. at the Palmer House Hilton, 17 E. Monroe in downtown Chicago. Tickets are $50 and include a copy of the DVD, a copy of the new Hannah Free novel from Bella Books, with photos from the film, a chance to meet the cast and crew, and hors d'oeuvres. Hannah Free was written by Claudia Allen and based on her stage play. It was directed by Wendy Jo Carlton and also stars Maureen Gallagher, Ann Hagemann, Kelli Strickland, Taylor Miller and Jacqui Jackson.
Purchase tickets online at www.hannahfree.com, under the tickets button.
The Lesbian and Gay Police Association-Gay Officers Action League of Chicago will present Gless with their "Bridge to Unity" Award on Saturday, June 26, also at the Palmer House Hilton. This first annual "Bridge to Unity" award is named for the theme and mission of the 14th Annual International LGBT Conference for Law Enforcement & Criminal Justice Professionals, hosted this year in Chicago by LGPA/GOAL Chicago during Pride Week.
"We are thrilled to have the opportunity to give this inaugural award to such a shining example of what we intend it to stand for," said LGPA-GOAL Chicago President Jamie Richardson. "Ms. Gless has been outstanding in her support of the LGBT community and, in her role as Debbie Novotny in Queer as Folk, became an iconic representation of a supportive and loving family member in the LGBT community."
The award will be presented at the Closing Banquet Ceremony of the conference, Saturday, June 26, 6-10 p.m. The public can purchase tickets for $100. Tables of ten are available for $1,000. The banquet will also have a variety of informative and entertaining speakers, a silent auction, a drawing, and a musical performance.
Information on Hannah Free is available at www.HannahFree.com or email info@hannahfree.com .
Further information on the conference is available at http://www.goalchicago.info/2010
Further information on the banquet is available at http://www.goalchicago.info/banquet
ABOUT HANNAH FREE
Hannah Free tells the moving story of the lifelong love affair between an independent spirit and the woman she calls home. Hannah and Rachel grow up in the same Midwest town, where traditional gender expectations eventually challenge their deep love for one another. Hannah becomes an adventurous, unapologetic lesbian and Rachel a strong but reserved homemaker. Weaving between past and present, HANNAH FREE reveals how these two passionate women maintain their love affair despite a marriage, a world war, infidelity, and family denial.
Hannah Free has played at 60+ film festivals in North America, including San Francisco's Frameline Fest and Los Angeles's OUTFEST, and has won multiple prestigious awards, including Best Feature Film at Philadelphia's Q-Fest, Austin's Gay & Lesbian Film Fest and Montreal's International LGBT Film Festival. The San Francisco Chronicle said of Sharon Gless's performance "She commands the screen," and Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times calls this "A terrific role for Sharon Gless, who runs with it gloriously." The Chicago tribune gave the film three stars.
The DVD will come loaded with features including interviews with Sharon Gless, writer Claudia Allen, director Wendy Jo Carlton and the cast and crew; bloopers; Behind the Scenes featurette, WTTW-Television Chicago Tonight segment, and more. Hannah Free was produced by Ripe Fruit Films and also stars Taylor Miller ( All My Children ) , Maureen Gallagher, Ann Hagemann, Kelli Strickland and Jacqui Jackson.
