Sharon Gless Celebrates Chicago Pride with the DVD Release of 'Hannah Free' and Bridge to Unity Award

Beloved Queer As Folk favorite and Cagney & Lacey star Sharon Gless will be attending Chicago’s Gay Pride Weekend to promote the release of her highly-celebrated lesbian-themed feature film Hannah Free.  In addition to the DVD release party for Hannah Free, the Lesbian and Gay Police Association-Gay Officers Action League of Chicago will present Gless with the “Bridge to Unity” award.

Hannah Free was produced by Ripe Fruit Films, LLC in Chicago and was written by Claudia Allen.Wendy Jo Carlton directed the 86-minute film on a shoestring budget and an extremely tight deadline. The results were astounding.Hannah Free was shown at over 60 gay and lesbian film festivals across North America and was the recipient of the Best Feature Film award at Philadelphia's Q-Fest, Austin's Gay & Lesbian Film Fest and Montreal's International LGBT Film Festival.Wolfe video has signed on to distribute the film.

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The cast of Hannah Free includes: Sharon Gless, Maureen Gallagher, Kelli Strickland, Ann Hagemann, Taylor Miller and Jacqui Jackson.The captivating (and extremely realistic) story covers the entwining lives of two best friends in a small Midwestern town throughout their childhood, adulthood, and finally, their senior years.The heartbreaking and all-too-realistic film takes a dramatic turn when Hannah and Rachel reside in a nursing home where they are kept apart by family and medical workers because they are not “relatives”. Kelli Strickland stars as the younger Hannah while Gless takes over the role in her later years.Ann Hagemann shines as the formative Rachel while Maureen Gallagher represents Rachel opposite Gless’ Hannah.

The DVD release party for Hannah Free will take place from 12:00pm – 2:00pm on Saturday, June 26, 2010 at the Palmer House Hilton in downtown Chicago (17 E. Monroe Street).Tickets are for sale to the public for $50.00 and include a copy of the DVD, hors d’oeuvres, a chance to meet the cast and crew as well as a copy of the new Hannah Free novel from Bella Books.Lambda Legal client Janice Langbehn will be at the gala as a special guest.  You may recall Janice as the woman who was separated from her partner as she lay lying at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Florida.Janice’ fight caught the attention of President Obama and helped to push for more national equal rights for gay and lesbian partners.Tickets for the DVD release party can be purchased online here.  All tickets will be held at the door.

In addition to the DVD release party, Gless will be honored with the “Bridge to Unity” award by the Lesbian and Gay Police Association-Gay Officers Action League of Chicago.This public event will take place on Saturday, June 26, 2010 also at the Palmer House Hilton. The public can purchase tickets for $100. Tables of ten are available for $1,000. 

Also, if you are in town on Friday evening (June 25, 2010), playwright Claudia Allen will sign copies of her novel at Women & Children First Bookstore in downtown Chicago (5233 N. Clark).  There will be a reading from the original stage play and this event is free to the public. The event begins at 7:30pm.

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