cinéSPEAK’s annual free outdoor film festival Under the Stars is celebrating Pride Month with a pair of films exploring queer themes on Friday, June 6, 2025.
The film program includes the Philadelphia premiere of Sally, Cristina Costantini’s documentary feature about Sally Ride. Sally will be preceded by the documentary short Trans Heaven, Pennsylvania by Hansen Bursic, which chronicles the The Raven weekends (later known as Mid-Atlantic Transperience Weekends) parties in New Hope in the 2010s.
Sally, fresh from a festival run that included Sundance and SXSW, documents the incredible accomplishments of the first woman in space, as well as the secret life she led with her life partner Tam O’Shaughnessy. Costantini—an award-winning investigative journalist and director—skillfully balances the very public life of a NASA hero with the more personal story of her hushed love affair.
“Part of Sally’s life was well documented,” Costantini says, “And then there’s this other story, this love story that couldn’t be told at the time. There was no footage of that.”
Costantini gives us in-depth, personal interviews with O’Shaughnessy to fill in the gaps of Ride’s public narrative. O’Shaughnessy is a natural screen presence—warm, engaging,and forthright about the challenges of having a relationship with a closeted public figure—and Costantini calls her “a dream to work with.”
“You can see why she and Sally had such a beautiful romance and what incredible human beings they both are,” Costantini explains.
Sally also tells the story of the enormous changes at NASA in the 1970s. In a stunning flurry of images, we see headshots of every astronaut before Ride, a seemingly endless parade of similar-looking white men with similar-looking haircuts. Costantini ends this montage with Sally’s headshot, a striking contrast that only became possible due to NASA widening their search for qualified candidates in 1978 to include women and people of color. With the current administration’s demonization of diversity and equity programs, Sally has an urgency that was unexpected for Costantini when she was making the film.
“The film premiered around the time Trump took office,” she says. “And there have been a lot of worrisome changes at NASA that make the film feel more relevant than ever. I’ve heard that people have been told to take down any queer symbols at NASA, so they are taking down their Pride flags. Sally would be so disappointed at how NASA has changed in the last three months.”
Costantini says that Sally is the story of different types of bravery, contrasting the magazine cover heroism of Ride with the more intimate bravery of O’Shaughnessy, who had to wait until Ride’s death in 2012 to unveil their love story. “Riding a literal bomb into space is brave,” Costantini says. “But as an adult, I find Tam’s courage incredibly brave. To say ‘This is who I am. I’m not going to change who I am just so it’s convenient for you.’ She is a hero to me.” In a touching moment, we see O’Shaughnessy accept the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama on behalf of Ride.
Together, Ride and O’Shaughnessy founded Sally Ride Science, a thriving organization primarily dedicated to encouraging girls to pursue careers in STEM fields. Costantini believes that visibility of women and queer people in STEM is critically important. “I became obsessed with Sally at a young age,” she says, “If a girl could go to space, maybe I could go to space or do big things too.”
Sally is a must-see for anyone interested in the heyday of NASA, sexism in the space program, and the joys and trials of love in and out of the closet.
You also won’t want to miss Trans Heaven, Pennsylvania, which will screen before Sally. Director Hansen Bursic gives us an intimate glimpse at the Mid-Atlantic Transperience Weekends that were thrown at a now defunct gay bar in New Hope, PA called The Raven. Jennifer Bryant founded the parties and serves as our introduction to the fabulous ladies in the community. Like O’Shaughnessy, Bryant is a magnetic screen presence, overflowing with warmth and courage.
“Jennifer was the best,” Bursic says. “To be able to see the need for something that didn’t exist, then not only make that vision a reality but do it in a way that reached so many women, changed so many lives.”
Bursic’s film takes us behind the scenes of these parties, as Bryant and her friends turned The Raven into a magnet for trans people from all corners of the United States and even other countries; it was a safe space where they could connect with others on similar life journeys.
“I think our film is a testament to how vital chosen family is for trans and nonbinary folks,” Bursic says. “The reality is these events were more than just parties. They were information-sharing events about everything from how to do your hair…to how to keep safe.”
We witness these women posing for photos in glamorous outfits and makeup, excited to be themselves in a nurturing environment. Many of the women, including sports journalist Karleigh Webb, credit these weekends with being the first step to living their lives as their authentic selves. Watching these beautiful souls flourish with their friends is a heartwarming experience you won’t soon forget.
The directors of both films are thrilled to have their films featured at the Under the Stars Film Festival. Bursic says, “The Under the Stars program is the perfect place for my film to have its Philly premiere. I couldn’t have dreamed up a better situation for us.” Bursic will be attending the screening in person, visiting his home state of Pennsylvania for the occasion.
On screening at the festival, Costantini says, “I think it’s really special that you will be able to enjoy Sally under the stars. Sally was an astrophysicist and obsessed with the stars so I think she would think it’s really cool.”
The evening is not merely a film screening—it’s a celebration. A celebration of queer stories too long swept under the carpet, of the quiet courage of living one’s life authentically, of the simple radical joy of being seen.
Attend week three of Under the Stars on Friday, June 6, 2025 (rain date: Saturday, June 7) at sundown in Clark Park for the Philadelphia premieres of these two wonderful films. Admission to the screening is free, but you can register and get more information here.
*Featured Image: Still from Trans Heaven, Pennsylvania. Courtesy of Hansen Bursic.
M. Shane Jenkins is a writer and musician based in West Philadelphia. He has a BA in film from Temple University and is an advocate for disability and LGBTQ rights.
