Suzanne Westenhoefer

With a fist full of credit cards, a lucky run at the horse track, and a title that called to mind a certain French film star, Franco Stevens launched the best-selling lesbian lifestyle magazine ever published, connecting her community in an unprecedented way. AHEAD OF THE CURVE is a new feature documentary about the extraordinary woman who started Curve magazine, and by doing so helped accelerate the political and social evolution of the nation.

What started as a way for some very business-savvy women innkeepers to extend the tourist season in P-Town (Provincetown, Massachusetts) in the fall in 1984 has now grown from a Women's Weekend into one of the premiere lesbian destinations known as Women’s Week. Without the luxury of social media or even email, the women hand-wrote letters to all their past guests, inviting them to come enjoy the beautiful autumn scenery—with a clambake and some local entertainment thrown in. Director Andrea Meyerson takes viewers on a fascinating 30-year journey, through archival footage and photos, interviews with celebrities and founders, and current events and performances, offering a historical—and hysterical—look at what a handful of innovative women can accomplish.