A Bay Area filmmaker is immortalizing one of the region’s’ raunchiest and most cherished traditions in a new documentary premiering at Frameline’s 50th San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival.
The Hunky Jesus competition has become a uniquely San Francisco Easter Sunday tradition, drawing thousands to Dolores Park each year, where costumed contestants perform for a crowd who comes to watch the spectacle in all its glory.
Organized by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the San Francisco-founded drag and activist group whose members perform in elaborate nun-inspired personas, the irreverent event has been around since the mid-1990s, with the complementary Foxy Mary contest added years later. Its decadeslong history is now chronicled in Jennifer M. Kroot’s new documentary, “Hunky Jesus,” set to premiere at the Castro Theatre on Friday, June 26.
As LGBTQ+ rights remain under political attack by the Trump administration, and San Francisco continues to recover from its pandemic-era downturn, Kroot says her goal is simply to shine a light on the positive.
Sister Tilda Nexttime of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence as a rabbit at Dolores Park in San Francisco for the annual Hunky Jesus contest in 2024. (Manuel Orbegozo/For the S.F. Chronicle)
“San Francisco has had some bad press in recent times, (including) the doom spiral narrative, and I think a lot of us are very tired of that,” Kroot told the Chronicle. “I just want to show that there still is this spirit, this performance-activist spirit that the Sisters continue to carry on for us.”
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Frameline presents “Hunky Jesus”: 6 p.m. Friday, June 26. Tickets start at $30. Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street, S.F. www.frameline.org
The Berkeley native describes the event as “a colorful, joyous blur.” Though it’s often dominated by shirtless men, Hunky Jesus is open to everyone and often sees all types of DIY costumes, from the pop culture-inspired to the more biblically accurate.
Kroot says “Hunky Jesus” has been three years in the making, though she’s been interested in the subject for more than a decade. But the timing of the release during Pride 2026, following the 2020 presidential election and its fallout, feels especially meaningful.
“It really does seem like people need to find joy,” she said. “The Sisters are civil rights leaders. Everybody should know who they are.”
That blend of joy and activism is also what resonates with Frameline Executive Director Allegra Madsen, who sees it as central to the Sisters’ enduring appeal.
“The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence remind us to embrace the camp, the absurdity, and the joy of queerness – this sense that we can demand radical change, we can be revolutionary activists, and we can have a good goddamn time fighting alongside each other,” Madsen said.
Kroot’s 85-minute documentary weaves together footage from the 2023 Hunky Jesus competition with archival clips from the event’s early days, alongside interviews with Sisters to highlight the group’s broader mission. It captures the comical absurdity of Hunky Jesus costumes and the deeper historical significance of creating a queer safe space adjacent to religion.
Thousands in costumes or dressed for spring fill Dolores Park to watch the Hunky Jesus contest on Easter Sunday on April 5. (Camille Cohen/For the S.F. Chronicle)
“What surprised me was to find out that so many of the Sisters are religious or have faith and belief in their lives,” Kroot said. “I thought they’d all be pagan. … They’re all united together with their vision of overcoming guilt with joy. That’s their core message.”
At one point, the film touches on the trauma that some queer people have experienced, noting that many have been berated or rejected by the church because of their identity. In that context, Kroot hopes the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and their story can help empower those individuals to reclaim their faith, if they choose to do so.
Many Hunky Jesus contestants have praised the Sisters for this, particularly applauding how they use their comedy to create safe queer spaces.
“Religion takes itself a little too serious, so we’re taking some of that seriousness away from it,” said Oakland resident Daniel Imani, whose “Cheez-Its” Christ costume, adorned with real snack boxes, got him to the final round of this year’s competition, though he was narrowly beat out by San Francisco resident Miguel Velez’s “Renewable Energy Jesus.”
Trans Jesus gets a hormone therapy injection onstage at the Hunky Jesus contest at Dolores Park in San Francisco on April 5. (Camille Cohen/For the S.F. Chronicle)
Still, not everyone sees the Sisters’ work in the same light.
While the Sisters have spent decades raising money for local organizations such as the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, the Oakland LGBTQ+ Center and the National AIDS Memorial Grove, they have been criticized by some conservative politicians and faith groups who have found their use of religious imagery offensive.
“We are not any of the things that people can say about us,” said Sister Hera Sees Candy, who currently serves as the administrative leader, also known as the Abbess. “We’re not out here trying to make fun of Christianity; we’re not out here trying to make fun of Catholicism. That is a look that we drew inspiration from, but we’re actually out here serving our community.”
Sister Hera admits she was initially nervous about the “Hunky Jesus” documentary due to the negative media attention the group has faced in recent years. In 2023, several conservative religious groups protested the state Legislature’s plans to honor Sister Roma during Pride month, and the Los Angeles Dodgers disinvited – then reinvited – the Sisters to appear at the team’s Pride night amid similar backlash.
Sister Candy Cide blows bubbles at Dolores Park during the annual Easter celebration that includes the Hunky Jesus contest. The documentary “Hunky Jesus” captures this San Francisco tradition and the drag activists behind it. (Kevin Johnson/S.F. Chronicle)
But the Sisters are ultimately thankful for the care with which Kroot crafted their story.
“It’s kind of like the documentary that we’ve always wanted for the Sisters,” said Sister Hera. “I hope people come away understanding that we do genuine good in the world.”
Echoing that sentiment, Kroot – who still recalls attending her first Hunky Jesus competition in the early 2000s – hopes the film encourages viewers to be bold and creative in how they express themselves in the face of systemic oppression.
“There is hope at this time,” she said. “You can get up and use your First Amendment rights to have a Hunky Jesus contest or a Foxy Mary contest. … I wish people would do more insane antics like that.”
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This article originally published at ‘Hunky Jesus’ documentary chronicles San Francisco’s raunchiest Easter tradition.