IL ÉTAIT UNE FOIS DANS L’EST
1974. Canada. 101 min. Directed by André Brassard. DCP!

A masterpiece of Quebec and Queer World Cinema, Andre Brassard’s extraordinary comedic-drama weaves together in Altman-esque fashion a diverse group of characters enmeshed in 1970s Montreal’s queer nightlife, including drag queens, lesbian couples and more. Based on the plays of Michel Tremblay, Il était… has been compared to The Boys in the Band, La Cage aux Folles and Outrageous! but with a more gritty, social realist edge. Canadian queer film critic Thomas Waugh also calls the film “a pioneering manifesto of queer desire...as cruel and exhilarating, loud and tender, as when it was released.” Il était... has almost never been screened in New York since it premiered at MOMA in 1975, so we’re especially thrilled to partner with Queer Media Database Canada-Québec to present a brand-new restoration you won't want to miss.