THE INCREDIBLY TRUE ADVENTURES OF TWO GIRLS IN LOVE

Presented by Donnetta Lavinia Grays

(Maria Maggenti, 1995) Maria Maggenti’s beloved lesbian love story stars Laurel Holloman (“The L Word”) as a tomboy whose romance with well-off Nicole Ari Parker (BOOGIE NIGHTS) faces resistance from friends and family. Can their relationship survive? Or are the pressures too great? Acclaimed actress and playwright Donnetta Lavinia Grays fell for the film in college. She writes, “It captured the innocence of young love and self discovery, and the familial dynamics of opposing economic and cultural backgrounds really stood out. Most of my writing deals with this moment of discovery in young queer women and the definition of family, so the film has definitely stuck with me.” You won't want to miss this rare 35mm screening!

CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF

Presented by Moisés Kaufman

(Richard Brooks, 1958) A possibly gay man (Paul Newman) and his wife (Elizabeth Taylor), turn on each other during a visit to their family home in this high octane adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ monumental play. Though the play’s overt depiction of homosexuality was toned down, audiences read between the lines. Tony-nominated director and playwright Moisés Kaufman (The Laramie Project, Gross Indecency) saw the film in Venezuela at age 12. He writes, “Brick’s struggle with his sexuality echoed much of my own experience growing up gay in Latin America in the ’70s. And hearing Big Daddy address his son so bluntly, and so compassionately, created for me a concrete image of what was possible.”

DON'T BOTHER TO KNOCK

Presented by Louise Fishman

(Roy Ward Baker, 1951) After nude photos threatened to derail Marilyn Monroe’s burgeoning career, the starlet decided to take a series of dramatic roles to showcase her talent as an actress. This eerie, off-kilter psychological thriller meets film noir, in which Marilyn plays a very unusual babysitter working in an intrigue-filled NYC hotel, was one of her more successful efforts. To say more about the plot would spoil things, but our guest tonight, celebrated artist Louise Fishman, summed up the effect the film first had on her: “After seeing it at the tender age of 13, I fell in love with Marilyn and knew sexual passion for the first time.” A ringing endorsement if we ever heard one!

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WILDNESS

Presented by D'hana Perry

(Wu Tsang, 2012) During its heyday, Wu Tsang’s Wildness party was known as the most inspiring queer nightlife spot in L.A. But the influx of hipsters at times led to clashes with the bar’s main clientele - trans women from local immigrant communities. Tsang’s pulse-pounding doc chronicles Wildness’s complex effect on all the attendees, one of whom was video artist and Kunq Collective DJ D’hana Perry, who says, “The film itself is so beautiful and captures the complexities of inhabiting multiple layers and identities as human beings in physical space(s), over a period of time. The implications of gentrification, gender expression, age, and race are examined, all while creating a love letter to the legacy of a space that had become a home for those who needed it.”

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