While we’re working on other things, we still want to get geared up for our next movie screening, taking place on April 21st. Because turn-out has been a little “hit-or-miss,” we want to take your pulse and see if there’s one movie or another that you’d rather see. We’ve got five movies on our poll, which we picked from a pool of movies we’ve got in our stable. We chose these movies because they cover a range of subjects. Have no fear, we have plenty more for our next screenings.
Here are the list of movies we’ve chosen from this round:
On the Downlow
‘On The Downlow’ is the explosive story of the relationship between Isaac and Angel, two young Latinos involved in a Southside Chicago gang. The decisions these men make and the paths they each take create a trap for them in a community where rules can’t be broken and secrets won’t be tolerated. With characters that defy stereotyping and a surprising tenderness, ‘On The Downlow’ is an unconventional look at life in the hood.
No Secret Anymore: The Times of Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon
San Francisco icons, Del and Phyllis are known as the founders of the modern lesbian civil rights movement. With incisive interviews, rare archival images and warmhearted humor, No Secret Anymore reveals their inspiring public work, as well as their charming private relationship. It is a delightful way to meet these legendary lesbians, known as the founders of the modern lesbian civil rights movement. When they courageously launched the Daughters of Bilitis in 1955, it became the first public organization for lesbians in America. No Secret Anymore follows them through six decades, tracing the emergence of lesbians from the fear of discovery to the expectation of equality.
The Celluloid Closet
Various men and women connected to the Hollywood industry comment on film clips and their own personal experiences with the treatment of LGBT characters in film. From the sissy characters, to the censorship of the Hollywood Production Code, the coded gay characters and cruel stereotypes to the progress made in the early 1990s. Vito Russo wanted his book to be transformed into a documentary film and helped out on the project until he died in 1990. Some critics of the documentary noted that it was less political than the book and ended on a more positive note. However, Russo had wanted the documentary to be entertaining and to reflect the positive changes that had occurred up to 1990.
The Laramie Project
Moisés Kaufman and members of New York’s Tectonic Theater Project went to Laramie, Wyoming after the murder of Matthew Shepard. This is a film version of the play they wrote based on more than 200 interviews they conducted in Laramie. It follows and in some cases re-enacts the chronology of Shepherd’s visit to a local bar, his kidnap and beating, the discovery of him tied to a fence, the vigil at the hospital, his death and funeral, and the trial of his killers. It mixes real news reports with actors portraying friends, family, cops, killers, and other Laramie residents in their own words. It concludes with a Laramie staging of “Angels in America” a year after Shephard’s death.
Soldier’s Girl
The true story of a young soldier beaten to death for falling in love with a transgendered nightclub performer.
