A chronological look at films by, for, or about gays and lesbians in the United States, from 1947 to 2005, Kenneth Anger's "Fireworks" to "Brokeback Mountain". Talking heads, anchored by critic and scholar B. Ruby Rich, are interspersed with an advancing timeline and with clips from two dozen films. The narrative groups the pictures around various firsts, movements, and triumphs: experimental films, indie films, sex on screen, outlaw culture and bad guys, lesbian lovers, films about AIDS and dying, emergence of romantic comedy, transgender films, films about diversity and various cultures, documentaries and then mainstream Hollywood drama. What might come next?
Production
Incredible clip licensing spanning 60 years of guarded archives.
Writing
B. Ruby Rich's anchoring narration — scholarly but never dry.
Editing
Smart chronological structure that builds emotional momentum.
Director
Lesli Klainberg
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Released right before queer cinema's mainstream explosion — 'Moonlight,' 'Call Me By Your Name,' and 'Tangerine' were just around the corner, making its 'what's next?' oddly prescient.
Kenneth Anger's 'Fireworks' (1947) opening the doc was made when he was 17 and became a landmark obscenity case — the film itself was once literally illegal to possess.
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