The Philadelphia Film Society is celebrating Pride month by featuring a “Queer Cinema Now” program with five LGBT film screenings throughout June at the PFS Theater at the Roxy.
PFS education and programs director Allison Koehler and artistic director Michael Lerman curated the series, which is part of the film society’s initiative, launched earlier this year, to “curate diverse programming,” Koehler said in a recent phone interview.
The Queer Cinema Now program worked well with the calendar, and the Roxy’s mission — “Our home, your theater” — Koehler noted.
“As curators, we wanted programming that speaks to and reaches everyone in our community,” she said.
As such, there were several new films Koehler and Lerman wanted to feature that fit with LGBT Pride.
“We saw so much great queer cinema at the Toronto and Sundance film festivals that we wanted to showcase it,” Koehler explained, about developing a program that focused on contemporary independent American and international queer cinema.
The first title, “Cut Snake,” screened June 2. The Australian drama about an ex-con (Sullivan Stapleton) who seeks out an old cellmate (Alex Russell) only to encounter trouble involving criminal activity and a drag queen in a gay bar, is, Koehler described, “a really intense movie.”
Koehler included a more “fun and celebratory” Australian film for the June series, a 35-mm revival screening of the classic 1994 comedy “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” June 4, hosted by Brittany Lynn. The film chronicles two drag queens (Guy Pearce and Hugo Weaving) and a transsexual (the formidable Terence Stamp) on a trip through the outback.
“All of our programming is meant to be an extension of the fest, so some films (“Tangerine” on June 25) are beating a [July] theatrical release date to give audiences a sneak peek,” Koehler observed. Other films, like the aforementioned “Cut Snake” and “The Summer of Sangaile” (June 11), a Lithuanian lesbian romance, may be the only opportunities for Philadelphia audiences to see these films, which get extremely limited releases.
“We are committed to bringing films to the city, to present the best in world cinema,” Koehler said. “There are tons of art-house cinemas doing programming year-round. It’s not only LGBT cinema, but a lot of these films stay within the festival circuit. Organizations like the Roxy, with a year-round home, need that access. We want to attract an LGBT audience and show them something they wouldn’t have access to otherwise.”
The remainder of the Queer Cinema Now program includes:
“The Summer of Sangaile” (June 11). Lithuanian writer/director Alanté Kavaïté’s visually stunning drama is a coming-of-age romance about the vivacious Auste (Aiste Dirziute), who meets — and becomes besotted with — the shy, self-harming 17-year-old Sangaile (Julija Steponaityte) at a local air show. The young girls quickly develop an intense friendship, which begins with Sangaile modeling dresses Auste designs, and posing for photographs. Things soon turn erotic.
“Weekend” (June 18). Before he made “Looking,” Andrew Haigh wrote and directed this excellent, intimate 2011 gay romance, which invites viewers to eavesdrop on the budding relationship between Russell (Tom Cullen) and Glen (Chris New). Meeting at a club, the guys spend the night together and then the next day, and the next night and the next day … The screening is in 35-mm.
Closing out the program is Sean Baker’s funky comedy “Tangerine” (June 25; opening theatrically in Philly in July), about motor-mouthed transgender prostitute Sin-dee (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez), who finds out from her BFF, Alexandra (Mya Taylor), that her boyfriend, Chester (James Ransome), cheated on her while she was in jail. As Sin-dee wanders Los Angeles on Christmas Eve trying to find Chester, Alexandra tries to focus on her performance that night. Baker shot the entire film on a few iPhones.
“It’s been a strong year for LGBT cinema,” Koehler said. “We’re proud to showcase that and hope to do more than a one-off program, and include some LGBT films year-round. Finding first-run queer films to show has a lot to do with release date and if they are doing digital release at the same time. What we are testing with this program are films from the festival circuit. Hopefully everyone is as enthusiastic about them as we are and we can keep doing more programs like this.”
“Queer Cinema Now” unspools at the PFS Theater Roxy, 2023 Sansom St. The films on June 4, 11, 18 and 25 all start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for general admission, $9 for seniors and students and $8 for PFS members. For more information, call 267-639-9508 or visit www.filmadelphia.org.