Holding Back the Tide

Join us for the Maine premiere screening of Holding Back the Tide, with director Emily Packer. Lady Shuckers will be offering up oysters which can be pre-ordered at a special ticket price.

This impressionist hybrid documentary traces the oyster through its many life cycles in New York, once the world’s oyster capital. Now their specter haunts the city through queer characters embodying ancient myth, discovering the overlooked history and biology of the bivalve that built the city. As environmentalists restore them to the harbor, Holding Back The Tide looks to the oyster as a queer icon, entangled with nature, with much to teach about our continued survival.

“Sensuous, probing, militant...Part labor history, part environmental essay, part celebration of the profound and sexy weirdness of this creature... the film carves out a space for both activism and pleasure.” - Filmmaker Courtney Stephens

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

SPACE, 538 Congress St, Portland, United States