About this Event
In this monthly film salon queer men from around the region will watch our favorite queer films together (with great snacks & beverages of course) and talk about how each film moves us and how they changed the world's understanding of the lives and loves of queer people. Watching & discussing great queer films is a great way to get to know your queer neighbors while exploring important queer films that many may have not seen or saw so long ago that you may have forgotten their importance.
THIS MONTH'S FILM: Maurice (1987): Based on E.M. Forster's novel, this lush Merchant Ivory production was groundbreaking for its time, telling the story of a gay man in Edwardian England who, unlike in most films of the era, gets a happy ending involving a hunky gardener. This film was one of the first mainstream, big budget films that portrayed the challenges, beauty, and importance of love between men in deeply homophobic Victorian England. By proving there was an audience for queer love stories, it paved the way for many other breakthrough queer films like Broke Back Mountain, The Birdcage, and Moonlight. The bravery of Merchant & Ivory in making this film paved the way for what would become an international movement by important directors to make queer cinema that showed queer people as real people deserving of love, respect, and full inclusion in popular culture.
WHAT TO BRING:
- Snacks & beverages to share with the group
- Your ideas about great queer films you would like the group to watch
- $10-$20 Tax-Deductible Donaton to support Q-MoB's efforts to provide more than 20 activities for rural queer men throughout the 8 counties in 4 states that make up the Greater Berkshire Region, unless you are low-income (in which case just donate what you can afford or nothing but your presence), are a Q-MoB Monthly Donor (who get to attend all Q-MoB events FREE, or this is the very first time you have come to a Q-MoB event, in which case be our guest.
ABOUT OUR HOST: Scott Barton chose this groundbreaking movie to inaugurate a queer film salon for QMoB. His late partner held a movie night in his New York City apartment for over ten years. To honor his memory and to strengthen community ties with my new Columbia County and Berkshires neighbors, I am hoping to establish that tradition here in a monthly format.
ABOUT THE QUEER MEN'S FILM SALON: Our film salon group will figure out which films we want to watch, and we'll certainly be considering important queer films that many of us may not have seen or want to see again like:
- God's Own Country (2017): Often described as a "British Brokeback Mountain," this raw and rugged film is loved for its unsentimental yet deeply romantic story of a lonely farmer who finds love with a Romanian migrant worker.
- Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (2022): American coming-of-age romantic drama film that follows two Mexican-American teenage boys: Aristotle "Ari" Mendoza, an introverted, somewhat angry teen grappling with family secrets, particularly concerning his brother in Pr*son and his father's unspoken war trauma, & Dante Quintana, an expressive, seemingly more confident boy with an unusual way of looking at the world.
- Heartstopper (2022) : a British coming-of-age story (originating as a graphic novel and webcomic by Alice Oseman, now a hit Netflix series) that follows the romance between two high school boys: Charlie Spring, an openly gay, overthinking "nerd," and Nick Nelson, the school's star rugby player. As their friendship blossoms into love, the story follows Nick's journey of discovering his bisexuality and the couple's navigation of school, friendship, and first love. Its importance to queer liberation stems from its radical departure from decades of queer storytelling, primarily by centering queer joy over queer trauma & exploring adolescent queer love in such a sensitive, beautiful, & inspiring way, while allowing its character to be real, flawed, and supportive of many kinds of diversity.
- The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), this road-trip comedy about three drag queens is a beloved cult classic, cherished for its camp, humor, and heart.
- My Beautiful Laundrette (1985): A seminal film of the "New Queer Cinema" movement, this British drama fearlessly tackled complex themes of race, class, and sexuality in Thatcher's London through the story of a young Pakistani-British man and his white, ex-skinhead boyfriend.
- Paris Is Burning (1990): This "landmark achievement in representation" is a crucial documentary that chronicles the Black, Latino, gay, and transgender ball culture of 1980s New York City. It is the origin point for much of the language and culture now common in the mainstream.
- The Birdcage (1996): An enormously popular and beloved mainstream comedy starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane as a gay couple who must "play it straight" for their son's conservative future in-laws. It remains a classic for its wit and warmth.
- Beautiful Thing (1996): A sweet, uplifting, and optimistic British film about two working-class teenage boys who fall in love on a London housing estate. It's a perennial favorite for its hopeful and heartwarming tone.
- Moonlight (2016): A historic Best Picture Oscar winner, this film is revered for its stunning artistry and its deeply moving, three-part story of a young Black man, Chiron, grappling with his identity and sexuality
OR : Please donate $10-$20 to help assure Q-MoB can continue to offer more than 20 activities & multiple resources & services to rural queer men all over the region. If you attend 2 or more Q-MoB events/month, please consider becoming a monthly sustaining donor member. By donating $25, $50, $75, or $100/month you can help to sustain the incredible variety of activities, services, and resources Q-MoB provides and assure all of these activities are accessible to men regardless of their age, income, or ability, and best of all you can avoid having to donate at each and every event you attend. Monthly Sustaining Members pay only once a month and then can attend all our activities with no further donation.
REACHING US DAY OF EVENT: If you have trouble finding us, will be late, or need to cancel last minute, please call/text the Host (his email will be in your confirmation email).
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
115 White Bridge Rd, 115 White Bridge Road, Old Chatham, United States
USD 0.00
