Only in LA
Screenings & Events
Festivals, Special Guests, Retrospectives and more "one night only" queer cinema screenings.
Dec
20
December
20
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December
20
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7:00 pm
Auntie Mame
Egyptian Theatre
If you know a gay man over 50, you've probably heard this film quoted endlessly. "Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death!" is one of many pearls of wisdom from Rosiland Russell as Mame, a progressive woman of the 1920s who takes in her orphaned nephew.
Mame Dennis, a progressive and independent woman of the 1920s, is left to care for her nephew Patrick after his wealthy father dies. Conflict ensues when the executor of the father's estate objects to the aunt's lifestyle and tries to force her to send Patrick to prep school.
Dec
19
December
19
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December
19
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10:00 pm
Rent
Los Feliz 3
This rock opera tells the story of one year in the life of a group of bohemians struggling in late 1980s East Village, New York, USA. The film centers around Mark and Roger, two roommates. While a tragedy has made Roger numb to new experiences, Mark begins capturing their world through his attempts to make a personal movie. In the year that follows, they and their friends deal with love, loss, and working together.
Dec
18
December
18
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December
18
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10:00 pm
Tangerine
Los Feliz 3
A new queer Christmas classic, Tangerine follows trans workers Sin-Dee and Alexandra on a holiday odyssey across Los Angeles. Shot on a micro budget on three iPhones, Tangerine is a triumph of scrappy indie can-do--that led to Gotham and Spirit awards for co-star Mya Taylor.
It's Christmas Eve in Tinseltown and Sin-Dee is back on the block. Upon hearing that her pimp boyfriend hasn't been faithful during the 28 days she was locked up, the working girl and her best friend, Alexandra, embark on a mission to get to the bottom of the scandalous rumor. Their rip-roaring odyssey leads them through various subcultures of Los Angeles, including an Armenian family dealing with their own repercussions of infidelity.
Dec
18
December
18
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December
18
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7:30 pm
Happiest Season
Writer/director Clea DuVall
Vidiots Eagle Theater
A young woman’s plans to propose to her girlfriend while at her family’s annual holiday party are upended when she discovers her partner hasn’t yet come out to her conservative parents.
Dec
18
December
18
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December
18
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7:00 pm
Ashik Kerib
Los Feliz 3
Bisexual Soviet film director Sergei Parajanov was jailed for his art, his sexuality, and his support of nationalist movements within the USSR. None of his films are explicitly Queer by modern standards, but they play with gender, kitsch, and folklore in beautiful ways.
Wandering minstrel Ashik Kerib falls in love with a rich merchant’s daughter, but is spurned by her father and forced to roam the world for a thousand and one nights. Now presumed dead by those he loves, he performs for the poor and unfortunate on his journeys through the wilderness. Parajanov’s visually ravishing ‘tableaux vivants’ tell Lermontov’s romantic tale while Turkish and Azerbaijani folk songs transport us into its mystical landscapes.
Dec
18
December
18
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December
18
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7:00 pm
The First Underground Movie Star: Taylor Mead at 100
Philosophical Research Society
Poet, actor, filmmaker and traveler, Taylor Mead was a fixture of postwar America’s art and counterculture scenes, gleefully bridging the Beat movement and New York’s downtown scene. An uninhibited screen comedian and queer icon, Mead’s centennial will be celebrated tonight.
Dec
16
December
16
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December
16
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8:00 pm
Pumping Iron II: The Women
Programmer Elizabeth Purchell
Brain Dead Studios
Presented from a rare archival 35mm print provided by the University of North Carolina School of the Arts featuring music by Grace Jones, The Art of Noise, by historian, programmer and filmmaker Elizabeth Purchell (in person) and Hollywood Entertainment.
PUMPING IRON II: THE WOMEN, a film that is changing the way the world views the female physique-creating “a new definition of the female form.” Join four women as they prepare for the 1983 Caesars Palace World Cup Championship: the sultry and curvaceous Rachel McLish, the current champion; the super-muscular Bev Francis, Rachel’s toughest competition; and newcomers Lori Bowen and Carla Dunlap.
Dec
16
December
16
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December
16
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8:00 pm
NSFW Film Festival
Queer Sex Positive Short Films
AKBAR
NSFW Film Fest is dedicated to screening queer films that would normally be excluded by mainstream outlets because of sexual content. Join Queer Planet for their fifth annual screening of these sexy, daring, and creative short films at Akbar!
Dec
16
December
16
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December
16
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4:00 pm
Paris, 13th District
Egyptian Theatre
This story of criss-crossing romances in a Paris apartment building was co-written by lesbian auteur Céline Sciamma (Tomboy, Portrait of a Lady on Fire) and co-stars Noémie Merlant (Portrait of a Lady on Fire).
Émilie meets Camille who is attracted to Nora, who crosses paths with Amber. Three girls and a boy – They’re friends, sometimes lovers and often both.
Dec
15
December
15
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December
15
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10:00 pm
Female Trouble
Los Feliz 3
The life and times of Dawn Davenport, showing her progression from bratty schoolgirl to crazed mass murderer - all of which stems from her parents' refusal to buy her cha-cha heels for Christmas.
Dec
15
December
15
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December
15
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8:00 pm
My Own Private Idaho
Brain Dead Studios
In this loose adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Henry IV,” Mike Waters is a hustler afflicted with narcolepsy. Scott Favor is the rebellious son of a mayor. Together, the two travel from Portland, Oregon to Idaho and finally to the coast of Italy in a quest to find Mike’s estranged mother. Along the way they turn tricks for money and drugs, eventually attracting the attention of a wealthy benefactor and sexual deviant.
Dec
15
December
15
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December
15
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8:00 pm
Jesus - Der Film
Director Michael Brynntrup
Academy Museum
An "cinematic burlesque" retelling of the story of Christ, shot by teams of East and West German underground filmmakers who didn't know what each other were shooting, all coordinated by and starring queer avant-garde Michael Brynntrup as Jesus.
The joint high mess of 80s German underground: An exercise in exquisite corps (and in some cases probably also automatic writing) for which artists from both nations shot episodes from the Good Book - not necessarily following the text too closely.
Dec
15
December
15
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December
15
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7:00 pm
The Flower on the Stone
Hammer Museum
Bisexual Soviet film director Sergei Parajanov was jailed for his art, his sexuality, and his support of nationalist movements within the USSR. None of his films are explicitly Queer by modern standards, but they play with gender, kitsch, and folklore in beautiful ways.
Set in a new mining town in the Donets Coal Basin, it centres on a clash between the young miners, the political establishment, and a religious cult lead by a devious Pentecostal evangelist infiltrated into the community who tries to make the workers fall under his influence.
Dec
15
December
15
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December
15
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4:30 pm
Querelle
Alamo Drafthouse
The final film made by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, this adaptation of the Jean Genet novel follows a sailor on leave in France as he simultaneously tries to cover up his involvement in a murder and embarks on a sexual odyssey of self-discovery.
A handsome Belgian sailor on shore leave in the port of Brest, who is also a drug-smuggler and murderer, embarks upon a voyage of highly charged and violent homosexual self-discovery that will change him forever from the man he once was.
Dec
15
December
15
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December
15
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11:00 am
The Wild Party
Restoration Premiere
Academy Museum
Dorothy Arzner was a successful Hollywood director when there were few women, and even fewer out lesbians, at the top of the profession. This new restoration of the pre-code gem was an early talkie, and the earliest surviving film by Arzner.
Wild girls at a college pay more attention to parties than their classes. But when one party girl, Stella Ames, goes too far at a local bar and gets in trouble, her professor has to rescue her. Gossip linking the two escalates until Stella proves she is decent by shielding an innocent girl and winning the professor’s respect.
Dec
14
December
14
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December
14
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11:55 pm
Tokyo Godfathers
New Beverly Cinema
On Christmas Eve, three homeless people living on the streets of Tokyo discover a newborn baby among the trash and set out to find its parents.
Dec
13
December
13
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December
13
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10:30 pm
A 16mm Queer Christmas Mystery Movie
Film programmer Elizabeth Purchell
Whammy Analog Media
This holiday season, join queer film historian and programmer Elizabeth Purchell, Hollywood Entertainment, and Whammy! for a screening of a queer Christmas classic so rare that we can’t even tell you its name.
Dec
13
December
13
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December
13
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7:30 pm
Ukrainian Rhapsody
Hammer Museum
Bisexual Soviet film director Sergei Parajanov was jailed for his art, his sexuality, and his support of nationalist movements within the USSR. None of his films are explicitly Queer by modern standards, but they play with gender, kitsch, and folklore in beautiful ways.
Singer Oksana has lost her beloved in the war. Everyone thinks he perished, but actually he was taken prisoner, then ran away, hid, fell into American hands, and… Finally, he returns to his village, and meets Oksana.
Dec
11
December
11
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December
11
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7:00 pm
The Legend of Suram Fortress
Los Feliz 3
Bisexual Soviet film director Sergei Parajanov was jailed for his art, his sexuality, and his support of nationalist movements within the USSR. None of his films are explicitly Queer by modern standards, but they play with gender, kitsch, and folklore in beautiful ways.
A film version of a well-known Georgian folk-tale. A young boy has to be immured into the walls of a fortress in order to stop it from crumbling to pieces.
Dec
11
December
11
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December
11
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7:00 pm
Emilia Pérez
Writer/director Jacques Audiard
Egyptian Theatre
Karla Sofía Gascón became the first Trans actor to win a major prize at Cannes, thanks to this extravagant musical about a Mexican drug lord who hires a lawyer to help stage her death and flee the country, in order to transition and live her true life abroad.
Rita, an underrated lawyer working for a large law firm more interested in getting criminals out of jail than bringing them to justice, is hired by the leader of a criminal organization.
Dec
9
December
9
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December
9
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7:30 pm
Emilia Pérez
Writer/director Jacques Audiard
Aero Theater
Karla Sofía Gascón became the first Trans actor to win a major prize at Cannes, thanks to this extravagant musical about a Mexican drug lord who hires a lawyer to help stage her death and flee the country, in order to transition and live her true life abroad.
Rita, an underrated lawyer working for a large law firm more interested in getting criminals out of jail than bringing them to justice, is hired by the leader of a criminal organization.
Dec
9
December
9
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December
9
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7:00 pm
Safe
with Carol
Director Todd Haynes
Egyptian Theatre
Carol, a typical upper middle-class housewife, begins to complain of vague symptoms of illness. She “doesn’t feel right,” has unexplained headaches, congestion, a dry cough, nosebleeds, vomiting, and trouble breathing. Her family doctor treats her concerns dismissively and suggests a psychiatrist. Eventually, an allergist tells her that she has Environmental Illness.
Dec
9
December
9
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December
9
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7:00 pm
The Birdcage
Culver Theater
A gay cabaret owner and his drag queen companion agree to put up a false straight front so that their son can introduce them to his fiancé’s conservative moralistic parents.
Dec
8
December
8
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December
8
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7:30 pm
Imitation of Life
Academy Museum
The 1950s domestic melodramas of Douglas Sirk have gone on to inspire generations of Queer filmmakers: Todd Haynes, John Waters, Almodóvar, Fassbinder and more have all cited his influence on their work. This now-classic about a mixed-race woman coming of age is one of his best.
Dec
8
December
8
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December
8
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7:00 pm
Andriesh // The First Lad
with The First Lad
Hammer Museum
Bisexual Soviet film director Sergei Parajanov was jailed for his art, his sexuality, and his support of nationalist movements within the USSR. None of his films are explicitly Queer by modern standards, but they play with gender, kitsch, and folklore in beautiful ways.
An adaptation of a fairy tale by Moldovan writer Emilian Bukov.
Dec
8
December
8
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December
8
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4:00 pm
Elton John: Never Too Late
Director R.J. Cutler
Aero Theater
Sir Elton John looks back on his life and the astonishing early days of his 50-year career in this emotionally charged, full-circle journey. As he prepares for his final concert in North America at Dodger Stadium, Elton takes us back in time and recounts his struggles with adversity, abuse, and addiction, and how he overcame them to become the icon he is today.
Dec
8
December
8
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December
8
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2:00 pm
Spartacus
Vidiots Eagle Theater
The restored version of Spartacus contains a homoerotic bath scene cut by censors, in which Laurence Olivier's villainous emperor confirms he is bisexual. This censorship, featured in The Celluloid Closet, was emblematic of the studio environment at the time.
The rebellious Thracian Spartacus, born and raised a slave, is sold to Gladiator trainer Batiatus. After weeks of being trained to kill for the arena, Spartacus turns on his owners and leads the other slaves in rebellion. As the rebels move from town to town, their numbers swell as escaped slaves join their ranks. Under the leadership of Spartacus, they make their way to southern Italy, where they will cross the sea and return to their homes.
Dec
8
December
8
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December
8
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12:30 pm
Queer Filmmaking Tomorrow Panel
Sherman Oaks Film Festival
Daniel Talbott, Eve Lindley, Sav Rodgers, and more!
LOOK Dine-In Glendale
Queer filmmakers take on their questions, plans, schemes, and dreams for the future of cinema. A free discussion with Queer filmmakers!
Dec
7
December
7
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December
7
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9:45 pm
Sleepaway Camp
Authors BJ & Harmony Colangelo
Vidiots Eagle Theater
Equally as memorable as it is problematic, Sleepaway Camp is an iconic 80s slasher with a complicated place in queer horror representation and history. The screening will be introduced by BJ & Harmony Colangelo, authors of the critical text SLEEPAWAY CAMP from DieDieBooks.
After a terrible boating accident, Angela Baker is sent to Camp Arawak, where a series of bizarre and violent “accidents” begin to claim the lives of various campers.
Dec
7
December
7
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December
7
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7:30 pm
Parajanov: The Last Spring
Hammer Museum
Bisexual Soviet film director Sergei Parajanov was jailed for his art, his sexuality, and his support of nationalist movements within the USSR. None of his films are explicitly Queer by modern standards, but they play with gender, kitsch, and folklore in beautiful ways.
Made in wartime and edited in candlelight, Vartanov’s rarely-seen masterpiece tells about his friendship with the genius Parajanov who was imprisoned by KGB “at the height of his fame ”. Vartanov resurrects the riveting scenes from his banned 1969 film The Color of Armenian Land, where Paradjanov concocts the chef-d’oeuvre The Color of Pomegranates - widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time - then reveals the shocking request Parajanov sent him in unpublished 1974 letters from Ukrainian prisons.
Dec
7
December
7
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December
7
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4:15 pm
Rope
Film writer Alonso Duralde
Vidiots Eagle Theater
Is this the original "be gay do crimes" movie? Though heavily censored, this one-take Hitchcock thriller (from out screenwriter Arthur Laurents) is based off the real-life Leopold and Loeb case, where two gay students killed a boy just to see if they could get away with it.
Two men attempt to prove they committed the perfect crime by hosting a dinner party after strangling their former classmate to death.
Dec
7
December
7
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December
7
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3:30 pm
The Little Mermaid
Los Feliz 3
This Disney classic, about a mermaid who dreams of being human, was co-written by out lyricist Howard Ashman. Ashman was openly gay during his career in the Disney Renaissance, and died of complications of AIDS while Beauty and the Beast was still in production.
This colorful adventure tells the story of an impetuous mermaid princess named Ariel who falls in love with the very human Prince Eric and puts everything on the line for the chance to be with him. Memorable songs and characters -- including the villainous sea witch Ursula.
Dec
7
December
7
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December
7
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12:00 pm
The Young Girls of Rochefort
Egyptian Theatre
Though married to Agnes Varda for most of this life, French New Wave icon Jacques Demy was bisexual and died of AIDS-related complications in 1990. He is best known for his sunny musicals of the 1960s, where his voice shines through with romantic optimism.
Delphine and Solange are two sisters living in Rochefort. Delphine is a dancing teacher and Solange composes and teaches the piano. Maxence is a poetand a painter. He is doing his military service. Simon owns a music shop, he left Paris one month ago to come back where he fell in love 10 years ago. They are looking for love, looking for each other, without being aware that their ideal partner is very close…
Dec
6
December
6
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December
6
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9:30 pm
Female Trouble
Alamo Drafthouse
The life and times of Dawn Davenport, showing her progression from bratty schoolgirl to crazed mass murderer - all of which stems from her parents' refusal to buy her cha-cha heels for Christmas.
Dec
6
December
6
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December
6
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7:30 pm
The Tree House
Hammer Museum
Before he made this year's erotic gay drama Viet & Nam, queer director Minh Quy Truong made The Tree House, a science fiction documentary hybrid about a future astronaut seeking the memories of the people of Vietnam. The Tree House played Locarno and Rotterdam.
Dec
5
December
5
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December
5
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7:30 pm
By Hook or By Crook
Restoration Premiere
Filmmakers Harry Dodge, Silas Howard, and Steak House
Academy Museum
This ahead-of-its-time low-fi "butch and trans buddy film" about trans friendship and petty crimes, which won numerous jury and audience awards during finally gets its due with a new restoration.
Shy is a transgender man who leaves his small town after the death of his father, and heads to the big city to live a life of crime. Along the way, he encounters Valentine, a quirky adoptee, in search of his birth mother. An immediate kinship is sparked between these men and they become partners in crime.
Dec
4
December
4
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December
4
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10:00 pm
Little Shop of Horrors
Los Feliz 3
This musical classic, about a carnivorous plant and its meek owner, was co-written by out lyricist Howard Ashman. Ashman was openly gay during his career in the Disney Renaissance, and died of complications of AIDS while Beauty and the Beast was still in production.
Seymour Krelborn is a nerdy orphan working at Mushnik’s, a flower shop in urban Skid Row. He harbors a crush on fellow co-worker Audrey Fulquard, and is berated by Mr. Mushnik daily. One day Seymour finds a very mysterious unidentified plant which he calls Audrey II. The plant seems to have a craving for blood and soon begins to sing for his supper.
Dec
4
December
4
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December
4
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8:00 pm
Orpheus
Whammy Analog Media
This surrealist, dreamlike interpretation of the Orpheus myth, with pioneering special effects, was directed by bisexual writer/filmmaker/critic Jean Cocteau, and stars his lover, French superstar Jean Marais.
A poet in love with Death follows his unhappy wife into the underworld.
Dec
4
December
4
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December
4
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7:30 pm
The Holiday Club
Writer/Director/Star Alexandra Swarens
Laemmle NoHo 7
Sam hates the holidays. Bailey loves the holidays. On a lonely Valentine’s Day the two meet-cute, quickly bond, and become friends. With every passing holiday Sam and Bailey spend together, they fall further in love with each other.