As part of the Belcourt’s ongoing mission to speak to communities whose achievements and creative voices have not received the attention they deserve, the Queer Qlassics series was developed to explore the history of queer cinema by focusing on a different thematic constant each year. 2023 marks our third edition.
The first year of Queer Qlassics dealt with primary source materials — documents from throughout the many facets of the queer experience. In the second year, we turned our focus to transformative narratives that explored the depiction of the queer experience from the outside looking in, detailing the points at which representation can become something new and unexpected. So for year three, in the face of the ceaseless assault on LGBTQIA+ rights from legislatures unconcerned with defending the rights of all their constituents, we’ve decided to take a more militant tone.
Too long an easy scapegoat for shortsighted absolutists and those unwilling to examine their own house, the LGBTQIA+ community has been dealing with bullies, homophobes and people who hate that which is festive for centuries. But the recent spate of legislation designed to dehumanize trans people and drag artists is ramping up antagonism to a level that not only unmakes the social contract, but also has lifelong Tennesseans assembling exit strategies to more hospitable and less autocratic states. So this year’s offerings serve as a marble fist clad in a velvet glove.
We present these films as an illustration of community and kindness — and cinematic achievement — and an unblinking gaze into the white hot hate so easily focused on The Other.