UNDERGROUND & OUT IN LOS ANGELES: Queer Short Films from 60s & 70s LA
About this Event
As part of the Philosophical Research Society's YesterdayLA series, Queer Diaspora returns with 7th House to celebrate a vibrant yet often overlooked chapter of Los Angeles film history through a rare, exuberant program drawn from the pioneering years of the city's underground queer cinema.
Infused with the spirit of the era's burgeoning counterculture and working far beyond the boundaries of Hollywood, an underground community of queer artists, activists, students, and independent filmmakers found the freedom to turn their cameras toward pleasure, public space, mythology, silver screen fantasies, political liberation, and themselves—often using LA itself as their canvas. Bold, funny, sensuous, audacious, experimental, and wildly imaginative, these films chart the birth of a new cinematic movement in Los Angeles.
This evening's program reflects that movement's remarkable breadth. Among its most fearless pioneers was Pat Rocco, whose two films included here capture the audacity and ingenuity of Los Angeles' queer underground. Shot covertly in the so-called "Happiest Place on Earth" (and subsequently suppressed by the legal Mouseketeers), DISNEYLAND DISCOVERY (1969) follows two young men as they fall in love while holding hands, exchanging longing glances, and quietly reclaiming Disneyland as a space for queer romance. HOW TO SHOOT A NUDE ON THE FREEWAY (1969) documents Rocco and his crew's astonishing feat of shutting down the 101 Freeway during the morning rush to stage a nude dance performance, offering a gleeful glimpse into the mischievous resourcefulness behind Rocco's guerrilla productions.
Presented in a luminous 16mm print, SAPPHO (1971) finds pioneering lesbian filmmaker Barbara Hammer collaborating with six students at the Women's Building—Los Angeles' groundbreaking feminist arts center—to conjure the ancient Greek poet along the secluded coastline through layered superimpositions, communal performance, and embodied ritual, creating an earthy, dreamlike vision of lesbian mythology that feels at once ancient and utterly of its moment.
Before chronicling Los Angeles' punk underground in her utterly legendaryThe Decline of Western Civilization—and decades before partying on with Wayne's World—Penelope Spheeris turned her camera toward an intimate relationship unfolding at society's margins. Her UCLA thesis film HATS OFF TO HOLLYWOOD (1972) blurs the boundaries between documentary and fiction as genderfluid, transfeminine performer Jennifer Michaels and her cisgender lesbian partner Dana Reuben reenact episodes from their own lives, leading viewers on a tour of Los Angeles' queer underground while creating a candid, often hilarious portrait of a loving, bickering couple that gently upends assumptions about gender, desire, and queer experience.
Matt Spero's THE LIBERATION OF GRIFFITH PARK, OR A GAY TIME WAS HAD BY ALL (1971) captures Los Angeles' first "Gay-In," documenting the jubilant gathering as gays and lesbians came together in Griffith Park to celebrate themselves and one another in public. An invaluable record of a watershed moment in the city's queer history, Spero's camera captures the optimism, camaraderie, and sense of possibility that filled this unforgettable afternoon.
Perhaps the evening's greatest—and most gleeful—revelation is WHO IS RICHARD JAY SILVERTHORN, ANYWAY? (1979), a mind-blowing, kaleidoscopic USC thesis film (presented in a brand new 4k scan) by the titular artist Richard Jay Silverthorn (the artistic pseudonym of filmmaker, artist, and activist Marshall Goldman). Drawing freely from science fiction, Old Hollywood, animation, television, and camp, Silverthorn hurtles through a wildly imaginative world of androids, ancient Babylon, fairy tales, suburban living rooms, bizarre television broadcasts, and boundless cinematic invention with infectious wit, playfulness, and abandon.
From PRS's Griffith Park backyard to Disneyland, our campuses, our community arts spaces, and along the 101 Freeway to our sandy shores, this program reveals a city joyfully captured through queer eyes, celebrating an often hidden chapter of Los Angeles history.
Please note that this program contains nudity and is suitable for adult audiences only.
- WHO IS RICHARD JAY SILVERTHORN, ANYWAY?
Dir. Richard Jay Silverthorn, 1978, 12 mins, United States, English, Digital.
Courtesy of the USC School of Cinematic Arts
-THE LIBERATION OF GRIFFITH PARK, OR A GAY TIME WAS HAD BY ALL
Dir. Matt Spero, 1971, 12 mins, United States, English, Digital.
-DISNEYLAND DISCOVERY
Dir. Pat Rocco, 1969, 25 mins, United States, Digital.
Courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive
-SAPPHO
Dir. Barbara Hammer, 1979, 7 mins, United States, 16mm.
Special thanks to Canyon Cinema and Kat Shuchter
-HATS OFF TO HOLLYWOOD
Dir. Penelope Spheeris, 1972, 22 mins, United States, English, Digital.
-HOW TO SHOOT A NUDE ON THE FREEWAY
Dir. Pat Rocco, 1969, 5 mins, United States, English, Digital.
Tickets: $15 (All Screenings Are In Person Only)
Please email [email protected] or phone 323-663-2167 with any questions.
QUEER DIASPORA
Founded and hosted by filmmaker, Gregorio Davila, Queer Diaspora intends to showcase the rich history, culture and artistry of the international LGBT+ community, through screenings, live performances and exhibitions. All are welcome.
ADVISORY DISCLAIMER
With some exception, The Philosophical Research Society’s 7th House Screenings does not typically provide advisory warnings about potentially upsetting content or subject matter, as sensitivities are particular to each viewer. Please be sure to read event listings, research on the web, or visit Common Sense Media, IMDb, and DoesTheDogDie.com for thorough info on content and age-appropriateness. If you have any specific content advisory questions, please email [email protected].
CONTENT DISCLAIMER
The views, opinions, and thoughts expressed within exhibited works are solely those of their creators and may not represent those of the Philosophical Research Society (PRS), its affiliates, or any individuals associated with PRS. Screenings are intended for educational and entertainment purposes.
ACCESSIBILITY
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PARKING
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Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 17.85
