Slanted Lens Pride Edition: The Films of the Gay Girls Riding Club

Slanted Lens is a queer film series dedicated to showcasing avant-garde and cult classic works of filmmakers from the past and present. From the cinema of Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Chantal Akerman, and Kenneth Anger to emerging underground filmmakers from around the world, queer film emerged from the fringes of society. Slanted Lens celebrates queer culture and art from these margins. The Series is programmed and hosted by San Francisco filmmaker and film series producer Val Castro, who studied at The San Francisco Art Institute under the legendary underground queer filmmaker and artist Mike Kuchar.

Spearheaded by filmmaker Ray Harrison, the Gay Girls Riding Club (GGRC)* took California’s 1960s underground gay scene by storm with drag spoofs of classic Hollywood films. ALL ABOUT ALICE (1972), the GGRC’s feature-length roast of ALL ABOUT EVE, these pioneering DIY movies are essential snapshots of mid-century drag culture that would feel right at home with the dreamy work of Mike and George Kuchar. AGFA, in partnership with the Outfest UCLA Legacy Project, is thrilled to present these overlooked chapters of queer cinema — preserved from the only known 16mm film elements in existence. THE ROMAN SPRINGS ON MRS. STONE (1963) will also be screened.  The Roman Springs on Mrs. Stone is a queer spoof of the 1961 film, written by Tennessee Williams and starring Vivien Leigh and Warren Beatty. USA, Dir. Ray Harrison, (1963)

Slanted Lens is celebrating Pride with a MOVIE PARTY!  As you enter the theatre, you will be given your own personal party bag with a Slanted Lens Film Series collectable and interactive props.  There will be trivia and prizes after the film.

*FILMS OF THE GAY GIRLS RIDING CLUB

Restorations courtesy of the American Genre Film Archive, UCLA Film & TV Archive and The Outfest Legacy Project