Saturday, October 5, 1:30pm; UNCSA’s ACE Theatre Complex
Director: Greta Schiller, Robert Rosenberg | USA | 1985 | 87 minutes | English
In 1969 the police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village, leading to three nights of rioting by the city’s gay community. With this outpouring of courage and unity the gay liberation movement had begun. Before Stonewall pries open the closet door, setting free the dramatic story of the sometimes horrifying public and private existences experienced by LGBT Americans since the early 1900’s. Revealing and often humorous, this widely acclaimed film relives the emotionally-charged sparking of today’s gay rights movement, from the events that led to the fevered 1969 riots to many other milestones in the brave fight for acceptance. Experience the fascinating and unforgettable, decade-by-decade history of homosexuality in America through eye-opening historical footage and amazing interviews with those who lived through an often brutal closeted history. Narrated by iconic author Rita Mae Brown. Groundbreaking interviews with Ann Bannon, Martin Duberman, Allen Ginsberg, Barbara Gittings, Harry Hay, Mabel Hampton, Dr. Evelyn Hooker, Frank Kameny, Audre Lorde, Richard Bruce Nugent, Jose Sarria and many more. About the restoration: The 16mm negative was scanned and digitized at Periscope Films in Los Angeles. The file was then color corrected at Edition Salzgeber in Berlin, who created the DCP. Director Greta Schiller supervised the process and approved the new DCP.In 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village, leading to three nights of rioting by the gay community. With this outpouring of courage and unity, the gay liberation movement began. Before Stonewall opens the closet door, uncovering the dramatic and sometimes horrifying public and private experiences of LGBT Americans since the early 1900s. Revealing and often humorous, fascinating and unforgettable, the film moves through decades of homosexuality in America, using historical footage and interviews with many who lived through an often brutal closeted history.