Inflammatory material

Ryan Gilbey
Thursday 03 August 1995 23:02 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

When the supposed New Queer Cinema was trumpeted from the rooftops a few years back, how were we to know that it was just the latest in a procession of transparent and tenuous media inventions? We thought it was a good thing, right? Todd Haynes, Gregg Araki, Tom Kalin - whether or not you liked the films (and Swoon is a tough one to defend three years on), you couldn't have argued with what those pictures promised.

Meanwhile, Bruce LaBruce was loitering with intent on the touchlines. His feature debut, No Skin Off My Ass, wasn't seen by too many people but it was a winning, endearingly brash and grubby venture about a hairdresser who picks up a skinhead. It put LaBruce on the map, even if you did need a magnifying glass and compass to locate him there. With John Waters' ear for catty dialogue and Curt McDowell's eye for shooting sex, he was the choice of queers who didn't take themselves too seriously.

That film, and his equally inflammatory follow-up Super 8-and-a-half (right), are both featured in the London Film-maker's Co-op season, "Queer Cult". So too is a spot of Monika Treunt, a pinch of Andy Warhol, a smattering of Kenneth Anger. The LFMC are promoting the season as "a wild odyssey of cinematic mischief and transgression that crosses boundaries on the way to framing and re-framing a queer world". In other words: How To Be Queer And Still Have A Gas.

RYAN GILBEY

London Film-makers Co-op, 42 Gloucester Av, London NW1 (0171-586 8516) every Fri to 25 Aug

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in