Seminal Gay Film At Northwest Film Forum This Month!

Heh, heh…seminal. Yes, it truly is!

Acclaimed gay filmmaker FRED HALSTED’S groundbreaking work of erotic cinematic art L.A. PLAYS ITSELF will screen at Northwest Film Forum on Capitol Hill during Seattle Pride Week. The 1972 film isn’t your standard gay porn film…it’s about more than just “getting off”. Halsted had messages he wanted to get across with the film and many of those messages were about sexuality and desire but also about urbanization and class struggle. It’s also pretty strong meat including what Halsted claimed was the first fisting scene in film. For those interested in queer cinematic history and very frank depictions of male on male sexuality, it’s a rare opportunity to check out this film on a big screen.

https://nwfilmforum.org/films/la-plays-itself-in-person-only

MORE:

FRED HALSTED’S HOMOSEXUAL FILM – NOW IN 4K 

One of the most transgressive queer filmmakers of the 20th century, Fred Halsted pushed all-male filmmaking in new directions with his debut feature LA Plays Itself. A leather-clad persona of his own making (and he certainly made quite the reputation for himself), Halsted was a sadistic filmmaker that struck fear and desire in all he met, becoming a historic openly gay sex symbol.

The rough-around-the-edges West Coast answer to Wakefield Poole’s Boys In The Sand (1971), LA Plays Itself is a take on eroticism and sexuality grounded in a single belief: we are all a part of an S&M relationship in some way. From the idyllic and pastoral tryst that opens the film into the dark and dirty corners of Los Angeles, Halsted takes viewers through a version of LA few were able to at the time. Be warned, taboos will be broken and your eyes will be opened wider than they have before.

“New information for me” – Salvador Dalí

Must be 18 years or older for admission. ID required for entry.

Fri Jun 20: 7.30pm PDT

Sat Jun 21: 4.30pm PDT, 7.30pm PDT

Sun Jun 22: 4.30pm PDT, 7.30pm PDT

Thu Jun 26: 7.00pm PDT