Pride on the big screen: Ragtag celebrates with three LGBTQ-forged films

Aarik Danielsen, Columbia Daily Tribune
·2 min read
The Wachowskis made their directorial debut with 1996's "Bound," a noir starring Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly to hatch a plan to steal millions from the Mob.
The Wachowskis made their directorial debut with 1996's "Bound," a noir starring Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly to hatch a plan to steal millions from the Mob.
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Mid-Missouri Pridefest takes place this weekend, hosting a number of events that underline the joy and affinity experienced in truly being who you are. Ragtag Cinema will celebrate along with Columbia's LGBTQ community, screening three films that share stories and a spirit resonant with Pridefest.

"Ragtag has long-championed Queer Cinema, offering audiences not just reminders of hard realities but visions of inspiration and liberation, as well as celebrations of transgression, escape, and camp," the venue's website says.

"As part of PrideFest this year, we offer three films: new cult classics, reclamations, and a modern rediscovery."

Those three films travel a stylistic and narrative spectrum. Here's the lineup for Ragtag's own PrideFest series:

10 p.m. Thursday: "Bound" (1996) 

The directorial debut from sibling filmmakers Lana and Lilly Wachowski ("The Matrix" series, "V for Vendetta") stars Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon as partners in crime — and love — set to rip off the Mob.

The late, great Roger Ebert called it "one of those movies that works you up, wrings you out and leaves you gasping. It's pure cinema, spread over several genres. It's a caper movie, a gangster movie, a sex movie and a slapstick comedy."

7:30 p.m. Friday: A free, 35mm screening of "Punks" (2000) 

Directed by Patrik-Ian Polk and produced by R&B legend Babyface, this film delves into the lives of Black gay friends in Los Angeles.

"This sparkling, rhythm-and-blues-driven romantic comedy is the story of four close-knit friends trying to find that mythical relationship that will finally make things right," Rotten Tomatoes says in its description.

10 p.m. Saturday: A 35mm screening of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" (2001) 

John Cameron Mitchell adapted, directed and starred in this big-screen version of the musical he wrote with Stephen Trask.

The story is pure rock 'n' roll: the title character, a singer living in divided Germany, chases love, experiences a gender transition, endures isolation and heartache, and harnesses music as a tool of rebellion. Mitchell's film won a number of festival awards and currently owns a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

For a look at the whole series, visit https://ragtagcinema.org/film-series/pridefest/.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: 'Bound,' 'Hedwig' and more: Ragtag celebrates Pride on-screen