Sunday, June 09, 2019

Marlon Riggs: No Regrets

Marlon Riggs: No Regrets” shorts program/retrospective 💖
Thursday, June 27, 11:00 am, Castro Theatre

Anthem, dir. Marlon T. Riggs, 1991, USA, 9 min.💖
Affirmations, dir. Marlon T. Riggs, 1990, USA, 9 min. 💖
Non, je ne regrette rien (No Regret), dir. Marlon T. Riggs, 1992, USA, 38 min. 💖
The Creative Mind (excerpts), produced by KQED, 1991, USA, 10 min. ❓

This program is a retrospective on the work of Marlon Riggs (1957–1994), a groundbreaking artist who explored the intersection of race and sexuality, including in the revolutionary 1989 film Tongues Untied. Here we see three of his later works, defining a rich legacy far beyond his brief 37 years.

Anthem
Anthem is a series of poetry and spoken word perfor­mances around the theme of integrating the identities of being defiantly and proudly men, black, American, and gay. It’s a moving showcase for the authentic voices of members of our community refusing to be relegated to the margins. This film is an important part of our history, preserved by Frameline as a touchstone for the present and for the future. It features, among other per­for­mers, Essex Hemphill and Blackberri. Definitely an unqualified MUST SEE for all audiences. • IMDb


Affirmations
Affirmations combines interviews and documentary footage about the struggle to fuse black liberation and gay liberation. Likewise, this film fuses deeply personal stories of liberation with a view of broader social movements. With the benefit of nearly 30 years of hindsight, it is particularly striking to hear people talking about wanting to be, for example, the first black, gay President of the United States, or the first black, gay talk show host. Definitely a MUST SEE. • IMDb


Non, je ne regrette rien (No Regret)
Non, je ne regrette rien (No Regret) takes its title from the immortal Édith Piaf song. The Fear of Disclosure Project did interviews with five black men with HIV, talking about find­ing out they had the virus and wrestling with telling family and friends. The intensely personal stories begin with the camera zoomed in on the speaker’s eyes or mouth, but not both, leaving most of the screen blank, drawing you into the lives of these individuals before finally showing their full faces in the light. Although the interviews were conducted more than a quarter century ago now, and great strides have been made both medically and societally in dealing with HIV/AIDS, many aspects of the story are timeless, but all of the stories are vital. Definitely a MUST SEE. • IMDb

The Creative Mind (excerpts): this portion of the program was not available for advance review, but I would bet it’s worth seeing.

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