This weekend kicks off Queer Rhapsody , a new series of screenings for contemporary LGBTQ+ cinema, which runs from Friday, July 19 through Sunday, July 28. The series fills a gap left by Outfest’s recent public troubles , which was one of the most prominent film circuits for queer media in L.A.
But the creators of Queer Rhapsody aren’t looking for it to be a replacement. Instead, they’re focused on making this effort as community focused as it can be. May Hong HaDuong, director of the UCLA Film and Television Archive, started thinking about it nine months ago when it became evident LGBTQ+ films wouldn’t have a stage like previous summers.
The desire also comes at a time when gay and transgender needs have been politicized across the country. HaDuong, who was raised in a conservative area of Huntington Beach, says film can bring like-minded folks together and allow them to see a new world on screen. “I viscerally on a day-to-day level think about this in terms of the community I grew up in and the people who may not have spaces to be themselves,” HaDuong said.
“My immediate reaction out of the pain and sorrow of that is what can we bring and come together for that?” Enter, Queer Rhapsody. To build and curate the lineup, she reached out to Martine McDonald to be the series’ creative director and senior programmer. McDonald used to work for Outfest prior to last year’s dramatic staff layoff , but she isn’t interested in following any templates.
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