Press room

Wed 11 June – Wed 16 July 2025  

During Pride Month, the Barbican travels back in time with Queer 70s: LGBTQ+ Cinema in the Decade after Stonewall, a season with eleven screenings featuring films from around the world that revolutionised how queer people were represented on screen.

The 1970s was a fascinating and complex period for LGBTQ+ people. Following the Stonewall Riots in 1969, the next decade saw the rise of Gay Liberation movements and greater queer visibility across the world.

Queer cinema of the time reflects these changes, as directors grabbed opportunities to tell their own stories, with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/ questioning characters taking centre stage. Whereas representation in the pre-Stonewall era often depicted queer characters as victims and villains, the 1970s saw LGBTQ+ figures flourish on screen, and even enjoy a happy ending or two.

Queer 70s opens on Wed 11 June with She’s Beautiful, Sexy, Angry and Liberated! Barbara Hammer's Lesbian Films of the 1970s + live readings, which celebrates the legacy of Barbara Hammer, a true pioneer of LGBTQ+ cinema, with a special event featuring her groundbreaking shorts Dyketactics, Superdyke, Women I Love and Double Strength.

Female desire is central in Chantal Akerman’s sexually provocative first feature Je Tu Il Elle (Belgium, France 1974), which culminates in a famous ten-minute lesbian sex scene. Sapphic desire also runs throughout Ticket of No Return (West Germany 1979), UIrike Ottinger’s visually striking experimental film.

Male sexuality is explored in Peter de Rome’s pornographic film Adam & Yves (US 1974), in which an American in Paris meets a young Frenchman who likes to mix sex play with complicated mind games. This romantic film includes several artistically shot sex scenes and is thought to be one of the most interesting erotic movies from the early 1970s.

The Australian film The Set (1970), is a fascinating camp curio, made at a time when gay sex was still illegal in every state in the country. It tells the story of a naïve young man who, whilst trying to make it in Sydney’s competitive art scene, has a brief affair with another guy,  reflecting the regressive attitudes towards gay men at the time.

Further season highlights include the groundbreaking Japanese film Bye Bye Love (1974), a wild road trip with a gender-queer partnership at its centre; the Oscar nominated My Dearest Senorita (Spain 1972), a sympathetic feature about an intersex person, made, remarkably, during Franco’s regime; and Badnam Basti (1971), India’s first ever LGBTQ+ film, with its love story about a woman and two men involved in a bisexual love triangle.

Car Wash (US 1976), is a comedic take on the daily life of the employees from the DeLuxe car wash in LA, and chronicles its oddball characters including the flamboyant Lindy, who holds up as an unapologetically queer role model, even decades later. The film also includes a cameo from comedy legend Richard Pryor (as a TV evangelist), a hit soundtrack from soul superstars Rose Royce, and an appearance by The Pointer Sisters.

The season closes on Wed 16 July with the trailblazing Sebastiane (UK 1976) + ScreenTalk, Derek Jarman’s homoerotic reimagining of the life and death of Saint Sebastian, which drew parallels between the legend of the martyr and gay persecution of the time. British cinema had never seen anything like it, with its clash of beauty and vulgarity and ubiquitous male nudity.

Alex Davidson, Barbican Cinema Curator, says:

“The 1970s were a fascinating time for queer creativity and representation, as the aftershocks of the Stonewall Riots was felt around the world. It’s been a real pleasure discovering queer films that deserve far greater recognition, including a couple of real curios, alongside some acknowledged classics. As LGBTQ+ rights are once again under threat, I hope the films in Queer 70s remind us of how far we have come, and how vital cinema has been in resisting oppression.”

Celebrating Pride season across the Centre’s programme alongside Classical Pride 2025, Queer 70s: LGBTQ+ Cinema in the Decade after Stonewall is part of the Barbican’s Barbican’s Summer 2025, a season packed with unmissable events in Theatre, Music, Cinema, Visual Arts and more. Highlights of the summer programme include Encounters: Giacometti x Huma Bhabha; Fiddler on the Roof and Good Night, Oscar in the Barbican Theatre; Classical concerts Khatia Buniatishvili & Friends and  CBSO Orchestral Qawwali with Abi Sampa; as well as Herbie Hancock celebrating his 85th birthday; and Barbican’s iconic Outdoor Cinema with its full season of films under the stars.

Further highlights also include Frequencies, a packed programme exploring the power of sound and sonic experience featuring film screenings, concerts, workshops and talks, as well as the immersive exhibition experience Feel the Sound; virtual reality adventure In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats; and Rebel Radio, a celebration of the history of pirate and community radio in the UK.