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Heat of the Moment: Stonewall (15) + Introduction by curator Alex Davidson

drag queens in the street

A screening, marking the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, of the BBC drama-documentary about the run-up to the night of queer protest.

Nigel Finch’s fictionalised account of the lead-up to the 1969 Stonewall riots, the rebellion that occurred when the gay and trans clientele of the Stonewall Inn fought back when the bar was raided by the police, remains a powerful drama.


Unlike Roland Emmerich’s notorious 2015 film about the riots, Finch and screenwriter Rikki Beadle-Blair focus on the queer people of colour who resisted, sparking the Gay Liberation Movement. Finch’s film stars gay actors in gay roles, a rarity at the time it was made, and is a must-see for anyone with an interest in queer history.

The introduction will be given by Barbican and season curator, Alex Davidson.

UK, US 1995 Dir Nigel Finch 99 min

Screens with: Melting (US 1965 Dir Thom Andersen 6 min) a short film, from the director of Los Angeles Plays Itself, showing the disintegration of a strawberry sundae.

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Barbican Cinema 3