16 Collective is excited to announce the second event in the Sapphic Cinema Club programme, a new queer film event led by our guest curator Nancy Holt.

The club will kick off with three monthly pilot screenings, inviting queers to come together and watch films that centre their intersectional perspectives. Sapphic Cinema Club is not just a space to watch films, but a place to gather, chat, read poetry, look at art and realign with our values of community. We celebrate the nuance and richness of lesbian film as a distinct genre. Through these screenings, dykes, sapphics and queers can enjoy a presentation of their own sexualities reflected back at them and explore different cultural portrayals of queerness. We will reflect on how lesbian cinema has thrived both within and outside of the mainstream film industry, from the underbellies of DIY queer filmmaking of the 90s to the rise of blockbuster age of Hollywood lesbian narratives in the 2020s. 

Pariah (dir. Dee Rees, 2011)

A coming of age drama, Pariah centres on a Black masc-presenting 17-year old, Alike, who’s sexuality and queer friendships are at odds with her church-going parent’s expectations for her life. This is director Dee Ree’s feature debut, and  is a reflection of the intersectional lesbian experience. Alongside its moody but vibrant aesthetics, Ree’s film is, at its core, about acceptance, and how a lack of it from those we love can shape who we become.

This initiative is funded by Film Hub Scotland and 16 Collective CIC.

All graphics by Sasha Staicu