Every month at the Paradise Theatre, curator and host Peter Knegt is offering queers (and anyone who loves them) a classic queer film, special guests and performers, and then — after the show — some good old fashioned drinks and conversation in the Paradise’s stunning lobby bar. Each film will be paired with a different local queer artist, who will design an original poster for the screening.
For Queer Cinema Club’s very first December, there was no question that of what film we had to screen: Todd Haynes’ 2015 spellbinding masterpiece Carol. Adapted from Patricia Highsmith's 1952 novel The Price of Salt (via a flawless script by Phyllis Nagy), the film stars Cate Blanchett (who, after Tar, is almost certainly going to have more Oscar nominations for playing a lesbian than all actual lesbians combined will have for playing them!) and Rooney Mara as two women who start a forbidden affair in 1950s New York City.
Not only is Carol arguably the best Christmas movie ever made, but this December marks exactly 70 years since “Carol Day” – aka the day Carol (Blanchett) and Therese (Mara) met for their fateful third date, as per Therese’s agenda. Yes, our December 14th screening will happen exactly a week before Carol and Therese’s platinum anniversary, and we could not be more excited for you to come celebrate with us. A gorgeous, spellbinding film, it will never quite leave you after you're done watching.
The same goes for the special performance we have planned for before the film: Iconic Toronto drag king Gay Jesus will be offering us a little show, just in time for their big birthday later this month :)
The film will also kick off our winter trilogy of queer cinema we are dubbing “The Loneliest Time Trilogy,” with Moonlight and Brokeback Mountain following in January and February. Collectively, these are unquestionably three of the greatest queer films ever made, and we hope they’ll help warm us all up together at the Paradise over the next few months.
Carol’s lovely, Christmas spirited-poster -- which will be available for sale at the screening - was created by the very talented Mia Carnevale.