Local LGBTIQ film club Alphabet Soup Cinema will team up with the Melbourne-based Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives (ALGA) for a screening of acclaimed gay film Holding The Man in Katoomba on Saturday, January 7.
Directed by Neil Armfield and starring Ryan Corr and Craig Stott, the film will screen at the Carrington Hotel, with the event serving as a fundraiser for ALGA.
Holding The Man, based on the Timothy Conigrave book of the same name, is an autobiographical gay love story, focusing on the relationship between Conigrave and his partner John Caleo at the height of the 1980s AIDS epidemic.
The memoir won the United Nations Human Rights Award for Non-Fiction in 1995 and is listed as one of the ‘100 Favourite Australian Books’ by the Australian Society of Authors.
The movie - which features supporting performances from Guy Pearce, Geoffrey Rush, Kerry Fox and Anthony LaPaglia - received rave reviews upon its 2015 release.
The Katoomba screening will feature a special appearance by ALGA volunteer and gay community journalist Gareth D’Souza, who is travelling to the Blue Mountains from Melbourne for the event.
Mr D’Souza, who was recently presented with a Special Service Award by the Victorian AIDS Council (VAC), will speak before the screening and will present memorabilia from ALGA’s archive pertaining to Conigrave and Caleo, who both passed away in the 1990s.
“I’m excited to be coming to the Blue Mountains to discuss Holding The Man, which has become a cultural touchstone for the LGBTIQ community, not only in Australia but overseas,” said Mr D’Souza, who also appeared in the film as an extra.
“The sad but uplifting story of Timothy and John is one of the great gay love stories, treasured by gay people around the world.”
Alphabet Soup Cinema co-ordinator Peter Hackney said the event was a rare opportunity for the local LGBTIQ community.
“This is a great gay film - and to have Gareth coming from Melbourne to speak and take questions, along with memorabilia from Tim and John’s lives, is quite special,” he said.
“We’re very pleased to make this a fundraiser for ALGA, with all profits going to the group.
“The Australian Gay and Lesbian Archives is the only organisation in Australia that actively collects and preserves lesbian and gay material from around the nation.”
Holding The Man will screen at 8pm on January 7 in The Library at the Carrington (doors open 7.30pm).
Tickets ($10 concession, $15 general admission) include a complimentary glass of bubbly on arrival.
Mr Hackney said everyone was very welcome to attend, not just members of the LGBTIQ community.
Bookings are recommended - visit www.alphabetsoupcinema.eventbrite.com.
