Discover a lively mix of restored classics and hard-to-find queer cinema as BAM's sixth Queering the Canon season, "We’re Out Here," screens films from tiny towns to rural landscapes , a reminder why representation on the big screen still matters.

Essential Takeaways

  • Dates and format: The series runs March 26–30, 2026, with nightly in-person screenings plus a virtual window for five titles.
  • Restorations: Several films return as 35mm prints or restored transfers, offering a tactile, cinema-house feel.
  • Highlights: Desert Hearts, Show Me Love, Dakan, Southern Comfort and The Place Without Limits are among the programme.
  • Themes: Expect stories of connection, identity and resilience set across the American South, Midwest, West and international locales.
  • Extras: Post-screening Q&As and guest appearances bring legacy filmmakers and actors into conversation.

A warm welcome back to queer moviegoing , and Desert Hearts still sizzles

Opening night plunged viewers into Donna Deitch’s Desert Hearts and, yes, the slow-burn chemistry still lands with a soft, electric hum. The 1959-set romance between buttoned-up Vivian and free-spirited Cay feels both nostalgic and refreshingly immediate on a big screen restoration. NewFest and BAM have leaned into ritual here: proper prints, an audience atmosphere and a rare Q&A with director and cast that turned a screening into an event. For anyone who saw it first-run, it’s a delicious trip down memory lane; for newcomers, it’s a primer on why mid-80s queer cinema mattered. If your cinema habit thrives on tactile film grain and a gathered room, this is the kind of presentation that delivers.

Teenage longing and small-town truth: Show Me Love on a 2K revival

Lukas Moodysson’s Show Me Love (Fucking Åmål) arrives in a soft, 2K new life that keeps the film’s tender awkwardness intact. The coming-of-age set-up , an outsider girl and a daring counterpart , still rings true, the kind of quiet ache that made the film a touchstone for teen queer viewers worldwide. Seeing it in a festival context highlights how these stories cross borders: Swedish suburbia here reads like any other town where longing meets social tightness. If you’re choosing a screening, pick a showing early in the run; it’s the sort of film that rewards communal laughter and sniffles in equal measure.

Dakan and The Place Without Limits: queer cinema beyond Hollywood’s map

Mohamed Camara’s Dakan , long recognised as a pioneering West African queer love story , reminds audiences that queer cinema has always been global and often brave. Set in contemporary Guinea, its production history and the film’s survival feel like parts of the story themselves, underscoring queer resilience when visibility was scarce. Likewise, The Place Without Limits offers a Mexican drama that resists tidy labels, centred on a gender-fluid brothel owner in a dusty town where peace is fragile. Both films expand the canon, showing why retrospectives should reach past the usual English-language suspects. For festival-goers, they’re a lesson in how culture, stigma and storytelling interact across continents.

Documentaries that confront and connect: Southern Comfort and Greetings From Out Here

The documentary selections bring documentary intimacy and tough reckonings. Southern Comfort , a Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner , follows Robert Eads through his final year and exposes harrowing medical discrimination alongside surprising tenderness. It’s the kind of screening that leaves a quiet, heavy room afterwards. Ellen Spiro’s Greetings From Out Here offers a breezier, road-trip vibe through gay life from Virginia to Texas, full of eccentrics and small-town colour. Together the two docs balance sorrow and celebration, showing queer life in its messy, human range. Attend with tissues, curiosity, and an appetite for conversation , Q&As are not to be skipped.

Why 35mm nights and post‑screening Q&As still matter

There’s a particular pleasure to watching restorations on film stock: the texture, the occasional scratch, the shared hush as the projector hums. NewFest and BAM have built this series to be both archival and alive, pairing historical context with contemporary voices. Post-screening Q&As let viewers hear the backstory , how these films were made, almost lost, and then rescued , which deepens appreciation. If you’re debating in-person versus virtual, pick the cinema when you can. The virtual window is a great backup for streaming five films at once, but nothing replaces the communal gasp or laughter that fills a theatre.

How to choose which night to attend

Start with your mood. Want romance and slow-burn heat? Desert Hearts is your opener. Craving the bittersweet ache of youth? Book Show Me Love. Looking for global perspective and political grit? Dakan and The Place Without Limits will deliver. For documentary depth, Southern Comfort and Greetings From Out Here are must-sees. Practical tip: check for Q&A nights if you want to meet filmmakers or catch legacy voices. And if you own a small TV, consider the virtual pass for a condensed, at-home festival weekend.

It's a small change to your calendar that can refresh the way you see queer stories on screen.

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