Celebrate queer cinema on the big screen this May at Broadway Centre Cinemas, where Salt Lake Film Society’s curated Gay May lineup brings revival, festival, and first-run titles together , and reminds us why seeing these films in a theatre still changes how they land.

  • Curated queer classics: Broadway’s Gay May programme gathers titles from My Own Private Idaho to Portrait of a Lady on Fire, offering a mix of revival prints, first-run and festival favourites.
  • Big-screen impact: Film prints and restored 4K presentations deliver fuller sound and scale than streaming, with a tactile, communal energy.
  • Nonprofit mission: The Salt Lake Film Society prioritises independent, foreign, and repertory cinema over mainstream blockbusters, keeping marginalised stories visible.
  • Donor-supported perks: Donations to the Red Carpet Club fund programming and offer members perks, while keeping the theatre locally owned and mission-driven.
  • Community resonance: Queer screenings consistently draw larger crowds, making the Broadway one of the city’s liveliest cultural hubs when these films play.

Why Gay May feels like a love letter to queer moviegoers

There’s something intoxicating about a packed auditorium when a queer film opens , the little gasp, the knowing laugh, the applause that follows a long-awaited line. According to staff involved in programming, those responses are exactly why the Broadway Centre schedules a queer-focused repertory run in May. The films read differently with an audience; the textures, the silences and the jokes land harder when you’re not watching alone on a sofa.

The Salt Lake Film Society’s mission is the engine here. The organisation was founded to show films other cinemas ignore, and they lean into that promise by reviving older prints and bringing international festival darlings to town. So Gay May isn’t a stunt, it’s a natural extension of the society’s work.

From cult trash to art-house romance: the lineup and why it matters

Expect a deliberately mixed menu: outrageous midnight-cult entries sit beside tender art-house romances and provocative new releases. Titles like Pink Flamingos and The Doom Generation satisfy those who want shocking, boundary-pushing cinema, while Portrait of a Lady on Fire gives you emotional richness that benefits from a darkened room. Even mainstream-leaning queer touchstones are chosen through a curator’s lens rather than a box-office formula.

That variety matters because queer film is not monolithic. Screening everything from camp to quiet intimacy signals that the theatre sees queer audiences as discerning and deserving of cinematic range. It also keeps films that might otherwise be erased from local cultural life in circulation.

Why a nonprofit theatre still matters in a streaming world

You can watch almost anything at home, but theatres offer scale, fidelity and ritual. Broadway’s programmes often use 35mm or restored 4K prints, a sensory detail streaming can’t match: the grain, the projector hum, the way colours sit in a dark theatre. Those elements make familiar films feel newly charged and unfamiliar films easier to receive.

The Salt Lake Film Society is donor-supported and mission-driven, which means programming choices aren’t dictated by quarterly profits. According to the society’s materials, that independence lets them champion independent, foreign and repertory work year-round, and to occasionally screen first-run films that align with their curatorial goals.

Practical tips for getting the most from Gay May screenings

Book early for queer screenings , they fill faster than the weekday matinees. If you care about picture quality, check whether a screening is 35mm, a restored print or a 4K presentation; each gives a slightly different experience. Consider joining the Red Carpet Club if you plan to attend regularly , it helps support the society and comes with perks that make repeated trips easier.

If you haven’t seen certain titles, go in with an open frame of mind: some films are intentionally provocative, some quietly devastating. Watching them in a communal setting softens the edges and amplifies the rewards.

What’s next for Broadway and Salt Lake’s film scene

The resonance of queer screenings suggests audiences want curation, context and connection , not just content. As the Salt Lake Film Society continues to steward repertory screenings and festival runs, expect more programming that foregrounds marginalised stories and restored classics. For a city where mainstream cinema often dominates, the Broadway remains a place that insists film can be an act of preservation as well as entertainment.

It’s a small change with outsized impact: seeing these films together makes the city’s queer cinematic history feel present, loud and alive.

Source Reference Map

Story idea inspired by: [1]

Sources by paragraph: