PERVERTS

Free screenings in San Francisco
RSVP: potentialpervert@proton.me

Archive
Current Program
Instagram
Letterboxd

X X X

Upcoming:

Perverts #46 + 47

Monday, June 29, 8pm
(Double Feature)

Muscle

1989, Japan, dir. Hisayasu Satō, 58 mins

Ryuzaki, an editor of Muscle Magazine, which features photographs of men with sculpted bodies, becomes involved with a man named Kitami; their affair soon becomes dominated by sadomasochistic games, with a horrid result. Jump ahead one year, Ryuzaki is released from jail and goes in search of Kitami, perhaps to make amends.

Looking For an Angel

1999, Japan, dir. Akihiro Suzuki, 60 mins

Takachi, a young porno star from a small town in Japan is found dead. His death provides the opportunity to show us his true emotions, and how his two best friends in Tokyo remember him. These two travel back to Takachi’s town, Kochi, which Takachi himself had visited just prior to dying. In Kochi, all boys seem to be angels.

X X X Perverts #45

Monday, June 22, 8pm

Gay San Francisco

1970, USA, dir. Jonathan Raymond, 60 mins

A previously lost documentary depicting queer life in San Francisco five decades ago. Shot between 1965-1970, Gay San Francisco features a collection of incredible footage of San Francisco's thriving LGBTQ culture, with a focus on the Tenderloin, San Francisco's first queer neighborhood. Scenes from gay bars are intercut with fascinating interviews featuring gay men, lesbians, and trans women discussing issues from harassment to sex to job security. The film also includes a not-to-be missed Halloween drag show at On The Levee, one of SF's many historic gay bars that closed their doors long ago.

Parade

1971, USA, dir. Ronald Chase, 13 mins

A short film on the first Gay Pride March in San Francisco in 1971, the year after the Stonewall Riots. This film was lost for 50 years before it was found and restored by SF Art & Film.

X X X

Perverts #44

Friday, June 19, 8:00pm

Strawberry and Chocolate

1993, Cuba, dir. Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Juan Carlos Tabío, 108 mins

X X X

Perverts #42 + #43 (Double Feature)

Monday, June 15, 8:00pm

LA Plays Itself

1972, USA, dir. Fred Halsted, 55 mins

FURTHER READING:
Artforum: "Halsted Plays Himself"

No Skin Off My Ass

1991, Canada, dir. Bruce LaBruce, 73 mins

X X X

Perverts #41

Friday, June 12, 8:00pm

Hookers On Davie

1984, Canada, dir. Janis Cole, Holly Dale, 88 mins

Throughout 1983, filmmakers Janis Cole and Holly Dale documented the lives of a handful of sex workers in Vancover’s so-called “prostitution capital,” which was centered on the city’s Davie Street. Two months were spent just trying to earn their subjects’ trust; but once that was gained, they opened up for the cameras and gave the directors unflinching glimpses into their lives and trade — while on the job, and off.

FURTHER READING:

2025 review, Hookers On Davie

Changes (short)

1970, USA, dir. Pat Rocco, 16 mins

FURTHER READING:

Video: "Behind Every Good Man" (1967)

X X X

Perverts #40

Monday, June 8, 8:00pm

It Is Not the Homosexual Who Is Perverse, But the Society in Which He Lives

1971, Germany, dir. Rosa von Praunheim, 67 mins

From moma.org:

Rosa von Praunheim’s radical treatise on gay culture and politics exploded post-Stonewall activism in the early 1970s, and has internationally redefined queer liberation ever since. The film focuses on a Pretty Young Thing named Daniel who moves to West Berlin to immerse himself in gay life, only to find that each new reinvention of his character is another way of assimilating into a toxic and heteronormative structure. All of this is a guise for some of Praunheim’s more notable positions on anti-capitalism, anti-identitarianism, and the meaning of queer solidarity. Notoriously scrappy and cheap, the film’s aesthetic reflects its grassroots politics. Queer film scholar and MoMA staffer Vito Russo wrote to Praunheim: “Your film deserves to be shown here in America. The gay and straight community alike here must be made aware that these things are being discussed and presented elsewhere in the world. It is only through constant exposure and expression that we can ever hope to overcome what has for so many years, for too many years, been an irrational taboo. When people spend their lives fighting for a cause in which they believe, it gives them immeasurable comfort to know that there are others fighting for freedom of expression both in their lives and in their art.”

X X X

JUNE 2026 PROGRAMMING:

06/08: It Is Not the Homosexual Who Is Perverse, But the Society in Which He Lives

06/12: Hookers On Davie / Changes

06/15: LA Plays Itself / No Skin Off My Ass

06/19: Fresa y chocolate

06/22: Gay San Francisco / Parade

06/29: Muscle / Looking For An Angel
⠀

⠀⠀⣠⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣦⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⣰⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠿⣿⢿⣿⡟⠛⠷⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣠⣤⣤⣤⣀⣀⣀⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⢰⣿⣿⣿⡿⣿⣿⡛⠅⠁⠈⠈⠘⠳⠀⠀⢒⠀⠀⠀⡠⠊⠉⠉⣽⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣦⡀⠀
⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⡀⠀⣰⢤⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠾⠀⠀⡜⠀⠀⠀⠀⠛⠻⣿⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡆
⠀⠈⣿⣿⣿⠟⠋⣿⢌⣿⡷⢄⠀⠀⠀⢀⣠⣾⠀⣸⣿⡏⢡⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠊⢛⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣾⣿⣿⢿⡄⠀⡀⠀⠀⠙⢿⡯⢀⡻⢿⡿⠛⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣻⣹⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
⠀⢀⣿⣷⡛⢿⣿⣿⣷⣿⡍⠀⠷⣦⢄⣀⣼⡇⢫⣰⠆⠀⠀⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣴⣓⣺⣿⣿⣿⣿⡟
⣀⣼⣧⡌⠳⣤⠿⣿⡿⣿⣶⣤⣴⣿⣿⣯⣿⣿⣿⣧⡀⠀⠸⡕⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⠿⠁⠘⣿⣿⡟⠀
⣩⡵⢤⠟⢄⠘⢤⡘⢇⠘⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣥⣎⠁⠀⠀⢒⣠⣦⣦⣴⡇⠀⠀⣬⣿⣿⠃⠀
⠸⣷⣟⠱⡀⠳⢤⡀⠀⠳⣽⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠻⢿⣿⣇⢀⣀⣴⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⣿⣿⣯⣲⠀
⢷⢌⣿⡆⣉⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣸⡏⠙⠛⠿⠿⠃⠀⠸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⢠⣿⡷⡳⠃⠀
⡙⢿⣿⣿⡿⣦⣤⠄⠀⢸⣿⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠉⠁⠀⢻⣿⣿⣿⣆⣤⣾⣯⠞⠁⠀⠀
⠈⢦⡹⣾⣿⣾⡟⠛⠀⠀⢺⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢹⣿⣿⣿⠟⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⣅⣨⡟⠻⣿⣿⣿⡆⠀⢤⡄⢷⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢠⣿⣩⢟⠕⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

× × × × ×

Perverts #39

Monday, May 11, 8:00pm

Ma Mère

2004, France, dir. Christophe Honoré, 112 mins

Perverts #38

Monday, May 4, 8:00pm

Black Moon

1975, Germany/France, dir. Louis Malle, 101 mins

FURTHER READING:

Roger Ebert interviews Louis Malle, 1976

Perverts #37

Monday, April 27, 8:00pm

Luna

1979, Italy, dir. Bernardo Bertolucci, 142 mins

While touring in Italy, a recently-widowed American opera singer has an incestuous relationship with her 15-year-old son to help him overcome his heroin addiction.

FURTHER READING:

Review by Adrian Martin
"My Hot Toddler" by Orna Guralink

Perverts #36

Monday, April 20, 8:00pm

Elephant

2003, USA, dir. Gus Van Sant, 81 mins

Largely inspired by Alan Clarke’s experimental short of the same name (1989), Van Sant’s Elephant follows an ordinary day at an American high school through the shifting perspectives of various students. As the day unfolds and perspectives accumulate, something malevolent begins to take shape.

Winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes 2003.